Start Using....Pumpkins!

One of the things I love about Fall is the Plethora of Pumpkins. Seriously, they are EVERYWHERE. Of course, they are fun to carve and use as decorations but my favorite thing to do with pumpkins is.....cook. Suprised? Hehe. The pumpkin is a marvelous vegetable that is low in calories and fat and full of beta-carotene (an antioxidant) and potassium. It's seeds are also loaded with other goodies such as, protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and essential fatty acids. Oh, and they taste good, thats the most important part :) I must admit, I usually use canned pumpkin in my recipes but have been reading up on how to cook and store fresh pumpkins. Anyway, I wanted to share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes with you....hope you enjoy! Also, please feel free to share any of yours in the comments section.

Another quick note...Dave finally got a spare moment and was able to blog about our weekend ride.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Roll

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and slat in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Toasty Pumpkin Waffles with Maple Cranberry Butter

1 cup all-purpose flour (or wheat)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1-1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
4-1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped pecans
MAPLE CRANBERRY BUTTER:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup butter, softened
Additional maple syrup, optional

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, pumpkin and butter; stir into dry ingredients until blended. Fold in pecans. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine cranberries and syrup. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small mixing bowl; cool slightly. Beat in butter until blended. Serve waffles with maple cranberry butter and syrup if desired. Refrigerate or freeze leftover butter.

Vanilla Pumpkin Pie

*I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie...but I really like this one*

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, flour, salt vanilla and cinnamon. Pour filling into pie shell.
Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) then turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking 40 more minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

*This is a yummy one I stole from Emmy's page*

1 lb. penne pasta

2 tbsp. butter

1 onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and cream and bring to a boil. Return the pasta to the pot along with the reserved pasta cooking water and toss. Stir in the parmesan; season with salt and pepper.Top the pasta with the parsley and more parmesan.

Pumpkin Gobs

1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla.
Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon into the pumpkin mixture. Blend until combined.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 14 minutes. Let cookies cool completely then sandwich two cookies together with Cream Cheese Filling.

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

*my sister-in-law introduced me to these a couple of years ago. So yummy and so easy. Great to make with kids*

2 boxes spice cake mix
1 lg jar pumpkin
1 bag chocolate chips

Combine ingredients and place on cookie sheet in heaping teaspoons. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350.

Black bean 'n' pumpkin Chili

*I recomend adding just a little bit of hot sauce to this one*

1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through.

Pumpkin and Gingerbread Trifle

2 packages (14-1/2 ounces each) gingerbread cake mix
1 package (4.6 ounces) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 can (29 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

Prepare and bake gingerbread according to package directions, using two greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Meanwhile, for pudding, in a large saucepan, combine pudding mix and milk; stir until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Combine pumpkin and brown sugar; stir into pudding. In a 4-qt. glass serving bowl, crumble one gingerbread cake; gently press down. Top with half of pudding mixture and whipped topping. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Yield: 25 servings (1 cup each).

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 pinch salt

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.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses and orange peel. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture just until blended. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. For topping, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.