Halloween fun. . . a recipe and a giveaway

Halloween is fast approaching! I have to say that Halloween is one of those holidays that's not nearly so much fun with older kids as it is with little kids. I miss the days of my boys' eagerly deciding how they wanted to dress for Halloween and excitedly counting their candy haul. Our costumes were usually homemade (i.e. inexpensive) and ranged from soldiers to pirates to elves from Lord of the Rings.

The oldest pieces of my pumpkin collection are jack-o-lanterns that I pull out every year. We've moved ten times over the course of our marriage, but both of these pumpkins have made it unscathed.

This one is now 25 years old. My parents bought him for me when I was a brand-new wife. I've proudly lit him up on Halloween night since 1985!

This one is 24 years old. My boss gave him to me for my birthday back in 1986. My husband was a graduate student at the University of Virginia and I was working while he was in school. I worked for a very kind man who happened to share my birthday, and he bought me this jack-o-lantern on the day I turned 23. This little fellow is made from Virginia clay, and he's definitely a prized possession.

My love for pumpkins extends to eating baked goods made from pumpkin. When I was a little girl, my favorite sweet in the world was pumpkin pie. One of my earliest memories is of a sweet woman named "Miss Janie" who made pumpkin pies year-round. A trip to Miss Janie's house was always a treat for me. Now I make pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but I make other pumpkin desserts, too. Here's the recipe for one of my favorites, Pumpkin Cake. Closely related to carrot cake (but a lot easier to make), this is one of my most-often requested recipes.

Pumpkin Cake

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups pureed pumpkin (I used a 15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin)

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a tube or bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake approximately one hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan ten minutes, then remove from pan and cool on rack until completely cool.

Frosting

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and spread on a cooled cake.

Oh, glory. . . make this and prepare for compliments.

And oh, yes, the Halloween giveaway! Just for fun, I'm giving away these cute retro Halloween items.

I love the traditional but muted colors in these tea towels and the ceramic jack-o-lantern. The jack-o-lantern is designed to hold a tea light; he has a hole in his stem to allow smoke to escape. Leave a comment if you'd like to win this little gift. I'll randomly pick a winner on Thursday and send a package right out so that the winner can enjoy these goodies before Halloween. You don't have be a subscriber or follower to enter, although I'd love for you to subscribe or follow me if you'd like to do so.

Happy Halloween!

Today the CSI Project is hosting a Halloween Extravaganza, where there is sure to be lots of Halloween inspiration.

And of course there are always lots of fun things to be learned at Hope Studios on Tuesday!