Pumpkin Sheet Cake...

The holidays are quickly approaching and with that comes family get-togethers and pitch-ins. Are you like me and can usually think of anything to fix on any given day, but once you are invited to a potluck, your mind draws a huge blank?  I don't know if I am intimidated by cooking for other people outside of our little family, or what but I have the hardest time thinking of things to make!  Well, look no more.  This cake is easy to make and while the long list of ingredients might scare you a bit, they are probably all things you have in your cabinet.  I made this a few weeks ago and I'm fairly certain I took step-by-step photos, but I can't find them anywhere on my computer.  So, all you get is the final deal, which is usually all you get as time doesn't always allow for step-by-step photos anymore!

 P.S. If you are a member of my family, you can probably expect to see this at our upcoming Thanksgiving feast.  Just sayin' :)

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Ingredients

• 15 oz can pumpkin
• 2 Cups sugar
• 1 Cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 Cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 Tablespoons milk

Cooking Directions

1. Beat together the pumpkin, sugar, and oil.
2. Add eggs and mix well.
3. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to the pumpkin mixture, beating until well blended.
4. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan (10x15 inches)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely.
7. Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
8. Add vanilla and blend.
9. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix well.
10. Add the milk a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. (the icing should be thick, but spreadable. Start with two tablespoons and you can always add more.)
11. Spread icing evenly over cake.

Indian Corn Wreath...

This year we decided to plant Indian corn in our garden.  It was corn left over from last year's decorating that I had hanging in the garage, so Brad planted it thinking that we would only have a few ears.  Well, it was a bumper crop!  I think you can have a bumper crop of Indian corn?.  Anyway,  I decided to make a wreath out of all the "mini" ears to use to decorate the front door.

All you need is: 

1 18 inch straw wreath (remove plastic wrap)

hot glue gun and a ton of glue sticks (I probably used about 7)

Indian corn. (It took 44 mini ears to go all the way around my wreath)

 All you have to do is generously put hot glue on the ear of corn and attach to the wreath.  Hold it there for about 30 seconds or until it feels like it won't slide off.  Continue until the entire wreath is covered.

I like how it turned out.  It won't keep year after year.  That's the only downfall.  If I store it in the attic, I'm sure the mice will discover it and have a feast!  So, I'll just have to make another one next year!

Craft Time...Pumpkin Shovel...

 First, a little reminder: If you haven't entered my Gooseberry Patch Cookbook giveaway, you still have a little bit of time to enter!  Giveaway ends on Friday.  Click the link above to enter.  Go ahead...I'll wait!



On my list of fall crafts to complete, I have several crafts that aren't kid's crafts.  I've decided that I want to start making some crafts to enjoy myself.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching my girls be creative and decorating with their creations brightens our home, but sometimes it's nice to do something for myself...besides shopping.:)

I was at a store last year and saw a shovel with a pumpkin face torched in it.  My first thought was, "Oh!  I want that!"  But then, after I looked at the price, I thought, "Brad could make that!"  So I took a picture and texted it to him (isn't modern technology great...sometimes) and asked if he could make it for me.  He said yes as if I had any doubt that he could;)

My MIL even had a shovel lying around that she was willing to give me and it was painted black.  The shovels at the store were rusty, which was fine, but I thought I would like the look of it painted black.

Now, I will tell you, you have to use a torch to cut through the metal of the shovel.  If you don't have one, find a friend that does!

The first thing I did was draw the face on the shovel with a piece of welding chalk.  I'm sure regular chalk would work just as well,but my husband handed me the welding chalk and I didn't ask any questions because he knows more about metal than I do:)

 Then Brad went to work cutting with the torch.  I thought this step looked pretty easy and that I probably could have handled it, but then I remembered I'm pretty accident prone and I probably would have just set myself on fire!

Next, he sanded it down because the torch makes some rough edges...

 Then I spray painted the shovel black to cover up where the torch had burnt the paint...

After the paint dried, I added a canvas bow and set it outside for display...