Well, it’s an exciting day for Vintage Victuals, dear readers. It is VV’s third blogoversery! I can’t believe that my first post three years ago has led to so many fun recipes, fun people, and fun food! Thank you all for being a part of this special place – it wouldn’t be the same without you!

My family had an impromptu get together last night, so I whipped together an old-time favorite: a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. I started making this tasty treat years ago when I was in college, and it has become a much-loved tradition, especially for my brothers and my husband. I often make it for Thanksgiving, as it nicely complements our usual collection of pies and tarts. It is always a major crowd pleaser!.

Assembly is easier than it sounds – the process is very similar to my Auntie Gladys’s Chocolate Yule Log,which you should check out for Christmas! It helps to have an extra set of helping hands during the rolling process, but just remember – it’s going to taste amazing even if it doesn’t look perfect!

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
from Libby’s

For cake roll:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2  teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

For filling:
1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted for lumps
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15″ by 10″ jelly-roll pan, and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper. Lay a smooth tea towel on a flat surface and sprinkle it with the powdered sugar. Set these aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. In a large electric mixer bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and light in color.

Add the pumpkin and beat vigorously. Stir in the dry ingredient mixture until completely moistened. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched. Quickly loosen and turn the cake out onto the prepared towel. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar. Roll the cake up in the towel, starting with the narrow end. Allow the rolled cake to cool completely on  a wire rack.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer. The filling should be completely smooth. Carefully unroll the cooled cake, and remove the towel. Spread the filling evenly over the cake, and re-roll the cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. (I can’t usually manage to get the boys to stay away from it for that long, so good luck!)

You may want to slice a sliver off of the ends of the cake to create a clean look. Plus, you get to sample the slivers just to make sure the cake is completely delicious. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Happy Halloween, dear readers! I hope you all had a day filled with magic, mystery, and (of course) delicious food. Here is a festive fall recipe to celebrate the day.

I have adapted Paula Deen’s pumpkin bars so that they are more flavorful, and more munchable. Her recipe gives us a great start, with an unbelievably moist and tender pumpkin cake topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting. But extra spice and a thinner cake make for a more finger-friendly (and finger-lickin’ GOOD) pumpkin bar. And the toasted pecan topping really takes this tasty dessert over the top…

Pumpkin Bars
adapted from Paula Deen’s recipe

For the bars:
1 cup oil
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9×13 inch pans with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a medium electric mixer bowl, beat the sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate. Add the pumpkin and the vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing on low speed until smooth and creamy. Split the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth with a spatula. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together. Next, add the powdered sugar (be sure to sift it if it is lumpy). Add the vanilla, and beat the frosting until it is smooth and creamy.

Frost the cakes and slice into bars. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Yield 32 to 40 bars. Enjoy!!

Hello, dear readers! I’m happy to announce that I am back from a brief blogging hiatus! I’m just bursting with new recipes to share with you all, starting with this delicious treat for a chilly fall morning. My freezer is full of ripe bananas that I’ve stashed away for a rainy baking day. I was perusing this banana bread recipe and decided to tweak it into some delicious Cinnamon-Pecan Banana Muffins. Fall is in the air, and I just love a deliciously spiced muffin to pair with my morning coffee at this time of year. So welcome back to VV, and I hope you will stick around for some more of my vintage-inspired recipes.

Cinnamon-Pecan Banana Muffins

Muffins:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prepare a muffin tin with liners and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and stir in the milk and vanilla. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring until combined. Next, add the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is moistened. Do not over-stir or your muffins will be tough!

Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter about 3/4 of the way full.

In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping. Sprinkle the each muffin generously with the topping.

Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back when lightly touched. Serve warm.

Yield 12-16 muffins.

One of the best, and most unexpected, parts of maintaining this blog is my interaction with all of you, dear readers. Back when I started VV, I never expected to gain such a wide readership! I thought maybe my mom and a few other family members and friends would enjoy my work here.

I love getting emails with questions, suggestions, and recipes from my readers. I am still methodically attempting to respond to each and every email that I get (bear with me!) because I am always touched, amazed, and intrigued by the input that I get from you all. My favorite emails are those from readers who want to share their own cherished family recipes with me. I had the chance to try one of these recipes out tonight, and it was such a hit!

