Posts Tagged ‘pumpkin’

• Carving Pumpkins

  Date: 2009.10.27 | Category: Decorating | Response: 0

  Many of you have already carved pumpkins for the big holiday on Saturday.   I was a little distracted these last couple of weeks fighting the flu so it doesn’t appear I will be carving anything until this weekend.  If you are late like me, here are a few ideas for carving from Halloween past.

  1.  Ernie.  I have a thing for Ernie of Sesame Street.  It all started a few years ago when my friend gave me an Ernie hand puppet he used in one of his films.  Actually, he was selling it at a yard sale and I thought that was a very bad thing.  Very bad.  I rescued the puppet from the pile of toys and brought him inside.  From then, it grew and grew until Ernie saturated my life.  One year I made a pumpkin in his image. I used a piece of black fur for his hair, a flickering battery operated candle to illuminate him and a few magic markers to complete the look.

  2.  Men.  When he and I first started dating, it was in the fall of the year. He was suprrised I was carving pumpkins, saying he hadn’t done that since he was a little boy.  I decided to surprise him with a pumpkin of his own.  What face would be masculine and appropriate?  I figured it should be something he loved and not just any ole face so I carved what I thought was the logo for his favorite football team–the Indianapolis Colts.  This is a repeat offender every year in our home.

  3.  Drill.  Get out your power drill and create this polka dot pumpkin.  On some holes, I drill completely through the pumpkin while on others I only drill in until the tip is piercing the flesh.  Then when you illuminate the pumpkins, different size streams of light will pour through the flesh.

  4.  Minis.  Last but not least, I grab a handful of the small pumpkins to carve goofy things.  These two are examples of the silly.  One is a sly face with eyes looking sneeringly to the left (or maybe the right) and the other is covered with carvings of dollar bill signs.  It was a nod to the amount of money I had spent on pumpkins!

  The suggestions I have here are merely to open your mind and get away from traditional faces.  They are fun but do a few others as well.  Many of you are very talented and do the serious Martha Stewart style carvings.  I wish I were that talented but am always pleased with my outcome.  Simply because I have fun doing it, and have a sense of pride each day coming home from work and seeing those beasts on the front porch.

  Have you figured out what your last minute pumpkin may be?

  xo-me

• Aunt Barb’s Pumpkin Brownies

  Date: 2009.10.23 | Category: Baking | Response: 0

  Yet again, Aunt Barb comes to the rescue today.  That famous flu that is floating around has bitten me bad so I am not feeling much like posting.  Thanks to Aunt Barb, I dipped into her recipe box.

  These brownies are close to pumpkin bread.  They are sweet, moist and really heavenly.  My girl Robin swears by Aunt Barb’s pumpkin brownies.  You will too.

  Ingredients:

  1-15 oz. can pumpkin
  1 c. vegetable oil
  4 eggs
  2 c. sugar
  2 c. flour
  1 tsp. baking soda
  1 tsp. baking powder
  1 tsp. cinnamon
  1/2 tsp. salt

  Preheat oven to 350.  In large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, pumpkin, and sugar.  Stir in remaining ingredients until evenly mixed.  Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes or until center springs back when touched.

  Sometimes I serve these with fresh whipped creme or the 70′s child inside me wants Cool Whip!  Yum.

  xo–me

• Pumpkin Cheesecake

  Date: 2009.10.17 | Category: Baking | Response: 0

  I have tried countless pumpkin cheesecake in search of the best and I must tell you what I am sure you already know.  No one makes a pumpkin cheesecake quite like the Cheesecake Factory.  I found this copycat recipe online a few years ago and have used it every year at Thanksgiving.  You can divide the recipe and make mini cheesecakes to serve at your Halloween party.  To whomever figured out this delicious copycat recipe–thank you!

  Ingredients:
  

  1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
  5 Tbsp. butter, melted
  1 c. plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
  3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
  1 tsp. vanilla
  1 c. canned pumpkin
  3 eggs
  1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  1/4 tsp. allspice
  whipped cream, for serving

  Preheat oven to 350.  Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 Tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste.  Keep it crumbly.  Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan.  You don’t want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.  Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set it aside until you are ready to fill it.

  In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 c. sugar, and vanilla.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.  Pour the filling into the pan.  Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.  The top will turn a bit darker at this point.  Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.

  When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.  When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces.  Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.

  This may seem like a labor of love but it is very, very worth it!  Enjoy this sweet, delicious treat.  I am dreaming about it now.

  xo–me

• Pumpkin Ball

  Date: 2009.10.13 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I shared with you this summer my favorite cheese ball in the entire world. Yes it is that good. Many of you have tried it and have written that you too agree with me. It’s heavenly. This one makes my top five list. It has delicious flavors of autumn but also is sweet in a different way than THEE cheese ball. Plus, if you have a Halloween party, it’s a fun addition to the table.

  Ingredients:

  1/3 c. cream cheese, softened
  1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I use mild or sharp, depending on my mood)
  1/4 c. canned pumpkin
  1/4 c. pineapple preserves
  1/4 tsp. allspice
  1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  1 short pretzel rod

  Combine all ingredients except pretzel until well blended. Shape into a ball and wrap in saran wrap to refrigerate for 3 hours. Use a knife to draw lines down the side like a pumpkin would have. Insert pretzel in the center as the stem!

  You can serve this with crackers, pretzels, apples or I sometimes get a knife and smear it over fresh made popcorn.

  xo–me

• Pumpkin Pasta

  Date: 2009.10.10 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  Two of my readers–Nicole and Yasmine–asked about Pumpkin recipes for the fall; Nicole wanted pumpkin pasta.  After scouring my library of recipes, I found this one I grabbed from the Washington Post years ago.  It’s a very flavorful dish and, you guessed it, simple to make!  Why don’t you plan a dinner party for next weekend and make this dish your main course?  Practice the meal tonight on your loved ones and serve next week to friends.

  Ingredients:

  10 oz. multi-grain angel hair pasta
  1 medium shallot
  3 medium garlic cloves
  1 Tbsp. olive oil
  2 sprigs sage
  3/4 c. canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
  3/4 c. vegetable broth
  1/2 c. low fat milk (I use heavy cream, I know bad girl!)
  salt and pepper to taste
  1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  Meanwhile, mince the shallot and garlic and finely chop the sage.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallot and garlic.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until they have softened.  Add the pumpkin puree, broth, milk and half of the sage.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.

  Drain pasta and add to the sauce.  Add 2 Tbsp. of cheese and toss well.  Divide among individual plates and serve with remaining sage and cheese.

  Add a nice salad with autumn vegetables, some hors d’oeuvres while your guests arrive, a nice selection of beverages, sweet bread and a yummy dessert. Voila, you have your menu for your first dinner party!

  xo–me