Pumpkin Crunch Cake & The Weekend

 Did you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving?

We sure did!

But I got so caught up in the moment of having all of 

our children here together that I forgot all about the camera.

It took us six hours to prepare our meal,

and only eight minutes for everyone to destroy it.

I realized I forgot to capture our Thanksgiving the next morning.

So I quickly snapped some pictures while the grand kids

were destroying Grandma's pumpkin bread French Toast.

 This is sweet baby Tristan.

I say baby lightly.....

He is growing so fast and will soon be ONE.

 He was going to town on the French Toast.

 This is bedhead Lydia.

She is such a little helper with baby Tristan.

Johnie and I continued our Thanksgiving into Sunday.

The three heaping plates of Thanksgiving food,

and sixteen servings of dessert just wasn't enough.

We headed out Sunday at noon to visit one of our 

favorite eating spots.

The 1812 Food & Spirits in Port Clinton, Ohio. 

 I had the Prime Ribeye Steak,

 and Johnie ordered the Alaskan Steak.

His steak was topped with crab meat and mushrooms 

with a really yummy white sauce.

 One of the perks of knowing the manager personally is,

he allowed us to walk the hotel lobby and restaurant to 

see all the Christmas decorations.

It was absolutely beautiful!

Ceiling high Christmas trees,

Christmas accents on banisters, and mantels.

Definitely gets you in the mood for Christmas.

And I finally snapped a shot of their famous people

"guest list"

Did you happen to see Marilyn Monroe is listed there?

 Johnie and I stole the opportunity to snap some selfies with Christmas 

in the background.

I played around with the picture and made it look like a personalized

Christmas card. 

 Here are some of the decorations in the hotel restaurant.

I would love to reserve for our family Christmas celebration this year.

Or maybe next year.

 I can't believe Johnie photo-bombed Santa.....

But that's Johnie.

He is fun like that all the time....

 Now as far as the Pumpkin Crunch Cake goes....

Definitely delicious!

This recipe came from Flour Me With Love.

The only thing I did differently is,

I drizzled some vanilla icing over the cake 

while it was still slightly warm.

All you have to do is visit the Flour Me With Love link

and you will find a fantastic holiday recipe.

See Ya'all Soon

November 3rd & Gooey Pumpkin Roll Bars

 November 3rd is the mark of Johnie and I's first full year together.

I thought I would share one of our "best memories" picture.

I love this picture of us.

And that day was full of adventure.

This photo captures the perfect ending.

The past year has been so wonderful.

Full of adventure,

romance,

fun,

and lots of love.

We are both looking forward to many more years together.

We were not able to be together on our special day,

so I did the next best thing.

I made Johnie a sweet treat.

 The inspiration for this recipe came from Chef In Training.

When I run across cake mix recipes I try and use what I have in my cupboard

instead of running out and buying the exact ingredients.

My creation was turned into Gooey Pumpkin Roll Bars.

I had a box of Pumpkin Caramel Delight

and a French Vanilla cake mix.

Perfect match!

Just like Johnie and I.

 Of course,

Johnie loved them,

and so did all of his co-workers......

 With the cream cheese mixture on top these tasted just like a pumpkin roll.

And there is no rolling involved.

I used the caramel packet in the Pumpkin Delight box just 

to dress them up a bit.

Then I sprinkled on chopped pecans.

Gooey Pumpkin Roll Bars

1 box Pumpkin Delight cake mix
1/2 box French Vanilla cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg

Using a mixter, mix these ingredients together and press into a greased 9x13 cake pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using the same mixer:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. powdered sugar

Mix these together until smooth. Spread over unbaked crust.
Place in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Mine used the entire 30 minutes.
Let it cool completely and drizzle the caramel packet over the bars. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

See Ya'all Soon

New Orleans Pecan Praline Brownies

 Since Johnie spent some time living in Louisiana I thought this recipe

would be fitting to create for him.

Did you kind of sing that intro?

"I spent last night in the arms of a girl in Louisiana"......Garth Brooks

Just look at that layer of praline.

That's a whole lot of sweet right there.

 The inspiration for this recipe came from 

Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom

One thing that I did find out; 

When the recipe calls for a certain size pan.....USE IT!!

I wanted my brownie to be thicker so I used a smaller pan.

Which in turn caused my praline to be very thick.

But if you like praline you will love these brownies.

To toast my pecans, I put them on a cookie sheet and baked 

them in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

I sent this recipe over to The Weekend Potluck. They always have

tons of great recipes. Make sure you give them a visit. 

A perfect way to plan your weekly menu.

Just go click'n.....

New Orleans Pecan Praline Brownies

1 box brownie mix to fit a 9x13 pan (family size).

Mix according to directions and stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cool completely

Praline:

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

6 TBS butter

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Add cream, butter, and brown sugar to a medium sized saucepan. Heat to boiling and boil for about 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and toasted pecans.

Spread over completely cooled brownies. Allow to cool for 45 minutes before cutting.

If you visit Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom she has a great tip for cutting the brownies so you don't crack the praline. That way your brownies won't look all messy like mine. But they still eat the same.....

And since you now have the recipe for praline don't be afraid to use to top cookies, cakes, ice cream, or wherever your heart desires some praline.

See ya'all soon