Curried Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Minced chives

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour and curry powder until blended. Gradually add the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the pumpkin, milk, honey, salt, pepper and nutmeg; heat through. Garnish with chives if desired. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 157 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 686 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Curried Pumpkin Soup published in Taste of Home October/November 2000, p25

Fresh Peach Pie

This is for Marlena and I did make the pie for August even though I couldn't make it.  Enjoy!

Fresh Peach Pie

1 pie shell (crumbs or regular)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 pound (40 large) marshmallows
1 cup whipping cream
2-3 peaches, peeled and sliced


Heat juice and marshmallows together, stirring until marshmallows are melted.  Cool until slightly jelled,  Whip the cream and fold into marshmallow mixture.  Fold in sliced peaches and pour into pie shell.  Cool until set.

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake- Adapted from Southern Living and Potsandpins.com

First of all, you all need to go to my friend's sisters blog, it is hilarious and has such fun, yummy ideas!  It's http://www.potsandpins.com Now onto the fun and yummy part!  I adapted by doing equal parts fuji and granny smith.  If I wasn't so cheap I would have tried honeycrisp as they are my absolute favorite apples.  However if I'm going to pay for those puppies I'm just eating them plain!

Cream Cheese Filling

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Apple Cake Batter

1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I used half Granny Smiths and Fuji's, recipe called for Gala's), about 1 1/2 lbs.

Praline Frosting

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup pecan halves for garnishing cake, optional

Prepare filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended. Set aside.
Prepare cake batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Remove and set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine 3 cups flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, soda, nutmeg and allspice, whisk together lightly. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs, add to flour mixture. Add canola oil, applesauce and vanilla extract. Stir in apples and pecans. Batter will be very thick.
Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes, remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely, about 2 hours.
Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 3 tablespoons milk to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake. (Do not let frosting sit or it will harden and you won't be able to frost the cake!) Garnish the frosting with pecan halves.  Serves 12