do you see all of those pumpkins and squash on my front porch??? they are from our garden and there used to be a lot more of them. do you know what happened to them??? well, i am obsessed with cooking with them. (remember i was obsessed with canning too - by the way - right now i am making apple juice). there are a couple of things that i have recognized about myself. i love to cook and bake, especially new recipes, especially in the cool fall air. the other thing is that i think i was raised during the depression in a previous life because i hate to see anything waste. anyway, here are a few of the recipes that i have tried (and liked) lately.
spiced pumpkin waffles (source: chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com)
1 1/2 C flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch salt
2 eggs
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 C pumpkin puree (i used sweetmeat squash)
1 2/3 C milk
4 T butter, melted and cooled
directions:
1. mix together flour, baking powder and soda, spices and salt in a large bowl.
2. in a second bowl, add eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk and butter; beat well.
3. gently fold in the flour mixture.
4. cook according to your waffle iron directions.
5. serve with maple syrup or honey butter.
winter squash rolls (source: allrecipes.com)
1 1/2 C pureed winter squash (i used sweetmeat)
1 C scalded milk
2 T yeast
1/2 C warm water
6 C flour
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 C shortening (i used half canola oil and half butter)
directions:
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees. in a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. in a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt. stir in the yeast mixture, shortening, squash and milk. mix well. stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. when the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes (i am lazy so i use my kitchen aid). lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. divide the dough into twelve equal pieces (or more - makes 12 big rolls) and form into rounds. place the rounds in a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan. cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
4. bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
pumpkin muffins
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or your own combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C pumpkin (i used sweetmeat squash)
1/3 C oil
2 large eggs
1 1/4 C sugar
1/2 C coconut (optional)
preheat oven to 350 degrees. line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
in a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. in a different bowl whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar. stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. do not over mix. stir in coconut. scoop batter into muffin cups, dividing evenly.
bake 20-25 minutes.
spaghetti squash pie or mock coconut pie (source: allrecipes.com)
makes 2 pies
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1/4 c butter, melted
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
3 c cooked, shredded spaghetti squash
2 (9 inch) pie shells, baked
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
whipped cream
directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. beat the sugar and eggs together in a mixing bowl until light and frothy. beat in the butter, lemon juice, and vanilla until well blended. stir in the spaghetti squash. pour the mixture into the prebaked pie shell. if desired, dust the top with the nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. bake the pie for 40-45 minutes, until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. garnish with whipped cream if desired.
this last recipe, i don't have a picture for, sorry. it basically looks like a cooked pumpkin :)
dinner in a pumpkin (adapted from a recipe given to me by vanessa - thanks vaness!)
small to medium pumpkin
2 T oil
1 chopped onion (optional)
garlic (optional)
1 1/2 to 2 pounds hamburger or sausage (i used a low-fat sausage)
2 T soy sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup (98% fat free) with 1/2 can of water
1 1/2 C cooked rice
1 can sliced, drained water chestnuts
slivered almonds
crunchy chinese noodles
1. cut off top of pumpkin and clean out seeds and pulp
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. add meat and brown. drain.
3. add soy sauce, soup and water. add cooked rice, water chestnuts and almonds.
4. spoon into the pumpkin shell. replace top and place on baking sheet. bake until pumpkin is tender. may take 1-3 hours.
5. serve with crunchy noodles.
all these recipes have been really good. even those that seem really weird (like the spaghetti squash pie - what the heck!?!). give them a try and let me know what you think.
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