Easy Entertaining for Beginners

This Thanksgiving dessert is a great alternative to traditional pumpkin pie and works well on any holiday buffet table.

1 – 18.25 oz spice cake mix plus ingredients listed on package.
1 ½ cup candied pecans, purchased (produce aisle)

Pumpkin Crème
1 – 3.4 oz. pkg. instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 ½ cups cold low fat milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ cups whipped topping, plus 1 ½ cups more for topping

Bake spice cake mix according to package directions in 9 x 13” baking pan. In a medium mixing bowl blend the pudding and milk and whisk until thickened slightly. Stir in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in 1 ½ cups whipped topping, cover and chill for one hour.

Cool and cut cake into small pieces and layer in a trifle bowl with pumpkin crème and candied pecans. Repeat for a total of 3 layers. Top with remaining whipped topping, sprinkle with a bit of pumpkin pie spice and serve. May be made 1-2 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! The saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the chocolate work together. It’s so good, it’s scary!

2 pounds thick sliced bacon
2 – 8 oz. bars semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Orange sprinkles

Fry bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Cut each slice in half. Melt chocolate according to package directions in microwave and mix with butter. Dip bacon slices into chocolate mixture with tongs. Drain on cooling rack over aluminum foil and sprinkle with orange sprinkles. Let cool for 2 hours or until chocolate has hardened. Cut into halves again for bite-size pieces. Store in airtight container in fridge. Use within 1-3 days

2 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (such as Granny Smith or Macintosh)
6 large eggs
3 cups heavy cream
¾ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
1 – 16 oz loaf French bread
Cajeta Sauce
1 – 13 oz. can Dulce de Leche (cajeta or caramel sauce), International aisle
¾ cup heavy cream
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. In a bowl, coat the apple slices with 2 tablespoons sugar and add bread cubes and mix together. Place the mixture in the pan. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and add the cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread mixture and toss lightly to coat all pieces of bread with egg mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.
To make the Cajeta Sauce, mix the can of Dulce de Leche with cream in small saucepan until warm. Drizzle a bit on each serving of bread pudding.
OPTION: You may add ½ cup raisins, if desired.
NOTE: If you cannot find the Dulce de Leche, purchase a can of sweetened condensed milk. Place in saucepan on low heat and stir constantly for 10 minutes until milk caramelizes and turns a light butterscotch color.

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Icing (Makes 6 large scones)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Maple Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon real Maple syrup
1 tablespoon milk, plus up to 2 teaspoons more
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder pumpkin pie spice and slat. Add butter, cut with pastry cutter or two butter knives in a criss-cross motion to form pea-size crumbs.
In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin and milk together. Add to flour mixture and stir until moistened. Knead on floured board about 5 times. Do not over mix or the scones will not be tender. Form dough into 6 inch round, about 1 ½ inches thick and cut into 6 equal-sized wedges. Bake on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for 18-20 minutes.
Cool and prepare icing by mixing ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle on cooled scones and serve.

1 – 12 oz. lemon pound cake, purchased
Warm Blueberry Sauce
2 cups blueberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Combine sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in saucepan until dissolved. Heat to boil and add blueberries. Turn down heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until sauce is thickened. Slice lemon pound cake and serve blueberry sauce on top. Also tastes delicious on ice cream.

(Serves 4-6)

1 pkg. (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crust dough
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup powdered sugar
cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll open dough and lay flat. With a 4-5 inch bowl, cut 4-5 circles out of each dough by placing bowl rim on dough and cutting around with with a sharp knife. Taste the cherry pie filling and if it is too tart for your taste, spoon about half of the contents into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and stir. Use the rest of the filling for another use (pancake topping – mmm…). Place about 1 heaping teaspoon of cherry pie filling in the middle of each dough. With a pastry brush, spread the edges of the dough with slightly beaten egg and fold over to form a half circle. Press edges down with yuour finger and with the backof a fork, press around the edges to further seal. Brush the outside of mini pies with egg and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Place powdered sugar in small strainer and shake over pies to lightly cover pies. Serve warm or let cool completely and place in a sealed container to transport to another location.

This is one of my family’s favorite autumn treats. Delicious as a breakfast bread, an afternoon treat with a cup of tea or a tasty dessert. Make in advance, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month.

Serves 8-10 (makes 2 loaves)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups apples (about 2-3 medium), peeled, cored, finely chopped
cooking spray

Streusel Topping

2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir the eggs, pumpkin and oil and add to flour mixture. Fold in the apples and pour into 2 – 5 x 9″ loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. With a criss-cross motion, cut until streusel is crumbly or the size of small peas. Add the walnuts and sprinkle the topping over batter and bake 50-60 minutes or until butter knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and empty loaves of bread on wire rack to cool. Slice and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

This recipe makes happy childhood memories of a warm kitchen on a chilly autumn day.

Serves 8

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 apples, Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 inch round slices
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups canola oil
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

In a large bowl, whisk the egg with the milk and melted butter. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. If batter is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons milk and set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet over high heat until temperature reaches 350 degrees. Adjust heat if necessary. If the oil starts to smoke, it is too hot.

Sprinkle sliced apples with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Dip the apple slices in the batter and carefully drop into the oil and fry 2-3 minutes on one side. Turn over and fry for 2 minutes more until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Spoon 1/4 cup powdered sugar into strainer and tap lightly with your hand to sprinkle sugar on the fritters. Keep in warm oven until all the fritters are done and serve immediately.

1 package (8 oz.) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup light whipped topping
1 bag purchased ginger snaps

In a mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese with pumpkin, powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in 1 cup light whipped topping. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve with ginger snaps.

TIP: To fold in whipped topping, use a spatula and lightly mix with cream cheese mixture to keep it fluffy.

8 servings

1 – 1 oz. package instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 1/2 cups cold lowfat milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups light whipped topping, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 cups gingersnap or molasses cookies, coarsely crushed
1 cup candied pecans or walnuts (purchased)

In a medium mixing bowl, blend the pudding and milk and whisk until slightly thickened. Stir in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in whipped topping, cover and chill for one hour.

To crush gingersnaps, place in a zipper-lock bag and roll with a rolling pin or crush with a meat tenderizer until coarsely crushed.

Place 1 tablespoon of crushed gingersnaps into bottom of wine or parfait glass. Spoon 2 tablespoons of pumpkin creme mixture and top with a few candied pecans. Repeat with gingersnaps, pumpkin creme and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a candied pecan. Sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice on top of whipped topping. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve within 30 minutes.

Other Options:
Pumpkin Creme Pie: Purchase a graham cracker crust and add pumpkin creme. Chill for 1 hour. Before serving, pipe canned whipped cream around the outer edge of pie and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Creme Trifle: Purchase spice cake mix and bake according to package directions. Cool and cut cake into small pieces and layer in a trifle bowl with pumpkin creme and candied pecans. Top with whipped cream and serve with real warm maple syrup.