Festive Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

I normally consider myself more of a cook than a baker and I usually don't dabble too much in creative cutesy food, but for some reason, I really wanted to make something cute for fall and this is what I came up with! Perfect for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving or just for fun! Cute and delicious--can't beat that!

Cake
1 butter yellow cake mix
1 package sugar free instant butterscotch pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 vegetable oil
1/4 water
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Starting on a low (so you don't splatter yourself and your kitchen), mix ingredients until slightly incorporated before turning the mixer to medium high. Continue to beat the batter for three to five minutes. This will "activate" the instant pudding mix and also whip air into your batter leaving you with a moist and airy cake. Pour batter into a well greased fluted bundt pan. Bake for approximately 55 minutes. Remove cake from oven and test with a knife or tooth pick to ensure the cake is finished. Cool in the pan for approximately 20 minutes and then remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Icing
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (1/2 block)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon milk
Yellow and Red gel food coloring

While cake is cooling, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Again, start on low and work your way up to medium on the speed! Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Add milk a little at a time until you get a consistency that will allow you to drizzle the icing over the cake and let it drip down the sides.

Leaves
1/2 roll marzipan (almond paste found in the baking aisle)
Green gel food coloring
Toothpicks for assembly

Unwrap the marzipan and gauge the pliability. It should be soft and moldable, but if it is like mine, it will be hard as a rock! So, what you'll want to do is heat it for about 30 seconds to get it a little softer. After it is soft enought to mold, knead the marzipan to get it so a smoother consistency and then add the food coloring to get the desired color of green you are looking for. Break off about 3/4 of the marzipan and begin to mold the stem. Next, proceed with molding the remaining marzipan into leaves. At any point during the molding process, you might need to pop the marzipan back in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften it back up. Set Leaves aside until you are ready to assemble.

After the cake has cooled completely, invert the cake onto a serving platter and slowly spoon the icing over the top of the cake, allowing the icing to drip down the side. Attach the stem with a toothpick by heating the stem in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Push a tooth pick through one side of the bottom of the stem and out the other side. Using another toothpick, create a cross with the toothpicks by pushing the second through the other side. Secure the stem into the cake using the toothpicks. Place the leaves on the cake, resting them against the stem and the toothpicks.

Refrigerate until serving.

Serve and enjoy! Happy Fall!

Football Food Friday! Mexican Corn Dip (Hot or Cold)

One of my sweet friends, Amy, made a dip similar to this for one of my wedding showers and it was a huge hit. I asked her for the recipe afterwards and she sent it to me and I somehow lost it! Oh, the tragedy! So, I had to come up with my own version and here it is! Mine is a little different than Amy's so maybe I can get her to send it to me again and I'll post it for her (and for you!)

This dip, like my Spicy Artichoke Dip is good hot or cold, so take your pick!

Ingredients:
1 lb. bag of frozen yellow corn, thawed (or 2 cans of corn)
8 oz. package of cream cheese (non or reduced fat is fine), softened
1/2 cup of mayonaise
1/2 cup of sour cream (non or reduced fat is fine)
1 jalepeno, seeded and finely chopped (leave the seeds if you like it spicier)
4 oz. can of chopped green chilis
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded (about half of a small block and equals about one cup shredded)
1/ teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Chill at least two hours.

To Serve Hot: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon dip into an oven proof dish and bake for 35-40 minutes until warmed through and slightly brown on top. Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

To Serve Cold: Spoon into serving dish of your choice and serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Celebrity Sighting! Tre Wilcox, Top Chef Season 3

This past weekend, my sister got married in Dallas! Congratulations Katherine and David! The weekend was busy busy and was a complete blast from start to finish.

Friday night was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner which was hosted by the Helffrichs at Loft 610 where top Dallas Chef and Top Chef Season 3 contestant, Tre Wilcox, is the head chef. Naturally, I was super excited for the dinner! Not only for the fun night with family and friends and the delicious dinner but also for because I was secretly hoping to meet Tre.  

Now, normally I would not even think about this being a possibility but I thought it was more likely since we were at a private event as opposed to just regular diners. You see, Tre used to be the Chef de Cuisine at Abacus, another amazing Dallas restaurant, and I went there several times while he was there and never even considered going to meet him because I would be too embarrassed! But that's where my sweet husband came in...I told him about my now not-so-secret desire to meet Tre, so being the good husband that he is, he got up and asked him to come over to the table to say hi! What a good husband I have! 

Here are a few pictures....

Me and Tre Wilcox from Top Chef, Season Three and Chef at Loft 610

I had to let Steven into the picture since he was the one who asked Tre to come over! ;)

Jealous? Yes or Yes? 

Tre is not only an extremely talented chef, but he is a very very nice guy. If you're in the area, you should definitely stop by Loft 610 for dinner, it was DELICIOUS!

Tre is going to be on Bravo's upcoming Top Chef Allstars which starts December 1st! There are a ton of awesome people coming back for the All Stars season including other favorites of ours like Richard Blais and Casey Thompson (another Dallas chef), but you know who we'll be cheering for! 

