Monday, August 4, 2008

Recipes and Shopping


Millions of you have asked for the pumpkin whoopie pie recipe, well not millions but at least ten so here it is:


PUMPKIN CAKES
1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin. NOT pumpkin pie mix.
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

CREAM CHEESE FILLING
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 and 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted


1. Preheat oven 350* Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix brown sugar, oil and vanilla until well blended, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth after each egg. Add pumpkin and mix until incorporated.

3. In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Add half the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula, add remaining flour mixture and mix well.

4. Drop 2-Tbs. portions of batter onto prepared baking sheets, two inches apart. Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until puffed and set but still soft when touched lightly with fingertips. Let cakes cool for three minutes before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling about 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. (NOTE: I made mine too big with HEAPING Tablespoons so I only got about half what the recipe makes.)

5. Prepare filling while cakes are baking and cooling. In large mixing bowl use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add vanilla and half the conf. sugar on low at first to combine then on high until smooth. Add remaining confectioners sugar and mix until smooth about three or four minutes. YUM!

6. Assemble whoopie pies. Spoon filling onto the flat sides of half the cakes, dividing it evenly. Top with the remaining cakes. Serve immediately or wrap each pie individually in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to two days or in the freezer for up to two months.

NOTE: it was very hot and humid when I made them so they were a tiny bit sticky but it sure didn't affect the taste! Now I want to see pictures of your kids/grand kids with the frosting all over their faces too! That's all part of the fun!! :o)
Enjoy! Makes about 20.


We had a fabulous time on our weekend get-away. We had lunch at our favorite restaurant on the way down and had heaping bowls of lobster stew again! I could eat that every day of the week! Our son and family was in Portland and called us and wanted us to meet them there for dinner so we changed our route a bit and headed there. We did some school shopping for T and D at the big Portland Mall at The Gap and Old Na*vy. T likes everything you pick out for her, D is very particular and likes to pick out his own things. Now isn't that a switch? We were horrified that The Dis*ney Store has closed so now there isn't one in the whole state. Sigh.....so much for Christmas shopping there.

We had dinner at a nice steak house and we love those blooming onions.


T and D did some coloring while we waited for our meals.



After dinner they headed back north and we headed south to Boston. The traffic wasn't bad but it started raining about half way there and got heavy at times. We got in about 8:30.

The next morning Hubby's Sister and family met us at the hotel and the men headed for Fenway Park and we headed out to do some shopping. SIL always takes me to some of my favorite places that we don't have in this area so it's a real treat. I had never been to Trader Joe's so we took a look around in there and it is an interesting grocery with mostly organic type foods that looked really good.


We also hit Chico's, Talbot's, Appleseed's, Home Goods and Coldwater Creek. We did quite well....ahem.....at each place........hey, we were supposed to be shopping, okay!? She took me to lunch at another of my favorite places that we don't have here, Not Your Average Joe's, and had yummy crab cake blt's. Just look at their window boxes, they were beautiful!

We did see a few horses and went to a tack shop where I got a few Christmas gifts for the kids. While getting gasoline I noticed the local mounted police vehicle in the parking lot and asked them if I could see the horses. The first guy said they were 'busy' but the second one was much nicer and opened the trailer door so that I could see the big horses that they use. Only got a parting picture.
This is getting rather long so I think I will put all the Red Sox game pictures in my next post. They did win against Oakland btw! Go Sox!!

25 comments:

Mozi Esme said...

Those pumpkin cake things look delicious!

And I REALLY miss Trader Joes.

Dawn said...

Oh, my - those look sinfully delicious! But I will waiting for cooler weather to do any baking.

The window boxes are gorgeous - I need to take pix of these huge flower bowls that are downtown at a new high rise in our little town.

We don't have a Disney store any more, either. Since I never bought anything there, I guess I helped them go away, eh?

Callie said...

Oh my gosh! I'll have to make those, they look so good! Love bloomin' onions too!

Linda said...

Looking forward to making these little critters. They're fat free aren't they?:)

Needled Mom said...

They look and sound delicious. I know they would be a hit here.

Your day sounds like a dream day for shopping. I love the Home Go*ods store. Did you get anything exciting from there?

The Trade*r Joes is really big out here. They picked up a ton of followers when the grocery stores went on strike a few years back. Many people have stuck to them and they have really grown out here.

I'll have to check the mall next time to see if our Dis*ney store is still there.

That is too funny about D being the picky one. Wonder if that means that T will get worse as a teenager. Hmmm.

Glad you had a good trip and got home safely. Have a good week, dear friend.

Nonnas News said...

Those look delicious!! Sounds like you had a great weekend!

Musings of a Housewife said...

