Apple Crumble Pie

*sigh* I really must blog more often. So there are 23 days left until the wedding. I have missed my baking, my bloging and at times my sanity. Seeing as I am not the best at pie crust, I tend to buy the crusts and elabortate on what I would like to make with them. I decided to use what I had on hand and made an apple crumble pie. An apple crumble pie is your typical apple pie with a crumble top crust.

Apple Crumble Pie

Ingredients:

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

Pie Filling:

-3 Apples thinly sliced
-2 tbls Brown Sugar
-1 tps Cinnamon
-1/4 tsp Nutmug
-1 tsp Vanilla
-1 tbls cold water mixed with 1/4 tsp cornstarch

Crumble:

-1 1/2 tbls Brown Sugar
-1 tsp Sugar
-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
-1/4 cup Flour
-1 1/2 tbls butter

Diretions:

1. Add sliced apples to a bowl with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Mix well and add water and cornstarch mixture, mix and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. In another bowl start cruble mixture. Add brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and flour and mix well. Add in butter and incorporate until it is a crumbly mixture.
3. After 30 minutes add apple filling to the pie crust and top off with crumble mixture.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
5. Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Apple Crumble Pie
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Peanut Butter, Honey, Banana and Nutella Cakies

Some days, one can't help but experiment lol... Well these were not all that bad, I think they could have used a little less flour, so please play with the recipe to your desire :)!

I wanted a really soft peanut butter cookie, almost cake-like so I made "Cakies". Cakies are a cookie that is soft enough to be a cake. I thought of a sandwich I make every so often, peanut butter, banana and honey. Well from there, add a touch of Nutella and here you have it. Maybe next time I will try these as a cupcake, who knows?

Peanut Butter, Honey, Banana and Nutella Cakies

Ingredients:

- 1 Ripe Mashed Banana
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour (Start off with half, and if the batter is still too wet, go up to 3/4 cup)
- Pinch of Baking Soda
- Pinch of Salt
- Nutella for the top

Directions:

Set oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a bowl, combine mashed banana, egg, vanilla, honey,brown sugar and peanut butter; mix well.
2. In another bowl, sift dry ingredients together (Flour, pinch of salt, pinch of baking soda)
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and incorporate.
4. Spoon drop cookies onto greased or parchment papered baking sheet.
5. Pipe a small dollop of Nutella to the tops.
6. Put into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
7. Once the cakies are done, let cool and enjoy.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Peanut Butter, Honey, Banana and Nutella Cakies
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Guacamole

Okay so the photos isn't the best, but this guac is really good! One of my favourite summer dips would have to be guacamole... The vibrant colour, refreshing taste go great with some tortilla chips and a nice cool drink. This is a small batch of guac and can easily be doubled.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

- 1 Avocado (Peeled and mashed, keep pit on the side)
- 6 grape tomatoes (quartered) OR 1/4 cup of chopped tomatoes
- 2 green onions (Finely diced)
- Juice of half a lime
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Have the peeled and mashed avocado in a bowl and add the diced tomatoes and green onions.
2. Fold ingredients together and slowly add lime juice. You can add more or less lime juice to your desired consistency and taste.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Don't forget to put the pit back into the guacamole so that it keeps it from discolouring quickly.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Guacamole
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Coconut Macaroons w/Milk Chocolate Dip

I made these coconut macaroons a few times this summer. I heard some pretty great reviews, but sadly this recipe does not belong to me! Check out this AWESOME recipe by Martha Stewart here: www.marthastewart.com/recipe/coconut-macaroons.

I added chocolate to the recipe for taste and decoration, apparently they taste like bounty bars (use milk chocolate).

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Coconut Macaroons w/Milk Chocolate Dip
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Simple and quick dessert :)!

Do you ever find yourself a bit tired to turn the oven on and bake due to the sweltering heat? I do, as much as I hate to admit it lol. This recipe I threw together many years ago when I wanted to mimic a fruit tart.

