Porterfield Pumpkin Bundt Cake


I made this recipe over 3 months ago and I'm just now posting it.  Maybe I didn't have a true maternity leave from a job, but it seems I've had a maternity leave from this blog.  I'm getting back at it...

I wanted to post this recipe now if you're looking for something else to add to your menu this weekend.  This is the best pumpkin bundt cake I've ever had.  In fact, my Mom brought some to the hospital and gave it to the nurses when I was in the hospital.  She ended up giving it to the night nurses though which was a bummer since I was on a sleeping pill and they wouldn't be the ones dealing with me when it came time for the delivery.  Anyways, I highly recommend making it!




Recipe thanks to the Epi App.

{Ingredients You'll Need}

  • 3 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or mace
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup canola or light olive oil
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin
  • 2/3 cup orange juice or milk (or buttermilk if using)


Generously coat the pan with butter-flavor nonstick vegetable spray or solid shortening, dust with flour, and tap out the excess flour.

Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Cake bakes for 65-70 Minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.

Add the granulated sugar to the large bowl of an electric mixer and crumble in the dark brown sugar, breaking up any clumps with your fingers. Add the oil and 2 eggs and beat until blended, then beat in the remaining eggs and the pumpkin. Scrape down the bowl and beater.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, alternately add the juice or milk and the dry ingredients. When everything is blended, scrape down the bowl, then beat a few seconds longer until the batter is smooth and creamy.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and is cracked on top, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool the cake in its pan on a rack for 20 to 25 minutes.

Slide a knife around the pan sides and the top of the tube to release the cake. Top the cake with a foil-covered cardboard cake disk or a flat plate, invert, and lift off the pan. Peel off the paper, if you used it. Cool the cake completely then enjoy by itself or with pumpkin ice cream!

Venison Sausage and Tortellini Soup


This will be my new go-to soup for when company comes over.  Sometimes you just want to make soup but you feel bad (I feel bad...) if the soup isn't hearty enough to really stick to your (my) guest's bones.  This soup has all your basics- protein, carbs, and loads of veg.


If you don't have venison you can obviously use sweet Italian sausage as the original recipe from Bon Appetit recommends.


Recipe thanks to and adapted from Bon Appetit


{Ingredients You'll Need}

  • 1 pound venison country sausage
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves, sliced
  • 5 cups beef stock
  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cup spaghetti sauce
  • 1 large zucchini, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 8 to 10 ounces purchased fresh cheese tortellini
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
{How To}

1.  Sauté sausage in heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until cooked through and crumbling. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl then add onion and garlic to Dutch oven and sauté until translucent. Return sausage to Dutch oven. Add stock, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, wine, basil and oregano. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. 

2.  Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper if it needs it, sprinkle cheese on top and enjoy!


The soup minus the tortellini can be made 2 days ahead!

Venison Pot Roast Bust




I always have good intentions about pot roast.  I think it should be good because it tasted really good growing up.  Truth is, it's not very good.  It hasn't been good the last few times I've made it and this last time sealed the deal.  Granted, we used venison roast and that was just a bad idea.  Even though it was slow cooked and in lots of juices and seasoned well, it was dry.

Any venison lovers out there have any recommendations? It's such a lean meat perhaps it didn't need to cook so long?



12 weeks


We've got a "baby baby" now.  He's no longer an infant and if you've had a baby you'll understand.  There's a point where they change from being infants to babies.  He's interacting more, smiles in response to "I Looove You!", coo's and ahh's, looks at the Christmas lights..looks at the TV and then I turn it off and turn him away from it...kicks at his mobile and play mat, and smiles when my Mom says, "It's your Grammmy!"

I'm loving every minute of watching him grow up and relishing this time as I know he'll soon be napping and I won't be able to just hold him in my arms while he sleeps.  I'm sure I could...I know I could...but nap times will come and I'll be thankful because it will mean I'll get to shower earlier in the day and not rush at just about everything.  I'll still rush I'm sure but it'll be different.


