Monday, October 12, 2009

They're Loaded with Calories, Honest Injun!

On this blog I always, always tell the truth. I don't tell E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G., and you can be thankful for that, because some things are just TMI. But what I do tell is true as the day is long.

So the truth is that my husband tells me I'm expensive. To which I reply it was never my goal to be cheap, or possibly even affordable, but rather worth every cent it costs him to have me along for the ride. Then he tells whoever is listening that I married him for his money, and I reply that he didn't have any. I married him because he was hot fire good lookin'. Which always makes him blush and drop the subject of my expensiveness.

The truth about these pumpkin bars is that they are fattening. And worth every calorie. When I was making them this morning I considered the lite version, substituting apple sauce for the oil, and using an extra egg white instead of all the eggs, but you know, life is short and I could get hit by a bus this afternoon, so I stuck with the original.

I strongly suggest you do the same.

Because they ARE fattening, I suggest you cut them into slices, and immediately give away about half of them. It's very easy to convince yourself they are a suitable choice for breakfast or lunch or dinner or because you're sad or happy or reading a book or whatever. So give some away, and enjoy the daylights out of the ones you do eat.
These are going to my daughter's house - she isn't really in love with baking but her husband and my grandson love all baked goods.

A sidenote - I rarely, rarely make frosting. Those little white tubs in the baking aisle are right up my alley, but this frosting? Make it. I'm not even a real icing girl, but this is fabulous. Melts in your mouth, and leaves it happier for the experience.

So here you go - Bev's Pumpkin Bars (because I don't remember whose recipe I copied):

1 cup oil 2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin 4 eggs
2 cups flour 2 tsp baking pwder
1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cream together oil, sugar, pumpkin and eggs. (Just do it and don't think about it too much.) Sift together other ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Test for doneness. When completely cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:
1- 8 oz pkg cream cheese 1 tsp milk
1 stick butter 2 tsp vanilla
1 box powdered sugar 1/2 tsp salt

Cream together cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla & salt. Add powdered sugar. Mix til smooth and slather on. (Note - I don't know how much a 'box' of powdered sugar has in it. I just poured from the bag til it looked the right consistency.)

And because this blog is honest injun': I immediately scooped up TWO bars, and ate them right smack in the middle of the day, because I wanted to.

P.S. Throw a handful of chopped nuts on the top if you'd like. What's a few more calories?

9 comments:

Robin said...

Ohhhhhh.....yep, there will be a batch of those in my oven tonight!
They look wonderful!
And I love how you handle your husband's silly accusation - I'll have to remember that one.

AnnG said...

Sound so yummy!! i may have to make that for Thanksgiving or Christmas when there will be someone around besides me to get all those calories!!

Susanne said...

Well I heard that pumpkin was full of vitamins and fibre, cream cheese contains calcium and walnuts have vitamin E. So it just balances out anything the oil or sugar might do, right? ;v)

Love the banter between you and your hubby! So sweet.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

I have some pumpkin in the freezer, but dang it, I don't have any cream cheese on hand, or I'd definitely be making these tonight! They look fabulous, and I'm not even really hungry right. But I'd bet I could find room for at least a couple of those bars if they were right in front of me.

I'll be saving this recipe for sure! Thanks for sharing, Bev.

Happy new week! Hope you're enjoying Fall in PA.

xoxoxo

Andrea said...

You flat out crack me up! I'm loving this post - and the recipe looks wonderful too. I'll have to try this one. We've been eating homemade pumpkin muffins. But they don't have icing. Icing is YUMMY! :)

Judith said...

This may not be the proper place to mention it, but I think "hot fire good looking" is a pretty good reason to get to know somebody better, and of course we all know the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Girl Raised in the South said...

I sent the last of these to work with hubby this am. Way too tempting and I've already eaten a good part of the pan!

Barb said...

They sound wonderful and the icing? It sounds wonderful too. Who cares about calories!

The image of Don blushing when you say you married him because he was so hot (which he was - and is, by the way) made me smile.

xoxo

Kaitlin said...

Just stumbled upon your blog and oh my stars! Those pumpkin bars look like just the thing to add to my goodie list for this holiday season.

Thanks for the laughs and the recipe. :)