Pumpkin Cream Cheese Squares

For the past few weeks, we have been renovating the kitchen... ourselves.  Thankfully, with the help of some others, we are almost done!!  Just the backsplash left to go, but I have been able to use the kitchen since Monday now.  Ahh... living with no kitchen is not fun!  I normally love a little Wendy's or other fast food here and there, but when you have to get takeout twice a day for almost 2 weeks, it's no fun.  By the end, we were both crabby and ready to be done.  I'm sure most of it was that we had already done a ton of work and just wanted it to be over, but also we were putting such junk food into our bodies and it was making us feel sick.  

I have not been baking for probably more than 2 weeks, so it was nice to get back into the kitchen again.  When I had to stop baking, it was still summer and everyone on the blogs and Facebook were still in summer mode.  Now that has all changed... it's now Halloween!  Now, I am not quite ready for Halloween, but I do LOVE when Fall starts.  Nothing says Fall to me quite like pumpkin does!  So that's exactly what I wanted to make.  

Here is Canada, Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away now, so the stores already have pumpkins.  I just got a little pumpkin because I was in a rush, but I plan on going back to get some more.  Oh, the hubby will be so excited!

But for now... I made the most delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Squares last night!  Oh. my. gosh.  These squares are so moist and tasty.  I found this recipe from How To: Simplify and changed it up a bit and the results were amazing.   Instead of putting frosting on top, I swirled the cream cheese into the cake!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Squares

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• pinch cloves
• pinch ginger
• 1 tsp. salt

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. 
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt to wet mixture and stir until combined.  Set aside.
4. In medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla and sugar together until smooth.  
5. Pour the pumpkin batter into the dish and smooth the top.  
6. Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture on top of pumpkin batter.  Using a knife, swirl the cream cheese mixture into the pumpkin batter.  Be careful not to overmix, as then you would not see the cream cheese swirl.  
7. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  
8. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!

I love all things pumpkin... cake, scones, pancakes, dips and more!  My dog Bailey even likes pumpkin!  She was sick awhile back, and we read online that pumpkin is gentle on dog's stomachs so she was eating pumpkin and rice for a couple days and loved it!  So when I was cleaning up from making this, she was laying at my feet and I gave her a little pumpkin and she was a very happy dog!  

What do you like to make with pumpkin?!  

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

Well, a lot has been going on for me since last time!  I now am a married woman!  Last Friday night, I married my college sweetheart after meeting more than 6 years ago.  I have been a very lucky girl in the past couple of months.  After the summer, I came up to Canada to see my fiance and went to his friend's wedding in Toronto, then we went to Minnesota for his best friend from college's wedding.  A few days later I was off for a week in Hawaii with 2 of my friends from high school.  Then, back to Canada, then Pittsburgh and back to Canada to get married!  Phew...  I feel like I have been living out of my suitcase!  But my favorite trip comes in a little more than a week.  We leave for our honeymoon in the Caribbean!  This will be our first "big" trip together, so I am super excited!!!

Us on our wedding day!

ANYWAYS, back to the desserts!

Fall is probably my favorite season!  I love being able to wear jeans and a sweater after shorts and tank tops in the summer heat.  I especially love all things pumpkin.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cupcakes, and pumpkin dip!  And apples... I love all kinds, but McIntosh and Granny Smith are probably my favorite.  

I am not really sure where this recipe came from, but my mom found it years ago and we have been making it ever since.  So many great flavors: pumpkin, cream cheese, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg and more!  

 Make sure you pull the cream cheese out of the fridge a few hours before you start so it has time to soften.  This will make it so much easier to mix, and you will get a nice, smooth and creamy dip.  

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1- 15oz. can pure pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 tbsp. orange juice OR 1 tsp. orange extract

With an electric mixer or food processor, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Scrap down the bowl.  Add pumpkin and remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly.  

Chill for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.  

Serve with gingersnaps, apples and/or pears.  Slice the apples and pears into 1/2 inch slices.  *Toss the fruit with a little lemon juice mixed with water to prevent browning.  

Mmm... it's like pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake with a touch of orange in a bowl.  Of course, you can dip the apples, pears and gingersnaps in the dip, but I sometimes like to eat it with a spoon.  It's that good!  Another thing that is good to know is that this freezes very well!  Just put it in an airtight container and you can freeze it for at least a month or two!  

Since we will be on our honeymoon for Halloween, I am working on some Halloween treats this week to enjoy a week early!  I will post about them later this week.  

Happy 1st Day of Fall!

Happy first day of Fall everyone!

Today is a rainy day, but I still wanted to get some pictures outside.  The leaves are starting to change and a lot of leaves have fallen off the trees because of this morning's rain.  I love summertime, but I don't like being too hot, so I love when the weather starts to cool down!  I think fall has to be my favorite season, and I only wish it lasted longer.  It always seems that once it becomes fall, it quickly gets very cold and turns to winter.  But today is the first official day so I have many more days to enjoy!

I know I have not posted in a long time!  I have been so busy!  I am getting married in 3 weeks and have been going back and forth between Pennsylvania and Canada trying to get everything ready for the wedding and then moving to Canada.  Then throw in there 2 weddings, one being in Minnesota, and a trip to Hawaii with some girlfriends!  That has left me very little time to bake!  But, I promise I have very exciting things coming up that you will see on here soon!  

So anyways... with the first day of fall, I had to make a delicious dessert to go with it.  My fiance LOVES pumpkin pie.  So guess what I made?!  Last night was his hockey night, so I was busy baking!  

 Just your good, old fashioned, delicious Pumpkin Pie!

I have a fall themed dinner planned as well, but I could not even wait until dessert to have some pie!  So after lunch, we enjoyed some creamy Pumpkin Pie!

...OBVIOUSLY you need it covered in fresh whipped cream as well!  Delicious!  

Happy Fall!