I'm looking back at the first 2 months as he's almost 3 months old and remembering when he was so tiny.  The kid had no meat on him.  Now he has rolls and once again I'm going through clothes that seem too small. Benjamin thinks they just now fit, but it's true, some things are just getting a little too small- mainly short for our long boy.  I love dressing him up each day and laugh when I think of how clean and well dressed he is while I rush to look presentable.  Did I mention I love this time?  I do.  It will soon be gone and my baby will grow up even more.

tis the season


...For Christmas parties.  Benjamin had his at the American History Museum last night.  Thankful for grandparents to watch Anderson while we walked around the Museum.  Kinda gave me the heeby-jeebies being in a museum at night. I blame some Sesame Street episode where they got trapped in a Museum for my childhood fear that felt a little too real last night.

eleven weeks


Babies getting big...sleeping long stretches and as of this week he seems to want to go to bed a bit earlier.  That said, I did love the few days he was eating at 10:30 PM then letting me go to bed around the same time and wake up at 5!  Sweet relief.  I think people call that "sleeping through the night." 


His Christmas outfit (above) showed up from Zullily the other day.  He wore it to see Santa of course.  Santa got the same stare any new person does... "Excuse me...you're new here..."  Serious baby continues.  Then again, he's smiling and a happy camper in the morning, just like his Mamma.


"They" say at 12 weeks you can self soothe and so we're transitioning him to his crib more and more.  In fact, tonight is the first night he's in it...will you stay in there all night, kiddo?  Such a big boy....

New Items on The Ruffled Bird!

How cute are these?   Custom orders must be placed by December 12th!  Love that Ruffled Bird...





10 Weeks


Hello Cutest Baby Ever..to your Mother.  Sweet sweet boy is growing and seems happier with each passing day.  What a precious time to have a baby.  I was feeling stressed out last week by the schedule we've been holding the past few months and wanting to enjoy him even more this Christmas.  You see, after he was born about 3 weeks in we started going to a Bible Study Monday, Tuesday, and a Mom's group Thursday.  Busy.  I wanted to have some more downtime so I've allowed us that this week.  After all, I am the controller of my schedule...my husband had to remind me of that one.

9 weeks revisited


9 weeks was a bit busy.  We got the Christmas tree and I of course decided it'd be cute to pose him in front of it... unsuccessfully until of course he was sleeping.





SL's Pumpkin Pie Spectacular



Yup, that's the name for this recipe.  Pumpkin Pie Spectacular from Southern Living.  It lived up to the name and only needed a few tweaks.  There was far too much gingerbread crust so we didn't use all of that.  Perhaps next time I'd just sprinkle the remainder on top as opposed to making the additional pecan topping as well.  That said, I do love a good crumble so props to the folks at Southern Living for making this pie so complex.

Inside the filling there is sour cream- makes everything really rich and creamy.  I'd make this pie again most definitely.  Maybe you should make it for Christmas?

check out the recipe here.

martha's meringue pie. the truth.


As you know I made Martha's Deep-Dish Meringue Pie for Thanksgiving.  Beautiful? Yes.  Amazing? No.  It didn't really make sense to me.  The pumpkin pie itself was good but the meringue was too sweet, not to mention that there was too much of it, and it didn't stick to the pumpkin well at all.



I wonder if Martha really ever tried the pie.  It's time for honesty people.  Coming back into blog reading and recipe making I have to be honest.  I wouldn't recommend making this pie...unless of course you love sweet meringue on your pumpkin pie instead of cool whip.  Next year, I'm going back to cool whip.


On a high note- cute dessert plates my Mom has, right?!

sweet potato chips


I made a sweet potato gratin of sorts for Thanksgiving.  It wasn't however as delicious as the sweet potato chips Benjamin whipped up before the big meal.  He continued making thin slices, sprinkled them with cinammon, fried them until crisp, and when they were done he seasoned them with some salt.

That's the extent of a recipe and pictures I have for you because we ate them up as soon as they came out of the oil it seemed.  I'll be a happy Mamma if this is what Anderson will think of as chips.