Apple of my Belly

Oh that Beantown Baker. She got me with her posting of Deb's Mom's Apple Cake earlier this week. After her description of just the smell of this cake, I was hooked on trying it. What better baking occasion to utilize the snazzy and oh so adorable apple pattern apron my sister gave me for Christmas than when making an apple cake! Double bonus: I was able to use the round cake container/carrier that I got from my shower for the first time!

As I peeled the apples, sporting my new apron and listening to Bella Fleck on my iPod, I was quite the happy camper. I took Jen's recommendation of making the cake three layers as opposed to two that the recipe called for originally. I baked it for an hour and ten minutes.

I was a little worried because the cake actually poured over the pan while baking. It turned out fine though. Jen said the gooey part was the best, but I was a little unsure if the cake was actually done because mine was gooier (is that a word?) than I expected.

She wasn't exaggerating about the aroma. It was decadent. I found the cake tasted better the second day. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Jen, and thanks for the stylish attire, Kelly!

My Jar-o-Gifts

Even though I didn't get around to making as many as these as I would have liked, I was able to give a few homemade jar gifts to neighbors and family.

The first is a Brownies-in-a-Jar recipe I found on Lolly Chops. She even provided the labels, which are too cute for their own good. I highly recommend her site/blog. Love it. Love it. Love it.

The second is a super easy Sugar Scrub recipe I found online. It includes:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• squirt of lemon juice
• And I added a few drops of peppermint oil

I used jars found at Hobby Lobby, but I don't know how functional they are when it comes to getting the scrub out. I had wanted to provide scooper spoons with the jars. Didn't do it.

Now I didn't try either product before giving them away due to the holiday time crunch, but luckily the some of the recipients have reported rave reviews of both. Feeewww!

Thanks for the Cookies, Steph!

I'm a big fan of the "Dry Ingredients In A Jar Gift" and am thankful for the Chocolate Chunk Cookie mix we received from Wagners. Happy to report the dough was tasty and the cookies just as wonderful.

Upside-Down Pineapple Crush

Another divine HG recipe. Super easy. Super wonderful.

Ingredients:

• One 20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice (not drained)
• 1 large (6-serving) package fat-free sugar-free vanilla instant pudding mix
• 2 cups fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
• 16 Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers, crushed
• Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine un-drained pineapple, pudding mix, yogurt, and Cool Whip. Mix well. Pour into a medium serving dish (a large pie pan works well). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve. Top dish evenly with crushed Nilla Wafers just before serving. If you like, finish off each serving with a dollop of Reddi-wip. Enjoy!

PER SERVING (1/8th of dessert, about 2/3 cup): 135 calories, 0.5g fat, 296mg sodium, 30g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 18.5g sugars, 2.5g protein -- POINTS. value 3*

Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

I love my Hungry Girl cookbook (thank you, you know who!). If you're looking for a super easy soup recipe and want to use up the extra pumpkin on your shelf, try this. It got rave reviews in our house. Don't fear the pumpkin taste. We hardly knew it was in there!

-4 cups fat free vegetable broth (I used two cans)
-one 15 oz can pure pumpkin (I probably used about 24 oz)
-one 15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed (I used pinto beans since we were all out of black beans)
-1 cup canned corn (I used the entire can)
-3/4 cup of salsa
-1 T minced garlic
-1 t chili powder
-1/2 t ground cumin
optional: shredded fat free cheese, ff sour cream or chopped scallions

Spray a pot with nonstick spray and bring to medium heat on stove. Place garlic in pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and spices; bring to simmer.

Add pumpkin and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, stir and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

If you like, top each cup with any of the optional ingredients.