Pumpkin Cake Squares + Baked Spice Cream Cheese Frosting

        I know I am a little late pumpkin excitement. October has already passed and peoples initial "gee-wiz its back!" has long been replaced by dreams of stuffing, turkey, and most importantly, pecan pie. Today though, I denounce the end of the thrill of pumpkin to bring it back because I am just not done with it. Not even pumpkin in particular, but the winter squash family. Oh my goodness, butternut squash is what I want warm, melting in my mouth on the daily right now; and I am not the biggest fan of stuffed vegetables, but an acorn squash, filled with cranberries, wild rice, and some nuts is enough to drive me into autumnal bliss without even seeing the outdoors. 

       I considered mixing up the squash in this recipe for a funkier note (and that is totally allowed), but I realized, I had not had one of the ultimate combos of the season yet. I had not combined pumpkin with cream cheese and you best be darned, I am not letting November go by without eating those two together. I mean really anything you give me an excuse to put cream cheese icing on, I will; but paired with spices and pumpkin-tangy, sweet, warm, and rich in deep flavors...it was time. I broke out the cream cheese, while the scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger awoke my nose. I broke into the bag of semisweet chocolate morsels (and admittedly, did nibble on two or three), while the pumpkin called my name from the cabinet.

       These squares were made as my second dish to the La Veta weekend (I mean what is a weekend in the mountains without a freshly baked treat making you want to wiggle your feet in thick socks in happiness). These cake squares are the type of thing you cut into, take a small piece while talking to your friends and feeling the comfort of the flavors find your taste buds. All of a sudden, you find yourself having gone back for another one...and a third. The pumpkin gives the cake deep moisture, and takes away any overly sweetness. It works to balance a warm spice mix and stand up to their powerful notes. The cream cheese baked on top has a sweet touch that sinks down onto the cake and adds a milky mouth feel. It provides the cake an additional moist topping without the overt sweetness sometimes present in frostings. Instead of overpowering the pumpkin cake, it all simply balances together in a wonderful bite of pumpkin-cream cheese bliss Sigh...feel free to take me back to the pumpkin squares now...and for that matter I wouldn't mind returning to La Veta.  

Makes 1 9x13, or 2 8x8 

Ingredients:
Base
2 1/3 C all-purpose flour
2 TSP cinnamon
1/4 TSP ginger
1/4 TSP nutmeg
1 dash of cloves
3/4 TSP salt
16 TBSP butter, room temp (2 sticks)
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
1 large egg
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
2 TSP vanilla extract
1 1/2 C chocolate chips (semisweet)
Topping
8 OZ. cream cheese
1/2 C sugar
1/2 TSO cinnamon
2 TBSP whole milk
 *You could also double the cream cheese layer to make a thicker coat. I have not done this but I think I would the next time.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare the baking dish(es).
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, spices, and salt.

3. In a larger bowl, beat the butter to begin the creaming, then add in the sugars and continue to cream until the mixture is light and fluffy.

4. Add the egg and continue to beat until incorporated.

5. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

6. Switch to a spatula or spoon and add flour in 2-3 additions until just incorporated. Fold in around the sides and bottom to make sure all the flour is mixed in.

7. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

8. Pour the batter into the pans and spread evenly with the back of a grease spatula.

9. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, milk, and cinnamon, until well combined.

10. Scoop the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin batter and gently spread with a knife (try not to push down to hard which will begin to mix the pumpkin and cream cheese instead of keeping two layers). 

11. Bake for about 50 minutes until the inside is fully set, an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the edges have started to brown.

12. Remove and allow the cake to cool before cutting into squares.

Savory Bread Pudding

     My friends and I are lucky enough to get to spend some weekends together in a wonderful little town in Colorado called La Veta. Weekends in La Veta are about as happy and peaceful as you can get: not a plan in sight, except certainly a game called Z Ball, art projects, time in nature, and most definitely delicious food. As a group, we divide and conquer meals and everyone always brings tantalizing meals. It is a time of feasting, grazing, and best of all, sharing.

      Eating is wonderful, as is getting to cook, but there is a massive amount of joy that comes along with getting to feed other people. It is a small way to give them a part of yourself, your love, and your appreciation. There has been a rise in the trend of people eating on the fly, or while distracted by books and technology. However, I believe that this same rise has sparked a feeling of increased community when we do make the time to come together.

        Getting to feed a crowd is a wonderful treat because you get to share your heart with many in a moment of gratitude for each other, a warm belly, and the gifts of the earth. This recipe is a way that anyone can get to enjoy that amazing feeling. It is warm, comforting, filling, and homey. However, it is also very easy to make and a great way to feed a crowd without spending tons of money. You can serve it warm out of the oven at breakfast, alongside some fruit and a hot cup of coffee. Then the leftovers make a perfect lunch of dinner alongside a simple salad of greens.

        Bread Pudding is most often associated with sweetness, but I am telling you, a savory bread pudding will bring out a whole new meaning to this in your mind. It is cheesy and custardy bread, with thick pieces that still have some bite to them on top. There is brightness from the vegetables that add a depth of flavor as well as a balance to the heartiness of the dish. The spices add a nice pick me up, which compliment beautifully with the cheese. Sinking you teeth in feels like soulfulness and it continues on that way all the way down to your belly. I am telling you, sweet bread pudding is fine and good, but its time to give it a twist and see just what a different potential eggs, milk and bread hold together. A perfectly, messy scoop of this in a bowl is a non-pretenscious breakfast path to a person's heart. 

