Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread

It's Thanksgiving!!! This is one of my favorite holidays mainly because I get to cook AND eat a bunch of yummy dishes.

Another reason I love this holiday is getting together with friends and family. Sadly, all my family lives in California, which means I don't get to see them often. The good news is that we kind of have an orphan Thanksgiving. What I mean by that is my mom invites all her friends over who also do not have much family around to spend the holiday with. We have been doing this for years and I have spent many a Thanksgiving with these same people and they have become my Thanksgiving family!

But even better news, this year my cousin Carly and her husband Charlie are visiting for Thanksgiving and I couldn't be happier!

This year I am having two Thanksgivings! My roommates and I had a roomie Thanksgiving before we all left for the break. I baked a small ham, made my sweet potato casserole, and tried out this yummy bread I discovered from Averie Cooks!

I wanted to make something different at my roomie Thanksgiving other than a pumpkin pie. But, I knew it still needed to be pumpkin flavored. I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now and knew this would be the perfect time. I had no regrets. It turned out great and had a nice flavor.

Ingredients

Bread

1 large egg

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin oie soice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt, optional and to taste

Cream Cheese Filling

1 large egg

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions

Oven: 350
Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with grease and flour the pan. Set aside.
Bread
In a large bowl, add the first ten ingredients, through ground nutmeg, and whisk to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt if you choose too, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don't over mix then set aside. Turn about two-thirds of the batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into the corners and sides as necessary; set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling
In a large bowl, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Alternatively, mix with a hand mixer. Evenly pour filling mixture over prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into the sides as necessary. Top the cream cheese filling with remaining pumpkin batter, smoothing the top very lightly with spatula as to not disturb cream cheese layer; smooth batter into corners and sides as necessary.
Bake for about 48 minutes or until the top is domed, golden, and the center is set. Use a toothpick to see if the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. This part will be tricky because the cream cheese won't really get solid, so the toothpick test isn't the most accurate. Baking times will vary based on moisture content of pumpkin, cream cheese, climate, and oven variances. Bake until done; watch your bread, not the clock.

Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicking and serving.
Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

TATER RATER

Oatmeal Pumpkin Creme Pie

I love fall. With Fall comes pumpkins. Pumpkin flavored anything. To start Fall off I had my first ever cup of Pumpkin Spiced Latte to see what all the hype was about. I was converted. That latte was so yummy, I do not care that I am basic now. 
I am obsessed with oatmeal creme pies so when  I came across this delightful recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction I knew it had to be made. What is even better is that it is pumpkin flavored! 

Ingredients

Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 and 2/3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 tbs unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 - 2 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Oven: 325
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk the baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix together until just combined. Do not over mix.
Do not skip this step: Chill the dough for at least one hour (or up to 1 day) in the refrigerator. Cookies will be very flat if the dough is not cold.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roll 2 teaspoons of dough into a ball and place onto prepared sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, let cool on cookie sheet for a minute or so and then transfer to a wire rack.
While the cookies are cooling, prepare the pumpkin frosting. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin, and spices on medium speed until creamy. Add 2 - 2 and 1/2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar (depending how sweet you like it). If frosting is much too thin, add in the flour to thicken it. If too sweet, add salt to cut the sweetness. (I recommend chilling the frosting for half an hour or so.)
 Spread a generous amount of frosting on the underside of a cooled cookie and sandwich another cookie on top. Cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

TATER RATER

Deconstructed Sloppy Joe's

I wasn't able to get a good enough picture, so I used the picture I got from the recipe Sweet C's Designs. She calls it an Easy Cheesy BBQ Beef & Biscuit Casserole; it tastes exactly like a sloppy joe, but better. Not only is it easy to make, it has few ingredients too. I love simple and cheap meals. I suggest sticking to this recipe because of the BBQ sauce. As Sweet C explains, KC Masterpiece is a sweet BBQ sauce, so if you choose to use a different sauce you may need to add brown sugar. The sweetness is a great flavor to the dish. So delicious.
 This is one meal that I will be making for my children one day. 
Enjoy! I sure did.

Ingredients

1 can flaky biscuits (8 per pack)

1½ pounds ground beef

1 cup KC Masterpiece (or other sweet) BBQ sauce

¼ cup yellow mustard

1½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Oven: 350

In a very well greased casserole dish, lay out biscuits. In a large pan, brown ground beef.

While beef cooks, smoosh biscuits to make a layer across the bottom of the pan. Bake biscuits until very slightly browned, about 5 minutes, and set aside until beef is ready. When ground beef is cooked, drain fat well. Add BBQ sauce and mustard, stir well and taste- add more of either to taste. Pour beef mixture into biscuit base. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

TATER RATER

Kimchi Quesadillas

In the mood to try something new? Well I was. My roommate Tater loves kimchi. She loves anything Asian, really. So I thought I would give kimchi a try. Tater was pretty stoked to hear I would make these for her. I came across this recipe from a buzzfeed post. [but it didn't have the list of ingredients. I found the list of ingredients on Serious Eats.] Since it was my first time to try kimchi, I figured this would be a good meal for the first time and I was right. They were definitely different. Kimchi has a vinegary taste, so that was transferred to the quesadillas, but I don't mind that. So, if you like kimchi or don't mind a tang, I would expand your horizons and give this a try. 