Shredded apples are rolled inside a thin biscuit-like dough and sliced into individual rolls. Then the entire pan of rolls is baked in a syrup scented with cinnamon and nutmeg. The result is a surprisingly light-and-flaky roll with delicious apple filling, and the edges are mouth-wateringly caramelized – a perfect match for vanilla ice cream!

Luscious Apple Rolls
from VV reader Elizabeth C.

2 cups sugar (less if you are using sweet apples)
2 cups water
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
½ cup milk
2 ½ cups shredded cooking apples

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and grease well a 13×9 inch pan.

Combine the sugar, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a saucepan and stir well.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the butter, and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Use two forks or a pastry blender to cut the shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.  Add the milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.

Roll the dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle.  Spread the apples evenly over the dough, and roll up like a jelly roll, beginning and ending with the longer side.  Cut into 12 (1-inch) slices, and place the slices into the prepared pan.

Pour the sugar syrup around slices (the syrup will be absorbed in baking).  Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.  If desired, serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

If you ask me, sweet potatoes are hard to improve upon – the simple richness of a sweet potato baked to caramelized perfection is my ideal. That is why I love this simple, old-fashioned recipe for mashed sweet potatoes. It subtly enhances the flavor and texture of the sweet orange flesh without overwhelming the main ingredient with unnecessary embellishments. This dish is pleasingly fluffy and light, and it melts in your mouth like sweet candy.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
adapted from Southern Cooking by Mrs. S. R. Dull

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed

Place clean potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender (boiling time will depend on the size of the potato). Carefully peel the hot potatoes and slice cross-wise into 1/2″ slices – this will prevent any stringy parts of the potato from ruining the texture of the dish. Place the potato pieces in a medium bowl and mash with the butter until melted and incorporated. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Add the salt, milk, egg, and brown sugar. Beat gently with a fork until light. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish. (At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the dish for up to 24 hours.) Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until piping hot all the way through and edges are beginning to brown.

Note: For a more upscale dish, you could embellish this recipe by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans and topping the potatoes with this crumbly mixture. But sometimes I just like the simple sweet decadence of the potatoes alone!

Over the past several months, I’ve become an avid canner. I just love being able to make my own delicious jams, sauces, and spreads using fresh, local produce while it’s at its peak of flavor. Right now is a great time to think about canning some delicious apple butter. I made this batch in the fall with apples brought to me from an orchard in southern Ohio. We opened one of the last jars left over the weekend and served it on some hot biscuits for a cozy breakfast.

A word on canning: it is not as difficult as you think. All you really need are a few basic tools (which can be purchased at most grocery stores) and a really big pot to serve as your “canner.” I would recommend purchasing a basic guide or recipe book like this one, or check with your local extension service office to see if they offer any guides for home preservation. Remember that it is always important to inspect jars for spoilage before serving. Even if you decide that the canning process is just too much, you can still make and enjoy jams and jellies – just be sure to freeze or refrigerate your results, as they will not be shelf-stable.

Apple Butter
adapted from the Complete Book of Home Preserving

6 lbs. apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 cups sweet apple cider, (Simply Apple Juice will also work well)
2-3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (a little bit goes a long way!)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
12 8-ounce (half-pint) canning jars with lids and bands

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the apple slices and the apple cider or juice. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft. This process should take about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer the softened apples in the juice into a food mill or a food processor and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Be careful not to over-process – you do not want a liquefied mixture, just a uniformly smooth mixture. You should have about 12 cups of apple puree.

In a large, clean stainless steel saucepan, combine the apple puree, the sugar, and the spices. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring very frequently. Reduce the heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to a spreadable texture and holds its shape on a spoon. To further test for doneness, spoon a small quantity of the hot butter onto a chilled plate. When the liquid does not separate, forming a ring around the edge of the butter, it is ready to ladle into the jars.

Meanwhile, prepare your canner, jars, and lids.

Ladle the hot butter into the hot prepared jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of headspace between the surface of the butter and the lid. Remove any air bubbles, and wipe the rim of the jar. Center the lid on the jar and screw the band on until it is fingertip-tight.

Place the jars in the canner, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes. Remove the lid of the pot and wait for 5 minutes before removing the jars. Cool and store the jars until ready for use.

