Everything Pumpkin
Winners of the Great Pumpkin Patch Contest! Decorating with pumpkins is a great way to get your family in the mood for celebrating the fall season - the colors provide warmth, memories of our childhood Halloween activities, and the anticipation of what s to come Smells The smells of fall are so enticing - the crisp air combined with the aromas of cinnamon, gloves, and oranges fill our senses with comfort and cozy memories. One of fall s most tried-and-true flavors is pumpkin, but it doesn t belong just in a piecrust. We have four recipes that deliver the classic taste of the season with some fun twists. Tablescapes Who knew it would be so easy to use pumpkins in our tablescapes! I love the idea of filling 3 glass vases with artificial pumpkins, gourds, acorns and place them down the center of your table - a simple yet gorgeous look. Or, how about filling one vase with candy corn, the other with pretzels dipped in white chocolate and drizzled with fall sprinkles, and fill the tallest vase with fresh flowers to tie it all together - Too Fun!
Pumpkin Recipes with a Fun Twist! Roasted Pumpkin Spice Almonds 1 cup raw almonds ½ tsp. cinnamon 1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice ¼ tsp. sea salt 2 Tblsp. maple syrup ½ tsp., vanilla Pour almonds into a large mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, sea salt and toss to coat. Drizzle the maple syrup and vanilla over and stir to coat the almonds. Spray a foil lined cookie sheet and spread the almonds in a single layer. Cook in a 325 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring once. Let cool completely. Store in an air tight container. Pumpkin Butter Cream Cheese Spread 8 oz. cream cheese, softened ½ cup Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (available at Williams Sonoma) ¼ cup powdered sugar Beat all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Serve with Trader Joe s Triple Ginger Snap Cookies - yum! * For a savory twist; eliminate the sugar and add crumbled cooked bacon and chopped scallions.
Pound Cake with Pumpkin Spice with Caramel Glaze Ingredients for cake: 3 cups flour 1/2 tsp.baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1 cup milk 1 Tblsp. vanilla 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco) don t be tempted to use all butter, the shortening makes the cake very moist while the butter gives wonderful flavor. 2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup white sugar 5 eggs Ingredients for caramel glaze: 1/2 cup butter 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup evaporated milk 2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar 2 tsp. vanilla Directions for cake: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10 inch tube pan* with baking spray. Place flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, butter, eggs and milk (in that order) in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium and mix for exactly 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tester inserted into cake is clean when removed - no wet batter. Check cake after 50 minutes - if top is getting too brown, cover with foil until done. Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and then leave it to cool for 1 hour before icing with caramel glaze. Directions for caramel glaze: In a large saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk and let the icing come to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well with a whisk or spoon. Place a large piece of foil on countertop. Place cake (on wire cooling rack) on top of foil. Slowly pour glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to drip down the sides. Repeat several times until all icing is used up. If you like more icing, scrape icing that has dripped onto foil back into the saucepan and gently re-heat and repeat glazing procedure.
Argentine Beef Stew served in a Pumpkin serves 6-8 Ingredients 1 ½ lb. Rump or Chuck Roast, cut in cubes 2 Tblsp. Butter 4 medium Onions, chopped 3 cloves Garlic, pressed 2 large, Green peppers, chopped 2 large, Tomatoes, peeled & chopped 2 tsp. Kosher Salt ½ tsp. fresh ground pepper 2 tsp. Sugar Two 10.5 oz. cans Beef broth 24 Dried Prunes 2 lbs. Dried Apricots 6 Yams, cubed 3 pkgs Corn ¾ cup Madeira Wine 5 Tblsp. Corn starch 1 Pumpkin, about 8 qt. size Directions: 1. Sauté meat in a little butter until brown and put in an 8 qt. Dutch oven. 2. Sauté onions, garlic, green peppers, and combine with the meat. 3. Mix in all other ingredients except the pumpkin; cover and simmer for 1 hour. 4. Mix cornstarch with a little of the pan liquid and blend into the sauce. 5. Cut the top off the pumpkin, remove the seeds and membrane. Place on a large cookie sheet with sides and fill it with the stew. 6. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. 7. Place the pumpkin filled with the stew on a large platter and serve from it. Makes a beautiful presentation. Add a simple green salad and plenty of good bread to soak up all the sauce! Enjoy!