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Greetings...
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Just a Pinch

Monday, October 14, 2019

Our Family Favorite Pumpkin Roll

Neither my mother or my mother-in-law made Pumpkin Rolls.   One of our first pumpkin rolls we purchased from the Amish roadside stand and we have been hooked ever since.   Through the years I have tried to make pumpkin rolls with no luck meaning a lot of broken cake rolls.   A few years ago I cam across this recipe and it works lovely every time.   Although I never remove the wax paper to roll in a kitchen a towel.  It is so much easier to just roll up in the wax paper and in the end the wax paper helps to roll it up after  you have spread the filling.

A few key tips are:

Use a 1/2 sheet pan to make  your rolls.

Do not remove from wax paper.  Instead use the ends of the wax paper to help you roll the cake up.

Once the roll has cooled and you unroll it to add the filling there will be a few minor cracks. 
Do not fill those cracks with filling.   Gently spread the filling as to not create more cracking. 

Once you fill and reroll your cake wrap it in saran wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour for it to set.



A number of recipes call for you to sprinkle with more powdered sugar before serving, but I find that makes the pumpkin much to sweet.   I skip that step.

Here is the recipe................



Click on recipe to open photo.   Right click on photo to save to your computer for printing. 



Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Nothing Like a Good Italian Cookie Recipe

Another great recipe from my husbands heritage the Italians.   Makes a nice number of cookies for the cookie tray whether it be for a wedding, christmas or anytime of year.   Simply make the dough, let it rest.   Then roll it out in a pizza fashion, cut it into pizza slices.  Slather on the filling, roll and bake.   Oops! Don't forget to roll in powdered sugar.



This recipe as a nut filling, but you can swap out the filling for jam/jellies, nutella, or curds. 

Get the recipe here......


Click on photo to open photo. Once open right click to save to your computer for printing later.





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From the bottom of my heart.............. 







Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Pasta e Fagioli, Pasta Fagioli , Pasta Fazool, Pasta Fasul, or Pasta and Beans


Pasta e fagioli, meaning "pasta and beans", is a traditional Italian soup. Like many other Italian favorites, it started as a peasant dish, being composed of inexpensive ingredients. It is often called pasta fasul in the United States, derived from its Neapolitan name, pasta e fasule.


One of my father-in-laws favorite dishes (he loves most pasta dishes). This recipe was in my mother-in-laws recipe box. Most people who talk about pasta and beans say there is no meat in a real italian recipe. To that I say, it is a recipe, recipes are made for experimentation. So yes, I add sweet sausage to my Pasta e fagioli. Give it a try you might like it.

Pasta and Beans topped with Parmesan




Get the recipe here...............



Click on recipe to open photo. Right click on photo to save recipe to your computer for printing later. 



Monday, August 26, 2019

Pumpkin Cake, Loaf, Muffins, or Cookies

That one quick and yummy recipe that allows you make any or all of the above.   The main recipe only takes four ingredients but you can add in the optionals and make it a 5 or 6  ingredient recipe.

I know there are naysayers out there that don't like pumpkin.  They can just ignore this one.   Me and my family love pumpkin.  We love it in cake, loaf, muffins, or cookies and even in the occasional pie. 

I had a neighbor come and help me with a task outside in the yard, so I needed to make him something as a thank you.   I had all the ingredients in the house.  I decided to make them plain and sandwich them together with some boiled frosting for a Whoopie Pie version.

Pumpkin Cookies sandwiched with Boiled Frosting


Here is the recipe...........

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From the bottom of my heart.............. 









Cream of Broccoli Soup

The night temperatures are already dipping down into much lower and cooler temps.   With that brings the cravings of a nice cup or bowl of soup.  Our family has several good go to soup recipes.  One of them is Cream of Broccoli Soup.  Can't go wrong with that.   It is a lot simpler than you think to make it from scratch.

Cream of Broccoli Soup


This recipe was from my mother-in-law.

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From the bottom of my heart.............. 




I'll Be Dipped In Chocolate

I make a lot of goodies that can be put on a cookie plate or taken on a tray to a party or smaller get together.   One of my favorites is to dip, or drizzle with melted chocolate.   Nothing could be easier than melting chocolate wafers and either using it dip to array of items in it or to drizzle it over things.

This first item turned into a quick and easy prize for one of the games at my daughters wedding shower.   



I took a store bought box of caramel corn and  turned it into Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn.  Here is how I did it..............



Get the recipe here...........
Click on photo to open recipe.  Right click on recipe to save to your computer for printing. 

Here are some other ideas that are quick, easy and delicious involving melting chocolate and either dipping or drizzling it.

Apples wrapped in caramel, dipped in chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate and then sprinkles. 

Chubby Hubby Pretzel Bites.  Peanut butter balls between two pretzels dipped in chocolate 

Pretzel Braids dipped in chocolate and sprinkles 

Chocolate Cups filled with Peanut butter pie filling or cannoli filling 

Fortune Cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

Easter bunny Peeps dipped in chocolate.  I used them to decorate a cake. 

Pretzel sticks turned into wands

Frosted Chocolate Cupcake dipped in chocolate 

Chocolate dipped Strawberries make a great cake decoration.

Chocolate mice made by using melted chocolate as glue to hold together a hershey kiss and chocolate covered cherry.

Things that I have drizzled, dripped or made  with chocolate
The local ice cream shop had leftover cherry dip.  So I claimed it and drizzled it over a cake. 

Made a fresh fruit tart and drizzled it with both white and dark chocolate. 

Add heavy cream to make a ganache and pour it over the cake.


You can dip just about any homemade or store bought cookie and add sprinkles. 

I make an assortment of shortbread cookies.  Sometimes I add them to the tray plain or sometimes I put them over the top with a drizzle of chocolate. 


Who doesn't like a chocolate dipped strawberry.  I sometimes dip blackberries as well.  If you look closely you can see that I stuffed the red raspberries with a white chocolate chip.  

Made a cake topper by dipping a pear in chocolate and made his tail by painting a chocolate fan on wax paper and then adding chocolate dipped pretzels and candy to decorate it.  Glued it to the body with melted chocolate. 

Used a squeeze bottle filled with chocolate to paint this turkey on wax paper. 


 Still more things  you can dip, drizzle or pour the chocolate onto. 
  1. Mandarin Oranges
  2. Candied Citris 
  3. Candy Canes
  4. Penny Stick Candy
  5. Cookies
  6. Potato Chips
  7. Fruit
  8. Granola
  9. Bacon 
  10. Ice cream cones
  11. Cake cut into cubes or shaped into balls
  12. Mint leaves