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Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

Gypsy World Spice Cafe

Posted in Referrals, tagged , , , on November 9, 2011| 3 Comments »

Freshly grated nutmeg. A divine experience for both nose and tastebuds.

Have you ever wondered how to use certain spices or creative ways to use spice?

I wonder all the time.

I ponder it.

I think about it when I should be sleeping at night.

My friend, Denis, over at Gypsy World Spice Cafe is the queen 0f spices. She does magical, wonderful things with spices that I could never think of.

I encourage you to go visit her website, drool over some of her recipes and learn from her spice-wisdom.

Go on, check it out!

She Who Dreams of Cinnamon

 

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Turkey Day Test Run Party

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , , , , on November 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Here is a wild and crazy party idea…. have a Turkey Day Test Run Party!

You know there are several dishes you’d like to try before Thanksgiving. Like that new stuffing recipe or the new pie your friend has been raving about.

Plan a casual buffet party, making all the dishes you want to try out, invite over a few friends and have a taste test to see which ones get a thumbs up and which ones get a thumbs down.

By serving the food buffet style, you can keep things simple with an overlying theme of just getting together and having fun.

You can have ballot slips for each guest to fill out, rating each dish. You could even give a few prizes for “most creative descriptions” or “most valuable tester.” Keep the prizes simple like a fall-scented votive candle or a boxed single truffle.

The main idea is to get together with friends while trying out some new recipes. I think you’ll have a good time if you give it a try!

She Who Needs to Plan a Test Run Party

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Spice Bundt Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Recipes, tagged , , , , on November 4, 2011| 2 Comments »

Spice Bundt Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce

If you enjoy the flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg, you will love this moist cake that is easy to make. Topped with the vanilla butter sauce, it is the perfect end to a fall meal.

Ingredients

Mix wet ingredients with cake and pudding mixes.

I grated nutmeg to go in the cake and boy was that an aromatic decision. The smell was delightfully divine. If your grocery store carries Spice Cake mixes, you could use one of those instead of a vanilla mix and adding spices. But if you do add spices, think about grating your nutmeg. Fabulous!

Add spices to batter.

Spoon batter into bundt pan. It will be really thick. Even it off as best you can then bake in 350 degree oven for about an hour.

The cake is done when it is brown and starts to pull away from teh edges of the pan.

Let cool completely then invert onto a cake plate.

While the cake is cooling, make your butter sauce by mixing butter, sugar and cream in a heavy saucepan.

Bring sauce to a boil, stirring continually, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Pour onto cake.

And restrain yourself from licking off all the drips.

When ready to serve, thick about adding a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream or cinnamon laced whipped cream.

And sprinkling on some toffee bits.

Once the cake was sliced, I added a bit more sauce.

Then add a sprinkling of toffee bits and inhale the heady aroma of the spices. Take a bite and sink into a state of sugar-induced bliss.

Spice Bundt Cake

1 box Golden Vanilla Cake Mix

1 small package instant white chocolate pudding

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons nutmeg

Butter Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

Note: If you want, you can purchase a spice cake mix and omit the additional spices.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs  water, vanilla, oil and sour cream with cake batter and pudding. Add in spices. Beat on medium speed until combined. The batter will be super thick, so don’t panic.

Scoop it into a greased bundt pan, evening it up as best you can (I tap the pan on the counter to get out air bubbles and even up the batter). Bake for one hour or until it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Let cool completely then invert on a cake plate.

To make the sauce, combine butter, cream and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring consistently, then reduce and simmer for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Add vanilla, stirring well. Cool slightly then drizzle over cake.

Serve with dulce de leche ice cream or cinnamon laced whipped cream. Yum!

She Who Liked This Cake Way Too Much

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Crumb Topping

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Recipes, tagged , , , on October 14, 2011| 2 Comments »

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Crumb Topping

The other day I had a craving for pumpkin cheesecake which somehow morphed into the idea of pumpkin cheesecake bars which turned into pumpkin cheesecake bars with crumb topping. Unable to find a recipe I liked, I made up my own.

So there!

It actually turned out pretty good, or at least that is what the taste testers told me. Some asked for seconds, but I only brought a limited few to work. Sorry guys! Next time there is taste testing to be done, I’ll make sure I bring extra samples!

So, without further ado…

Ingredients

Crust Mixture

Crumb mixture in the pan. Press in lightly.

Mix up the pumpkin filling.

Pour filling over cooked crust.

Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake for 25 minutes.

When cool, cut into bars. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two days - if they last that long.

If you want to make these even better, drizzle on a little (or a lot) of caramel sauce.

Then enjoy! Sharing is optional.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Crumb Topping

Crust

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

Filling

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup canned pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and butter. Beat until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture, pressing the remaining mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2- inch baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, pumpkin pie filling, sugar, egg, and cinnamon. Beat until well blended and smooth. Spread filling over hot crust then top with remaining crumb mixture. Return to oven and bake 25 minutes.

Cool and cut into bars. You can make this a couple days ahead of time but keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

If you want to get wild and crazy, drizzle the tops of the bars with caramel or chocolate sauce, or both. Also, try serving bars with Dulce de Leche ice cream. See if that doesn’t make you melt in a puddle.

Note – if you like nuts, you can add 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecan to the crust mixture. You could also put toasted pecan halves on top of each bar before you drizzle with caramel.

She Who Loves Pumpkin Sweets

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