Black and White Pudding Squares

My son has been asking for me to make this dessert. He saw the recipe at the grocery store. On three separate occasions, my son would pick up another card. We would pick up the ingredients but Oreos do not last long at our house so we would have to wait until next time. Finally, we made it. It is very good. The puddings will still be soft and creamy. I wanted a little more flavor so I used Mint Oreos.

Black and White Pudding Squares
24 Mint Oreo Cookies, finely crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened and divided
1 package Vanilla Instant Pudding
2 cups cold skim milk, divided
1 package Chocolate Instant Pudding
Toppings: whip cream and crushed Oreo cookies.

Directions:

1. Combine the Oreo cookies with the melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, beat 4 oz. of the cream cheese with the vanilla pudding package and 1 cup of milk.
3. Spread the mixture over the Oreo crust.
4. In the bowl, beat 4 oz. of the cream cheese with the chocolate pudding package and 1 cup of milk. 
5. Spread over the vanilla pudding mixture.
6. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
7. Before serving, top with whip cream and crushed Oreo cookies.

Recipe adapted from Kraft recipe card but also found at Jell-O. 

One year ago...........................I made Banana Muffins.
Two years ago.........................I made Pickles.

My daughter assembled her piece

Did you already know................
-In 1897, Pearle Wait trademarked his Jell-O desserts. 
-In 1936, Jell-O introduced chocolate instant pudding.
-Jell-O brand is part of Kraft foods.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I will occasionally ask my youngest daughter to go downstairs and get her sibling. Instead, she will holler for them while she is next to me. Does anyone in your house do this? I want to make sure it isn't just mine. 

  I think she just likes to holler. One day, we were all downstairs and my youngest daughter started to holler for her dad. He would holler back, "yea." She wouldn't answer but she kept hollering for him. Since my husband was busy, he just kept hollering back up to her. After a few minutes of this exchange, the next time my daughter hollered for "Dad", my husband responded "There is no one here with that name." It was suddenly quiet since she didn't know how to respond back but my youngest son did. My son turns to his dad and said, "Hey, whoever you are, she wants you." Then he smiles at my husband and says, "Did you like that better?"

  Yum! Whoopie Pies! They remind me of a cupcake with the filling in the middle instead of on top.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pie Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of apple sauce
3 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whoopie Pie Filling:
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powder sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
4. In another bowl, cream the brown sugar with the vegetable oil and applesauce.
5. Add the pumpkin to the sugar mixture and beat.
6. Add the eggs one at a time then the vanilla. Mix well.
7. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.
8. Mix until incorporated.
9. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter onto the baking sheet. Try to make the sizes.
10. Cook for about 15 minutes.**Prepare the filling while waiting**
11. Let cool on cookie rack for five minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
12. Prepare the next batch of cakes and place in the oven

**Whoopie Pie Filling:
Let cool completely about 30 minutes before frosting.

For the filling, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, and the butter.
Add the powder sugar to the filling mixture.
Mix in the spices into the filling mixture until well incorporated. Refrigerate.

Whoopie Pie Cake recipe adapted from Bake at 350. Whoopie Pie Filling recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

See the eyeball?

I highly recommend you to make these whoopie pies before someone hollers your name! My oldest daughter gave her best friend one and after each bite she would say, "I love your Mom." My husband doesn't like pumpkin (I guess he knows it is a vegetable) and he liked them.

The oldest daughter!

Did you already know.............
-The Maine State treat is the Maine Whoopie Pie.
-The Maine State dessert if the Blueberry Pie.
-The Whoopie Pie festival is held in Pennsylvania. 
-The Whoopie Pie has been argued to originated in Pennsylvania, Maine, or Massachusetts.

Apple Strudel

I am going to continue with my Oktoberfest recipes.......but today is about dessert! My youngest daughter's only reason she eats supper. My sister, however, will just eat dessert and forget about the meal.

Apple Strudel! My sister would like this dessert (or meal). My daughter really liked this dessert. It is a really simple recipe and it's so good! I recently went to a medieval dinner and at the end of the meal we were served apple strudel.

                                                     Believe me this strudel taste a lot better!

As you can see, I did not add any raisins. My family are afraid of raisins but I like them. Since majority rules, I did not add any raisins. You could add raisins or cranberries.

Apple Strudel


2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 apples, I used Gala apples but any good baking apple would work.
1 sheet of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets
powder sugar


Directions:
1. Thaw the puff pastry sheet on counter for 40 minutes.
2. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
3. In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add apples to the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the sugar mixture. Set bowl aside.
5. Sprinkle clean working surface with flour.
6. Carefully, unfold the puff pastry sheet on work surface and carefully roll into a rectangle.
7. Spoon the apple sugar mixture down the middle of the pastry lengthwise but stop about 1 inch from edge.
8. Fold the edges over the mixture and pinch seams together.
9. Cut several slits on the top of the puff pastry.
10. Bake strudel for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Let pastry cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes.
12. Once cooled, sprinkle with powder sugar.


Adapted from http://www.puffpastry.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=23990&rc=-1

My oldest daughter loves apples but you could use pears or a mixture of fruit. When I was in Germany, I purchased gingerbread cookies but I didn't order any strudel. I did order a German pancake which came topped with cranberries. I was surprised to learn that there is a European wild cranberry.

Did you already know..................


An apple is 25% air so that is why applies float in water.(Lets bob for some apples.)
Cranberries float because they have four air pockets inside them.

Beginnings

 What better way to start a blog than with a cake! I made this for my little girl's 8th birthday! I showed her several different cakes of different blogs and this is the one that she picked. I liked the name since she will always be my princess! Enjoy!

Princess

Snow White Vanilla Birthday Cake

Snow White Vanilla Birthday Cake     
(A cake fit for a Princess.)

4 egg whites beaten stiff
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (or 1 tsp if preferred like I did.)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups water, very cold

Directions:
1. Grease 3 round cake pans and dust with flour.
2. Beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks.
3. In a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy.
4. Add the extracts tot he sugar butter.
5. In another bowl, sift the dry ingredients.
6. Add some of the dry ingredients then alternating with the cold water to the sugar butter until all mixed.
7. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
8. Evenly pour the batter between the 3 greased pans. I measured out a cup of batter and added to the pans.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Cover with frosting. I used Swiss Meringue Buttercream by Sweetapolita. She has great directions for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Source: Adapted from Sweetapolita 

The cake will make any Princess happy!

Were you a Princess or a Tomboy? I was both depending on the day.