Jambalaya

Jambalaya is definitely one of the standard cajun cuisine dishes; however, just like many other cajun favorites, when it comes to recipes there is probably nothing standard about it! There are probably thousands of variations for jambalaya and I am sure every Cajun family has their own "perfect" recipe, but the following recipe is how I make it and I think it is pretty darn good...for a Texas girl! So give my variation a try, but to all you locals, please go easy on me! Afterall, I am just a Texas girl in a Louisiana world!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb. andouille sausage, casings removed, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large yellow onion, diced*
1 large green bell pepper, diced*
6 celery ribs, chopped*
2 cloves of garlic, minced*
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken broth (2 cans)
1 dried bay leaf
1-2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Brown chicken and sausage until lightly browned, about five minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, cayenne pepper and cajun seasoning. Saute until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth and add the rice and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20-25 minues or until the rice is cooked through. Check the liquid level towards the end of cooking, adding additional water or broth if the mixture is getting too dry. Stir in worchestershire sauce and serve.

Although it is probably not the proper cajun way, we like it with cornbread. Jiffy, of course.

Enjoy!

*For those in Louisiana, feel free to use Guidry's Fresh Cuts if you don't want to/don't have the time to chop the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic.

Kidd's Kids!

Good morning!

If you didn't already know, today is a special day. It is Kidd's Kids Day! Kidd's Kids is a wonderful charity started by Kidd Kraddick of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning. The charity raises money to send chronically and terminally ill children and their families from across the country on a five day, all expenses paid, trip to Disney World. This is a trip of a lifetime for families that don't otherwise have the time, means and ability to take a trip as a family due to the struggles they face with a sick or disabled child.

The trip is first class luxury all the way and it is fully paid for by donations that are only requested one day a year, TODAY! Southwest Airlines even donates an entire airplane and the time of their employees to take the families from Dallas to Orlando. But the trip can't happen without donations, so if you have a few extra minutes and a few extra dollars, I encourage you to visit the website to learn more about Kidd's Kids. It is a wonderful charity that we love to support every year.

It is days like today and the stories of the deserving families that have been chosen for the trip that make me realize how very blessed I am in my own life. I hope, after visiting the website, you will feel the same!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! May God Bless you today and everyday!

Apple, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

A few months ago, I posted this recipe for Strawberry Feta Salad with Sweet and Spicy Pecans and Balsamic Vinaigrette. I hope you all love that recipe as much as we do. It is definitely a staple at the Patterson's; however, strawberries are sadly going out of season... :( 

But the silver lining is that I have come up with a new fall version! Hooray! I wanted to come up with something that showcases the flavors of the season and I think this recipe does the trick! This version utilizes apples instead of strawberries, walnuts instead of pecans, blue cheese instead of feta and a new vinaigrette recips. If you've made the Strawberry version, then this will be a snap for you!

Dressing:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

Salt 

Pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk the vinegar, shallots, mustard, garlic, honey and salt and pepper in a small bowl. While continuously whisking with one hand, very very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl. It is important to continue whisking and drizzle as slowly as possible so that the dressing will emulsify and not separate on you. If it easier for you, you can easily do this in the blender, drizzling the olive oil slowly through the top opening. Chill the vinaigrette until you are ready to assemble the salad.

Walnuts:

1 c water

1/4 c sugar or Splenda*

1 cup pecan halves

3 T sugar or Splenda*

1 T chili powder

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1 t cajun seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350. Microwave the water in a microwave safe bowl until the water boils. Remove from microwave and dissolve the fourth cup of sugar in the water. Soak the walnuts in the sugar water for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining sugar, chili powder, cayenne and cajun seasoning in a plastic baggie. Drain the walnuts and toss in the sugar mixture to coat. Spread onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Immediately spread the walnuts onto wax paper to cool. Do NOT let them sit or the sugar will harden and all the walnuts will stick together!

Salad:

3-4 chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

3 hearts of Romaine, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces

2-3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

1 tart apple, rinsed, cored and sliced or chopped into bite size pieces**

Heat grill to medium high heat. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes on each side depending on size. Remove from grill, cool and cut into strips or bit size pieces.

In a large bowl, toss lettuce with desired amount of dressing. Add apples, blue cheese and walnuts tossing gently. Serve with chicken on top. 

Serves 4, as a main dish.

I hope you enjoy this fresh and delicious fall version!

*I have tried the pecans (from the strawberry version) with Splenda but they do not turn out as sweet or crunchy.

** My absolute favorite apple is the Honeycrisp apple. They are sweet and tart and in peak season, they are about the size of a grapefruit! yum! They can be a little pricey though, so other favorites of mine are Granny Smith, Gala and Pink Lady if you don't want to get the Honeycrisp.

Football Food Friday! Spicy Artichoke Dip

I am so excited to share this recipe with yall as this dip is by far my favorite dip and I love any opportunity to make it! It is creamy and delicous with just a hint of heat.

