Yummy Fall Recipes

I was looking through some apple recipes and happened to remember that Linette had shared some great recipes last fall.

Go here for some great recipes using apples and pumpkin! (And if you know Linette, you know you can expect some good eating if she recommends it!)

Spiced Pumpkin Butter

4 cups pumpkin puree or two 15 oz cans pumpkin
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
In large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat. Stir frequently for about 30 minutes until thick. (Be careful as mixture can spatter and if so, lower heat.) Cool.
Refrigerate for up to a week or place in containers and freeze.

We enjoy pumpkin butter on crusty homemade bread or pancakes. I'm sure you could find other uses. The spices can be adjusted to suit you taste.


We just arrived home tonight from a few days of camping. Last night we were making mountain pies and Ed spread pumpkin butter, peanut butter and placed two marshmallows in his mountain pie. The combination of flavors was awesome!

For more ideas on using pumpkin - go to Tammy's Recipes Recipe Swap.

Pumpkin Squares with Cider Caramel Sauce

With a cold glass of apple cider, this recipe was some good fall eating!

from Family Fun Magazine with a few adaptions

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup oil
2 cup pumpkin puree (or 15 oz can)
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cool.

Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
2/3 cup apple cider
2 T butter

In pan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add cider.
Cook over medium heat until just boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickens, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add butter.

To serve, cut cake and top with a drizzle of warm sauce.

For more pumpkin recipes go to the In-Season Recipe Swap at Tammy's Recipes.

Golden Pear Cake

I love recipes using in season produce. I found this cake recipe in the Traditional Home magazine. Not only was it simple to make, and an elegant dessert, our family thought it was absolutely delicious! If you have a few pears languishing in the back of the fridge. Give it a try! It may even work with canned pears, if you have no other option!

This cake is similar to an upside-down pineapple cake. The recipe is begun in a cast-iron or oven-proof skillet, then finished in the oven. Upon completion, the cake is inverted to a serving platter. I enjoyed using my favorite Griswold cast-iron skillet that came from Ed's grandmother. This pan sees daily use in my kitchen. I love that it is a family heirloom that we can use without diminishing it's value. (Unlike the Hitchcock dining room chairs, which came from Ed's other grandmother, which may not survive our children!)

If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, just make the brown sugar-butter mixture in a sauce pan, pour into a 9-inch round cake pan, and proceed with the recipe.

Golden Pear Cake

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Melt butter in 9-inch cast-iron or oven proof skillet. Stir in brown sugar. Cook and stir until sugar is melted and bubbly. Cool.

3 or 4 pears, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced

Arrange pear slices in skillet.

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk

Beat butter and sugar until combined. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Stir in dry ingredients with milk until just combined. Spoon batter over pears.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.
Loosen cake from pan. Invert onto serving plate.
Enjoy warm or cold!

How to Cook a Pumpkin

Buying a can of pumpkin at the store is a simple way to make a pumpkin pie. But for us "make it yourself" cooks, starting with a big hard vegetable is the way to go! It really isn't hard, just takes a little time.
First wash the pumpkin. Or winter squash. Use a pumpkin that is good for eating.

In these photos, you'll see three small Red Kuri winter squash that are similar to the Hubbard squash. I bought the seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Their selection of squashes is amazing! And overwhelming!

Do not peel the pumpkin. Pumpkin flesh is hard, if they have been cured properly. I'm sure I would cut myself if I tried to peel a pumpkin - and there is an easier solution! Cook before peeling!

Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds. Lay the pumpkin skin side up on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or so.

Allow to cool enough to easily handle.

Now you can easily peel off the skin - or just scoop out the pulp.

Place in a blender and puree.

Sometimes I need to add a small amount of water so that it blends properly.

Use the puree just like canned pumpkin in recipes. I have found that cooked pumpkin spoils quickly. If I don't plan to use it within three days, I freeze in 1 or 2 cup portions. I've also pressure canned pumpkin, but this year I am nearly out of jars.

The skin and seeds may not look appealing to your, but our chickens think it is wonderful!
The final product form my pumpkin puree was pumpkin bread, muffins and pumpkin pie squares! And none of this went to the chickens!

What to do with Pumpkins!

Photo: Baby Pam pumpkins (also called pie pumkins)

Last fall, my daughter asked if we could grow pumpkins! It was a little late for last year, but I put pumpkins on the list for this year! I ended up growing four different kinds of pumpkins/winter squash. And they ALL grew well!!!

Photo: Red Kuri squash

I was hoping for a good crop as any extra pumpkins I could always feed to the chickens. They have devoured all of our extra produce that we have given them this summer. They weren't thrilled with green beans but gobbled up the zucchini, tomatoes, and kale. Pear and peach skins they eat like candy. The chickens even pick watermelon rinds clean! So I figure they will eat pumpkins, too and save on feed costs.
Photo: Green and white striped cushaws - a popular winter squash in our area.

You all were so good at giving me ideas for using kale and zucchini, I thought maybe you would do the same for pumpkin! I have some favorite recipes that I'll share but I would love to try your recipes as well! I'd especially like to see some main dish recipes featuring pumpkin/winter squash! Thanks!
Photo: Sweet Dumpling acorn squash

Applesauce Bread Pudding

When I bake bread, I usually make about seven loaves at a time. I like to slice all the loaves before freezing the bread for convenience later. Usually I separate the loaf ends or heels to use to make bread crumbs, filling, croutons, or bread pudding!

Bread pudding is one of the ways our grandmothers used up old stale bread. I imagine in the days before Tupperware and plastic bags, stale bread was more common then today. But stale bread or not, our family enjoys bread pudding, especially for breakfast. Recently I was able to acquire my grandmother's copy of the More-with-Less Cookbook. I have enjoyed looking through it and reading some of my grandmother's notations. I found this version of bread pudding that we think is even better then my former recipes! I like to make it up the day before and refrigerate overnight so it is all ready to go for breakfast. Here is the recipe with a few Gina adjustments!

Applesauce Bread Pudding

In greased 9 inch square pan, arrange
4 slices of bread, cubed

Combine:

2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Spread over bread. Top with
4 additional slices of dry bread, cubed

Beat together:

2 eggs
2 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
dash of nutmeg

Pour over bread.

Optional: Top with 1/2 cup applesauce and sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.
Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.

Note: I added extra bread and left the topping off. (I'm nearly out of applesauce.) Next time I may spread it in a 9x13 pan so that it takes less time to bake.