Pumpkin Pie Cake

October means pumpkins - all shapes and sizes and in every dessert! This cake is easy and delicious. If you want pumpkin cookies, try Great Pumpkin Cookies from Historical League member Kay Holcombe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Pumpkin Pie Cake
1 - 18oz can pumpkin (or fresh equivalent)
1 box yellow cake mix (2 layer size)
1 cup sugar
1/2 c. melted margarine or butter
1 - 13oz can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
3/4 c. chopped pecans or walnuts or coconut
3 eggs
3 tsp cinnamon

Beat eggs and milk together; add pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until well blended. Pour into a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over mixture. Drizzle with melted margarine. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 min or until done.

Serve (warm or cold) with topping or whipped cream.

Thanks to  chellascommoncents.com

Historical League Open House features Sandra Day O'Connor Home

Carolyn Mendoza, Nina Fillipi and Zona Lorig are ready to help guests

Crowded with guests, the AHS Museum, archives rooms and the Sandra Day O'Connor home were the venue for the Historical League Open House on Thursday, Oct 17. The membership sign in table was next to the Tastes & Treasures cookbook table. Also featured were Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Centennial Historymakers Commemoration. Several people purchased books to be donated to libraries and schools in Arizona. Cindy Tidwell-Shelton specifically wants to have the books distributed in Globe. Thanks to Carol Griffith, Mariamne Moore and Karen Swanson also for helping with the books.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars from Carolyn Mendoza

Just in time for pumpkin season, Carolyn Mendoza brought these delicious bars for the Historical League October meeting. Carolyn also takes Tastes & Treasures cookbook to many venues during the year. The book is wonderful for Holiday gift giving, filled with histories of Arizona's historic venues as well as recipes.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened, cubed
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cardamom
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup for topping.

Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of a greased 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, spices and remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Add eggs: beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over warm crust: sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and filling is set. Cool on a wore rack. Serve or refrigerate, covered, within 2 hours of baking.

Recipe from Tasteofhome.com

Tour of new Opera Center and lunch at Durant's

Director Dave Taylor conducts tour of Opera Center

Fascinating costumes in Wardrobe Room

LtoR Renee Donnelly, Margaret Pogue, Zona Lorig, Lindy Isaksen, Linda Cathey, Gail Lucky

Barbara Cardinal, Durant's General Manager Carol McElroy, Julie Tribbey

Informative, educational and historical tours drew me into the Historical League many years ago. It is wonderful to learn the history of so many buildings and have lunch at historic restaurants.

Thursday, Oct 11 was a busy day with over 35 members and friends enjoying the Opera Center tour on Central Ave, then hearing the history of Durant's from Carol McElroy. Thanks to Lindy Isaksen and Margaret Pogue for arranging such a fabulous tour.

Durant's didn't make it into our Tastes & Treasures cookbook. With only 2,000 books left out of 20,000, perhaps it is time to write a new cookbook and include this famous, historic venue!

Sharron McKinney's Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

We often boast of great chefs in the Historical League. Sharron McKinney is proving us correct. She brought this delicious salad to the October meeting. Everyone loved it!

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has some wonderful salads. Try them all.

BEET AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Prep 10 min.  Roast 40 min.  Cool 15 min.  Oven 400ºF  Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 small yellow beets, tops and ends removed, halved
¼ C. olive oil
½ C. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime zest
¼ C. plain Greek-style yogurt
3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
6 C. arugula or mixed salad greens
½ C. soft fresh goat cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place beets in a shallow baking pan. Cover with foil.  Roast 40 min. or until tender. Uncover. Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove skins and chop beets into cubes.
 For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine olive oil, lime juice and zest, yogurt, shallots, and thyme leaves. Shake to combine.
Place greens in bowl and arrange beets on top. Sprinkle goat cheese over salad. Drizzle dressing over salad.
Can add pine nuts or chopped pecans if desired.

Librarian/teacher workshop at Carnegie Library

Thanks to our generous benefactors, we have copies of Arizona Recollections and Reflections to donate to educators throughout Arizona. 4th graders study Arizona history and high school students have Az history included with Social Studies.

Historical League members Judy Blackwell, Zona Lorig and Karen Swanson volunteered to distribute donated copies on Friday, September 27 at this Carnegie Library event.

Pictured here is Judy Blackwell giving Tanya Flanders from the Willcox library in Cochise County a book. We are grateful to Tanya for delivering six books to Willcox High School, Willcox Elem. School and then three books for small elementary schools in the area – Pearce, Cochise and Bonita.

Chocolate Chip Cookie/Oreo Fudge Brownie

We love all things chocolate in Tastes & Treasures cookbook including Espresso Brownies, Brownie Puddle and Chocolate Peannutty Treats. Here is another luscious, melt in your mouth chocolate bar.

Chocolate Chip Cookie/Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package double stuffed Oreos
2 boxes of your favorite brownie mix - I chose Ghirardelli Double Chocolate
1/4 cup hot fudge

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish, then line with parchment paper and generously butter the paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed for approximately four minutes. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Lower the speed, and gradually mix in the flour, until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of the prepared dish. Top the cookie dough with a layer of Oreos.

Next, prepare brownie mixes according to package directions. Mix in hot fudge sauce. Pour brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos, and spread evenly. Bake for 45 minutes. Let brownies cool completely before cutting. Serve with additional hot fudge topping if desired.

Thanks to BrownEyedBaker for recipe.