Sure, cupcakes are the rage; but what happens when you buy a dozen or two for entertaining?

You pay a lot of money!

The first time you bake a batch instead of buying them, you’ll save enough money to pay for two cupcake/muffin tins to make 24 cupcakes. This nonstick cupcake/muffin pan from Wilton has a snap-on cover, so you can store or transport the cupcakes without messing up the frosting.*

You can also pick up sports-themed cupcake liners, in football or baseball.

This recipe, from Kraft, can be adapted for football or baseball season. I takes just 20 minutes of prep time and the decorating is easy (the toughest part is keeping your hand steady to pike the stitching).

Take me out to the ball game, or at least to in front of the TV. Change the decorating colors for football season. Photo courtesy Kraft.

RECIPE: FOOTBALL OR BASEBALL CUPCAKES

Ingredients For 24 Cupcakes

1. HEAT oven to 350°F.

2. PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package to make 24 cupcakes. Cool cupcakes in their for pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool completely.

3. PLACE nonpareils in small bowl. Spread frosting onto cupcakes; dip tops, 1 at a time, in nonpareils.

4. USE decorating gel to decorate cupcakes to resemble baseballs (two rows of red stitching, as shown in photo) or footballs (one row of white stitching).

The normal size (spice jar) of nonpareils is four ounces and can cost $4.00 or more. But go to a baking supply store, and you can buy them in bulk for much less.

If you don’t have a local retail source, just buy them on Amazon.com:

A pound is just $4.95. Choose your color via the drop down menu on the page.

In addition to all the basic colors, you can choose fall mix (orange, red, yellow); Christmas mix (red, white, green); Valentine mix (pink, red, white); St. Patrick’s mix (green and white); spring mix (pink, purple, white, yellow); summer mix (yellow and orange); and July 4th mix (red, white blue mix).

Gallo Family Vineyards has launched a fun and interactive microsite offers that lets you create, share and download personalized family crests—or crests for other groups, from your foodie friends to book club.

At CrestCreator.com, you’ll find 17 different family crest templates that be customized with 300 icons in fashion, food and drink, hobbies, nature, sports and other categories.

Add your group name and motto, and you’re set! There is no charge.

The designs can be shared digitally via Facebook and Twitter from CrestCreator.com, and downloaded for family events.

You can also head immediately to Zazzle.com, to print your crest on objects from mugs and tee shirts to postage and iPhone cases. (You pay for what you buy. Gallo is generous, but not that generous.)

Then, surprise the family with family crest place cards for Thanksgiving.

And check out the Gallo Family wines. With turkey, we like the Pinot Noir.

Try a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie for harvest season, and make it a healthier one.

This recipe uses whole grain spelt flour instead of refined white flour; and if you want a lactose-free cookie, you can substitute coconut oil for the butter.

You can also use the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices in your own chocolate chip cookie recipe, and fall back on refined white sugar instead of the better-for-you maple sugar.

(You can’t simply substitute white flour for the spelt flour in a recipe. The proportions of all base ingredients—eggs, sugar, etc.—can change when spelt flour is used.)

If you do purchase maple sugar, it’s also delicious on hot and cold cereal.

The recipe from the Shiloh Farms blog was created by health coach Stephanie Torres.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients For About 3 Dozen Cookies

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with baking parchment paper.

2. COMBINE combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

3. BEAT together sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg, spices and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips and optional nuts.

4. DROP large tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15-18 minutes, until edges are firm and beginning to brown. Remove from oven, allow to set for 2 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Spelt is an ancient grain that fell out of favor in the U.S. because it is more difficult to process. It is a non-hybrid, distant relative of modern wheat. While spelt contains gluten, many people with wheat allergies can tolerate spelt.*

If you passed a field of it, you’d think it was wheat. But spelt’s genetic makeup and nutrition profile are different from wheat. It is a whole grain, and has high water solubility, making it easy to digest (the nutrients are easily absorbed by the body). “It digests like a vegetable,” says Shiloh Farms, a producer of fine grains.

