Your Favorite Recipes of 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, what better way to spend some of these last days, than looking back at some of your favorite recipes here at Sweet and Spicy Monkey. I say “Your” favorite because if it was up to me, they would all be listed. I might be just a little bias {smile}.

Beginning with January, here are some of your favorite recipes from 2014…

Sweet and Spicy Monkey Bread. What better way to remember January 2014 than with a sweet treat that just so happens to have my blog name it, “Sweet and Spicy Monkey” Bread!

February had your chocolate cravings satisfied, at least for a little while, with my version of The Ultimate Chocolate Lover’s Breakfast. I can’t say I blame ya, after all, who can resist all this chocolatey yumminess of chocolate pancakes with chocolate syrup drizzled all over.

March was a month of indecision as there was a tie between two of March’s recipes. It seems y’all couldn’t decide between something sweet, with Orange Creamsicle Cookies

or something crunchy like my Homemade Tortilla Chips. So they both win for March!

April’s winner, hands down, was my recipe for Gluten Free Lemon Crepes with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling. What a delicious way to welcome Spring!

And you let me know that y’all love your lemon treats by making my Lemon Coconut Refrigerator Cake your favorite for May.

Ah, June ~ summertime chilling with sun, sandy beaches, and palm trees. And what better way to enjoy those long summer days than eating my Homemade Coconut Ice Cream. Not only is this ice cream gluten free, but it’s also dairy free and no churn needed.

Your tropical taste buds were just getting warmed up (or should I say cooled down) in June with my Homemade Coconut ice cream because I woke all of your island taste buds up this summer with my Coconut Pound Cake.

A triple threat dose of coconut to whisk you away to your tropical island paradise. My most popular recipe by far since starting Sweet and Spicy Monkey. It also got Thor's stamp of approval!

August had you craving chocolate once again (it has been awhile, since February to be exact) with my recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Chai Latte pound Cake.

September showed me you needed something to munch on while watching all those football games. What better way to enjoy the games than with my Tangy Peach Mustard Wings that simmer in the crockpot while you watch the game and into the oven they go to get all crispy before the next game starts.
 

You were still craving munchies for the games in October when y’all reached for my Sweet & Salty Snack Mix made with Annie’s Homegrown cheddar bunnies. The games are so much better when you’re munching on cheddar bunnies!

I could tell y’all were looking for something to help keep you warm with a taste of the season with my Crockpot Pumpkin Turkey Chili. What better way to warm up on a cool Fall night than with a big bowl of chili!

December’s favorite is my Peppermint Meringue Cookies. Puffy clouds of white fluff with a kiss of peppermint, sprinkled with silver and gold, perfect for all your Holiday parties. What a delicious way to end the year 2014!

I want to take this time to say thank you to all who stop by my little corner of this World Wide Web to read, comment, pin, tweet, or just hang out and see what I've been up to. Because without all of you, there would be no me. So Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

And if you enjoy what you see here, please leave me a comment as I love to hear from y'all, even if it's just to say Hello.

Wishing y'all the best eats in the upcoming New Year of 2015!

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Pumpkin Persimmon Walnut Pound Cake

The big day is finally here! Yep, its Thanksgiving! The one day we look forward to all year long when we can eat all we want and not worry about our waistlines. I'm so thankful for elastic waistbands {smile}.

Seriously, I'm thankful for so much more than elastic waistbands. I'm thankful for friends, family, my career, my four-legged babies, and you.

Especially you, because without you, I would not be able to share my recipes. And I love to share what I make in the kitchen and know someone else out there is enjoying it too!

I wanted to share this recipe with you before Thanksgiving but I didn't have a chance to between work and cooking. And it's still November so pumpkin recipes are still in season, right? Because I love me some pumpkin and two months just isn't enough time to get them all in.

Anyways this isn't just pumpkin. This is pumpkin with persimmons and walnuts.

Ever since I made that Bourbon and Brown Sugar Sauce with pecans, I've been adding nuts to everything I make. And this pound cake is no exception with walnuts in the batter and in the brown sugar and bourbon sauce that you drizzle over the top, making this pound cake scrumptious.

So scrumptious that you won't even care if pumpkin season has passed. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself and let me know what you think.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Persimmon Walnut Pound Cake

Ingredients for Pound Cake

2 and ¾ cup granulated sugar

1 and ½ cups butter, softened to room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1 can pure pumpkin puree

Flesh of 4 persimmons - skinned, seeded, and pureed

1 Tablespoon water

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Ingredients for dusting pans*

2 Tablespoons flour

Dash cinnamon

Dash of ginger

Dash of allspice

Directions for dusting pans*

In a small bowl, mix ingredients together with a fork and lightly dust pans after spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

Directions for making Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Generously spray 2 bread pans, 9 ¼” x 5 ½”with non-stick spray.

Lightly dust pans with approximately 2 Tablespoons flour mixed with a dash of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice*. Making sure entire inside area of pan is dusted. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add dry ingredients together. Set aside.

Place ½ can of pumpkin puree with 1 Tablespoon water into a blender or food processor. Add in persimmon flesh and puree until persimmons are no longer chunky. Pour into a small bowl with remaining half of pumpkin puree and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add sugar and butter. Beat until fluffy.

Add in vanilla.

Beat in eggs, one at a time until blended.

Gradually add dry ingredients and pumpkin persimmon mix to butter and egg mixture, alternating between dry ingredients and pumpkin persimmon mix when adding. Mixing well after each addition.

Gently fold in walnuts and mix throughout.

 

After all ingredients are blended, pour into prepared pans and place into oven.

Cook for approximately 60-75 minutes or until knife inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean.* Time will vary depending on your oven.

Remove from oven and gently insert a butter knife and run along the edges of pan, loosening loaf from the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, loosen edges once more with butter knife and invert pan over a wire rack and gently remove loaf from pan. You might have to tap bottom of pan to help ease out loaf.

Once loaf slides out of pan, gently turn over and let cool.

Brown Sugar, Bourbon, & Walnut Sauce

Ingredients for Sauce

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1 and 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

6 to 8 Tablespoons bourbon (3 to 4 ounces)

Directions for sauce

In a medium saucepan, add brown sugar, melted butter, cream. Stir well.

Place over medium to low heat and cook until sauce is smooth in texture, stirring continuously.

After sauce becomes smooth, remove from heat and add in vanilla, sea salt, walnuts, and bourbon. Mix well.

Serve warm over Pumpkin Persimmon Walnut Pound Cake.

Inspired by ~ Pillsbury Pumpkin Pound Cake with Walnut Sauce

*Helpful Hints*

- You can leave bourbon out for non-alcoholic version of sauce.

- *Pound cake is very moist due to combination of pumpkin and persimmons. The texture will resemble a slow cooker cake, moist and crumbly. Just make sure knife comes out clean with no batter when testing readiness.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.

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