The Very Simple and Quick Dessert

Ingredients:

-1 pkg store bought dessert shells
-1 pkg Vanilla Pudding, prepared
-1 pint blueberries
-1 can Whipped Cream/Topping
-Powdered Sugar

Directions:

These can be made in small batches or the whole package, it's to your liking:

1. Spoon vanilla pudding in dessert shell
2. Add blueberries in a stylish fashion
3. Add a dollop of whipped cream and another blueberry for decoration.
4. Dust on as much powdered sugar as you like

Note: This can be made with any size dessert shell as well

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Simple and quick dessert lol...
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

It's been quite a bit since my last post, apologies. With the wedding coming up in 99 days, things are starting to get even more busy by the minute. I made this pasta salad twice this summer, it's very simple and refreshing. Great for a picnic, a potluck or a quick lunch.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

-1 pkg fuselli pasta, cooked and chilled
-1 pkg pasta salad seasoning
-1 small red onion, sliced
-1 red pepper, sliced
-1 package grape tomatoes, whole or sliced in half
-1 cup black olives
-3/4 cup chopped cucumber
-200 g of feta cheese
-4 tbls. Mediterranean salad dressing

Directions:

1. In a large bowl add cooked pasta and sprinkle dry seasoning mix. Mix well until evenly incorporated
2. Add in sliced red onion, toss
3. Add in sliced red pepper, toss
4. Add in grape tomatoes
5. Add in black olives, toss
6. Finally add in chopped cucumber and toss. Make sure all veggies and pasta are mixed well and seasoning is even throughout
7. Add chopped or crumbled feta cheese and toss lightly
8. Fold in Mediterranean salad dressing and toss until evenly distributed

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Berry Cheesepie (Small Cheesecake)

Sometimes when I only want a small cheesecake, I make a cheesepie, because it's the size and form of a pie. Others use different ingredients for a softer texture, I just use the same ingredients as I would for a cheesecake.

Cheesepie (Small Cheesecake)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Ingredients:

Crust:
You can either buy your own ready made crust from the grocery store or make a quick one out of graham cracker crumbs.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbls. melted margarine or butter
2 tsp. sugar

Filling:

1 package brick cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls. sugar

Directions:

Crust:
1.Mix all the ingredients to form a crust and press firmly into a pie dish or an aluminum pie pan.
2. Bake for 10-15 minutes and let cool.

Filling:
3. Soften cream cheese in a bowl and add egg, vanilla and sugar.
4. Using a mixer or blender, mix until smooth getting rid of all the lumps.
5. Once the crust has cooled, add cream cheese mixture and set the cheesepie on a cookie tray and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until top forms a golden brown colour
6. Let cheesepie cool for about 30 minutes
7. Once the cheesepie has cooled down add preferred topping or fruits (cherry, strawberry, blueberry, peach, etc) on top and set in the fridge for at least one hour or until cold enough to preference.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Vanilla Cupcakes with Pink Whipped Cream and Pink & White Sprinkles

Another pink treat from the baby shower earlier this month. Vanilla Cupcakes (Magnolia Bakery Recipe) topped with pink sweetened whipped cream and pink and white sprinkles.

Cheers,
Naho

Treats @ The Baby Shower
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Chocolate Brownies

I tried my first attempt at chocolate ganache and well, it didn't quite work out as I had imagined. I guess when they suggest heavy cream, I should use it! Well this silky concoction was still very tasty and it would be a shame to throw away, so I thought why not make some chocolate brownies. When making brownies I always find I need to make a liquid base anyways, so this would help add to the rich treat. They turned out really great for trying out my own recipe and they got great reviews. Not too over whelming and just a touch of white chocolate to finish it off.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

1 batch of Chocolate Ganache:
-- 3/4 cup cream
-- 1 1/2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Note: to make the chocolate ganache, have chocolate waiting in a heat proof boil. Bring the cream to a boil and then poor slowly over the semi-sweet chocolate and mix until smooth. Let cool 20 minutes.

1. When the ganache is slightly cooled, add in the melted butter or margarine, mix well.
2. Add in lightly beaten eggs, very slowly as you do not want to cook them in the warm mixture.
3. Once blended, add in vanilla.
4. Add the brown sugar and mix well.
5. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time to the mix until you've reached a thicker consistancy, you may need a few extra teaspoons depending on ganache mixture.
6. Pour into a greased and floured baking pan or brownie pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.
7. Once baked all the way through, cool and cut into sections. Drizzle with white chocolate or coat with chocolate of your choice.

Cheers,
-Naho

Chocolate Brownies
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Baked Penne with Rose Sauce and Broccoli

While in Montréal on a weekend get away with my Fiancé and his mother, we had dinner at an Italian restaurant, Mangiamo I believe it was called. Well one of the cousins had a dish that looked rather tasty, a type of pasta gratin. So seeing as we don't have this restaurant in this area I tried to duplicate it and it was not bad at all, except I did not add chicken to mine.

