It's Fall Again! (aka Time Again For Pumpkin!)

As the weather here in Chicago is not-so-slowly changing from summer to fall, my spirits are rising. I simply adore fall weather. The especially blue skies, the cool breeze, the changing colors of the leaves, the crunch underfoot, the sparkle of the sun on the lake water... Perfection. Truly no season can rival fall.

The downside to all of this is that fall is also when school and swim season happen to start up again. Which means endless hours spent in a stuffy, window-less pool; boring classes; trying to grab a bite to eat sometime in-between, and holed up in my room trying to finish homework before I get to start it all over again. With all these activities going on, there isn't much time left to simply enjoy sitting outside.

But when the opportunity comes, I go right ahead and grab it. And what better way to enjoy being outside than with yet another fall favorite: Pumpkin. I loooovvve pumpkin. Starting when the leaves start to change color until way into winter our house smells of the tantalizing taste of baking pumpkin goodies.

Trust me, you'll fall in love with pumpkin as much as I am soon enough. To start out, why not try some Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (more like a cake than bread!), or a Pumpkin Spice Latte (I swear, it's better than the one you get at Starbucks!!!!)

P.S. :: Talking about loving things, I absolutely love Katy Perry's new song Teenage Dream. So cute! <3

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD
(makes 2 loaves, 5in x 9 in pans)

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups sugar
1 can (15 oz) 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
2 cups cranberries (Dried, fresh, frozen... whatever! I prefer fresh.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 5in x 9in loaf pans.

Mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, canola oil, and juice (or water). Stir together the dry and wet mixtures. Fold in the cranberries. Pour into the pans.

Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once done remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove from pans and let them completely cool on a wire rack.

That was simple, right? Now while you wait for your "bread" to cool, why not try making a latte that you can enjoy with it later on!

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

1/2 cup coffee (strongly brewed)
1 cup half and half (or make your own by mixing half a cup of milk with half a cup of coffee creamer. I also like using 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup coffee creamer so that it doesn't get too sweet.)
2 tablespoon 100% Pure Pumpkin
Optional: a dash or so of pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon.
Also optional, but strongly encouraged: Whipped cream (:

In a small saucepan stir together and heat up the half and half and pumpkin, making sure not to burn the milk. Stir constantly!

Pour the mixture into a blender and blend on a high setting for 20 seconds, until it's foamy. Pour into a big mug and then pour the coffee over the top. Top with whipped cream, and then sprinkle the spices over it.

Now go grab a slice of the cooled pumpkin cranberry bread, take your mug of pumpkin spice latte, and sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of fall.

Irresistible Blueberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Have you ever...
--Wandered the house looking for something, ended up in the kitchen, look through your fridge, eat something random... and totally forget what it was you were looking for in the first place?
--Been too exhausted to eat, let alone do your homework?
--Wake up early (that is, before 7am) every morning, including Sundays, just because of the fact that you get up that early the rest of the six days in the week?


You too? Happens to me all the time.


Swim season, coupled with school and homework, add to that endless construction within my house, makes for a very overwhelmed person. With barely any free time on my hands and a due date for a painting looming ahead I don't have much time to bake, let alone update this blog. But here they are, the promised blueberry cream cheese cinnamon rolls.


Better than you can imagine. Can we say seconds, please? Yes, yes, yes! That is, if you make it in time for there to even be any left.

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE CINNAMON ROLLS

DOUGH:

1 – 1/4 ounce package active dry yeast 

1/2 teaspoon, plus 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk (room temperature)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, (sifted)

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)

FILLING:

4 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

about 1 1/2 cups blueberries (use more or less, whatever you prefer)

ICING:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 cup water (heated in the microwave for 60 seconds) in a big bowl. Stir to combine and let sit until frothy and foamy (about 10 minutes).


Mix in the milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, flour, and sugar. Knead together.


Add the butter and keep kneading for another five minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let sit in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 hours (it should double in size).


Make the filling while the dough rises. Combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a bowl. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside. Wash the blueberries. Put the cream cheese in a small bowl and stir with a knife to make it more easily spreadable.


Once the dough has risen put it on a heavily floured surface and knead it for about three minutes.  Keep kneading in small amounts of flour until it isn't as sticky anymore. Roll out the dough into a 10 in x 10 in square.


Evenly spread the cream cheese over the dough. You will probably have cream cheese left over, since you don't want to put too much on!


Fold the dough into thirds, like you would a letter. Then, fold it into thirds again. Flip over the dough and gently roll it out into a rectangle, about 10 in x 20 in. Pour the filling onto the dough and spread it out, leaving about 1/2 inch around the sides. Place the blueberries over the area of the dough and lightly press the filling into the dough so that it sticks. Tightly roll the dough up. Trim off the uneven edges and divide the dough into eight.


Butter a 9inx13in pan and place the eight separate rolls into the pan side by side. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let it rise for another hour. (If you want you can refrigerate the rolls overnight, though you'll have to let them warm up to room temperature before baking.)


Heat oven to 375°F. Bake until golden brown, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.


While the rolls are baking, make the icing by whisking together the sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. Once the rolls are done remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before drizzling the icing over the pan. Sit and let cool, or enjoy warm. They're best warm. Take it from me, and several other people present in my house.