Old-Fashioned Bake Sale ~ Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

It is September -- no more holding back -- Fall is so close I can smell it (and it smells like pumpkins and spices)-- BRING ON THE PUMPKIN RECIPES :)



Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars
(Printable Version)

Bars:
2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
16 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup rolled quick oats

Filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs

Glaze drizzle:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar and molasses until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture and place in a small bowl. Scoop the remaining mixture into a 10" x 15" baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray. Add the oats to the reserved mixture and mix until combined - set aside. For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and mix until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scoop the mixture over the uncooked base and use an off-set spatula to evenly spread the mixture over the top. Crumble reserved oat mixture over filling. Bake until the topping is a golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely. For glaze drizzle, in a small bowl, mix together confectioners' sugar, butter and vanilla. Mix in just enough milk until the mixture will easily flow from a spoon - drizzle over cooled bars.

Sewing -- In the JAR!!

Last week I shared that September is National Sewing Month. That got me to thinking -- whether you are a seasoned seamstress or not, we all need to be prepared to do SOME sewing -- you know, replacing a button, fixing a hem, stitching up a busting seam. Nothing that requires a lot of talent BUT you have to have the supplies to do these jobs. I have a young woman at work who asks me to help her with these little chores. Last week I stitched on a wayward sequined star on her daughter's jeans. I don't mind helping but she doesn't do it herself because she isn't prepared to do so. My grown daughter is in the same boat (she just brings what she needs fixed to Mom's).

While browsing the internet I came accross the perfect solution to this......


Isn't this sweet? This one is sold by ANTHROPOLOGIE and I have to admit that I about choked on my coffee when I saw that it sells for $48.00 (GULP).

Anyone could make one -- including me. My plan was to make several to hand out as gifts for my co-worker, my daughters, and to have a few on hand.

So I made a list of what was in the Anthropologie Jar --
thread (just 2 spools), thimble, safety pins, needle threader, straight pins, measuring tape, needles and scissors. Then I thought, what else would be handy....an assortment of buttons, more of an assortment of threads and a seam ripper.

Off I went to the BIG BOX store to price and purchase all the items to stuff the jars with. YIKES -- these were going to be a bit spendy to stuff with style. Then I spyed a ready made kit by Dritz with all the components I had on my list -- selling for under $5.00. Perfect!! It also came in a variety of great colors - hot pink, purple, lime green.




What else was I going to need --

1 Large Canning Jar (with two-piece lid and ring) - I have a pantry full of these

1 small piece of fabric (1" larger than the circumference of lid) - from my scrap bag

small handful of batting - I have a bag of this in my sewing supplies but if you don't have some already, you could use a few cotton balls instead

Hot Glue Gun

Plug in glue gun to warm up. Lay fabric face down on work surface. Place a small amount of batting in the center. Place lid, top down on the batting and pull around. Slide the ring portion of the lid over the batting/fabric, and pull fabric taut. Trim any excess fabric. Glue the fabric to the underside of the lid, making sure to maintain a bulge on top. I embleshed the lid ring with some rickrack scraps but you could use ribbon, twine like the Anthropologie jar or no embleshing at all. Since I have a large supply of canning jars and used scraps, my total cost was the approximately $5.00 for the Dritz sewing kits to stuff the jars with. A handy and economical gift!



Joining Honey @ 2805 for ---

Drum Roll Please ..........................

Hoping EVERYONE had a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. We had the most perfect weather possible. Lots of food and fellowship....the best kind of holiday!

I want to THANK everyone who left such sweet comments and extend WELCOME to the new followers. I wish I had a prize for each of you.

Since I don't I asked my daughter to oversee the giveaway as she has done in the past. She took great care in counting every entry and determined the winner to be --

Sue from Country Pleasures!!

Please get over and congratulate Miss Sue -- she is a Apron Diva for sure!!

And, I have something *cooking* with the great folks at Gooseberry Patch, so stay tuned for another giveaway SOON!!

From The Hymnal ~ When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder

This is one of those old-timey hymns that I just love. Since it is Labor Day weekend, I couldn't help but think on the line that says *Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care; Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.* HAPPY LABOR DAY!!

