photo courtesy KOAKeep scrolling down to find a moist, delicious pumpkin cake that feeds 12 to 15 at a campground potluck, or home or wherever the day finds you and your loved ones. It's lovely with cream cheese frosting, vanilla or butterscotch sauce or just sauce it with organic applesauce for a healthful dessert.
Your Own Instant Breakfast
Love instant oatmeal but not its wimpy texture? Here is a way to have your own instant cereal using toothsome, one-minute oats. It costs far less than the packaged version and it provides a chewier breakfast. It’s salt-free and you can also vary other ingredients such as using brown or white sugar, sugar substitute or different dried fruits.
18-ounce box of one-minute oats
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup raisins
½ cup packed brown sugar or equivalent
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Toss everything together in a zip-top freezer bag to mix well. Zip shut and keep cool and dry. To make hot oatmeal put ½ cup of the mixture in a bowl with ½ cup water. Cover loosely and nuke on High. Let stand, covered, another minute and it’s now ready to serve with milk and sugar.
Serving suggestions: sprinkle with a different goody each day such as chopped pecans, candied cherries, yogurt raisins, mini marshmallows or chocolate chips.
Campground Potluck
Recipe of the Week
Pumpkin QuickCake
Serves 12 to 16, depending on how you cut the 9 X 13-inch cake. I use canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). Leftover pumpkin can be mixed into pancake batter or stir it into a big batch of chili, soup or stew.
1 spice cake mix
4-serving packet instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed pumpkin or sweet potato
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
3 eggs
If you have an electric mixer, dump everything in a bowl and beat it smooth. If you’re mixing by hand, put all dry ingredients in a bag, zip shut and mix to combine. In a large bowl, whisk all wet ingredients together. Then use a wooden spoon to mix dry ingredients with wet, creating a smooth batter. Put batter in a greased 9 X 13-inch pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool, frost and cut.
Cook’s note: If your camp or RV oven won’t hold a 9 X 13-inch pan, divide batter into two 8-inch pans and bake 20-25 minutes or until springy to the touch. Portions won't be as high.