Smashed Potatoes

My kids love mashed potatoes but they call them smashed potatoes. I was getting creative in the kitchen and reading autumn recipes on all my favorite websites and on Martha, meat-loaf kept coming up. I had a few pounds of ground turkey in my fridge that I had been needing to use or freeze so I decided to make it! Now, I have maybe had meat-loaf two times in my life and I have never made it and I was a little apprehensive about making it for the kids, but it was a hit. Then I made the three oldest kids meat-loaf sandwiches with mashed potatoes as a spread, for lunch the next day! Even Rich and I had the sandwiches for lunch.

Isn’t that so so funny. Emilia, when she saw me piping the potatoes ran downstairs to the basement to tell Rich that he had better come and see! The potatoes were not hot by the time all the plates were finished, but no one cared! Thanks Martha!
Last Autumn Charla was telling me about a pumpkin cake she had made with maple frosting. It sounded so good and was so good that I have made it maybe two dozen times since. It turns out perfect every time. Here I made it as cupcakes- or muffins- as that sounds healthier, with some warmed up, fantastic, organic, not from concentrate, apple juice.
For Cake:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (270 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (200 grams) sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Note: To make your own buttermilk combine 1/2 cup (120 ml) of milk with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes before using.
For Frosting:
8 ounces (228 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour (or spray with Baker's Joy) two - 8 inch (20 cm) cake pans. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide the batter in half and then pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert and remove the cakes from their pans. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of your food processor (or use a hand mixer) and pulse until smooth. Add the maple syrup and confectioners' sugar and process to combine. Adjust syrup or sugar until you have the right consistency.
Assemble:
Place one of the cake layers, top side down, on a serving plate. Frost with a layer of icing. Place the second cake, top side down, onto the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate but bring to room temperature before serving.

I also made spanikopita. I was looking at the Rachel Ray Magazine and I saw a recipe for it. I was craving spinach. I added shredded chicken before I put the top layers of filo on and it was great. The kids ate it and wanted seconds, and there were leftovers for lunch for Rich and me. It tasted even better the next day- straight from the fridge.
1 stick (4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
Two 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 pound cottage cheese
12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
One 1/2-pound box phyllo dough
2 cups shredded chicken
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Wipe out the skillet.
2. Place the spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out any excess water. Add the spinach, cottage cheese, feta, eggs and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper to the onion and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In the reserved skillet, melt the remaining 1 stick butter. Using a pastry brush, coat a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with melted butter.
4. Unfold the phyllo dough and line the baking dish with 1 phyllo sheet, gently pressing into place and letting any excess hang over the sides. Brush the sheet with more melted butter. Repeat until there are 8 layers of buttered phyllo in the dish. Cover the remaining phyllo sheets with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out.
5. Fill the phyllo-lined baking dish with the reserved spinach mixture. Fold in the overhanging phyllo, sheet by sheet, brushing butter on each sheet. Place another phyllo sheet over the filling and brush with butter. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets and butter, brushing the top layer generously with butter. Using a sharp knife, trim the overhanging phyllo sheets to fit the baking dish. Score the top to mark eight servings.
6. Bake the spanakopita until golden-brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Lest one thinks that my recipes always turn out:

a first time recipe of apple bread- I had too much batter for my two pans and I tried to make mimi muffins out of the leftover batter. It would probably have turned out had I used standard size! But I have to say that the bread was great!

Here are some really funny drawings that my kids have made in the last few days:
The first one is from a coloring book and only one of the girls is made by the book- can you guess which one? Rich and I laughed so hard when we found it and the second is Leif experimenting with nudity!