For you…



I love vintage Thanksgiving postcards and wanted to share one with you today.    It comes with hope that your holiday will be one that nourishes your spirit as well as your body, one that centers your heart in that which matters most, one that inspires you to live with greater dedication and appreciation.

One of my favorite books is William Bradford’s history of Plymouth Plantation.  I love reading about life for the pilgrims as it reminds me how much like us they were.  I also love reading of their conviction that God was their strength and their support.  May I share one quote from him, “And thus they found the Lord to be with them in all their ways, for which let His holy name have the praise forever, to all posterity.”

May you, too, find the Lord to be with you in all your ways.  May we all spend more time praising Him for His presence in our lives. May we work diligently to preserve this knowledge as part of our collective memory so we do not leave our children bereft of the great strength that comes with knowing that in every age God has kept his promises, and HE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

Happy Thanksgiving With all my heart, Jennifer

Pumpkin Roll



A classic pumpkin dessert, the pumpkin roll is always one of our favorites.  It tastes as good as it looks and people love it.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten well 2/3 cup pumpkin 3/4 cup flour 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. baking powder 1 Tb. lemon juice Mix all ingredients together for 2 minutes.  Like a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or wax paper sprayed with cooking spray).  Spread batter over paper.


Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and roll up in parchment paper to cool.


Doesn’t it look beautiful?


When the roll has cooled completely, mix up the filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened 4 tsp. butter or margarine 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup powdered sugar Carefully unroll the cake and spread the cream cheese mixture over it.


Re-roll the cake, this time removing parchment paper from the bottom of the cake as you roll.


Wrap roll in parchment paper or wax paper and then wrap it in aluminum foil.




Place in freezer.  Thaw in refrigerator before slicing.   (Note:  I was losing daylight fast, so I sliced mine before it was fully thawed, which is why the center of the roll is lighter in color.  When it is fully thawed, it all looks as pretty as the outer layer looks in these pictures.)


Enjoy!
Hopeful Homemaker

Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake

I whipped up this ice cream dessert for my son’s birthday party on Saturday and it did not disappoint.  The pictures aren’t great; it’s difficult to photograph your food while also feeding a group of hungry ten year old boys!  By the time I got the camera out it was getting a bit drippy.


With a gingersnap crust and layers of pumpkin ice cream, caramel, and vanilla bean ice cream, everyone loved it.  It’s a fun alternative to a traditional cake, and perfect for the season.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies 2 Tb. sugar 1 tsp. ginger 6 Tb. melted butter 1.5 quarts pumpkin ice cream (I used Dreyer’s) 1.5 quarts vanilla bean ice cream (Dreyer’s again) 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup plus 3 Tb. Karo syrup 1/4 cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla To make the crust, combine crushed crackers, 2 Tb. sugar, ginger and 6 Tb. melted butter in a small bowl and stir until combined.  Press onto bottom of cheesecake pan and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

When crust is cooled, scoop 1.5 quarts pumpkin ice cream over crust and spread evenly in the pan.  Put pan in freezer.

To make the caramel, combine sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup sugar and Karo syrup in small saucepan.  Cook until soft ball stage (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and add vanilla and 1/4 cup butter.  Stir until butter is melted.  Allow to cool.

Spread cooled caramel over pumpkin ice cream.  Spread 1.5 quarts vanilla bean ice cream over caramel and place cake in freezer to set for at least 2 hours.

To serve, remove sides of pan for easy slicing.  Enjoy!


Have a great day!
Hopeful Homemaker

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