Pumpkin Pecan Bars: Celebrating a Departure

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I had a little celebration at my home yesterday afternoon.

It was a going away party....of sorts.


There were no balloons or fancy decorations.....heck, there wasn't even any dancing.

It was actually pretty subdued but then, it was a party that was held at 11:30 in the morning on a Wednesday...so really, I didn't expect there to be dancing.


The party held mainly because, as of yesterday morning, I'm relieved to say that my Thanksgiving dinner conversation will not include phases like:

"Green bean casserole in the side pocket." or

"I'd pass the mashed potatoes Grandma, but I don't think that my cue stick is long enough. Would you please hand me the bridge?"


In fact, I'm fairly certain that not a single dinner comment will involve whether or not one can bank a dinner roll off of the gravy boat and still get it to Uncle Tom. (Regardless of whether or not he's sitting next to Santa.) You can hear more about that story here.

Yep, you guessed it, for the first time since the sump pump failed and we got water in our basement six weeks ago, the pool table is no longer in the dining room.  It's safely back in the basement where it belongs.



And where I won't need to figure out if I can safely rest a wine glass in the bottom of the pockets or if they'd be better for the silverware.

Where I don't have to worry about  whether or not green felt is an appropriate backdrop for blue transferware dishes.

So, I had a little party...

with Bill, the painter that the insurance company sent to paint the baseboard in the basement, the two guys who came to move the table and...yeah, the Santas. 

 
I asked one of the Santas to dance but he just stood there.

In the dining room....

Like they all have for the last five weeks.

Seriously...you'd think that by now one of them would have at least offered to vacuum....


I guess that I don't mind all that much that they haven't offered to help out with preparations for Thanksgiving. I just wish that they'd quit scaring the daylights out of me when I come downstairs in the morning just before it gets light outside.

There's something a little unnerving about a five and a half foot tall figure standing silently in the darkness of the dining room when you haven't had your coffee.  Trust me.

So, here's my recipe for the world's easiest pumpkin bars. Just in case you need to have a spontaneous celebration because someone moved the pool table out of your dining room....

or for any reason at all!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Bars:

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 Cup Melted butter
3 Large Eggs
1 Jar Muirhead Pumpkin Pecan Butter  (About a cup and a quarter. I purchase it at Williams-Sonoma)
1/8 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

  • From the box of yellow cake mix, set aside 1 cup of the powdered mix.
  • Mix the remaining cake mix with 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix in 1 large egg. Press into a 9x13" pan.
  • Mix 1 jar Muirhead Pumpkin Pecan Butter with 2 large eggs and 1/8 cup of milk. Pour over cake mixture.
  • Mix the 1 cup of reserved cake mix with 1 tablespoon of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of softened butter and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix until crumbly and spread over the top of the pumpkin layer.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

For Cream Cheese Icing: 

8 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Softened Butter or Margarine
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

Beat together all ingredients. Pipe or spread on the top of cooled pumpkin bars. Dust lightly with cinnamon, top with a pecan. Serve.

xo,



Kimberly

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