Annnnnd just like that, it's Autumn again

Just like that....poof.....summer is gone. Leaves are turning. Sweaters and hoodies are getting pulled out. Pumpkin spice everything is all around us. It's autumn, without a doubt my favorite time of year. It's my favorite for lots of reasons- my birthday is in the autumn, so is my oldest daughter's, the food we start to prepare, and bake, are homey and spicy and comforting, and best of all, my wedding anniversary will forever be a happy autumn day for me. As soon as September hits I get that urge to start baking again. The air conditioner is off for the season and the warm oven will keep us cozy for the time being, with the delicious aromas of baking- bread, cookies for The Chef, cinnamon and spice, roast turkey and pork. It's all so delicious and wonderful.

Buckeye Brownies, left, and Katie's Pumpkin Bars

Katie and I love to spend evenings and weekends baking and often do so together. Sometimes we can get her sons interested and they lend a helping hand, other times they are more interested in the end product. Both of our chef hubbies just want the baked goodies. We spend a lot of time hunting for good new recipes, changing things up, creating. We have old favorites and new discoveries every year. Today we are going to make two easy desserts to kick off our baking season. First is a pan of Buckeye Brownies, a super easy brownie recipe that's great for pot lucks and holiday get togethers. Chances are if you're a Midwesterner you've had Buckeyes on holiday cookie trays before- creamy peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. This brownie recipe makes it easy with no messy dipping. The second is a revival of a craze that swept the internet and Pinterest right off their feet a couple years ago- cake balls, with easy to make Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. Are you ready ?? Let's hit the pumpkin patch. No seriously, we are not really hitting the pumpkin patch. I mean, you totally can if you want to but we'll be using some cheater packaged cake mixes that are going to bail us out!!!

Katie's Buckeye Brownies

1 package brownie mix (9x13 pan size)
ingredients as directed on box
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Following the package directions, prepare the brownie mix. Spread into prepared pan and bake as directed on package. Let brownies cool completely.

In a large bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.  Spread the peanut butter filling evenly over the cooled brownies.

Place chocolate chips in a medium boil. Heat the cream until almost boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips. After a couple minutes, whisk the mixture until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour evenly over the peanut butter filling. Spread evenly. Pop in the fridge to set. Cut into small squares to serve- these guys are RICH.

For our cake balls we are using Katie's recipe for the easiest pumpkin bars in the world. Again, it starts with a cake mix but uses no eggs or oil. Of course, we trash the healthy stuff with all the frosting and melted chocolate but hey, one cake ball never killed anyone, right? These are fun to make with kids if you can get them to decorate FAST. The chocolate sets up very quickly. For delicious pumpkin bars, use the frosting to top the bars and sprinkle with chopped nuts. I think this is a recipe you will use again and again.

Katie's Pumpkin Bars Cake Balls

1 package spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin  NOT pumpkin pie mix
4 tablespoons water
1 can cream cheese frosting
2 packages orange candy melts
sprinkles and decorations

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine the cake mix, pumpkin and water, whisk together. Spread into 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes until tests done with toothpick. Cool completely.

Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Stir in the frosting, starting with half the container, adding more as needed until a firm dough forms. Scoop into truffle size balls. Freeze two hours or longer.

Melt the candy melts as package directs. Dip the cake balls in the melted chocolate, and decorate immediately with sprinkles, candies, nuts, whatever you like. Store in the fridge.

Both of our families love these cake balls. It's a holiday request every year, every holiday. You can use any baked cake you like if pumpkin isn't your thing. Just follow the directions on the package to make a 9x13 cake.

A Tale of Two Lasagnas

Headlines can be deceiving. This actually has nothing to do with lasagna. Well.......not directly anyway. Today while talking over how to plan our day tomorrow, what time we have to be everywhere, what we need to bring, etc, we realized that not only will we be having lasagna for dinner at my family's Christmas Eve, we are also having lasagna at The Chef's family's Christmas Eve. That's a lotta pasta !! Oh well, we did the same thing on Thanksgiving- turkey at one house and turkey at the other.

