No cooking involved. On Thanksgiving?
How cool is that?
How cool is that?
I love the flavor of pumpkin. I could eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know, we can get a little inundated with pumpkin at this time of year, but if you do like it and you want something different, why not try this recipe? I honestly can't remember where I found this recipe. Sunset Magazine, maybe? A great magazine for the West Coast. But as I can't eat gluten, I had to tweak!
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| Daryl Wood Gerber |
Who do you think came up with that word, by the way? Tweak.
I had to look it up. My parents made me one of those kinds of people. It comes from Middle English and the word: twikken. What a cute word is that! Maybe that will become our next social networking platform. In eighty characters or less, twikken! It's quicker. LOL
Okay, enough frivolity. Back to serious matters. Dessert. For Thanksgiving or anytime. This is one of the easiest things in the world to make and perfect for the holiday. And it's quick.
Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving to all!
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE ICEBOX CAKE
(gluten-free)
though the only thing gluten-free are the graham crackers and vanilla...
so this could be made by all you "normal" folks, too. Just switch back.
Ingredients:
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream
cheese, room temp
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 tbsp. half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
extract (vanillin)
28-30 gluten-free graham cracker
sheets
(if desired, ¾ cup chocolate chips
for decoration)
Cocoa powder (for dusting)
Directions:
Beat cream cheese and sugars in
a bowl with a mixer on medium speed. Beat in pumpkin, half-and-half, salt,
spices, and vanilla until smooth.
Lay 1/3 of graham crackers on
bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread a third of pumpkin mixture over crackers. Repeat
two more times, ending with pumpkin mixture.
(Top with chocolate chips if desired...I didn't for this recipe...I would in the future just because)
Cover, chill overnight. Dust
with cocoa powder. Cut cake into
squares.
Now for my major admission...
I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE OF THE WHOLE FINISHED CAKE. THIS IS JUST A PICTURE OF IT IN THE FINAL STAGES. ARGH! SO SORRY. BECAUSE IT'S CREATED IN A 13 X 9, IT'S NOT THAT PRETTY, BUT REALLY... SILLY ME.
The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series:
Click this link to see the book trailer.
Click this link to read an excerpt.
And if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list
so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests!
Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013
Say cheese!
Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013
"She" doesn't say all the same things "Avery" does. Promise.
Say cheese!
***********
Hmmm I may have to steal one of Sam's cans of pumpkin and try this. (Sam is my dog who gets a spoonful of pumpkin every night for digestive issues.)
ReplyDeleteKat, I think it was Krista who told me she gives her pups yams and such to help. Pumpkin sounds like a great tip for animal lovers. Thanks for sharing.
Delete~Avery aka Daryl
You have such a good memory, Avery. A little bit of pumpkin is great for dogs, and they love it. It's especially helpful to dieting dogs because it helps them feel full without adding a lot of calories.
DeleteThis recipe blows me away. I have a similar recipe made with dried apples. I keep meaning to try it . . . It looks gorgeous!
~ Krista
Krista, I'm so glad you like it. With dried apples sounds interesting, too.
DeleteIt is pretty. And so light!
Daryl aka Avery
I love pumpkin! Cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, lattes, and so on. And plain cooked (I also love winter squash)! And, yes, I too am a Tweaker. I can't stop myself, which makes it very difficult to always accurately pass on my recipes because I am constantly am tweaking! Oh, well, I guess that will keep some of my recipes truly secret because my directions say "here's where you tweak the recipe to your own tastes". Love your books, Avery! Just got another payment for sitting in on a panel so I obviously need new books!
ReplyDeleteNurse Judy, a tweaker after my own heart. I know what you mean. A pinch of this. And I eyeball teaspoons and tablespoons for a lot of recipes. That's the fun part (art) of cooking.
DeleteThanks for the compliment. What panel did you sit on?
Avery aka Daryl
This sounds wonderful. I'll have to share the recipe with my principal. Her teenage daughter can't have gluten, so as her local reference librarian I'm always looking for gluten-free recipes to share with her. I've shared some of the others that you've shared with her. Now if I could just get her to read mysteries. :)
ReplyDeleteBooklady, so glad I can offer fun alternates. Especially for readers! Now...the mysteries part. you've tried Nancy Drew, I assume? How about couching things like Harry Potter and/or Hunger Games as a mystery? These are loosely "within" the genre. Then she could get past that weird mystery tag (which might make her think, 'ew, I have to work at solving something') and to the fun part of an adventure!
DeleteAvery aka Daryl
It's Mom that I'm trying to get to read more mysteries. We are in a book club together and I'm always trying to get the club to read more mysteries. Of course I love books of all kinds so it usually ends up easier for me to adjust my reading to the club, but I always say there is nothing like a good mystery if you want to be sure you are getting a good read.
DeleteHm, now we have our thinking caps on. Mom. Does she like to cook, read, knit? We have cozy mysteries for all hobbies. LOL :)
Delete~Daryl aka Avery (who often finds the literary books too much sorrow and tragedy - I like making my mind solve puzzles)
Delicious idea, Avery/Daryl. I'm lovin' the easy no-cook aspect and the pumpkin, such a great flavor at this time of year. That slice looks delicious on the plate, almost like a pumpkin tiramisu!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving
to you and your family!
~ Cleo
Thanks, Cleo, that's exactly what it's like. A tiramisu. So lovely.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you, too!
Hugs,
Daryl/Avery
The panel I sat in on was conference call to review a medical reference site that I use ALL the time called 5 Minute Consult. The panel was to discuss proposed changes to the appearance of the main page and possible stratification of medical diagnoses with the associated speciality. Geek speak for "heart attack, cardiology" "foot fungus, podiatry/dermatology", etc. It was really interesting, there were 6 nurse practitioners from all over the US, took 90 minutes (went by fast) and I got $150. Lots of new books!
ReplyDeleteJudy, sounds fascinating.
DeleteAvery
The recipe says "Pumpkin Chocolate Torte" You list the chocolate chips and cocoa dusting as optional. Are they the "chocolate" from the title?
ReplyDeleteA very happy Thanksgiving to all of you at the Mystery Lovers Kitchen. I'm thankful to have found this site!
Libby, yes, chocolate in title is optional in recipe. In happened to include the chocolate. Can't "see" it in the picture. ;)
DeleteAvery/Daryl