Warning – this bread is totally addictive. It is just mildly sweet, perfectly spiced, dense, moist, and nutty. We could not stop eating it this morning! My husband and I easily took care of half the loaf for breakfast. I hope you will try it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Apple Pecan Bread

adapted from the lately deceased but much-loved blog, Good Things Catered

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch fresh ground nutmeg
1 pinch cardamom (optional)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups apples peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and grease a regular loaf pan.

In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large electric mixer bowl, combine the oil and sugar and beat well. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Add in the vanilla. Turn your mixer to low and carefully add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined. Fold in the apples and pecans. The resulting batter will be thick and sticky – barely enough to hold all of the apples and pecans together!

Spread the batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60-75 minutes. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers!!

Here in the United States, we are celebrating Thanksgiving, the harvest, our families, delicious food, and life in general. This recipe celebrates all of those, fully and simultaneously.

Again, I’m afraid I have been holding out on you, dear readers. Don’t hold it against me – just know that I still have plenty of special family recipes up my sleeve… This is pretty much my mom’s family’s most prized, most loved, most famous and most delicious recipe. And here we are, over two years into this blogging adventure together, and I am finally handing over the goods!

You will love this recipe. If you don’t, then you are pretty much crazy. Nanny’s apple pie is the BEST. There is one small secret to this recipe. It’s such a simple, innocent secret. It’s not even a secret ingredient – it’s a secret LACK of an ingredient… Nanny’s apple pie has no cinnamon in it – nope, not even a pinch, not a twiddle, not a hint – none! The simple beauty of this secret is that it lets the apples speak for themselves in all their juicy, tangy, sweet glory. It’s amazing how the ingredients we use to enhance flavors can actually end up masking them. Once you try this, you will never go back to the spice rack again.

Nanny’s Apple Pie

Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces shortening
2 ounces ice water (more or less)

Filling:
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
6-7 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together the dry ingredients for the pastry in a large bowl. Add the shortening and blend with a pastry blender until the consistency is like small peas. Add the ice water, a little bit at a time, and chop the mixture with a knife. Mix with your hands until the dough forms a ball. Divide in half. Roll one piece in flour, and roll out to about 1/4″ thick. Place this in a 9″ pie dish, making sure you leave a generous edge over the lip of the dish. Roll out the other piece and set aside.

For the filling mix the flour and sugar in a small dish. Sprinkle a little bit of the mixture on the bottom of the prepared pastry shell in the pie dish.

Add the apples into the pie dish. With half way full, sprinkle more of the sugar mixture over the apples.

Sprinkle the rest of the mixture on top of all the apples.

Place the second piece of pastry over the apples. Tuck under and pinch to the bottom pastry all around the edge, decorating the edge if desired. Cut four slits on top.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 375 degrees; then turn down to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes.

Allow pie to cool before serving. Top each piece with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Happy Halloween, dear readers!  Halloween is a sure sign that fall has arrived, and nothing is better than a hot, hearty crock pot meal on a chilly fall day. I tend to crave chili, stew, and pot roast at this time of year. Here is a pretty traditional pot roast recipe that I think you and your family will enjoy. Happy fall!

Pot Roast

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1.5-2 lb. chuck roast
6-8 small red potatoes
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into 3″ pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
16 ounces beef broth (low sodium is best)
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste (again)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dry the roast and then coat all sides in the flour mixture. Brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil.

Add the roast to your crock pot. Place the veggies around the roast, and add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until roast is tender and meat comes apart easily. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

This is best served with a nice gravy and popovers of course!!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, dear readers!!

Is this recipe Irish?  Not really.  Is it hearty, warming, delicious, and cozy?  Yes.  Good enough for me!!!

These Apple-Oat-Walnut-Flaxseed Muffins are moist and tender, fluffy but chock full of good-for-you goodness!  They freeze well for a quick breakfast on the go.  And they’re packed with 5 grams of fiber per muffin!  So feel free to have seconds!

Apple-Oat-Walnut-Flaxseed Muffins

adapted from a recipe on the package for Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal

1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats
1 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup diced apple (McIntosh is best!)
1 1/2 cups natural, unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups dried apple slices, diced
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup 1% milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten.
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 and line 18 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, brown sugar, soda, powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the diced apple, the applesauce, the dried apple pieces, the walnuts, the milk, the eggs, and the vanilla.  Stir just until combined.

Scoop into prepared muffin pan, filling the cups almost to the top.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center of the muffin is done.  Enjoy!!