Ingredients

Yields 2

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup cabbage kimchi, drained and chopped

Green onions

2 (8-inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 cup grated Sharp Cheddar

1 cup grated Monterey Jack

1 tablespoon Canola oil

Directions

Add butter into a medium heat pan and sauté kimchi until edges are golden brown. Divide these ingredients between two quesadillas: spread sautéed kimchi onto one side of tortillas, add cheese, toasted sesame seeds, and green onions. Add oil to pan and fry until golden then garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. 

TATER RATER

(Like I said, Tater loves kimchi)

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

 
Happy Halloween! No tricks today, but I do have a treat for y'all- candy corn Rice Krispies!
I love Rice Krispie treats, so when I saw this, from Chief in Training, I knew I had to make it. Cute right? It is also a very simple recipe, but very sticky!

When transferring the colored mixtures from the bowls to the pan, I learned that if your hands are damp that the mixture will not stick to your hands (too much). The tips of the candy corn didn't turn out as white as I hoped, mainly because I melted the marshmallows a little too long so it lost a little of its white color I am assuming because of the butter. Still turned out cute though! So, if you need a little treat for your day of Halloween fun, this is a quick, simple, and yummy treat to go along with your tricks.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

10 oz bag of marshmallows

7 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Food coloring

Directions

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter for about 45 seconds. Pour in marshmallows and stir to coat evenly. Place back in microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until marshmallows have melted. Separate melted marshmallow into three separate bowls (large enough for rice krispie cereal). Separate the melted marshmallow into big, medium and small amounts, basically a 3:2:1 ratio. In the largest melted marshmallow amount, stir in some yellow food coloring until desired color. Stir in 3 1/2 cups Rice Krispie cereal until evenly mixed. In the medium amount of melted marshmallow, stir in orange food coloring (may need to mix yellow and red) until desired color is reached and stir to evenly combined. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of Rice Krispie cereal until evenly mixed. Stir in 1 cup of Rice Krispie cereal into the small amount of marshmallow until evenly mixed in. Grease a 9 inch cake pan. From the center of the pan, press the yellow section along the outside of the pan into a circle shape. Then press the orange section inside of the yellow to form a circle shape. Place the small section in the center and press down until remaining whole is filled. Let cool and form shape. Cut into eight pieces.

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Ramen Fries

Ramen is a college student's meal plan. It can get pretty old eating it all the time. Therefore, I try to mix it up every once in a while. Awhile back, my second blog post actually, I did that by making Thai Ramen. So, I thought I would try another twist to Ramen. I found this recipe from a Buzzfeed YouTube video. 

Ingredients

1 package Ramen Noodles

1 egg

Oil

Directions

Cook Ramen al dente, then drain water. In a bowl, whisk egg then mix in Ramen. Lay out a large piece of foil and form Ramen into a rectangle. Fold Ramen into foil and freeze for 20 minutes. Once Ramen is frozen, cut into thin strips (mine ended up being too thick). In a pan, heat oil and fry on each side until golden brown. Place on a plate or bowl and pour seasoning over it. Enjoy with a condiment of your choice!

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A Splash of Love is ONE!

One year ago today, I decided to start this blog! 

I know only a few read my posts, I guess mainly because they are recipes, but at least I get to share one of my passions with those who read.

I may not take the best quality looking pictures or the most artistic pictures, but I'll have to say, this picture turned out pretty good! Over time, I hope my blog grows in quality and readers. Until then, I hope y'all keep reading and cooking with me!

My first blog post was the Cookies & Creme cookies that everyone loves! So, I figured I keep the Oreo theme going; I decided to make Oreo Bark! 

It is super simple. You just need two ingredients and some time.

If you like Hershey's Cookies & Creme candy bar, this is EXACTLY what it taste like.

 Ingredients

11 oz white chocolate chips

24 Oreo cookies, chopped

Directions

Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper. Chop 20 Oreo's and set aside. Chop the other 4 and set aside in separate bowl. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly until the chips are just melted and smooth. 
{Since I did not have materials to make a double boiler, I melted my white chocolate in a microwave safe dish for 30 second increments, stirring each time until smooth and melted} 
Stir the 20 chopped Oreo cookies into the white chocolate and spread mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Top with remaining 4 chopped Oreos. Place pan into the refrigerator and allow the bark to harden for a few hours. When you are ready to serve the Oreo Bark, use a sharp knife to chop the bark into pieces. 
{or you can pick it up and smack it in the pan like I did, it makes it more fun!}
This treat is super sweet, but super yummy. 
ENJOY

TATER RATER

Recipe found from My Baking Addiction