*Makes 1 full 3 quart (9x13) dish
Ingredients:  
3-4 baguettes
2-4 TBSP olive oil
1 small to medium yellow squash, cut into small quartered pieces
1 small to medium zucchini or mexican squash, cut and quartered
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 C grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 TSP salt + extra for sautéing veggies
1/4 TSP pepper + extra for sautéing
1/4 TSP chili powder + extra for sautéing
2 3/4 C whole milk
8 eggs
1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Dice the baguettes into rounds and then quarter them, so they are in medium-sized chunks. Lay them out for 8-24 hour to allow them to stale. You can speed up this process by putting them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes, and then continuing to let them stale for a few hours, making sure they cool completely.

2. Preheat your pan, add the oil, then the onions, and lightly salt and pepper them. Sauté until they become translucent lightly. Next add the jalapeno, garlic, and squashes, and continue to sauté them. Finally turn off the heat and add the cherry tomatoes, mixing them so they just barely cook in the residual heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once the veggies have completely cooled, add them and the cubed bread to a greased baking dish, mixing together to distribute evenly.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs; then add the milk, salt, and pepper, and whisk until combined. Finally, add the cheese and give a final whisk to mix it in.

5. Pour the mixture over the bread, cover with tinfoil, and refrigerate the pudding for 8-24 hours.
6. Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for 30 minutes; meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.
7. Bake the pudding for 34-45 minutes, until it has fully set and the top has lightly browned.
8. Remove from oven and allow cooling for 10 minutes before digging in...and then going back for seconds.

English Muffins

       Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meals of the day. It is bad for our body to skip it as it places extra stress on our blood sugar, metabolism and cognitive abilities. I want to talk care of my body, nourish it and ensure it's working at a comfortable state. Therefore, I eat breakfast. However, that is hardly the reason I really commit to eating breakfast. On the inside truth: I will never skip breakfast, because it's honestly the most delicious meal of the day. A few of my favorites are of course eggs, cheese, veggies, fruit, pastries, oatmeal, hashes, waffles, oh my! But none of these things hold a stomach pleading-grumble to the almighty toast.

       Warm, spread thick with butter, then top with a fried egg, or better yet a gooey layer of jam. Bread is a comfort to the soul. Seriously, the smell of toast has been proven to calm a stressed mind! I practically insist on eating toast or warm bread every day. Today we don't even have just plain bread (which honestly, is alone still happiness for me) but english muffins. Oh God, english muffins make my heart melt as much as they do the butter I put on them right off the griddle.

      Nooks and crannies! You cannot beat nooks in crannies in breakfast potential. My personal favorite is an english muffin, with just browned edges and peaks; butter melting deep into the pockets, slathered with honey, and served with a glass of milk. When your teeth bite into that and you have a satisfying crunch and the warm sinks into you, you know no matter what, life is ok and the day started well.

      If sweet is not your thing in the morning, I dare you to turn down a english muffin you just took off the griddle, broken open with your fork along the soft middle, topped with a slice of cheddar melting from the warmth, and a poached egg, sprinkled with pepper plopped on top. When that yolk breaks and you use the edges to swipe up the running goo, you savory breakfast lovers, will also know life is good and the day started well. So good morning, I know you want an english muffin now.

Barely adapted from "The Boston Cooking School Cookbook" by Fannie Farmer

Ingredients:
1/2 C scalded milk
1 C water
1 TSP salt
1 TSP sugar
1 packet of active dry yeast (.25 oz)
1 TBSP water (to dissolve yeast)
3 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature, in small chunks
4 C bread flour

Instructions: 

1. Scald milk and then allow it to cool to lukewarm.
2. Dissolve the yeast packet in 1 TBSP of lukewarm water, until it begins to become very fragrant and slightly bubble.
3. Stir in the water, salt, sugar, and dissolved yeast to the milk.

4. Add 2 C of the flour, using a paddle attachment (if working on a stand mixer) beat well until combined. This is a sticky dough.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest until it doubles in volume. 

6. Place the bowl back on the stand mixer and add in the butter and two more cups of flour. Using the kneading attachment, knead the dough until it comes together in a ball with a smooth surface (make sure all the butter is incorporated).
7. Covering the bowl again with plastic wrap, allow it to once again double in volume. Then gently "punch it down" to remove air pockets. Cover once again, and allow it to rise again.

8. Remove the dough from the bowl, and using a rolling pin, roll it out to 3/4" to about the size of a 9x13 rectangular pan. Let the dough rest for a final rise of 30 minutes (again, cover with plastic wrap to avoid spots drying out). 

9. Cut the muffins out with a 2-3" ring mold. 

10. In a hot buttered skillet, place the muffins down, on low-medium heat, cooking for about 6-8 minutes and flipping back and forth every few minutes. 
11. Remove from the skillet and muffins to cool slightly. Puncture through with a fork and indulge in buttery, delicious goodness.