A Grateful Heart is a Joyous Heart

Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.  ~ David Gerrold

I have one more pumpkin recipe to share with you all.  I figure with Thanksgiving right around the corner you may need a back-up pumpkin recipe.  If not, I dressed it up all Christmas like so you could use it for Christmas as well.

How beautiful is this!  It was so fun to make. We had a party at my hubby's bosses house this weekend and I was in charge of dessert.  To most people this would be nerve racking but the boss is also a dear friend of ours and has been for years.  He's part of our D&D group so he partakes in my desserts about once a month, more than that if we're lucky and can get together.  But, as adults with families, that rarely happens.  Boo!  My rogue rarely gets to come out and play.

Okay, enough nerd talk.  As long as you all still have a little respect for me I had better not scare you off.

So, you're wondering to yourself, "Self, how did she do that?"  Well, I have the answer for you my dear friends!

I picked the rest of my rosemary out of my garden and then I smelled my fingers.  What?  Oh, you know you do that too when you pick rosemary!  Don't deny it.  It smells like Christmas.  Then I pulled the bag of fresh cranberries from the fridge and dumped a few in a bowl.  I rinsed off the rosemary and patted it dry a bit and did the same for the cranberries.  I put a bunch of sugar in a pie plate and then I dredged the rosemary through the sugar and placed it on a wire rack to dry.  I put the cranberries in the remaining sugar and shook the pie plate around until they were completely covered in sugar and placed them on the wire rack with the rosemary.  After they were all dry, which took a couple of hours, I decorated my cake.

Let the praise begin!  Tell me how I'm such a genius!  Come on now, get down on your knees and kiss my feet!  Okay, you can stand up now.  For, you see, I'm not the real genius behind this masterpiece.  That would have to be the good 'ole Mrs. Paula Deen herself.   That would've been cool if I were though.  Huh?  Is this awkward now that you have kissed my feet?

Natalie said the garnish looked like Julius Ceaser's headpiece.

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Hubby said it looked like the Ghost of Christmas Past's headpiece.

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Are you still here?  Oh good!  I just wanted to let you all know that I wish all of you and yours a happy Thanksgiving!  I am forever grateful to each and every one of you.  It just goes to show that we don't need to spend money or live in great big houses if we just open our hearts to what we already have and who we have in our lives and smile at the thought of it all we will find gratefulness in our heart.  So, thank you for bringing gratefulness into my heart!

Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: 1 (9-inch) cake

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened - this is Paul Deen after all!
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. ground allspice
• 1/2 cup whole milk - I used skim
• Maple Cream Cheese Frosting - recipe follows
• Garnish: sugared rosemary, sugared cranberries

Ingredients for Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 T. pure maple syrup
• 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
• 4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions for Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 9-inch round cake pans with Pam.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, nutmeg, salt and allspice. Gradually add to batter mixture, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Spread Maple Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sugared rosemary and cranberries just before serving if desired. Store cake in refrigerator.

Instructions for Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low; add syrup and cinnamon. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar until mixture is smooth. Use immediately.

Adapted from Paula Deen

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Servings: 1 slice of cake

Calories:  581

Total Fat:  29.4 g

Cholesterol:  130 mg.

Sodium:  307 mg.

Protein:  6.4 g.

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