Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
The cool, crisp fall air brings with it a beckoning to cook and bake comfort foods. The ones that fill your home with the scents of cinnamon, apples and pumpkin. Along with that comes opportunities for tailgating and campfires and a need for something easy and delicious to share with your family and friends. For today’s post I have chosen to share with you some of my very favorite recipes for fall. First, I am sharing some dips that are wonderful for taking to fall parties and can be put together quickly the night before. Secondly, I am actually going to share with you some of our family recipes. Several of these are directly from the rusty tin recipe box of my grandmother; one of the best cooks I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. Enjoy!
Dips that are sure to be a hit at any fall event:
- S’more Dip: (sharing the version from Tablespoon.com)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/2 cup marshmallow crème
1 box (13 oz.) graham cracker honey sticks
Directions:
In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and condensed milk on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted. Stir to mix well. Pour into 9-inch glass pie pan, spreading evenly.
Drop marshmallow crème by tablespoonful’s randomly over chocolate mixture. Microwave on High about 30 seconds or until marshmallow crème is softened. Immediately with knife, make several small swirls through marshmallow and chocolate, creating a marbled appearance.
Serve immediately with graham sticks for dipping.
- Snickers Dip: sharing the version from TheCookingMom.com)
Ingredients:
2 pkgs. (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 container (8 ounces) Cool Whip
6 Snickers candy bars, chopped into small chunks (or 15 to 20 fun size Snickers)
2 to 3 tablespoons caramel sauce for drizzling on top (optional)
Directions:
Use a mixer to beat together cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in Cool Whip. Fold in about three-quarters of the Snickers bars. Refrigerate at least a few hours. Before serving drizzle with caramel and top with remaining Snickers pieces. Great served with apple slices, pretzels, animal crackers and graham crackers for dipping.
- Fluffy Pumpkin Pie Dip: (sharing Spendwithpennies.com version – Author Holly N.)
Ingredients: 
12 oz. cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup canned Pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2 cups whipped topping
Directions: Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin and spices.
Gently fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with sliced apples, graham crackers or your favorite fruit!
And now, some tried and true family recipes:
- Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole (original recipe from La Comedia)
Ingredients:
4 cups mashed (canned) sweet potatoes. (will need 60 oz. canned)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp. salt
1/3 stick butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions: Mix well. Pour into a buttered 9 X 13 pan.
Topping: 1 cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1/3 cup butter melted
1 cup pecans
Crumble topping over potato mixture evenly. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes.
- Mom’s pecan pie (old family recipe from great grandmother – originally called Karo pie)
Ingredients: 
1 cup white Karo
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter melted
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Directions: Whip eggs until light. Stir in sugar until mixed. Add Karo and stir. Add butter and vanilla. Cover top with pecan halves. Bake in a prepared crust at 325 for 55 minutes.
- Apple Walnut Cake (old family recipe from my sister’s mother-in-law)
Ingredients:
4 cups coarsely chopped, peeled apples
2 cups sugar
½ cup salad oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts.
Directions: Peel apples, chop, mix with sugar and set aside. Grease 9 X 13 pan and preheat oven to 350. In large bowl beat eggs slightly. Add vanilla. Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together. Stir into egg mixture alternately with apple/sugar mixture. Stir in walnuts. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake approximately one hour or until cake test comes out clean. Note: this cake is better two days after it is baked; the apples make it mellow with age.
- Grandma’s Quick and Sticky Apple Buns (personal note: you can tell this is an old recipe. It is definitely not “quick” by today’s standards J)
Ingredients:
1 cup finely packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 pkg. Pillsbury hot roll mix
¾ cup very warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cups (2 medium) apples.
Directions: In a small pan, combine the first four ingredients. Stir over low heat until butter melts.
Pour ½ mixture into ungreased 9 X 13 pan.
In large bowl, dissolve yeast from mix in water. Stir in sugar and egg. Add flour from mix and apples. Blend well. Drop dough by heaping Tablespoonful’s on top of sugar mixture in pan. Makes 15 rolls. Drizzle rest of sugar mixture. Cover pan. Let rise until light and doubled (45-60 minutes). Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 3-35 minutes until brown. Let stand one minute. Turn onto platter or foil.
- Grandma’s pumpkin Spice Cake
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Duncan Hines Deluxe Spice Cake mix
3 eggs
1 ½ cups pumpkin
½ cup water
½ cup walnuts
Directions: Mix ingredients together. Add topping: ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 35 minutes.
- Aunt Pat’s spiced tea mix
Ingredients:
2 cups Tang powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup instant tea
1 package lemonade mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cloves (optional)
Directions: Add two heaping Tablespoons per mug. Stir and serve warm.
- Apple Fritters (another fabulous recipe from my sister’s mother-in-law)
Ingredients:
½ cup milk
2 Tablespoons margarine
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup chopped apples
1 ½ cup flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
Grated rind and juice from ½ orange (optional)
Directions:
Combine milk, egg and margarine. Add grated orange rind and juice, apples and vanilla. Stir together flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in milk mixture with a spoon until blended. Drop batter by spoonful into hot oil. Fry to a golden brown. Drain.
