Halloween

Pumpkin Cake

October 31, 2011

Pumpkin Cake

This cake is so easy to make. It is a nice dessert or can be eaten as a breakfast cake. You can put frosting on this cake if you like, but I don’t think that it needs it.

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Olive Oil

5 Eggs

3 1/3 Cups Unbleached Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1 ½ Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon Allspice

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2/3 Cup Water

15 Ounces Pumpkin Puree

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a Bundt pan or two 9x5x3 inch cake pans and set aside. In an extra large mixing bowl beat the sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and set the sugar mixture aside. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Alternately add the flour mixture and the water to the sugar mixture. Beat on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in the pumpkin and then spoon batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 1 hour until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan(s) and cool completely on a wire rack. Serves 8

Holiday Popcorn Balls

October 28, 2011

Holiday Popcorn Balls

Growing up we made popcorn balls every Halloween and Christmas. We usually made them various colors according to the holiday and sometimes would put candy in them. Sticky and gooey, but oh so good. Here is a good basic popcorn ball recipe. You can make them plain or dress them up. You decide!

INGREDIENTS

¼ Cup Corn Oil

½ Cup Popcorn

½ Cup Dark Corn Syrup

½ Cup Sugar

½ Teaspoon Salt

Heat the corn oil in a large pan over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the popcorn and cover leaving the cover slightly ajar. The popcorn will start to pop. Shake frequently until the popping stops. Mix together the corn syrup, sugar and salt. Add the corn syrup mixture to the popped corn while it is still in the pan. Stir and toss constantly over a medium heat for 4 minutes until sugar is dissolved and the popcorn is evenly coated with the mixture. Remove from the heat and gently form into balls using buttered hands. To make colored popcorn balls just use a drop of food coloring in the corn syrup mixture. If you want to add candies then add the candy of your choice into the corn syrup mixture as well. Makes 12 popcorn balls

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