Not Your Mother's Pumpkin Pie

Searching for the perfect “make ahead” dessert the other day, I came across a luscious recipe for Freezer Pumpkin Pie, once again found on the Allrecipes website. Not only could I make it a couple days before a dinner party I was hosting, but boy did this come together quickly. The only rate limiting step was waiting for the pie crust to cool down. I changed a couple things on the recipe though: I used graham crackers instead of ginger snaps, and a combination of walnuts and pecans for the crust. Everything about this recipe was nice and easy, and the end result was a huge hit with my friends. The ice cream mixture really did have the flavors of delicious pumpkin pie filling and the nutty crust was scrumptious! I liked this so much that I’m already thinking about serving this for Thanksgiving dessert rather than the traditional pumpkin pie. This tasted exceptionally yummy with some whipped cream on top too. Enjoy! (click here for the recipe).

Any Time Pumpkin Bread

I used to think that baking pumpkin bread was reserved only for the fall baking season, or for holiday gift-giving, but that silly notion was immediately put to rest after I started making this delicious, lowfat pumpkin bread. It's from a recipe I found on the Allrecipes website which uses applesauce in place of any oil or butter. Now I know you might be thinking that the lack of fat must also equal lack of taste, right? Wrong! This bread comes out as moist, tender, and rich in flavor as any full-fat quick bread I've ever made before. In fact, friends who have tasted this bread cannot believe it's actually "low fat", and usually, I just don't tell them. See for yourself and bake some of this luscious pumpkin bread. You'll make your tummy and your waist line very happy, and you don't even have to wait til Christmas or fall to do it. Enjoy! (click here for the recipe)

I Am Thankful For...

all of you who have visited my humble food blog and have left me such supportive and sweet comments. Today I'm fortunate enough to be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with the people I love and I hope you will do the same.
Enjoy your day!
P.S. : If you have some free time this weekend (and you're not too stuffed), give this delicious gingerbread cupcake recipe a try. It's from Peabody's website and it totally "tastes like fall!" (a direct quote from my boyfriend after he took a bite). I topped the pumpkin cream cheese frosting with some crystallized ginger. Enjoy! (Click here for the recipe).

A Pumpkin Treat

I’m a sucker when it comes to pumpkin desserts so when Anna from Cookie Madness posted this recipe for marbled pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes, I was sold! Doesn’t the name of these just make your mouth water? The way they turned out reminded me of a pumpkin version of black bottom cupcakes. The cupcake was moist and not too sweet, and the combination of the cream cheese and the pumpkin flavor was pretty darn good. I added one-half teaspoon of pumpkin spice in place of the allspice and nutmeg that the recipe called for.
I personally think they make the perfect quick breakfast to go with a big mug of coffee (or hot cocoa).

Pumpkin Risotto

When I saw that Sathya and Elizabeth from The Baker and The Currymaker were hosting their first ever blogging event, The Risotto Relay, I knew I wanted to join in on the challenge. I have never made risotto before and wanted to give it a try. Since it's now a new season and autumn always conjures up images of Halloween and pumpkins for me, why not make a pumpkin risotto? I love pumpkin...in pie, bread, muffins, and yes, now even risotto! And since I happen to keep my cupboard pretty well-stocked with canned pumpkin puree, this recipe was really a breeze to prepare. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time in the cooking process though; risotto requires lots of attention and plenty of stirring! I found this recipe on the website, verybestbaking.com. The end result was a creamy, delicious, rich risotto with a subtle pumpkin flavor. Someone summed up risotto this way: it is elegant comfort food. I'd have to agree.

Something Even My Trainer Would Eat!

I love oatmeal. I often eat it for breakfast, sometimes I even snack on it (straight-up, right from the box, just remember to chase it down with lots of water), and I particularly like cooking with it (as in, oatmeal cookies!).
Another person who really loves her oatmeal is my fitness trainer, S. I diligently meet with her once a week for our one hour work out. Even at 5am, she’s got to be the most bubbly and energetic person I know. She's a huge fan of oatmeal and for the last several years of knowing her, she has enthusiastically touted the wonderful health benefits that this grain has to offer. S ought to know too. She's a body builder with a killer physique and practices her philosophy of healthful living every day of her life. So, when I took out my trusty oats-only cookbook called Oat Cuisine (don't you just love that title?), I searched for something that would make S proud and something that would make my taste buds happy.
This recipe for Pumpkin Bran Muffins sang out to me. I substituted applesauce for the oil to make it even healthier and brought a batch of these to S one morning. She not only loved how they tasted but asked me for the recipe too!
So simple to throw together, they make a wonderful snack or a quick breakfast when you don't have time to make that big bowl of oatmeal.
Just bake a bunch and freeze them for the week ahead. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Oat Muffins (adapted from Oat Cuisine by Bobbie Hinmann)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 and 1/3 cup wheat bran
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinammon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup canned pumpkin--get the kind that has no sugar added to it, just plain pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange rind
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; lightly grease 10 muffin cups with a nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients together and make a well in the center.
3. Mix the pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and orange rind together well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and mix until blended (do not overmix the batter).
5. Stir in the raisins if using.
5. Evenly scoop the batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
7. Remove muffins to a rack and cool.
Yields 12 muffins.