Baked Penne with Rose Sauce and Broccoli

This was a recipe I created for a quick dinner, it's rather simple, nothing fancy.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Penne (cooked, as per package directions)
1 jar of Rose sauce (store bought)
1 cup chopped Broccoli
1/2 cup shredded cheese (marble, or more to preference)
Dash of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the penne as per the package directions and drain
2. Toss in broccoli
3. Mix in rose sauce until well blended, add more or less to preference
4. Pour into a greased oven proof dish/skillet
5. Add a dash of salt and pepper
6. Sprinkle cheese on top and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes

Cheers,
-Naho

Baked Penne with Rose sauce and broccoli
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Dutch Baby w/Bacon

After seeing so many photos of this scrumptious breakfast/brunch item, I had to try it out for myself. This is a very cool recipe to try out if you like pancakes, crepes or french toast. It's simple and makes enough for 2-4 people depending on your portion preference. I made this for Fiancé and his family for brunch and they all loved it. Add a side of bacon and some fruit and powdered sugar for the dutch baby and enjoy!

Cheers,
-Naho

Dutch Baby w/Bacon
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Cretons

I did learn a few new things in regards to cuisine whilst in Montréal and one of them was cretons. Cretons is a popular addition to breakfast and brunch in Québec and it's a pork spread eaten with toast, similar to a smoother tuna salad in texture. Emeril has a great recipe that I tried out and you can find it here, and don't forget to read up on cretons if you are interested in trying it out. I made some for my Fiancé's mother and she loved it.

Cheers,
-Naho

Cretons
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Applesauce Spice Muffins

I had mentioned earlier that I made these really tasty and healthy applesauce spice muffins. Well here they are and you can make them yourself by using this wonderful recipe on Epicurious. And remember, you can always alter the ingredients to adjust them to your personal taste, as I did here with less sugar and butter!

Cheers,
-Naho

Applesauce Spice Muffins
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I just love banana bread and muffins, so I decided to add some semi-sweet chocolate chips to this recipe. I got this wonderful recipe from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook as I have stated before. It was moist and sweet with a great touch from the chocolate chips.

Cheers,
Naho

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Shortbread cut-outs - Baby Hands w/ Pink and White Sugar Crystals

My Future Sister-in-law is going to have a baby in August, so earlier this month there was a baby shower in her honour. I made a few things, one being these Shortbread cut-outs - Baby Hands w/ Pink and White Sugar Crystals. I found the recipe on Martha Stewart website and the recipe was great. You can find the recipe to these shortbread cookies here!

Cheers,
-Naho

Treats @ The Baby Shower
Originally uploaded by Nahren

So Behind...

I always think of my blog and feel sad that I don't blog as regularly as I would prefer. With the wedding, the baby showers, the summer and its festivities, grad and work, there is just so many things to do.

I have promised recipes and I am going to be honest, they are in scraps or floating around in my head and in need of typing out. What I can do though is bring you some more images. I'd like to really post twice this week that would be great :)!

The following posts are the latest in cooking creations from recent events or endeavours, if I can post a recipe to a recipe that I have used it will be done accordingly. With the exception of the ones I have created and I still need to write those up.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Oh my...

It's been three weeks since my last blog post, how embarrassing. I do apologize, as mentioned before, the shower/wedding season has begun and it's been keeping me very busy! I've been baking and taking photos, but sadly I haven't gotten around to writing up final drafts of my recipes.

Here are a few photos of the past recipes I have made and I have full intentions of posting the recipes as soon as I can.

The first two photos are the Sucre à la crème coffee cakes I had made a few weeks back and we had an early birthday for my Fiancé this past weekend and his request was a Black Forest Cake, which you can see in the second two photos:

Tonight, I'd like to try something healthier and bake come Applesauce Spice Muffins, I found a wonderful recipe on Epicurious and I'll be sure to take some pics!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Original Recipes

I must apologize for being two weeks late on my blog posts. It's been rather hectic the last little bit and there is more to come. With it being wedding and shower season, not to mention upcoming birthdays and the end of the school year, it’s been crazy.

