Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Potter Pasties)

My first try at Whoopie Pies; so simple I am not sure why I never tried them before this.

Husband did a taste test and really liked it, so hopefully today at Miss A.'s party others will find them delicious.

Potter's Pumpkin Pasties are ready for the dessert table.

This is the recipe I used, which I found on the American Food website. However, it is a very English dessert, although the English fill their pies with a marshmallow creme.

Ingredients:

• For the Cookie Dough:
• 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 can pumpkin puree (15-oz)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• -------------------------------
• For the Filling:
• 2 egg whites
• 4 teaspoons flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups shortening

Preparation:

For the Cookie Dough:

Beat all ingredients, except the flour, with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until well mixed. Add the flour, mixing in one cup at a time, until combined. Using a 2-ounce scoop, or 2 rounded tablespoons, drop the dough on to an un-greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

For the Filling:

Beat all the ingredients with an electric mixer on low until combined and then on high for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

To Make the Whoopie Pies:

Once the cookie halves have cooled, frost half of them and top with the other half to create the sandwiches. Wrap individual the whoopie pies in plastic wrap to keep.

Sorting Hat Cake

What a great time creating the sorting hat for Miss A.'s 5th birthday! My daughter-in-law and I have become quite the baking team over the past few years. Today we worked together in her kitchen preparing for the Harry Potter themed party to take place tomorrow.

Krista's special dark chocolate layer cakes are baked and ready to assemble.

Secured with dowels and laced with ganache and buttercream  frosting we are ready to sculpt!

Miss A. a.k.a Hermione Granger insures that the frosting is edible.

The sorting hat begins to take form....

Krista adds the brim and shapes the mouth...

We pull Dad in to enhance the eyes!

A final cocoa powder dusting and......

A few added accessories and the sorting hat cake is ready for tomorrow's party!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

The hottest weekend thus far and Nonna Rose, and friends are cooking up sausage and pepper sandwiches at our parish church's annual festa......blustering hot!

An Almost Independent Baker

Yesterday, Miss A baked cupcakes and just about did the entire task on her own.....

She read all the instructions, put the ingredients in the bowl, added the liquids and cracked the eggs! Nonna helped pull out the added shells and assisted with the beating when her arm got tired (she did not want to use the KitchenAid).

Miss A arranged the paper liners in a color pattern and filled the cups using an ice cream scooper.

It was a great experience! I think soon she will be able to complete the task without help.

New in Nonna's Kitchen

After 41 years of marriage/housekeeping, dishes, flatware, towels, etc. have gotten very tired and worn out. So, while spring cleaning this year I have started replacing a few things. I started by purchasing all cotton dishclothes and dishtowels, and then my sister-in-law surprised me with a new "Orgreenic" pan.

Great pan for low-fat cooking.

It was the organized drawer of dishclothes that really started my examination of quality items in my kitchen cabinets, and the purchase of a service for 8 Thomas Pottery dishes.

The day they arrived I either tossed the dishes I really still enjoyed using because of chips,  or packed then into a box for the thrift shop, and the plain and simple Thomas dishes replaced them in the closet. 

However, I was disappointed after the first use (one week ago today) when taking them out of the dishwasher, I discovered  one of the mugs had already chipped!  It was then my husband reminded me how well the Pfaltzgraff dishes I had picked up at an outlet in the 1980's held up for us. We never had a full set, just a few plates and cereal bowls. We still have one bowl which use as a dog dish....never chips! So, I began looking at Pfaltzgraff patterns, and of course for a bargain. Well, wouldn't you know,  I found a service for 8 of a pretty set called Napoli on Amazon. The best part was that I had enough Amazon bonus points to get the entire set of dishes and a set of flatware for FREE!!! 

The dishes and flatware arrived Tuesday, but I did not get around to unpacking the boxes until yesterday. The pattern is very pretty, the mugs are going to be great fun to use, they hold a cup and a half of liquid, prefect for me! But wouldn't you know, as I was putting the dishes into the dishwasher I discovered a rough edge on one of the dinner plates; not really a chip, more like the area wasn't glazed. Sigh! I am not having much luck with unmarred dishes. I contacted Amazon to see what they could do for me since the dishes have a five year warranty, and they certainly would replace the set, but I was not willing to repack the dishes and ship them back, so we agreed on a $15 credit to my account. I doubt I will replace the dish; I will probably live with the imperfection. I figure since I obtained (not purchased) the dishes with earned "points" from other purchases, which I would have made anyway, I will enjoy the dishes until they all chip and need to be replaced. 

Happy Spring!

Specialty Treats

Kitchen Specialities

Easter Bread

Globe Sugar Cookies

I made the bread, but my son made the cookies to go with a school project for his daughter's preK class.

 Ready for this? Other than, maybe helping me with chocolate chip cookies as a little boy, this is his FIRST attempt at baking cookies.  Pretty awesome, huh?

Easter Feasting

No picture of this dish, but it was a huge hit!

Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta Stuffed Shells {5 servings}
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Found on "Take a Megabite" blog

Ingredients:

for the sauce -

• 1 (28 oz) can of chopped tomatoes, some of the juice drained
• 1 cup tomato sauce (8 oz can or left over)
• a big pinch of red pepper flakes, or more for a spicier sauce
• 1 t dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves

for the shells -

• 1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella, divided
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup low fat cream cheese
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 16 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 12 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
• 20 cooked jumbo shells

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cook shells in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, Combine can of chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, oregano, and two pressed cloves of garlic in a medium sauce pan. Place over a medium heat; cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Combine 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, feta cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper to taste, 2 pressed cloves of garlic, spinach and chopped artichoke hearts in a large bowl. Scoop about 2 tablespoons into each cooked shell and place in the prepared pan. (I used my cookie scoop to fill the shells.)
4. Spoon tomato mixture over the shells and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.*
5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbling.