Pumpkin Dip

This tastes just like pumpkin cheesecake and takes minutes to make. Plus it has only three main ingredients and you can play around with the rest. I found many different recipes but liked this one mainly because I already had everything in my pantry and refrigerator. Once I made it I did make a few changes and added what I thought would taste best. It turned out creamy, sweet and delicious. Dip ginger snaps into it for a major crowd-pleasing dessert! I loved dipping green apples, the sweet dip and tart apples went really great together.

Pumpkin Dip

1 c. granulated sugar, sifted
2 (8oz.) cream cheese blocks, softened
15 oz. pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mix cream cheese and pumpkin together until well blended. Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice, mix until well combined. Refrigerate at least one hour. Serve with ginger snaps, graham crackers, Nilla wafers, or fruit for dipping.

Another Pumpkin recipe

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Recipe
Source: Allrecipes.com

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

*Since this recipes make THREE loaf pans I used the entire bag of chocolate chips (plus I love chocolate so really it could only make this recipe better!). No matter how long I waited for each pan to cool for some reason the bottom of each bread loaf stuck to the pan. The first one I took out was a little so I waited on the second. The second even more stuck! And the third hardly any but some still did. So make sure you grease and flour your pans good! Because I obviously didn't, it still tastes good.

My Mom's Secret

Yup that's right this recipe includes an entire box of Twinkies...your thinking this is totally lowfat right!?! ;)

I'm not exactly sure where my mom found this recipe for a year or two ago she brought this for a holiday gathering and my husband fell in love! My mom might not be the world's best cook but she can sure find some good desserts. So when talking with my husband about making a pie for Thanksgiving, he piped in and suggested I make this instead. He can actually eat half this pan in one sitting (sick huh?!) So as a compromise, I made both! I hope you try it!

Layered Pumpkin Dessert

• 1 box Hostess Twinkies (10)
• 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
  
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
  
• 1 container (8oz) whipped topping, thawed, divided
  
• 2 pkgs (3.4 oz ea) instant vanilla pudding
  
• 1 can (15oz) pumpkin
  
• 1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1 cup milk
  

Directions:

1. Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise and place cream side up, in a single layer in a 9x13 pan. Using a mixer, blend together cream cheese, sugar and 1/2 of whipped topping until smooth. Spread evenly over Twinkies.


2. Combine pudding, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and milk. Whisk until well blended and layer over cream cheese mixture.


3. Carefully spread remaining whipped topping over pumpkin. Lightly sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.


4. Refrigerate several hours until set.

My 1st Pumpking Pie

For Thanksgiving dinner I was put in charge of making my first pumpkin pie! I've actually been looking forward to this since making my own pumpkin puree as you may remember from this post. So of course I opted for a FRESH pumpkin pie. After doing some research I found many people say what a different there is between making a pie using canned pumpkin compared to fresh pureed pumpkin, so I couldn't wait to see what people I knew actually thought. This recipe definitely lived up to all it's reviews! I must warn you if you use this recipe, it is very liquidity BUT fear not it turns out perfect :) Once I mixed all the ingredients and poured them into the pie shell I had to be extra careful when placing it into the oven as to not have any spill. Even when it was fully cooked it looked like it should be cooked longer but my toothpick came out clean. TRUST your toothpick! It may look like it needs more time but it doesn't and will turn out perfect!

All the ingredients you need!

Mrs. Sigg's Fresh Pumpkin Pie

source: allrecipes.com

• 1 sugar pumpkin
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions

1. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash, or puree in small batches in a blender. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.)
   
2. In a large bowl, slightly beat eggs. Add brown sugar, flour, salt, 2 cups of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. Stir well after each addition.
   Pour mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a strip of aluminum foil around the edge of the crust to prevent over browning.
   
3. Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C), then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the strip of foil about 20 minutes before the pie is done so that the edge of the crust will be a light golden brown. Cool pie, and refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I love baking with pumpkin, it makes the house smell so good and it feels like Fall. This was my first recipe baking with my fresh pumpkin and I'm not sure I can go back! These muffins where so moist and delicious! I brought them to work today and a couple co-workers that don't even like pumpkin loved them! It's a super easy recipe that can be baked in regular size muffin tin or mini. I wanted to use my mini muffin tin for the first time so I made mini's, aren't they the cutest little things!!

Mini's!!

Pumpkin Ginger Spice Muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/3 cup melted butter
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 2 Tbsp well chopped candied ginger (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, melted butter, eggs, water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Fold in the candied ginger and chopped nuts. Spoon mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack. Makes 12 regular size muffins, I got 35 mini muffins.

I opted not add nuts or candied ginger and they were really good. I think I might even add some of the pumpkin cream cheese for a filling... ooh I think that would just be heaven!!

