Eye candy & recipes too!

11.12.12

Hi, everyone. Long time no blog, I missed writing & sharing things with you.  I've been on a little trip with my family to "the happiest place on earth" 
{more to come on that later}

I wanted to tell you about a fun thing I did with my friend, Michelle.  We both LoVE magazines!  When we were next door neighbors, we used to sit on the porch for hours looking through some of our favorites while we watched our little ones play around in the yard.  We would dog ear pages, share inspiration with each other & start making lists of "stuff we wanted" from the pages of Pottery Barn, Country Home, Country Living, Land of Nod, Restoration & others.  So when she called me asking if I wanted to create a Fall Dessert Table mini-magazine shoot together, of coarse I said yes!

Well... feast your eyes on this!  Don't you just want to walk up to the table & sample a thing or two, yummy! 
{by the way this project was fun but I ate a whole lot of sugar during the process too ;)} 

We each brought a "little" to the table. I supplied the old wooden door to set the sweets on, the wooden crates that came from my home town, the cake stands {you know I have a few of those}, my famous chicken feeder, pumpkins from the McQuigley pumpkin patch & a few other accessories.  Each of us thought of a few of our favorite fall sweets we love to make to showcase on the table.  

So I'm going to open up my recipe box 
& share the tasty recipes that I brought to the table with all of you:

Gingersnaps
{if you don't have this in your recipe box by now you SHouLD!} I've shared this recipe many times on my blog because they are some of my favorite ones to bake & share. 
{It's a pretty popular "pin" too!}
-Go HERE to get the recipe- 

Butterscotch Cookies
{This recipe is also from my Grandma Hall} 

I was lucky enough to have a Grandma who always had a batch of cookies in her cookie jar all the time.  I'm also glad that I have this recipe written out in her handwriting 

{a real treasure to me}

-You can tell that this recipe card has been well used- it's Miss Mace's favorite cookie to bake-  

-Loved that my Grandma shared with me what to do in a pinch in case I didn't have some Sour Cream.  So thoughtful!-

1/2 C. Shortening
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C. Sour Cream
2/3 C. Chopped Nus [either pecans or walnuts}
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt 

Cream butter & Sugar together.  Add eggs & sour cream.  Sift in all dry ingredients.  Fold in Vanilla & nuts.  This is a wet dough.  Use a cookie scoop or 2 spoons to scoop out the dough to an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  
Let cookies cool & frost 

Brown Buttered Icing
{the real treat to this cookie!}

Melt 1/2 Cup butter over medium heat until it looks a little brown
{this is what gives the cookie it's butterscotch flavor}
Add: 3 T. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
Powdered Sugar {about 1/4-1/2 a bag}
to browned butter. 

Stir until it's mixed together & smooth.  This isn't a thick frosting.  You want it a little runny so that you can spread the icing out with the back of a spoon onto the cookie.  Work quickly as icing tends to cool quickly.  
These cookies are really old fashioned, that's what I love about them.  No 2 really look alike but they are delicious to eat. 

Love how they look nestled in the feeder with the berries & pumpkins. 

Pumpkin Bars
{pumpkin pie in a bar- so easy & tasty!} 

Crust:  1 box Yellow cake Mix
{reserve 1 cup for the topping}
1/2 C. Melted Butter 
1 Egg 

Filling: 30 oz. Pumpkin 
2 Eggs 
2/3 C. Milk 
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice 
1/4 C. Brown Sugar 

Topping: 1 C. reserved Yellow cake mix 
1/2 C. Sugar 
1 tsp. Cinnamon 
1/4 C. melted Butter 

Mix crust ingredients together & press into the bottom of the pan.  Mix filling & pour over the crust.  For topping melt butter over med heat.  In a separate bowl combine Sugar, Cinnamon & Cake Mix.  Pour melted butter into mixture & toss until combined. Topping will be crumbly, & sprinkle on top of the filling.  Bake at 350 degrees on top rack for 1 hour & 10 minutes. Let completely cool & serve with a dollop of whip cream. 

These bars are really a show stopper at any dinner party.  Your guests will love them, I promise!  

You can get the recipes that my friend Michelle made over on her blog, chalkboardblue.   Thanks for the idea friend, that was fun! 


Thanks for stopping by.  Oh, have you entered the GiVEAWAY for the Bath & Body 3-wick candle yet?
Leave a comment here to enter or answer the ? of the day here. Whichever is easiest both ways will work

{M}