My Favorite Time of the Year!

I love everything about Fall.

I love pumpkins, cold weather, boots, cute jackets and please don't get me started on the TV shows. The Thursday night line up on NBC speaks for itself guys. 

First of all, The Office is one of my all time favorite shows mainly for the following reasons. 

Jim Halpert, Jim Halpert and Jim Halpert. 

Also, I just discovered the show Parks and Recreation and it has become my current crush at the moment. 

For those of you who don't know me, I'm an obsessive person when it comes to certain things. A normal person would wait each week for the next episode and slowly work themselves into it but I'm not like your average bear. I watch it in my phone and obsessively watch the one and only episode on my DVR just in case I missed a funny line the first twenty times. 

I then Wikipedia the characters in the show and half of my conversations with my husband starts with topics like "Did you know that Chris Pratt was on Moneyball?" 

My life's suddenly filled with all sorts of Parks and Recreations. 

I've done this in the past with I Love Lucy, Sex and The City, Family Guy, Portlandia and Chopped. If I'm ever on a game show that requires me to answer questions about any of the shows I just mentioned, I'd win...  hands down. 

AND I'm competitive. We may or may not be friends after I win. 

Anyways, I decided to bring in this wonderful season by making Pumpkin Rolls. This delicious dessert is basically a spongy cake wrapped around a rich cream cheese filling.

For the longest time I was intimidated to make this because it required rolling and shaping but I finally got the nerve (and a day off) to face my fear. 

And to be honest, it wasn't hard to make at all. 

So here's my recipe. 

Note: I used parchment paper instead of a towel. It's a little harder to roll but it gets the work done. 

   Pumpkin Roll

   Source: Adapted from allrecipes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.

3.  Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes.

4.  Lay parchment paper on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and turn the cake onto the paper. Carefully roll it up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-paper on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes.

5.  Make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.

6.  When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it. Immediately re-roll (not in the paperl this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze it for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.

Happy baking!
Anna