When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

Reminder: Please go to the bottom of the page and switch off the blog music -- listen to Miss Twila sing and be blessed!!

Old-Fashioned Bake Sale ~ Honey-Bun Cake

Quick reminder - We will be doing the Old-Fashioned Bake Sale GIVEAWAY drawing on Monday -- if you haven't entered in, RUN, don't walk and enter HERE!!

If you haven't guessed, I am a sharer -- you know, one who shares, lol. That includes my recipes -- in fact, I love sharing a new recipe with a friend. I think most cooks are the same way. I have only had 2 people refuse to share a recipe I've asked them for -- one was my friend Cathy and her wonderful Streuseled Topped Sweet Potatoes, which is a favorite of my kids. I understand her reasoning -- we attended a small church and that dish was her speciality -- she didn't want it showing up at potlucks made by someone other than her. Once we moved to Nebraska, she happily shared the recipe (my kids were THRILLED). The other recipe is for something called Honey Bun Cake -- my current Pastor's Wife's specialty. I don't plan to move anytime soon, so I knew if I wanted that recipe, I was going to have to get it from Google. I looked at several versions and tweeked the one I choose (I decided it would have a richer flavor made with butter instead of oil - don't I sound like Miss Paula, lol - and the addition of a little nutmeg sounded perfect) and came up with one my family (and the folks I work with) were thrilled with. Try it -- it will be a potluck hit for sure!


Honey Bun Cake
(Printable Version)

1 pkg yellow or butter cake mix
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
4 eggs
1-8 oz container sour cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Remove 1/2 cup dry cake mix, reserve. Beat remaining dry cake mix, butter, eggs and sour cream in large bowl on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread half of the batter in pan. Stir together reserved dry cake mix, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; sprinkle over batter in pan. Carefully spread remaining batter evenly over cinnamon mixture. (To make spreading easier, drop batter by dollops over cinnamon mixture, then spread carefully with an offset spatula.) Bake 40-45 minutes or until deep golden brown and cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Stir powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until thin enough to drizzle, stirring in additional milk , 1 tsp. at a time if necessary. Poke top of warm cake several times with fork; spread over top of cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store covered. Serves 12 (or 6 if everyone likes this as much as my bunch does, lol).

Did you know?

September is National Sewing Month!! Do you sew? My start was a rocky one. First I have to say that my Mom wasn't a seamstress but she did go thru a stage where she attempted to make some garments for my sisters and I. Somewhere there is photographic evidence of her attempts -- my 2 sisters and I in MATCHING outfits -- I am the oldest -- pure TORTURE when you are on the verge of being a teenager, lol. Then I was in Miss Swisher's 7th grade Cooking/Sewing class at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High. I aced the cooking semester but hated the sewing semester. We made a gym bag and an apron -- I remember it like it was yesterday (instead of 1972, lol).


My apron was red gingham and I had to take a seam ripper to it (had issues with pleats and gathers) so many times that I am surprised I didn't have holes worn in it. I survived Miss Swisher's class and even got a decent grade. Somehow, I ended up in a more advanced sewing class in 8th grade -- very bad experience that involved a brown plaid jumper and sneaking it home in the above-mentioned gym bag so my Mom could help me set the zipper. I bid good-riddance to sewing after that....I thought forever. I figured sewing just wasn't for me.

Years later, I was a young homemaker on a very slim budget and I wanted new curtains for my little cottage-style home. I decided I'd give sewing another try. I found making curtains and pillows and such a lot of fun and I could do it for a fraction of the cost of ready or custom made. I even made some simple garments for my children. Then I discovered QUILTS!! I was hooked. My skills improved with each new project and it is now something I love to do. I still mostly stick to quilts and home decorating although I now make aprons again -- lots of aprons!

Since this is the official month to promote sewing, I thought I'd do a series of posts on just that -- sewing!! I wish that I had ignited a love of sewing in my daughters but alas, they seem to have no interest -- but I have to remind myself that I didn't have an interest at their ages either -- maybe there is still hope. Through the month of September, I will be posting some simple tutorials and sewing inspired posts and introduce you to a special friend :)