Book Update: I finished my freezer meal presentation for one MOPS group and it was a huge hit. I can’t wait to finish the book. Here are the sections so far: Preface, Introduction, What foods you can freeze, what foods you cannot freeze, how to freeze (almost) everything methods, A chart of all cuts of meat I found at the grocery store and how to cook eat one, A chart of all kinds of vegetables and fruits and how to freeze each one, and lots of recipes! Some recipes from the website and some very old ones from mom and grandma that I haven’t posted.
We had a “reverse freezer meal” party and the 16 ladies made 32 meals in about 20 minutes! How crazy is that?! So much fun though. What I mean by “reverse freezer meal” is that instead of having everyone bring meat or providing meat (which may run into issues keeping it cold, etc.), I had bags ready with label and ingredients to put in. The meal was all ready – you just had to add the meat! We made BBQ Pulled Pork and Hickory Smoked Chicken.
Recipe Update: Again, I’m including homemade and box mix recipes. Pumpkin cake is soooo tasty this time of year. Since refrigeration is essential when working with cream cheese frosting, I made up a maple buttercream instead. Fantastic! It’s something a little unexpected and I could seriously just put that frosting on just about anything. So good. For the flavoring, I used Durkee brand maple flavoring. I’ve used Mapeleine in the past. Maybe because mine was old… but it just never tasted right. I really liked the Durkee – a little goes a long way!
Want something different? Try pumpkin cake pops!
Maple Buttercream
yield 2 – 9×13 pans
1 lb. (4 sticks) butter, unsalted and softened
1 lb. 8 oz. powdered sugar (sifted if you need the frosting smooth)
1 tablespoon mereingue powder (optional; used for stability)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring
2-4 tablespoons cream, half and half or milk or real maple syrup
1. Cream the butter until fluffy on MEDIUM speed.
2. Add powdered sugar little by little on LOW speed.
3. Add salt, meringue powder if using, and maple flavoring.
4. Beat on medium until incorporated.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and mix. Continue to add another 1-2 tablespoons until the frosting is spreadable.
6. Taste test your frosting. Does it need more maple flavoring? Try another 1/4 teaspoon – this is a more assertive maple flavor and very tasty.
7. Once you have the color and flavor, beat the frosting on medium-high for 2 minutes
Pumpkin Cake
yield 1 – 9×13
1 box (about 18 oz.) Spice cake mix
1 cup canned/pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (that is probably what the box suggests). Beat together the mix, pumpkin, water, oil and eggs per instructions on the box. This is usually mixing on low for 30 seconds and then medium for 2 minutes. Bake in a greased and floured or sprayed with Baker’s Joy 13×9 pan. Use a toothpick to ensure the cake is thoroughly cooked in the middle. Cool completely.
Pumpkin Cake from Scratch
yields 1 -9×13
1/2 cup (2 sticks; 8 oz.) butter, unsalted and softened
1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (200 grams) sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt!
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour or spray a 9×13 pan.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together on medium to medium high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl. Add the pumpkin and vanilla. mix.
4. Whisk together you dry stuff in a medium bowl: cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
5. Alternate adding the buttermilk and the flour into the cake batter. Start and end with the flour.
6. Mix until combined.
7. Bake a 9×13 about 35-40 minutes. Bake 2- 8″ rounds about 25-30 minutes. Bake cupcakes about 22 minutes.
Recipe from joyofbaking.com
TONS of cupcakes! I had 13 boxes of these puppies!
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