Looks like fun! I love Trader Joes. And those pumpkin cakes. I hope you have a few left over. I'll be in town to get one ASAP!! :-)

We should have lunch at Capt Nicks again. That was fun last year.

Mrs. Mom said...

Midlife Mom, I think I just went into diabetic shock drooling over the pumpkin whoopies!! LOL Have to try some of those babies! ;)

Glad you had such a fantastic day there!!!

Cynthia said...

OMG...the pumpkin recipe sounds sooooo good!

I love Trader Joe's, we shop there all the time:)

Jen said...

Okay this week is fair week but after that I am going to make the pumpkin cakes they look awesome.

Glad you got to go on a trip looks like you had fun.

hippo chick said...

OMIGOSH!! I know what I'm taking for the Thanksgiving feast at my SIL's. I have the chocolate recipe and can hardly wait to make the pumpkin ones. We're still doing weight watchers so I'll wait a bit to make them.

I LOVE Trader Joe's and we don't have ANY around here. My oldest daughter is going to work at TJ's for a while this fall while she is waiting for her profile to be circulated for a church job. I have a list for her already.

Jim and I are planning a trip your way this September to celebrate our 40th. We have never been to Boston or Cape Cod. We loved Acadia and plan to go back there for a few days. If I get "my" wish, we will also go on to Prince Edward Island - my dream since I've read my first Ann(e) book.

Oh my, I've really rambled. I loved the post, the pictures and all the fun you had on your getaway.

~hippo hugs~
Pam

Renie Burghardt said...

Wow, now that's what I call a great weekend! The lobster stew had me salivating! And the crab blt doesn't soud bad either! And all that shopping fun. I am so envious. We only have Walmart and JC Penney's around here, and even they are 50 miles away. But I enjoyed reading about all the fun you had.

Thank you for the recipe. Since it's a 100 F here, I won't be baking them anytime soon, but in the fall, I will have to try them.

Hugs,

Renie

Carole Burant said...

Pumpkin Whoopie cookies....Blooming Onions...omigosh, I'm gonna blame you if I ruin my keyboard from drooling! lol My mom makes chocolate whoopie cookies so I've had those but never pumpkin ones...will have to give them a try for sure! Nobody in town here makes Blooming Onions so when Steve & I go away, we always make sure we find a place where they do, we both love them:-)

Sounds like you had a wonderful getaway and of course you had to go shopping! hehe I don't enjoy shopping for clothes (they make clothes so small now, don't they?! LOL) but I do love visiting gift shops:-)

We've just had a terrible thunderstorm go through here and the power was off for a while...don't they know I'm trying to catch up with my blogging buddies today?!!! Love you! xoxox

Sharon said...

OMG I think I just gained 5 pounds looking at the pies. Yummy
Sounds like you had a great weekend.
I'd loved to visit the East coast someday.

Nancy said...

Can't wait to try your recipe as I LOVE pumpkin!!!

Yes, those window boxes are gorgeous!!! WOW!!!

I love those Bloomin' Onions, too!!! YUMMMMM!!!!!

The shopping sounded wonderful! Know you enjoyed that!!! Sounds like a great trip!

I am trying to catch up yet...working my way from bottom to top this time around...almost there! LOL

(((((( HUGS ))))))

Alice Grace said...

Sounds like a great trip! I love the pumpkin cakes recipe! Wow that would be good around Thanksgiving for the kids! thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

Yummy cookies! A recipe i would like to try when the pumpkins are ready in the fields. Your whole post is making me hungry!

leigh said...

reading your blog has made me hungry! I love pumkin anything. I'll have to try those. yummy

Anonymous said...

Ummm. these sound and look so good. I will sure give them a try.

So glad you had such a great time!
And, i am very envious that you have already started your C. shopping !!!!
hugs, bj

China Pattern said...

The fatal flaw in your pumpkin recipe is that they are so delicious I would actually eat them! Too dangerous for me. Wow do those sound GREAT.

palmtreefanatic said...

thanks for the recipe they look YUMMY!!!

That blooming onion looks yummy too!

kdwhorses said...

Man those look delish! Thanks for sharing, will have to try them out!

Blooming onion, yum-o!!!

Sounds like you and SIL had a great time!

Thanks for sharing your pics!

KC said...

Those pumkin cakes look yummy...
sound like some good shopping also..
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Outback steakhouse also.

I still dont' have my computer up and running yet at home but I'm grabbing a minute on my grandpa's computer, sorry I haven't been around that often.

Train Wreck said...

Yum! I will be jotting down that recipe! I love pumpkin, just not pie!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Those pumpkin cake whoopies look fabulous. Thanks for the recipe.