"P" is for Pumpkin

You know that task you put off for a little while and then it gets increasingly hard to take the time to do it the more you put it off?  Like cleaning the refrigerator.  Every week I say I need to clean the refrigerator, but it has to be the day before I go grocery shopping, when the fridge is least full.  Then I keep forgetting and putting it off further.  Then the task seems even more daunting as the weeks pass.  (I am happy to say that I did clean my fridge Saturday night!  It was part of my pre-Thanksgiving task list and I wanted to do it before I lay a towel and the turkey on the bottom shelf to defrost.  I just reminded you to defrost your turkey.  You're welcome.)  Or organizing the top of my bureau--THAT'S something that just gets harder to do the more I put it off!  Or, of course, sitting down to work on this blog.  I'm simultaneously trying to set up my new website, which has been put on hold for quite some time, now, so keeping up this old blog just gets less appealing as time goes on; especially since I just get further behind on my daily recipe log!  In a recent post, "Letting Go of 'Supermom'", I simply listed some of the links to the recipes I used in the days captured in that post, which is what I think I'll do here, also.  As I looked back at my menu from the past 2 weeks, I realized that none of the recipes were new to the blog.  I've been researching new recipes to serve on Thanksgiving, so it's just easier if dinner is something I don't have to think about as much.  That's what good ol' stand-bys are for, right?  Randy worked late a few nights.  He went out one night, I went out another night, we both were out still another night.  The recipes I did use, though, I'll be sure to link to the bottom of this post.

Now, on to the point of this post.  The long-awaited pumpkin post.  I wanted to get this done before Thanksgiving and was hoping it would actually be sooner than this, but here we are.  At least I can cross it off my list when it's done!  Actually, I don't think I even wrote it on my pre-Thanksgiving list.  But I AM the type to write something on my list just to cross it off.  But I bet you already knew that.  So anyway, here's a collection of some pumpkin recipes to help carry you through the rest of autumn or to look forward to using next year if you're already onto your peppermint mocha lattes and baking sugar cookies.
 
Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini-Muffins
I got this recipe from a friend last year.  Randy calls these "crack-muffins" because they're so addicting and since they're mini, you feel like you can eat a whole bunch!  The nickname is fitting because just like a drug-addict may show signs of aggression during withdrawal, Randy can get pretty upset when he sees me making them and discovers that they're not actually for him.  I find it a little amusing.  Is that wrong?  ;)

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup canned pumpkin

6 oz butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.  Sift together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, numeg, baking soda, baking powder, and slat into a large bowl.  Whisk together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin in a separate bowl.  Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture.  Stir in the butterscotch chips; pour into each cup of the mini-muffin pan.  Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes.  (If you want to use regular size muffin tins, you will have to increase your bake time.  Try 25 minutes and then just keep them in there until a toothpick comes out clean.)

 

Pumpkin Belgian Waffles 
I can't say enough about these waffles!  I made them once on an experimental whim and have made them weekly since!  I don't think I or anyone in my family will ever get tired of this goodness...

2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, separated
2 TB sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 TB butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat the waffle iron.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.  Add the vanilla, butter, milk, and pumpkin and stir.  Mix in the flour mixture and whisk just until blended, but don't overmix.  In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gently fold in the egg whites to the rest of the batter.  Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and ladle the batter into the waffle iron as usual.  Cook 2-3 minutes.  Serve immediately with fruit garnish.

Pumpkin Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups canned pumpkin puree

Preheat the oven to 325*.  Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.  In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

These are always a huge hit, no matter when I make them!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350*.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the flour mixture until just moistened (do not overmix). Drop mounds of the dough (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until golden and firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. If soft, chill for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie 
I love this pie, by Bobby Flay.  The graham cracker crust makes this the perfect pumpkin pie!  The recipe for filling actually makes more filling than needed but that's not really a problem--just eat it out of the bowl! ;)


1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly warm
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Add all the ingredients for the crust to a food processor and pulse until combined; it should feel like wet sand, and just come together.  Spread the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan, using your finger tips or the flat bottom of a glass. Firmly press the mixture over the bottom and sides of the pan.  Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the crust is light brown and firm to the touch, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.  Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugars in a large bowl. Add the butter, pumpkin, cream, spices, salt and vanilla seeds and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture into a bowl.  Pour the strained mixture into the baked pie crust and bake until almost set, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove and let come to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, if preferred.

Pumpkin Scones

So, I haven't quite perfected this recipe yet!  I like the way my one batch came out, but I didn't LOVE it--they weren't quite Starbucks-worthy yet, so I have to keep working on it.  But if you don't want to wait for my recipe to "publish" here are some tips: 1) Take your favorite scone recipe and swap out the cream/milk for pumpkin puree (in part or in whole).  2) Make an icing out of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  3) Melt butterscotch chips and drizzle on top!

Links to recipes from the past 2 weeks:

chicken tetrazzini (and mocha brownies), whiskey-cream rib-eye steaks, tortellini soup, shrimp penne with tomato-cream sauce, roasted chicken