pumpkin surprise

"Pumpkin Surprise" has been my favorite Fall dessert ever since I was introduced to it by my mother-in-law several years ago.  I was never a huge fan of anything pumpkin, but this dessert turned my taste buds around, and now I can't get enough.  We enjoyed it on Thanksgiving this year (and are still enjoying it - love leftovers!) - even my sister (who is not a huge fan of pumpkin) enjoyed a piece.  At least that's what she said.  Perhaps she simply politely cleared her plate?  I like to believe otherwise because it's just that good.  

Anyways, as requested by a friend, here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:

one 29 oz can pumpkin
1 c butter, butter
1 1/2 c pecans (3/4 c and 3/4 c)
one box of yellow cake mix
1 c powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
one large cool whip
4 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
two 12 oz can evap. milk

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper.  Make pumpkin as directed on the back of the can, pour into lined pan.  Sprinkle yellow cake mix evenly on top, then 3/4 c pecans, then add melted butter.  Bake in the oven until a knife comes out clean (about an hour).  Cool completely, then invert onto a flat surface (such as a cookie sheet) and put in fridge.  While in the fridge, make frosting. 
Frosting: Beat powdered sugar and cream cheese until combined; fold in cool whip.  Spread on top of pumpkin and sprinkle with remaining pecans.  Put back in fridge. When ready to serve, cut into pieces and enjoy!

*Can be made several days in advance.

dinner and a play date

One of the hardest things about moving away from Fresno, for us, was leaving some really great friends behind.  If we could have loaded them in the back of our Penske rental truck and taken them with us, we certainly would have.  So here we are in Enid, 1500 miles away from our CA friends, having to start friendships from scratch.  Thankfully, Travis works with some pretty decent guys.  Last night we got together with one of his co-workers (Josh) and his girlfriend (Lesley) [and his girlfriend's dog (Pickle)] for dinner, dessert, and a round of Scrabble.  (These are the same people we met for lunch at the Texas Roadhouse down in OKC last Sunday.)  We had a lot of fun getting to know one another better over the course of the evening.  The cherry on top of the night was the fact that Ellie was invited to have a play date with Pickle - the most adorable, deaf Jack Russell terrier.  He is incredibly sweet, energetic, and he even knows sign language!  Pickle and Ellie had fun playing together and sniffing each other you know where.  I think they're going to be good pals. 

Pickle and Ellie

For dinner, Josh and Lesley made salad, garlic bread, and spaghetti.  This wasn't just any old spaghetti though.  It was "legen....wait for it.........dary".  The sauce was amazing.  I almost put some in my pocket to take home.  Travis and I were given the responsibility of bringing a dessert.  I wanted to make something that was fall-ish and a little surprising.  I found a recipe for a sweet potato cheesecake in a gingersnap crust that I though would be just that.  (You can click on the link to go straight to the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens' website.)  It's been a while since I have attempted a cheesecake, so I kept my fingers (and toes) crossed that it would turn out as tasty as it sounded.  Plus, who wants to cook/bake for new friends for a first time and have what they made turn our terrible?  Not me.  It was a risk, but I was willing to take it.  Luckily, I succeeded!  And I'm glad to have left overs in my fridge.  

sweet potato cheesecake in a gingersnap crust

you know you want a slice...

We had such a nice evening and look forward to getting together with our new friends again in a few weeks.  At that point, there might be 5 of us...7 if you count the pups.  That's some exciting stuff right there.