Pumpkin

While most of the garden is starting to slow down, and the late crops of lettuce and spinach I planted still haven't come up, pumpkins are in abundance. The pumpkins I cut from the vine and placed on my porch aren't just for decoration, they're delicious, nutritious food! Most of the pumpkins we harvested a few weeks ago are Cinderella pumpkins. I planted the pumpkins close to the chain link fence, and the tendrils climbed the fence. It was fun to see the little versions of Cinderella's carriage hanging along the fence. On my porch after hauling them in from the garden in the wagon, these pumpkins are so cute and kind of make me feel like fall might be an OK season after all. In the kitchen, one of these pumpkins, baked and pureed, makes about 14 cups of sweet, smooth pumpkin. Today I roasted one, turned some of it into a pie (for tomorrow's breakfast, of course), and with the help of kids eager to push buttons on the blender, put 12 cups of pumpkin puree in the freezer for later.
Turning a pumpkin into pumpkin puree (as in the stuff most people buy in a can) is easy. You can either bake the pumpkin whole or cut it in halves or quarters and remove the seeds prior to baking. Put the pumpkin on a shallow pan and bake at 375 degrees for two or three hours. You can get away with a shorter cooking time, but the longer roasting time really makes the pumpkin turn a more vibrant color, and adds to the flavor. Let the pumpkin cool enough that you can scoop it into a blender or food mill. Drain off any excess liquid. Puree the pumpkin or run it through a food mill. Scoop into containers. Use, refrigerate for three days or freeze for up to six months..
Nutritious pumpkin is easy to sneak into other foods to trick picky family members into eating more vegetables. (Technically it’s a fruit, but who cares about technicalities?) It won’t be hard to find ways to use an abundance of pumpkin.

Sneak pumpkin puree (in judicious amounts) into macaroni and cheese, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, smoothies, oatmeal, pancakes, enchilada sauce, ground beef taco meat, refried beans, or anywhere else you  can imagine.

Here’s a few basic recipes using pumpkin puree:

Number one, pie. Because pumpkin pie contains a vegetable, protein, dairy, and grain, it is a healthy, complete meal, right.

Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup pastry flour
½  teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, straight from the refrigerator

5 Tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Combine Dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until well combined with flour, resembling a coarse meal. With a fork, mix in water, a little at a time, until it forms a dough ball. You may or may not need all 5 tablespoons of water. Refrigerate for about half an hour before rolling out onto a floured board and form into pie pan.

Preheat oven to 425F, then mix together the filling

Pumpkin Custard Filling:

2 cups pumpkin

1 ½ cups evaporated milk (usually one can)

2 eggs

¾ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix ingredients by hand, with an electric mixer, or in the blender. Pour into pastry lined pie pan. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350F and bake for another 50 minutes.  Pumpkin pie is best after being refrigerated at least overnight, making it an ideal breakfast!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

My kids and I love to dip apples in this creamy, delectable dip. Best of all, it’s quick and simple to make.

Ingredients:

1 package softened cream cheese

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup silted powdered sugar

1 t pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat together first two ingredients with electric mixer. Add second two ingredients and beat again till well blended. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Use as a dip for apples, pears, or hard cookies.

Pumpkin Corn Muffins

Preheat oven to 375F

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 cup corn meal

1/3 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil or applesauce

Directions: Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another, then combine the two. Spoon into muffin cups.  Bake 25-30 minutes.