Creamy Pumpkin Trifle!

http://www.dashingdish.com/2010/10/creamy-pumpkin-trifle/

Creamy Pumpkin Trifle!

Posted in: Desserts

For Thanksgiving last year, I wanted to make something different than the ‘usual’ pumpkin or pecan pie! I knew my Strawberries ‘n’ Cream Trifle was always a hit during the summer holidays, so I decided to make a ‘fall’ version using pumpkin, cinnamon, and spice cake mix! It turned out even better than I could have imagined, and was gone before many of the pies were even touched!

The creamy ‘pumpkin pudding’ pairs perfectly with the spice cake…and the gingersnap topping adds the perfect crunch! My relatives could not believe this was a light dessert, and many of them asked for the recipe…Which usually means it was a hit! (not to mention I left with an empty trifle dish) If you are having a fall get-together, and are looking for a crowd pleaser, I can promise you that this dessert won’t let you (or your guests) down!

Ingredients

For the Cake Layer

• 1 (18.25-oz) box spice-style cake mix (you could also use reduced sugar cake mix for even lower sugar/calories!)
• 1  cup pumpkin
• 1 cup water

For the Pudding and Whipped Cream Layers

• 1 (1 oz) box no sugar added instant vanilla (or butterscotch) pudding mix
• 1 cup fat free milk (or milk substitute of choice)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 tbs brown sugar (or sweetener of choice to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice!)
• 2 (12-ounce) containers light whipped topping
• *Optional Topping: 1/3 cup gingersnaps, crushed

Method

1. To make the cake layer, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, and water in a large bowl. Mix until well combined, and transfer into the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When completely cooled, crumble the cake  (or cut into small squares depending on the look you want) and set aside.
2. While cake is baking, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix together for about 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 1 container of cool whip, and 1/2 cup of pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices until well blended. (Note: Leave the other whipped topping as is for the whipped cream layer).
3. In a trifle bowl or (a large pretty glass serving bowl), layer half of the cake, half of the pudding/pumpkin mixture, and half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers until the trifle glass is filled to the top. (I like to end with the whip cream layer!)
4. Garnish with cinnamon or crushed gingersnaps if desired, (you may also layer the gingersnaps throughout the layers. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until ready to serve. (Also tastes great when made the night before!)

Note: *You may also use wineglasses or individual dessert glasses for individual trifles!

Enjoy!  Love Katie

Servings: 16 (~1 cup per serving)

Calories: 175 per serving

Weight Watcher Points Plus: 6 per serving

Tuscan Frittata*

Tuscan Frittata-Pretty easy and super yummy!!!

10 Eggs

½ Cup grated romano cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp and 1 tsp olive oil

8 oz mild Italian Sausage, casings removed

1 small yellow onion, cut into ¼” slices

1 cup tomato sauce

6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

6-8 fresh basil leaves

Preheat broiler. In large bowl whisk together eggs, romano cheese, salt and pepper. In deep half of frittata pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp oil. Cook sausage 6-8 minutes. Transfer to separate bowl. Wipe out pan. In same pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp oil. Cook onion 3-4 mins. Reduce heat to medium, cook 10 minutes more. Add sausage to pan, pour in egg mixture. Cook, using spatula to lift cooked edges and allow uncooked eggs to flow underneath, 2-3 mins, then cook 4-6 mins more.

In shallow pan over low heat, warm 1 tsp oil. Place shallow pan upside down on top of deep pan; flip frittata into shallow pan. Cook, covered, 2-3 mins. Uncover pan. Pour tomato sauce onto center of frittata; gently spread to edges. Arrange mozzarella on top. Broil frittata 3-5 mins. Slide frittata onto serving plate, sprinkle with basil. Serves 8-10

Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls (Pao de Queijo)

Made these for dinner tonight and they were FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't stop eating them. And it took all of 2 minutes to mix them up-the hardest part (if you can even call it that, was shredding the cheese). Just a heads up-the mixture/batter/whatever you want to call it is SUPER thin, like the consistency of milk-but that's how it's supposed to be, so don't worry~

This recipe also comes from Ourbestbites.com

1 large egg

1/2 Cup milk

1/4 Cup canola oil

1 cup Tapioca flour (YAY-Gluten FREE!!!)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 Cup grated cheddar cheese (preferably medium or sharp)

*you can play around with the cheeses-whatever you prefer would probably work

Optional: extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you'd like to add. They suggest rosemary and or garlic powder.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place egg, milk, oil flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse 2 times. Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn't non-stick, spray lightly with a non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less. If desired (and they recommend this) sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and/or a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 mins until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few mins before removing from the pan. Serve warm. These don't reheat very well so make and eat them fresh!