Since we don't have to cook the meal I get the easy way out- making desserts again. This is a time in my life when new traditions are being created so I've chosen to make something new for one dessert- Red Velvet Cake Balls. And in keeping with some of the old traditions I'm hoping to recapture with my family, I've chosen a very old recipe, Watergate Cake.

Ohhhh cake balls. I've been reading about these guys for some time now, looking at all the photos on Pinterest of the fabulously decorated cake balls (mine will NOT be that fancy !!) The actual cake balls are super easy to make- the dipping and decorating are pretty time consuming. But...the chef is at work til late, and I have nothing else to do out here in the country so....melting white chocolate, dipping cake balls and experimenting is on the agenda for me tonight.

I have seen cake balls in every flavor imaginable. Red Velvet Cake is a childhood favorite of mine. My mother, when I was a young girl, worked at the Hyatt House in Des Moines. They had an amazing pastry chef on staff and always had the most incredible desserts. Once in a while she would bring something home for my sister and I, and Red Velvet Cake was my favorite of all. Their chef used the classic Waldorf Astoria recipe, and that is also what I always use when making this heavenly cake.

To make the classic Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake:

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces red food coloring
2 tb cocoa (heaping)
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs together with mixer. Make a paste of food color and cocoa, add to creamed mixture. Add buttermilk alternating with flour and salt. Add vanilla. Add soda to vinegar and blend into batter. Pour into 3 or 4 greased and floured 8" cake cakes (I used a 9x13 pan for this recipe). Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins. Cool completely.

To make the cake balls, crumble the completely cooled cake into large bowl. Using store-bought cream cheese frosting, start by mixing in about 1/2 the can of frosting- mix thoroughly, adding more frosting if needed until mixture is evenly moistened but NOT gooey.

The frosting "dissolves" into the cake and should mix in completely.

Cover mixture and chill for a couple hours minimum. Roll chilled mixture into balls and place on cookie sheet.

Freeze for an hour or so to set the mixture, then dip into melted chocolate or candy coating of choice. I am using about a pound of white chocolate.

Return to cookie sheet and chill until firm, decorate as desired.

Mine aren't as fancy as some I've seen but for a first timer, they were pretty delish !!

Another old favorite of mine is Watergate Cake. Once a staple in church cookbooks and potlucks, it has pretty much disappeared from the dessert menu. But it will always be one of my favorites. I'm making a much simpler version this time because I have to drive quite a ways with it in the car, but if I were making this for dinner guests at my house, I would make 2 layers, split them, brush layers with Di Saronno before filling and frosting with the pistachio mousse, which would have had about 1/4 cup of the milk swapped out with Di Saronno.

Watergate Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package white or yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup 7Up or Sprite (use can use sparkling wine for an extra touch)
1 3 oz package instant pistachio pudding mix
1/2 cup or so chopped maraschino cherries
additional pistachios, chopped, if desired.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl.

I added a little bit of green food coloring to brighten the color. You don't have to.

Pour into prepared cake pans. You can do layers, Bundt, 9x13, cupcakes- whatever you like. This time I am doing 9x13 because I have to transport the cake and it's much easier than trying to hold up four layers in the car.

For the frosting I use a "mousse" style frosting I have been making for years and works great with any combo of pudding/cake flavor.

1 envelope Dream Whip

1 box instant pudding (pistachio for this recipe)

1 1/2 cups cold milk

food coloring if desired (I used a bit of green)

Combine all ingredients in bowl, whip with mixture until firm peaks form. 

Frost cake, decorate as desired. Store in fridge.

I'm not overly thrilled with the cake as a 9x13 cake but the bright red cherries and green fluffy frosting do look a little festive! I think this cake flavor would make great cake balls too !!