Pumpkin Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

We wanted to celebrate our 100th post with a special treat. A roll cake looks deceptively easy, but we learned the hard way it takes some practice and more patience to create. However, all the hard work does pay off as it's delicious and a fun, non-traditional dessert. The baking process also lends itself to some great stories. We ad libbed this recipe from All Recipes, which provided a great base. 

Before embarking on this journey, it would behoove you to read this 'how-to' from Cooking Light. We'll also outline the process below-but just in case you wanted a second opinion. 

Some key equipment you'll need to guarantee success:

• 15x10x1 baking sheet. We tried to cheat with a regular cookie sheet, and it's too big. It makes the cake too thin and susceptible to tearing during the rolling process.
• Wax paper: can't roll the cake without it.
• Smooth (read: no textures) kitchen towel. Anything with raised patterns just gives the cake more surface to latch onto, increasing the chance of tearing.
• Mesh strainer: this will help evenly spread the powdered sugar. 

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1h 15 mins (including cooling)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• Juice from half a lemon (around 1-1.5 teaspoons)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan/paper
• 2.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra to dust linen towel
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (great time to use your homemade extract)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs on high until foamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually introduce the sugar until it's thick. Mix in pumpkin and lemon juice. 

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and fold into the pumpkin mixture.

Grease your baking pan and line it with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper to ensure the cake does not stick. Spread the batter evenly on the pan. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch. While the cake is baking prepare the linen towel: dust liberally with confectioners sugar 

Immediately flip the cake out of the pan and onto the linen towel. Peel off the wax paper backing and roll the cake, short end first. Cool for about 30 minutes. 

While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Mix softened cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until well combined. 

When the cake is slightly cool to the touch, carefully unroll it and spread the icing over the cake, up to about 1 inch of the edges. Roll it back up, sans towel. If your cake does tear, don't fret and use the icing like glue to keep it all together. Cover it with cling wrap and chill until ready to serve. (Trust us, it does taste better chilled).

Easy Warm Tofu Salad

With the holidays upon us, perhaps like us, you need a palate cleanser. This tofu salad has Asian flavors, mainly from the soy sauce and sesame seeds. Alone, it makes a light lunch, or a light dinner side salad. The flavors are mild, so if you're looking for something a bit bolder, toss the salad with our Thai Vinaigrette dressing. 

To keep the tofu from becoming too crumbly and losing its shape in the salad, be sure to pat it as dry as you can and properly brown it before mixing.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 14-ounce package firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 bag mixed salad greens of your choice
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced (we went with the pre-sliced carrots...because why not)
• 1 large cucumber, chopped

In a small bowl, combine peanut oil, rice vinegar, honey and sesame seeds. Set aside. (If using other dressing, skip this). 

Heat up one additional tablespoon of peanut oil and 2 tablespoons of dressing in a large pan. Pan fry the tofu over medium-high heat, turning every 3-4 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat and combine with salad greens, carrots and cucumbers. Toss with remaining dressing

Tomato Tart with Fontina

A light savory tart is just the antidote to the winter blues. This gem comes from Southern Living, which is a twist on a lighter French classic. We put our own small kitchen twist on the the tart and made it a bit smaller and manageable. 

This can be a side dish, or you can pair it with a hearty salad for a light entree. It's a great potluck choice as well. 

Prep time: 40-45 minutes
Cook time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crust
• 1 garlic bulb
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
• 2 medium sliced tomatoes, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450. Press refrigerated pie crust on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Be sure not to stretch the crust too much, as it will shrink down during baking. Bake the crust for 7-8 minutes or until pie crust is lightly browned; set aside.
2. Cut off the pointed end of garlic bulb and place it on a piece of aluminum foil. Brush the bulb with the olive oil and fold the foil to seal it. Place the garlic on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Cool then squeeze the pulp through the cut end and brush the pulp on the bottom and sides of the pie crust. 

Sprinkle 1 cup fontina cheese over the garlic crust. 

Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on paper towel and blot; let stand 10 minutes. Arrange tomato slices in concentric circles over shredded cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

1. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until tart is lightly browned.

Pasta Salad with Shredded Chicken

Pasta salad is no longer relegated to plastic tubs to be carted off to picnics. This version is a riff of a pesto pasta salad and uses spinach and almonds, instead of basil and pine nuts. It's light and tangy without being too cloying. 

Preparation time is minimal, with the bulk of time spent chilling the mixture. This dish is versatile  and can be a satisfying side dish or light main dish. As a main dish, expect 6-8 servings, and as a side dish, about 10-12 servings.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Chill time: at least 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs chicken breast, shredded
• 1 package rotini pasta, or other short pasta like ziti or penne 
• 4 cups of  baby spinach
• 3-4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• dash of salt
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 1.5 cups sliced almonds
• option to toast for extra texture

Brown the chicken in a pan. Once cooked, shred and set aside. Cook pasta according to directions and cool under cold water when finished.

In a food processor, combine spinach, cheese, olive oil, salt, sriracha and water. Pulse until well combined. Mix mayonnaise and spinach mixture  with pasta. Chill for at least 4 hours. Serve over a bed of spinach and a sprinkling of sliced almonds.