Category: Desserts

Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll

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If I had to name one recipe that reminded me of Thanksgiving it would not be the turkey, dressing, or sweet potato casserole, it would be this Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll! The marrying of the pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg sponge cake with the decadent cream cheese filling is a must have on my Thanksgiving table. The stuffed cake makes an impressive presentation to wow any Thanksgiving gathering.

This dessert reminds me of home every time. I cannot remember a Thanksgiving where it was not served. It warms my soul and certainly makes my holidays so much brighter! Without a doubt this Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll is one thing I am certainly thankful for!

Food H & P for the Pumpkin Cake:
¾ cup of baking mix
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree
3 eggs
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp of pumpkin spice
1 cup of chopped pecans

H & P for Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounces of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup of powdered sugar
6 Tbsp of butter (at room temperature)
1 tsp of vanilla

Food Rx:
Mix all ingredients for the Pumpkin Cake together except for nuts. Pour mixture into a jelly roll pan (10×15 inch standard cookie sheet with a 1 inch lip all the way around) lined with wax paper. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes until the cake is cooked through. Sprinkle a kitchen towel with powdered sugar. When the cooked cake is removed from oven lift it out of the pan using the wax paper and invert on the powdered dish towel. Roll the cake in the towel until it forms a log then allow it to cool on the counter until completely cooled.

  

(I usually leave the rolled cake cooling overnight then stuff the next morning. You can roll the cake either way. I used to always roll the cake so it’s short and fat causing more of a cream cheese curl. I recently have started rolling it into a long and skinny log since most of my family enjoys sampling many desserts!)

When the cake is completely cooled beat together all the Cream Cheese Filling ingredients with an electric hand mixer. Unroll the cake, spread the filling, and re-roll. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

As the cake sits in the refrigerator the powdered sugar absorbs into the cake. I have yet to make this Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll without the cake cracking, so don’t worry the filling binds everything together!

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Nursing tip: Like the Pumpkin Cake Roll, on the outside it looks like the ER crew is running the show; however, that is very deceptive. It takes a village! From lab techs collecting labs on our “hard stick” patients, to respiratory therapists maintaining ventilators and breathing treatments, we rely on so many people and specialties. I feel like an ER crew is great at discovering an abnormal finding then outsourcing the knowledge of other specialties. In the end all the “flavors” meld together beautifully!

Cake Mix Cookies

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If I had to name one recipe that I was known for during high school cake mix cookies would be it! This is an easy four ingredient wonder. These tasty and homemade treats come together so quickly. I have made these countless times for school events, basketball games, and slumber parties. I know this will be my “go to” recipe when my daughter comes to me last minute needing cookies for an event!

Food H & P:
1 box cake mix (butter, white, or chocolate)
2 eggs
1 stick of melted butter (or ½ cup of vegetable oil)
1 cup of mix-ins (M&M, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee, pecans, walnuts, Reese pieces…)

Food Rx:
Mix everything together. I usually reserve ¼ a cup of the mix-ins to sprinkle on top before baking, making the cookies prettier and letting your guests know what is in it. Place in a greased 9×13 inch pan and sprinkle reserved mix-ins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins, careful not to overcook.

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I absolutely love these cookies. The possibilities are endless! I usually have all the ingredients on hand, so this is my “go to” recipe when I need a dessert in a pinch.

Nursing Tip: Although these cookies are ready in a flash that is not always the case for ER wait times. As we live in a technology friendly age never fully rely on the computer generated wait time for an Emergency Room. We can never predict when the next trauma or heart attack will come through the doors.

Deluxe Brownies Halloween Edition

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My husband makes fun of me just a little for all the traditions that I try to incorporate into our daily lives. Our growing lists of traditions have ranged from special meals around the holidays, commemorative monthly pictures to watch our daughter grow, to Christmas Eve pajamas! I have learned that everyone has traditions or even superstitions that make their day just a little brighter. I must say having these festive brownies around Halloween is a tradition that I am sure my husband will want to keep!

Food H & P:
Brownie mix (makes enough for 9 X 13 pan) made according to package directions
Sweetened Condensed Milk, 14 oz
Peanut Butter baking chips, 10 oz
Candy corn, marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate sauce

Food Rx:
Make brownies according to package directions. When the brownies are nearly finished baking melt the peanut butter baking chips and sweetened condensed milk on the stove, constantly stirring until melted, about 2-3 minutes. When the brownies are finished baking spread the peanut butter mixture on top and sprinkle the candy corn, marshmallows, and sprinkles on top. Lightly press the toppings into the peanut butter mixture then drizzle with the chocolate sauce.

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Variations:
These brownies can easily be adapted to fit other holidays or even school spirits by substituting different baking chips! Using white chocolate chips and sprinkling crushed peppermint and green sprinkles would be a great Christmas version! Dark chocolate chips topped with pink frosting drizzles and candy hearts would bring extra love to Valentine’s Day!

I have learned that each facility I have worked at brings a new set of superstitions. I have worked at places where it was taboo to remove the last discharged patient from the tracking board as that meant it was only a matter of time before your hospital became the drop off for a mass causality event. There are certain restaurants that no longer get ordered from due to the horrible work day that followed the last time a meal was received from that location. I have also seen lucky charms taped to computers! One universal superstition I have found is anyone that uses the Q word (quiet) gets a death stare, as it is a matter of minutes before every room will be full!

I will say there is something to be said about a full moon. Every ER nurse hates to work a full moon, except maybe the overzealous newbie! There is something about the gravitational pull of a full moon that makes pregnant women go into labor and amplifies psychotic behavior. On those crazy shifts my coworkers always need a mental break. For some it’s a favorite snack or phone call to a loved one. A pan on theses brownies on the next full moon work day is guaranteed to make any work day better!