Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Dump Cake

This cake was a "Tasty Tuesday" recipe last November, & the week of Thanksgiving just seemed like the right time to share it again! It's good. So, so good.  And easy. So, so easy.

(image source)

The Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 10-oz can evaporated milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 cup graham crackers or pecans, coarsely crushed
• 1/2 cup toffee bits (optional... if you like toffee, you NEED to add these!)

*If you don't have 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice, substitute the following:

• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of nutmeg

The Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, egg, & pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan.

Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture, followed by pecans or graham crackers & toffee bits (if desired). Then pour melted butter evenly on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is set & edges are lightly browned. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or as is... it's delicious any way you eat it!

Tasty Tuesday: Slow-Cooker Pecan Pie

This recipe was featured in our Nov meeting newsletter... looks delicious!

(photo source)

The Crust:

• 1 stick butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt

The Filling:

• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

The Directions:

For the crust, place the butter, flour, brown sugar & salt in food processor. Pulse a few times until well-mixed. For the filling, whisk together corn syrup, sugar, eggs, salt & pecans in a medium mixing bowl.

Line the bottom of a slow cooker with foil so that the pie will be easier to remove. Spray well with cooking spray. Using the bottom of a glass, press the crumbly dough into the bottom of the slow cooker & up the sides about a 1/2-inch. Pour the pecan mixture into the crust & cook on high heat for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, turn the heat off & remove the crock from the slow cooker. Let cool completely. once completely cool, use the foil to lift the pie out of the crock. Slice & serve.

courage to be generous

At our November MOPS meeting yesterday, we talked about having the courage to be generous! Our fabulous craft team organized a service project for the Anderson Care Pregnancy Clinic (known until recently as the Anderson Crisis Pregnancy Center). With your help, we collected 1000+ diapers & wipes, as well as other baby supplies for local moms who depend on the ACPC. Thank you, thank you, thank you, MOPS mamas!

Julie Dixon from the Pregnancy Clinic joined us & spoke for several minutes about the needs among young mothers in our area. Through several stories, she shared the importance of compassion for these moms & encouraged us to become involved, whether through volunteering as a mentor mom, donating time to the Clinic, or monetary contributions. The ACPC is funded strictly through donations, so every little bit helps.

If you're interested in learning more about the Anderson Care Pregnancy Clinic, please check out their website & Facebook page.

Our moms also watched a MOPS International video featuring Alexandra Kuykendall on the topic of generosity. She shared that she wants to live a generous life, but fear of scarcity — that there won’t be enough for her or her family — often gets in the way. Another factor that often prevents generosity is insecurity... you may feel like what you have to give isn't good enough, especially in comparison to others. 

So how do we work toward living a generous life & teaching our kids to do the same? Alexandra recommends that we:

• surround ourselves with people who offer perspective
  
• challenge ourselves to give past the comfortable... to give until it hurts
  
• identify material things in your life that hold you back from being generous. Are there things that you care TOO much about? (example: freaking out when the kids track mud in your fabulous new car? or not being willing to lend an item because it's too expensive?)
  
• identify the areas or gifts that allow you to be generous. Generosity isn't only monetary... it can be giving of your time, inviting someone for dinner, or sharing something that you have in abundance. Do you have a special gift — like baking or hosting playdates or creating beautiful art — that you could share with others?
  
• teach your kids about generosity through your own behavior. Too often we fall into the trap of setting up a "service project" activity for our kids & then checking it off our to-do list. Kuykendall suggests that while these one-time projects are great, it's the everyday attitudes & actions of generosity that truly teach children to serve

Mark your Calendars!

• MOPS on the Town (MOTT) - Wed, Nov 19 at 10-11am. Time for your kids to get their wiggles out at Electric City Gymnastics! The cost is $5 per child, & a waiver will need to be signed for each child participating. Click here to download & fill out the waiver ahead of time. (Address: 502 Camson Road, Anderson 29625)


• Moms Night Out (MNO) - Mon, Nov 24 at 7pm. Join us for coffee & a delicious dessert at Sullivan's Metropolitan Grill! (Address: 208 S Main St Anderson 29621)

Tasty Tuesday: Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake

We went to the apple orchard this fall & ended up with tons of apples to use... which was the perfect excuse to make this recipe multiple times! It's delicious as a dessert or for breakfast with coffee... not that I would ever eat cake for breakfast, of course ;)

(photo source)

The Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (substitute: 1 cup milk & 1 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups apples, peeled & chopped or sliced

Topping:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

The Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees & spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg & buttermilk (or milk/lemon juice substitute). Then stir in baking soda & vanilla. Lastly, mix in flour & apples. Pour batter into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients, mixing gently with a fork. Spread it evenly over the batter.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. (If your oven is like mine, you might want to check it a few times toward the end by sticking a toothpick in the middle & seeing if it comes out clean). Serve warm or at room temperature.