Pumpkin Roll

A few years ago, I was asked to help coordinate the women's ministry at my church along with several of my closest friends. I'd like to think it was because we were revered for our unique and enviable feminine talents, but it's a lot more likely that we were just the only ladies who were actually willing to do it! Either way, we managed to organize some truly fabulous events for the lucky ladies of Word of Life Family Church.

Needing a break from some of my responsibilities and wanting to devote more time to some new projects, I resigned from the committee a few months ago. However, the group is headed by a tireless recruiter who does not take no for an answer, so during an innocent chat one Sunday morning I ended up agreeing to teach the ladies of the church how to make pumpkin rolls at the next ladies' event.  I'm still not sure how that sneaky bit of sorcery occurred, but here I am on a Thursday night prepping half a dozen pumpkin rolls during the commercials breaks of my favorite shows.

We chose this recipe to teach the ladies because it looks special and elegant but it seems complicated and time-consuming, so many wouldn't even consider trying it. In reality, though, it comes together fairly quickly and with a few handy tips it's not that hard to execute.

If you aren't afraid to try new things you can definitely make this on your own, but if you want some guidance, feel free to stop by Word of Life Family Church this Saturday and I'll walk you through it!

Pumpkin Roll

Prep time: 25 min Bake time: 15 min
Total time including chilling: 3 hrs
Serves 10

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

FILLING:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
6 Tbs butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Generously sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl.

Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. 

341 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits

I remember when I was a little kid my mother served slices of white bread with every dinner.  Not exactly gourmet, but it satisfied my dad who used the bread as a kind of scoop to shovel the goods into his mouth.  I love bread of any kind; I usually stuff myself on dinner rolls whenever we go out for dinner, but I rarely make bread to serve to my own family because bread seems time-consuming and complicated. However, I have recently been trying more quick bread recipes with some really interesting results.  These pumpkin biscuits came together super quick and had a unique flavor that tasted amazing when slathered in the accompanying pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 20 min
Serves 6 
 
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp sugar
6 Tbs unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbs milk
1 Tbs sugar
 
For the Pumpkin Butter
4 Tbs butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.  Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture.  Stir lightly to incorporate.  Pour in the buttermilk and gently mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until the dough just starts to come together.  Add the pumpkin and mix through the dough.

Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and gently pat until it's about 1-1 1/2 inches thick.  Using a 3 inch wide round cookie cutter, cut out 6 biscuits.  Place the biscuits onto the parchment paper, side by side.  Keep the biscuits tight beside each other on the baking tray to ensure they rise upwards.  Glaze each biscuit with a little milk and sprinkle sugar on top.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all of the butter ingredients in a stand mixer and beat until well combined.

Serve biscuits warm, slathered in pumpkin butter.  If you run out of pumpkin butter, regular butter and a drizzle of honey tastes great too!

381 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Creamy Spiced Baked Chicken

There are some blogs I like to follow that post religiously every day or every week.  You may notice I make no promises about how often I am going to post.  That's because I don't want to post just anything but only the recipes I think are really great!  I try new recipes all the time, but only the very best make my list of keepers and end up here for you to read.  That way, you can be sure that every recipe you find here is absolutely guaranteed to please!  This tasty chicken dish is simple but amazingly delicious.  It takes a bit longer than I usually like to wait for dinner, but it was totally worth the wait.  Make sure to serve the extra sauce on the side because you will want every bite to be slathered in it!

Creamy Spiced Baked Chicken
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 35 min
Serves 4

8 chicken drumsticks
2 Tbs olive oil or canola oil
1 ½ tsp seasoned salt
1 onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
½ cup tomato sauce
2 Tbs Italian herbs
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp white pepper
2 Tbs chopped parsley
Salt to taste


Preheat oven 450 degrees.
Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Place chicken in a pan with a roasting rack and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or till desired brownness.

Meanwhile, heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, cook and stir for about 5 minutes, then add minced garlic and saute another minute.  Add cream, milk, tomato sauce, paprika, white pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper.

Add chicken to skillet and spoon sauce on top.  Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

Creamy White Chili

I am a summer girl. I like warm weather, shorts and flip flops, lying on the beach, and cold, fresh dinners that don't heat up the oven. Everybody else is all like, "Oohh, fall is so wonderful!" and I'm just like, "No, don't leave me, Summer!"

Fortunately, I live in the south, so even though it's mid-October it's still a lovely 82 degrees and sunny outside. Unfortunately, the fresh fruits and veggies that made such bright, crisp summer suppers are no longer in such ready supply, and my Pinterest feed is full of soups and roasts and crusty baked breads that almost make me wish it was cool enough to turn on the fireplace.

I started out slowly, with some frozen chili I microwaved and scooped onto cheese fries. Pretty darn tasty and it reminded me of summer food, something you'd get at the fair or a ballgame. Surely I wasn't inviting in winter with an innocent plate of chili cheese fries?

But then the clouds rolled in and it began to drizzle and the temps dropped by ten degrees. So I gave in and dove headfirst into fall cuisine with a hot, bubbly pot of deliciousness--my favorite creamy white chili.  Maybe I'll turn up the air conditioner tomorrow so I can have another bowl.

Creamy White Chili
Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 30 min
Serves 6
 
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs canola oil
2 cans (15-1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large soup pot, saute the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

435 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Roasted Garlic & Asiago Chicken with Potatoes

You know how I talk all the time about how I like my recipes simple and easy? How I don't like long lists of ingredients or multiple steps of preparation? How I don't want to spend more than half an hour cooking because I'm freakin' hungry when I get off work at 5 o'clock?

Yeah, well, for this recipe, I threw all that out the window. Why, you ask, did I even consider making this recipe if it goes against everything I believe in when it comes to cooking? All I can say is, because it looked really pretty! Seriously, this is the yummiest-looking dish I've think I've ever made. Juicy chicken and savory potatoes smothered in a thick, creamy, cheesy topping? Ahh-mazing. Yes, this is complicated and takes forever, but I would make it again in a heartbeat, and so should you!

Roasted Garlic & Asiago Chicken with Potatoes
Prep time: 20 min  Bake time: 1 hr, 20 min 
Serves 6

2 heads of garlic
1 tsp olive oil 
6 potatoes, diced (peel if desired)
6 slices bacon
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
Salt & pepper to taste
8 oz cream cheese
5 oz Asiago cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Preheat your oven to 400° F.

Cut 1/4 inch off the top of each head of garlic, exposing the cloves, and remove most of the outer papery skin, leaving the head in one piece. Place garlic on a small square of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap up in the foil.  Roast in oven for 1 hour. When done, unwrap the foil and remove the cloves from the remaining skin.


Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with salt & pepper or your favorite garlic herb seasoning. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Cook bacon and remove to paper towels to drain, reserving bacon grease in skillet. Crumble bacon when cool. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper. Sear the chicken on each side in the bacon grease. Remove to a paper towel & set aside.

Combine the roasted garlic, cream cheese, Asiago cheese, sour cream & heavy cream in a small bowl. Take the potatoes from the oven and nestle the chicken breasts in the dish. Then, dollop the cheese mixture all over. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese & parsley. (I did all of this the night before I wanted to serve this, stuck the dish in the fridge, and finished baking it the next day, which took a little longer since it was cold.)

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

752 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!