Recently I've wanted to create my own recipes. Many of the things I bake and cook are from various recipes I come across or sometimes just trying it out as a go. I've never really sat down and wrote out a recipe, so a few weeks ago I did.

I created a recipe for Sucre a la Crème Coffee Cake with a Maple Glaze; mind you I created them like cupcakes to have an individual feel. It's not bad, but it could use some tweaking, I will post the pics and the recipe when I get a chance this evening. Next I'm thinking I'd like to make a cookie recipe!

Last night I decided to bake some Chocolate Chip Banana Bread from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook. I adore this series of cookbooks; they have such wonderful recipes that never fail. I will have to go home and take photos of the banana bread and post them on our Scrumptious Foods flickr group as well as the next blog entry. The banana bread was moist, delicious and the chocolate chips gave little bit of decadence!

Do you have any original recipes of your own or any you are hoping to create? Let us know and don't forget to post photos @ our flickr group, we'd love to see them!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Stir Fry

The other night, my Fiancé and I decided to make shrimp stir fry for dinner. It came out really good, full of flavour, colour and was a lot of fun to cook together. Funny thing, just as we're about to eat, he asks me "I thought you were going to take pictures?” of course I was having so much fun I forgot to take out the camera and shoot a few shots. Oh well, I guess I’ll get to take more photos the next time around. Do you enjoy cooking or eating stir fry and if so what kind?

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Scrumptious Foods @ Flickr

If you haven't checked out our Flickr group, now is the time. We've had lots of new members and photo additions to the group. You can find us at http://www.flickr.com/groups/scrumptious/ or if you are a flickr member, you can log in and use the group search bar and type in "scrumptious". Don't forget to check out our flickr flash badge on the right hand side of our blog page, with all the wonderful photos located in our Scrumptious Foods Group. Hope you give our flickr group a visit and feel free to join as well, the more the merrier!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Feelin' a little French...

Reading the usual blogs and cookbooks as well as looking through the market these days, I've been put into a French (food) mood. I would like to make macaroons and crepes, now I'm thinking of French style breads. Hopefully will get to make a few of these items this week and post up the photos and recipes, which is rather fitting as it's National Bake Week (April 14-21). Speaking of French I really need to brush up on my language skills lol.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Breakfast @ The Village

This morning (My Fiancé) Justin stopped by a bit earlier on our way to work so we went off to have breakfast. We went to a local place in Stoney Creek called The Village which is a sweet and cozy family-style restaurant that always welcomes you to visit time and time again. I had a side of toast with jam and crispy bacon with coffee while Justin opted for a coffee and French toast, they have great French toast there; light, fluffy and quite the generous order at that.

If you are a breakfast lover, check out this blog of breakfast photos posted daily, called Simply Breakfast, you never know where you'll pick up an idea or two to try something new. So what do you enjoy eating for breakfast? Are you a salty or sweet breakfast person? I think I would like to make crepes for breakfast the next chance I get.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

The Infamous Ladurée Macaroons

This year I started reading many food blogs and learning lots of fascinating tips, ideas and facts about the foodie world. I have always loved food so when I started seeing these gorgeous treats all over the net, known as the Ladurée Macaroons, I had to check out the Ladurée website to learn more.

Ladurée is located in Paris, France and has many locations throughout Europe. The Ladurée macaroons are a small and round, cake like pastry that is crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Many others have adapted their own version of this macaroon recipe and now can be found all over. I have been looking for recipes online and I would like to try to make this marvellous sweet out for myself.

Keep an eye out in the next couple weeks as I update our flickr Scrumptious Foods Group photostream with new food photos as well as my first attempt with these infamous macaroons, I hear they can be quite tricky.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Welcome to Scrumptious Foods

Hello Friends,

Welcome to Scrumptious Foods! This is just the beginning but there will be more food posts coming your way. To start off, we will post a few requested recipes from our Facebook Group and we will move on from there.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

---

Scroll down for the full recipe or click the following links to go to their online location and website:

• Pumpkin Mousse Tarts
• Coconut Cake (Recipe from Parents.com)
  
• Milk Chocolate Truffles (Recipe from Eagle Brand Foods)
  
• Pecan Pie (Recipe from Kraft Kitchens)
• Pumpkin Cake (Recipe from Kraft Kitchens)

Pumpkin Mousse Tarts

Ingredients:

Graham cracker Crumb Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 tbls. Sugar
• 3 tbls. Margarine (melted)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
• Caramel topping for Drizzle

Pumpkin Mousse:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (up to preference, you may add more by a tbls. at a time)
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice(up to preference, you may add more by a pinch at a time)
• 1 pkg. (250 g) PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (I used a tub but it may need more, I improvised)

Directions:

Pumpkin Mousse:

1. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.
2. Add sugar, pumpkin and 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice; mix well.
3. *Stir in the whipped topping.