Spelt Nutrition

Spelt is an excellent fiber source, and is significantly higher than wheat in B vitamins, simple and complex carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates are an important factor in blood clotting and they stimulate the body’s immune system. The nutrients contribute to lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.

Like whole wheat, spelt has a slight nutty flavor. We prefer the richer, more complex flavor of spelt in bread and crackers.

 
*Over the years, modern wheat has been continuously hybridized to make it easier to grow and harvest, and to increase yields. The need for commercial bakeries for high gluten flour producers to maintain a high gluten content in white flour. Today’s spelt, however, retains many of its original traits, including high nutrition and flavor. It is equally easy for home bakers to use in breads and pastries.

If you like to create something new, how about pumpkin liqueur? You can make enough for your own household and as gifts for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Then, pumpkin up your holiday cocktails and desserts.

This recipe comes from The Martini Diva.

You’ll need these tools:

Ingredients

Preparation

1. REMOVE seeds and fibers and cut pumpkin into chunks (about 8″). Place flesh side down on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about half an hour or until the flesh is tender. The baking time will depend on the size of your pieces.

2. SCRAPE the cooked flesh from the shell and place into the infusion jar with the vodka. Reserve the vodka bottle to bottle your liqueur.

3. ADD the lemon zest, pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Seal jar and place in the fridge. Let this distill for a minimum of one week and up to two weeks. Shake the jar up whenever you open the fridge, or at least once a day. After the first week you can test the depth of flavor until you get the intensity of pumpkin flavor you want.

4. STRAIN the ingredients through a large sieve or metal strainer to remove the chunkier pieces.

5. LINE the metal strainer with coffee filters or cheesecloth and place over the over the filtering jar. Filter the infused pumpkin liqueur through the strainer in stages (do not overfill the strainer). After each portion of the liqueur filters through, toss out the sediment that has accumulated in the strainer. When all the solids are removed, you’re ready to bottle.

Use the retained vodka bottle for your own use. For gifting, purchase decorative bottles and add a label.

PREPARATION TIPS

Canned Pumpkin: You can substitute 32 ounces of canned pumpkin purée can for the fresh pumpkin, but you’ll lose some of the great flavor. Think of fresh-baked acorn or butternut squash versus frozen squash.

Color: If you want a really bright orange colored liqueur, Add a few drops of food coloring to the infusion jar. Use the proportion of 4 drops yellow to 1 drop red. Add it bit by bit, but don’t worry if you find yourself adding 12 drops of yellow and 4 drops of red food color.

Rum Option: You can use white rum instead of vodka, but the pumpkin flavor will be less pronounced. Vodka is a neutral spirit, but rum has flavor. Try both and see how you like them.

An individual Pumpkin Crème Brûlée. Photo
courtesy Spice Islands.

While pumpkin can (and should) be enjoyed year-round, Pumpkin Crème Brûlée is a delicious Halloween dessert or Thanksgiving dessert.

The recipe, for individual dishes of crème brûlée, is courtesy Spice Islands, which has been searching the world for the highest-quality, most flavorful herbs and spices since 1941.

Prep time is 35 minutes, bake time 40 to 45 minutes, chill time 2 hours.
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CRÈME BRÛLÉE

Ingredients For 8 Servings

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 325°F.

2. SPLIT vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape vanilla bean. Place in heavy saucepan. Add cream, pumpkin and syrup and whisk together; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk egg yolks and pumpkin pie spice in a separate bowl.

3. ADD the hot pumpkin mixture slowly to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add 1/4 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger. Pour mixture into eight 6-ounce ramekins. Place ramekins in a hot water bath.

4. BAKE 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean. Transfer ramekins to a rack to cool completely. Chill, covered, until cold (at least 2 hours).

5. COMBINE sugar, 1 teaspoon crystallized ginger and 1 tablespoon pecans. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons evenly over each ramekin. Broil until topping is caramelized. Serve.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN PIE SPICE

Unless you use a lot of it and like the convenience, there’s no reason to buy pre-blended pumpkin pie spice. It’s easy to mix it from other spices you already have.

Ingredients For 2 Teaspoons

 
Blend together.