Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream Cake

Plus, a Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up

I’m trying to get some fun stuff cooked up for you all before Turkey Day — but until then, I wanted to spotlight a few recipes to bookmark for your Big Menu Plans. Some don’t have a home on my site or the ‘stack, so for those I will put the recipe below their photos. Of course, you can always look at the brand spankin’ new Recipe Index to browse all my recipes. (A couple of these recipes were partnerships from the past; they’re still great recipes but I’m not paid to post them here, FYI!)

Cheesy Butternut Squash Risotto

Cornbread Snacking Cake with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel Rice Pudding with Chocolate Ganache

Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Puff Pastry Tart/ Bites

For the large shareable tart version, make the filling in the recipe linked above, then follow these directions:

1. Ensure your puff pastry has thawed according to package instructions. Usually this means sitting for 40 minutes at room temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle shape. Transfer to a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper.

3. Score a half-inch border all the way around the pastry. Brush the border with beaten egg yolk, milk or cream, trying to avoid the crevice. Sprinkle everything seasoning on the rims.

4. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed up and deep golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and gently press down the pastry inside the border with an offset spatula or spoon.

5. Make the filling. Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat together the cream cheese, goat cheese, a pinch of salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice until smooth. Beat in the chives just until combined. Using a piping bag or a zipper bag with a corner snipped off, fill the pastry with the cream cheese mixture.

6. Warm up the pepper jelly in the microwave for about 10 seconds just to loosen it up a little. Drizzle over the top. Garnish with more sliced chives or dill fronds.

Cottage Cheese Toasts

Makes about 10 toasts

• 6 ounces 4% Cottage Cheese (about 3/4 cup)

• 4 ounces feta cheese

• Zest of half a lemon

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper pepper

• 1 clove garlic

• Half a baguette, cut into about 10 half-inch slices

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Honey or hot honey (for garnish)

• 3 or 4 slices prosciutto (optional)

• Chopped pistachios (optional)

• One Bartlett pear, thinly sliced

• One fuyu persimmon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. To the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment, add the cottage cheese, feta, lemon zest and juice, honey and pepper. Finely grate half of the garlic clove into the mixture and reserve the other half. Pulse a few times until the mixture breaks down, then increase speed to high. You will have to scrape down the bowl a few times.

3. Continue processing on high until the mixture is creamy and is almost totally smooth but still has some visible graininess. Fill a piping bag (or a zipper bag with the end snipped off) with the mixture and set in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

4. Arrange the the baguette slices on a half sheet tray and drizzle the olive oil all over them. Gently rub each slice with the other half of the garlic clove. Toast in the oven for about 7 or 8 minutes or until the toasts are golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

5. In an air fryer or in the oven, bake the prosciutto for 8-10 minutes at 400°F or until dark, curling, and crispy. Crumble the prosciutto.

6. Pipe or spread the filling onto each toast and top with a few slices of fruit, a drizzle of honey and crumbled prosciutto or pistachios. This recipe can be easily doubled.

One Giant Pop-Tart

@easygayovenPlease forgive my old taped-up glasses my current ones are in the shop. | These pepper pumpkins are the friendsgiving appetizer you’ve been searching for. Also, i didn’t show in the video but you should also put some pesto in each pepper before anything else! Recipe below! Makes about 15 pepper pumpkins 1/2 pound marinated “Peppadew” or “Sweet Goldew” peppers 3 ounces basil pesto 3 ounces sopressata, cut into quarter-inch pieces 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into quarter-inch pieces Chives, for garnish, cut into half-inch pieces Stuff each pepper with 1/2 teaspoon pesto, a piece of sopressata, a piece of mozzarella. Then dollop another half teaspoon to cover the top, and stick a chive slice into the top. Chill until ready to serve! This recipe can be easily doubled. #antipasto #friendsgiving #thanksgivingappetizers #easyappetizers

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Antipasto Pepper “Pumpkins”

Makes about 15 pepper pumpkins

• 1/2 pound marinated “Peppadew” or “Sweet Goldew” peppers

• 3 ounces basil pesto

• 3 ounces sopressata, cut into quarter-inch pieces

• 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into quarter-inch pieces

• Chives, for garnish, cut into half-inch pieces

Stuff each pepper with 1/2 teaspoon pesto, a piece of sopressata, a piece of mozzarella. Then dollop another half teaspoon to cover the top, and stick a chive slice into the top. Chill until ready to serve! This recipe can be easily doubled.

Cheddar Nut Crackers

Delicata Ricotta Pastries

Five Spice Pumpkin Tart

4-Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese

No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

• 9 ounces gingersnap cookies

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, gently melted

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1/3 cup key lime juice (fresh or bottled are fine, so is regular lime juice)

• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold

• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

• Whipped cream, cranberries and/or lime slices for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. In a food processor or with a zipper bag and rolling pin, grind up the gingersnap cookies into very fine crumbs.

2. Pour the melted butter evenly over the crumbs. Add the salt and mix until the crumbs look like wet sand.

3. Press the crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate in an even layer on the bottom and sides of the plate. Transfer to the freezer.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Beat in the lime juice in two additions.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until thickened and holding its shape. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in three additions.

6. Evenly spread the filling into the crust. Chill, covered, for at least 6 hours but overnight is best.

7. Top with whipped cream, cranberries (or sugared cranberries) and lime slices, if desired.

Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream Cake

You can use store-bought ice cream (one-gallon tub is enough) and caramel sauce for this recipe to make it super easy. Watch me make it here!

Ingredients

Gingersnap Crust

• 5 ounces fine gingersnap crumbs (1 heaping cup)

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (98 grams)

• Hefty pinch of fine kosher salt

Pumpkin no-churn ice cream (or use a one-gallon tub)

• 1/2 can pumpkin puree

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1-pint heavy whipping cream (473 ml)

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

• 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel (or use store-bought)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (110 grams)

• 1/2 cup corn syrup (113 grams)

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1/2 cup heavy cream (113 grams)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (56 grams)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¾ teaspoon fine kosher salt

Cream Cheese Frosting (you can use Philly Cream Cheese Frosting or below)

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (168 grams)
  
  Directions

1. Prep a 9x5 loaf tin by greasing with butter and lining with a parchment sling.

2. Make the caramel. Have all ingredients measured out and ready to go. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium heat, undisturbed, until the sugar is dissolved, the caramel reaches a deep amber color, and you begin to see wisps of smoke.

3. Immediately whisk in the heavy cream, then the butter. Whisk the mixture vigorously, as it will begin to bubble up and can pour over the sides.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt until smooth. Set aside to cool.

5. Mix together the gingersnap crumbs, melted butter, and salt until it resembles wet sand. Pour half of the crumbs into the dish and tamp them down. Set in the freezer to firm up completely.

6. Make the ice cream. In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Cook on medium-low until the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pot and looks noticeably drier and darker, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

7. In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, whip the cream just until it forms stiff peaks when the beater is lifted out.

8. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin puree in a separate, medium bowl. Add one-third of the whipped cream, folding it into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Repeat 3 more times with the rest of the whipped cream. Make sure to be gentle, or you will beat all the air out.

9. Pour half the ice cream into the tin with the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs onto the surface of the ice cream, then pour the cooled caramel evenly over the top. Top with the remaining ice cream and smooth over.

10. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.

11. Make the cream cheese frosting, if using. Combine the powdered sugar and cream cheese in a bowl.

12. When ready to serve, top with frosting when the cake is straight out of the freezer. Use the parchment sling to lift the cake out of the tin; you might have to warm up the sides a bit.

13. Warm up a sharp knife with hot water, slice and serve!