Another great thing about this dip is that it is great hot or cold, so depending on when you're making it, if you're taking it somewhere, etc. you can decide whether or not to serve it hot or cold.

Ingredients:

2 cups of artichoke hearts, drained, lightly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 jalepeno peppers, finely diced

1/2 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

To serve warm: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour mixture into an oven proof dish. Bake uncovered until lightly browned on top, approximately 25 minutes.

To serve cold: Mix all ingredients together and pour mixture into a serving bowl of your choice.

Serve with pita chips, wheat thins or crackers or chips of your choice.

Enjoy!

Crispy Ranch Chicken

Looking for a new twist on boring ol' chicken? Well here is a healthy and flavorful chicken recipe that is super easy! You'll never think chicken is boring again!

This chicken is baked so it is healthier than typical crispy chicken but the Panko gives it the crunch of fried chicken, so you won't miss out on the flavor and you definitely won't miss the extra calories and fat of typical fried chicken!

If you are not familiar with Panko, it is a Japanese bread crumb and is drier, lighter and flakier than a typical store bought bread crumb and provides the perfect crunchy coating. Once you try Panko bread crumbs, I can promise you that will be hooked!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 package of dry Ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season both sides of chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Lightly beat the egg whites in a shallow bowl. Combine ranch mix, parmesan and Panko in another shallow bowl or plate. Dip one chicken breasts in the egg whites, coating both sides and then dredge in the ranch mixture, patting the mixture into the chicken to completely coat the entire chicken. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

Place chicken breasts in an oven proof baking dish. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. This will allow the coating to dry out a bit and will give you a crunchier coating.

Bake chicken for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through. If desired, turn your broiler on high and brown the tops of the chicken for one to two minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Green Beans Amandine

If you like fresh green beans, you'll love this recipe. It is super easy, fast and big on flavor. The combination of the crisp green beans with the crunch of the almonds makes for a great side dish with great flavor and texture.

1 lb. fresh green beans, rinsed, ends trimmed

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tablespoons butter, margarine or spray butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 lemon

Salt

Pepper

Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. While water is coming to boil, fill a bowl with ice water.

Cook green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Remove green beans from boiling water and plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking process and maintain the bright green color. Remove from ice water and drain.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan with over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Melt butter in the pan and add green beans to pan, tossing to coat with the butter and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until green beans are tender but still crisp.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small pan over low heat until just golden brown. Add almonds to green beans and toss to combine. Squeeze the lemon juice over the green beans and toss to combine. Taste the green beans for seasoning and add additional salt, pepper, or lemon if necessary.

Enjoy!

Strawberry and Feta Salad with Sweet and Spicy Pecans and Balsamic Vinaigrette

I started making this salad in early spring and it has become one of our absolute favorites! And let me please note that my husband, a self-proclaimed "meat-a-tarian," does not and I repeat, does not consider salad as a meal, but he LOVES this salad and so will you! It is great as a main dish, but you can easily ditch the chicken and make it as a side salad or serve it at a party with the dressing on the side so it doesn't get soggy.

We're a bit on the tail end of strawberry season, so I probably should have posted this when I originally made it, but oh well! You can still easily find strawberries for a good price so don't worry about that! Considering I have made this salad probably every week since I first made it up, I really don't know why I am just now posting it. I clearly dropped the ball! :)

Dressing:

1/2 c balsamic vinegar

3 T Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pepper

About one cup of extra virgin olive oil

Whisk the balsamic, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper in a small bowl. While continuously whisking with one hand, very very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl. It is important to continue whisking and drizzle as slowly as possible so that the dressing will emulsify and not separate on you. If it easier for you, you can easily do this in the blender, drizzling the olive oil through the top opening. Chill the vinaigrette until you are ready to assemble the salad.

Pecans:

1 c water

1/4 c sugar or Splenda*

1 cup pecan halves

3 T sugar or Splenda

1 T chili powder

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1 t cajun seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350. Microwave the water in a microwave safe bowl until the water boils. Remove from microwave and dissolve the fourth cup of sugar in the water. Soak the pecans in the sugar water for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining sugar, chili powder, cayenne and cajun seasoning in a plastic baggie. Drain the pecans and toss in the sugar mixture to coat. Spread onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Immediately spread the pecans onto wax paper to cool. Do NOT let them sit or the sugar will harden and all the pecans will stick together!

Salad:

3-4 chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

3 hearts of Romaine, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces

4 oz. feta crumbles

1 carton of strawberries, rinsed and sliced

Heat grill to medium high heat. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes on each side depending on size. Remove from grill, cool and cut into strips or bit sized pieces.

In a large bowl, toss lettuce with desired amount of dressing. Add strawberries, feta and pecans, tossing gently. Serve with chicken on top.

Serves 4, as a main course.

I hope you enjoy this fresh and delicious salad as much as we do!

*I have tried the pecans with Splenda but they do not turn out as sweet or crunchy.