Homemade Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Bagels are one of my favorite breakfast foods! Unfortunately where we live now there are no bagels places anywhere close, we would have to drive at least 20 minutes just for a bagel! So I decided to try my hand at making homemade bagels. Then I found this recipe for Pumpkin cream cheese that sounds absolutely amazing that I just had to made BOTH as soon as possible. I made the bagels with white whole wheat flour (slightly more healthy) and didn't use the full amount of flour. They are best toasted.

Homemade Bagels

• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.

Don't worry they get bigger once boiled!

Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling.

Dough will sink the bottom once in water, made sure to move them so they don't stick to the pan. They will rise to the top within a few seconds.

Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering. When the bagels are ready, put about 4 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once.

Nice and puffy!

Drain them on a towel. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.

Ready to Eat!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

I made the cream cheese with fresh pumpkin from in a previous post. This pumpkin cream cheese is all that I hoped it for. It was very easy to make and came together in 5 minutes. It is soo delicious I made a double batch!!

FRESH pumpkin!

So I've been thinking..."What am I suppose to do with all these (13 to be exact) pumpkins?" Well I'm going to bake them of course! What's better then canned pumpkin? FRESH PUMPKIN PUREE that's what! I've seen that sugar pumpkins are the most commonly kind of pumpkins to use for baking however any kind of pumpkin will do! Any size and variety can be used. While I'm on the hunt for a multitude of pumpkin recipes to experiment with, I need to get the pumpkin ready. So I've decided to roast it and I tried 2 different ways to see what works best.

First, cut open your pumpkins and remove stem. Scrape insides to remove seeds and pulp. Save seeds for roasting later! Then either pick Option A or Option B.

Option A: Cut each pumpkin in quarters, arrange on baking sheet or roasting pan, and brush with olive oil or water to keep from drying. Roast on 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Once the pumpkin is fork tender, remove from oven and cool. Once cool enough to handle, scrape out the pumpkin.

Option B: Cut pumpkins in halves, place cut side down in roasting pan, add 1 cup water, and roast at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes or until tender. (This one worked best for me, it may have taken longer but the pumpkin was easiest to remove). Once fork tender, remove from oven and cool. Once cool enough to handle, scrape out pumpkin.

Pumpkin will look like this once roasted! Place scraped pumpkin flesh into a food processor and pulse, stopping frequently to scrape down sides. Puree until smooth, this will have to be done in a few different batches. Most recipes call for 15-ounce can of pumpkin, use 1 3/4 cups of puree, a 29-ounce can contains 3 1/2 cups puree. I measured out bags of 1 3/4 cups puree.

Store in freezer safe resealable bags or containers leaving 1/2 inch of headspace for expansion while freezing. Label and date the bag or container. Pureed pumpkin can keep in the refrigerator for 1 week or up to 9 months in the freezer.

And now we're ready to start baking....

Next up: Pumpkin Spiced Muffins, Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese

Pumpkin Time!

One of my favorite things about Fall is all the pumpkins that are ready to be picked and used for decorating, carving and baking! This year was the first year my father-in-law planted a pumpkin patch out in our garden. With the so called "pumpkin shortage" there apparently was this year I was very happy he planted them. My husband said we should sell them to our friends to make some money! We weren't sure how well the pumpkins would do but we ended up actually having a REAL pumpkin patch! My FIL thought we would get more pumpkins then we did but I picked 20 pumpkins!!! TWENTY PUMPKINS! I think that's a pretty good year, especially being our first year planting them. So what do you do with that many pumpkins?!?!

Our growing pumpkins!

The perfect pumpkins for carving! I picked four of them of course (one for me, one for my husband and one for each dog!) The dogs are so ready to get their pumpkins carved in this picture, ha ha!

Now what to do with all these pumpkins? I gave a couple away but with the rest of them I'm going to use them for baking! I have many pumpkin recipes that I've used in the past and new ones I want to try (cupcakes, cheesecake, bread, muffins, pancakes, etc) and using fresh pumpkin is suppose to be the best. Of course all these recipes will be coming up in the next couple months so stay tuned. As for now, it's pumpkin carving time and the main reason I love carving pumpkins is roasting the pumpkin seeds!! And I am NOT is short supply of those this year, remember 20 pumpkins! This week I sat down and cleaned out our four pumpkins and turned them into jack-o-lanterns. Dave took a look at them and asked me "Where's the happy one?" Jack-o-lanterns aren't happy, their suppose to be scary! Although I think two of them look more scared then scary.

Now making pumpkins seeds take a little more. I divide the seeds into one bowl and put all the pulp in a garbage bowl. Pumpkin seeds are extremely slipper suckers so beware! Once I have all the seeds out for all the pumpkins I'll soak them in a large bowl of water and squish the pulp to pull away from the seeds. I then put the seeds in a large colander and rinse with water a few times until the seeds are completely clean. Once clean I usually soak in salt water for a while then drain, season as desired and put them in the oven for roasting. I usually just coat my seeds with some extra virgin olive oil (evoo) and salt. This year I have two recipes I used this year that I got off allrecipes.com.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbs butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.