Yield: anywhere from 18-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan.

Butternut Squash Soup*

This recipe is out of a Williams-Sonoma cookbook (I think???)

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 25 mins

Makes 6 side-dish servings

3 Cups peeled, diced butternut squash (about 1 small squash)

2 Cups thinly sliced carrot (abt. 4 Medium)

3/4 Cups thinly sliced leek or chopped onion

1 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 14-oz cans reduced sodium chicken broth

1/4 tsp ground white pepper (I couldn't find this in the store so I used normal pepper)

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup half-and-half or light cream

Optional: Pumpkin seeds, toasted to garnish when serving

1. In a large covered saucepan cook squash, carrot and leek/onion in hot butter over med heat-about 8 mins, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 25-35 mins or until veggies are tender. Cool slightly.

2. Place one-third of the squash mixture in a food processor or blender. Cover and process until almost smooth. Repeat with remaining squash mix. Return all of mixture to the saucepan. Add pepper, nutmeg; bring just to a boil. Add half-and-half; heat through. Garnish with pumpkin seeds if you want and serve-Easy as pie (and just as tasty!).

Guacamole dip*

2-3 medium avocados

1 T Fresh lime juice or a good squeeze from half a lime

1/2 t fresh minced garlic-no garlic powder or bottled minced garlic-use the fresh stuff!

2 T finely minced onion

2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream (appx. 1/4 C)

Salt to taste

3-4 T finely diced tomatoes

Scoop out avocado from skins and mash in a bowl (I used my whisk to mash it and it worked really well). Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. The recipe recommends making it at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors combine.

(apparently the citiric acid in the lime juice helps avocados keep their color but there is also an enzyme found in sour cream that is even better. It not only adds a nice creamy texture and flavor, but also keep the guac looking fresh for several DAYS!

(this recipe is from ourbestbites.com)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos**

1/3 C (3oz) cream cheese

1/4 C green salsa

1T fresh lime juice

1/2 t cumin

1 t chili powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/4t granulated garlic (I didn't know exactly what this was so I used garlic salt and it was fine)

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T sliced green onions (I accidentally left these out and it was also fine)

2 C shredded cooked chicken

1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas

kosher salt

cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 sec so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice(I just cut a lime in half and squeezed it), cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic salt. Stir to combine then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese, combine well.

Work with a few tortillas at a time-heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking (I did about 5-8 tortillas at a time for 1 minute wrapped in a paper towel to hold in the moisture).

Place 2-3T of chicken mixture on the lower third of the tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 in from the edges. Then roll it up tight, leaving the seam side down on the baking sheet.(make sure they aren't touching each other so they don't get stuck and rip when you try to separate them) Spray the tops lightly with the cooking spray and sprinkle the kosher salt on top.

Cook for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends and the ends start to turn brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream or the yummy guac recipe listed above.

(this recipe was taken from ourbestbites.com)

Death by Chocolate Brownies-Gluten FREE too!!!!

Found this great recipe in "Living Without" magazine-a magazine for people with gluten, egg, and dairy allergies, and they didn't even have the "Gluten-Free" dense texture!!!

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate squares, broken up

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter or dairy-free buttery spread, cut into pieces

5 large eggs or 3/4 cup dairy-free yogurt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend of choice

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or powder gold as I like to call it-that stuff is PRICEY!!!)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups coarsley chopped nuts (optional)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I added a little more :)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 in pan with aluminum foil and coat with vegetable spray or omit foil and lightly oil pan (I used the foil and was able to lift the whole thing out once the brownies were cooled-I wasn't left chiseling brownie crust out of the corners of the pan-it was awesome!)

2. in a microwaveable dish, combine chocolate squares with butter. Heat on med-high setting until butter is melted, about 2 mins. Stir until mixture is smooth. Repeat, heating for 20 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. (make sure not to over heat-chocolate will become lumpy)

3. Beat eggs with sugar until light yellow and doubled in volume (5-7 minutes). Add vanilla and beat to combine

4. add melted chocolate to egg mixture, beating on low speed just to combine, about 1 min.

5. In a separate bowl, blend flour with xanthan gum and salt. Fold flour blend, nuts and chocolate chips in to egg-chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

6. Set in middle of preheated oven. LOWER TEMPERATURE TO 350 degrees (I almost overlooked this part-that would have been BAD!) bake for 30 mins (35-40 mins if using yogurt instead of eggs). Cool in pan and freeze for 1 hour (I actually didn't do this part and they were just fine)

7. Lift brownies by edges of foil and set on cutting board. If not using foil, pry (That word sounds bad) contents out of pan in one piece and turn onto cutting board. Cut up (makes appx. 20 squares)

Enjoy!