Page 38 December 2012 N b b p p p b Pumpkin Ribbon Loaf Neighbors share sweet holiday treats for your cookbook By Amanda Goossen To many, the holidays have not fully begun until the oven is on and treats are being prepared. Every family seems to have its own traditions. Some gather generations inside one small kitchen to bake their family cookie recipes. Others slave over the stove to make goodies for all the neighbors, stacking plates, baskets and bowls for everyone to enjoy. This month, my regular Sweets and Treats article meets Arcadia Cookbook, as neighbors from every corner of our sweet little community come together to share their favorites. My hope is that a few of our readers will fi nd something from this list to add to their regular holiday repertoire. Thank you to everyone who shared! Not your typical pumpkin loaf This recipe was submitted by Heather Netzloff, the owner and chef behind Rumpelstiltskin Granola, a local homemade granola company. Heather loves this recipe because it’s a bit different than a typical pumpkin loaf. Pumpkin Ribbon Loaf Yield: One 9x5” loaf 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs, divided 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups all-purpose fl our 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened Turbinado sugar (optional) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and fl our a 9x5” loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk (reserve egg white for cream cheese mixture), milk and oil. Add fl our, baking powder, spice and salt; stir just until moistened. In another small bowl, beat cream cheese, remaining granulated sugar and saved egg white with electric mixer until well blended. Set aside. Spoon half the pumpkin batter into prepared loaf pan; cover with the cream cheese mixture and then the remaining pumpkin batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on cooling rack. Remove from pan to rack to cool completely. Special delivery This recipe was submitted by Lana Holmes, who said: “Every December my Mom carries on the tradition of making her Mom’s special pumpkin bread. She has all of her grandchildren over to make this yummy treat for their teachers. They each have their own mixing bowl and ingredients and get to make their own loaves of pumpkin bread. They enjoy making it with their grandma and their cousins, and they love delivering it to their teachers.” Grandma Smith’s Pumpkin Bread 2 cups sugar 2 1/2 cups Pumpkin (canned pumpkin can be used) 1 1/4 cup canola oil 2/3 cup water 4 eggs Continued on page 39

Page 39 December 2012 Recipes Continued from page 38 Creamy Chocolate Fudge 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons allspice 2 teaspoons nutmeg 1 teaspoon cloves 3 1/2 cups fl our Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and fl our baking dishes (you can use PAM Non-stick Cooking Spray for baking — it has both the oil and fl our in it and you just spray it into the baking container.) Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and pour into loaf-sized baking dishes (use disposable tins if baking for friends). Bake in the oven for one hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over fi ll baking dishes as the pumpkin bread rises — fi ll 3/4 of the way. Simple and delicious Theresa Mansour submitted her Super Easy Peppermint bark because not only is it simple to make, it makes great gifts as well. Super Easy Peppermint Bark 1 brick of dark chocolate bark 1 brick of vanilla bark 6-12 candy canes peppermint extract Microwave the dark chocolate as directed on the package. Spread on a cookie tray with wax paper on the bottom. Refrigerate the chocolate layer until it’s time for the white chocolate (to make sure it’s hard and won’t blend with the white) Microwave the white chocolate, and after it is soft, mix in a teaspoon of peppermint extract. Pour on top of the chocolate layer. Before the white chocolate hardens, sprinkle crushed candy canes on top and push down a little to make sure it stays in the white chocolate. Let cool for 20 minutes and break apart into pieces. Another Sweet Idea This recipe was submitted by Lisa Weisenburger, owner and operator of Lisa’s Sweet Ideas. Lisa, who has always enjoyed baking and event planning, started her own small business last year. Cranberry Coffee Cake is one of her favorite parts of the holiday season Cranberry Coffee Cake 2 cups fl our 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon fi ne sea salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, one stick 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure almond extract 1 cup sour cream 2 cups whole berry cranberry sauce 1/2 cup walnut or pecan halves Almond sugar glaze Preheat oven to 350°. Butter an 8 inch tube pan. In medium bowl, sift together the fl our, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the almond extract. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, beating after each addition until just mixed. Batter will be thick. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Swirl half the cranberry sauce over the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the cranberry sauce and then swirl the remaining cranberry sauce over the batter. Sprinkle nuts over the top of the cake. Bake for 55 minutes or until done. While cake is baking, make the glaze. Let the cake cool in the pan for fi ve minutes, then remove it from the pan to a wire rack and cool for another 10 minutes. Transfer the cake to serving plate and drizzle the glaze all over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to two days. Almond Glaze 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Stir together sugar, almond extract and lemon juice. Add water until mixture is smooth and able to drizzle. This cake was a Christmas morning must in my childhood home. When I began having my own children and hosting the family holidays this cake continued to be as much a part of our Christmas tradition as gifts and decorated pines. Enjoy! Fudge for the holidays Susan Hambright submitted her recipe for chocolate fudge. Susan has been making this recipe for more than 20 years, fi lling containers for friends and family to enjoy each Christmas. Creamy Chocolate Fudge 1 jar marshmallow cream (5-10oz) 1 1/2 cup sugar 2/3 cup evaporated milk 1/4 cup butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups milk chocolate chips Continued on page 40 come in for lunch and get 20% off! valid 11/16-12/30. excludes holidays & weekends. Code: 7706