*If you fold in the whipped topping, it will be a fluffier mousse, also put in the fridge for about an hour to be a bit more solid and easier to handle :)!

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust:

1. In a bowl add graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and mix well.
2. Add in melted margarine and with a fork, incorporate so that the mixture is slightly moist.
3. In a greased mini cupcake pan, press down and pack in about 2 teaspoons of the mixture or more according to your preference.
4. Place in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes, remove and check. If they are hard and delicate to pick up, place in the oven for a 2 more minutes.

Assembly:

1. Once the graham cracker crusts are complete and the mousse has been chilling, time to assemble.
2. Place a teaspoon (or more to preference) of the pumpkin mousse onto the crust.
3. Top with a few lightly toasted slivered almonds and drizzle with caramel topping.

Note: These are delicate desserts that may require a spoon.

Mile-High Coconut Cake (Recipe from Parents.com)

16 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes at 350 degrees F

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 1 to 2 teaspoons coconut extract
• 1 cup light coconut milk or regular milk

Frosting:

• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup prepared lemon curd
• 1-3/4 cups shredded coconut
• Raspberries, to garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat three 8-inch regular or disposable round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms with waxed paper; coat paper with spray; dust pans with flour (you can also use flour-and-oil baking spray).
2. In medium-size bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. With mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg whites one at a time, beating after each. Beat in 1 teaspoon coconut extract if you are using coconut milk; if using regular milk, use 2 teaspoons extract. On low speed, beat flour mixture alternately with coconut milk (or regular milk) into butter mixture, beating after each addition. Spread into prepared pans; batter is fairly thick.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of layers comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from side of pan. Cool layers in pans on rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely.
5. Frosting: In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. On low speed, beat in confectioners' sugar, coconut extract and lemon juice until smooth and good (but thick) spreading consistency. Add a few drops of water, if needed, for easier spreading.
6. Place one layer on pedestal. Spread with 1/4 cup of the lemon curd. Top with a second layer. Spread with remaining 1/4 cup lemon curd. Top with last layer. Secure with skewers. Spread frosting on side and top of cake. Remove skewers before adding coconut.
7. Press a handful of coconut gently into side of cake. If your pedestal does not have a lip, keep a bowl underneath area where you are working to catch excess. Continue around side of cake, then sprinkle over top. Garnish with raspberries, if desired.

Chocolate Truffles (Recipe from Eagle Brand Foods)

Servings: Makes about 6 dozen truffles
Serving Size: 1/72 of a recipe
Nutrition: See Below
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (18 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Coatings (Optional): Finely chopped toasted nuts, flaked coconut, chocolate sprinkles, colored sprinkles, unsweetened cocoa, confectioners' sugar or colored sugars

Instructions:

1. In large saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with EAGLE BRAND®. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
2. Pour into medium bowl. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours or until firm.
3. Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in desired coating and/or decorate with frosting and candies. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Perfect Pecan Pie (Recipe from Kraft Kitchens)

Prep: 20 min
Ready In: 1 hr 5 min
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Beat eggs lightly in medium bowl. Add corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt; stir until well blended. Stir in pecan halves.
2. POUR into pastry shell.
3. BAKE 15 min. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking 25 to 30 min. or until pie is lightly browned and completely puffed across the top. Cool completely.

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake (Recipe from Kraft Kitchens)

Prep: 20 min
Ready In: 1 hr 50 min
Serves: 14

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
• 1 can (14 fl oz/398 mL) pumpkin, divided
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
• 1 pkg. (250 g) PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
• 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup of the pumpkin, the milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. of the pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
2. BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and remaining 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Stir in the whipped topping.
3. CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife. Stack the layers on serving plate, spreading the cream cheese filling between layers. ( Do not frost top of cake.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with the pecans. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

Substitute:

If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can easily make your own by combining 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. each ground ginger and ground nutmeg and 1/8 tsp. each ground allspice and ground cloves.