Pumpkin Pudding

Hey Readers! Remember a few months ago when I was reduced to a spoon food only diet? Well, the spoon is once again my best friend.

This time it's not because I want to eat only spoon food, but because I must; I had gum surgery last week.

(Aw...thanks. Yeah, I am feeling better--it's so sweet of you to ask! No, it doesn't hurt a ton, especially not with the painkillers. Yeah, I've been eating lots of ice cream and applesauce and pudding...)

Right! Pudding! That's what I'm here to talk about.

So, here I am at home all by myself with three orders from the doctor: 1) eat spoon foods, 2) the less talking the better, and 3) no smiling or laughing.

After watching as many mediocre mid-90's movies on Netflix as I can find (mediorcre = less chance of laughing, though the mid-90's thing may cancel that out), I head to the fridge for some spoon food, and discover some leftover pumpkin.

Hmmmm, what to make with that pumpkin? I ask myself (silently of course, since I'm not talking. Not that I talk to myself out loud usually anyway...okay, I talk to myself out loud all the time, so this whole talking less thing is actually kind of difficult. Like Twitter for my mouth.)

I don't know, answers myself.

You could make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, myself says.

But then I couldn't eat them--spoon stuff only, remember?, myself replies.

Oh, right, myself grumbles.

So, no pumpkin chocolate chip cookies because no spoon, and white chocolate pumpkin fudge is out for the same reason. Pumpkin donut muffins? Nope. Pumpkin pancakes? Er...with enough syrup I could use a spoon...NO! Spoon foods only! myself insists.

Okay then, myself scoffs. No need to get snippy.

And then, as I reach for yet another Jello chocolate pudding, it dawns on me.

Pumpkin pudding! myself exclaims!

YES! Pumpkin pudding! myself agrees.

And I'm so happy at the thought of pumpkin pudding, that I break into a big gri--

Ah. That's why I'm not supposed to smile. It hurts.

But I eventually (ok, basically immediately) recover and make the pudding, and it's just what the doctor ordered.

With ingredients you probably already have on hand, this pumpkin pudding would be an easy week-before-Thanksgiving treat. Or, if you have a pie-crust phobia but don't want to deny your Thanksgiving guests the pumpkin pie experience, this pudding could be just what you need.

Lest I leave you feeling sorry for me and my spoon-only, no-smiling, less-talking state, I'll share that four days of having to choose what I eat, say, and smile at does have it's rewards. I've tried new foods, like this pudding, that I never would have tried otherwise. I've examined what's really important in my everyday chatter. And I've realized how blessed I am to have so much laughter in my life, even if I can't partake in it for a while.

Spoon-fed, silent, and smile-less, life is still good, I think to myself.


So true, myself replies. So true.


Best,
Katie

Pumpkin Pudding
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart
Makes four servings

• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon molasses (I used molasses, but next time will substitute with maple syrup...I don't care for the slight molasses taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 
  

1. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add half-and-half, egg yolks, molasses, and salt; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture starts to thicken. 

2. Add the water in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice; cook until very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.  Serve warm. For thicker, cold pudding, place pudding in bowl or small serving cups, cover with plastic wrap (to avoid a skin), and chill for at least one hour.

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

Hey chickadees,

Let's play a game. Touch your nose with your right hand if you remember the Mini Donut Muffins Beck and I made last year. Need a reminder?

Heck, even if you don't remember the Mini Donut Muffins and are too lazy to click through the link above, touch your nose anyway. Everyone can play this game.

Go on. Right hand to nose.

Very good.

Now, keeping your right hand where it is, touch your right ear with your left hand if you like pumpkin.

Now, extend your right arm out in front of you if you think the combination of Mini Donut Muffins plus pumpkin would be superb.

Yes. I know this particular move is a bit harder. Channel your inner pretzel. You can do it. Right arm out in front of you.

Very good.

Now wave your right arm up and down and make a noise like an elephant.

What?!

No, of course I wasn't trying to make you look like a fool! I was only trying to make you look like an elephant :-)  Please don't blame me--these Pumpkin Donut Muffins I made on my vacation make me do strange things.

Things like playing Twister on my parents' new multi-colored rug, eating oddly-flavored jelly beans, painting farm animals on tiny ceramic bowls, and measuring dry ingredients for baked goods very late at night after everyone else has gone to bed...

...and apparently making other people act like circus animals. I really have no idea where that whole elephant thing came from.  But really, these are bite-sized donuts, plus pumpkin, coated in butter and cinnamon and sugar. Does it get any better than that?

It's enough to make anyone go a little elephant.

Enjoy!
- Katie

Pumpkin Donut Muffins
Adapted from Blue Eyed Bakers
Makes 24 mini muffins


For Donuts:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk


For Coating:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon


1. Preheat oven 350 F.  Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray and set aside.


2. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices together and set aside.


3. In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixture and stir until just combined, careful not to over mix.


4. Fill each muffin cup with the batter. Muffin wells will be pretty full but not overflowing. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until muffins spring back when gently pressed. Let muffins cool in pans for one minute, then tip on their sides so the bottoms don't steam. After a few minutes, transfer muffins to wire racks.


5. While the muffins are cooling, melt butter in one bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another. When donuts are still hot (but not too hot to touch), dip tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately.


*Note: If you're not going to serve the muffins immediately, you can bake them up to a day in advance and store them in an airtight container. Do not coat them in the butter/cinnamon-sugar mixture until just before serving or they may get soggy. Or, use a pastry brush to brush on butter instead of dipping muffins in butter in order to use less butter. 

Butterbeer, Chocolate Wands, and Pumpkin Pasties: Harry Potter treats for a fond farewell

Becky, the Music Man, and I gathered with a friend last night to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 before we see Part 2 this evening. And what would a Harry Potter movie night be without Harry Potter themed snacks?

We made Chocolate Wands, Pumpkin Pasties, and Butterbeer. Of course, none of these things actually appear in Deathly Hallows. If we were truly sticking to the themes of Book 7, we'd be more likely to make edible Horcruxes.  I can see it now - Marvolo Gaunt Donut Rings, Gummi Worm Naginis, Chocolate Lockets, and Helga Hufflepuff-Pastry Cups.

But seriously - who wants to eat a part of Voldemort's soul?  So we'll stick to snacks from the earlier, happier installments, thank you very much!

All three of these recipes are incredibly easy. The only one that actually involves baking is the Pumpkin Pasties, and even those can be ultra-semi-homemade. 

So fear not, young witches, wizards, and Muggles. While we say goodbye to Harry and the gang on the big screen this weekend, we can always return to the kitchen (and the books!) to recreate the magic we have come to love so dearly.

-Katie

Butterbeer

Our version of Butterbeer is a cream soda float with butterscotch flavoring. Since all witches and wizards at our gathering were of age, we used butterscotch schnapps, but you could certainly stir in butterscotch sauce to get the same flavor for the underage wizards.

Per mug:

1 small scoop vanilla ice cream

1 oz butterscotch schnapps, or butterscotch ice cream topping or sauce

cream soda

Chill mugs in freezer. Scoop ice cream into mug. Pour schnapps and a small amount of cream soda into mug and stir to dissolve most of the ice cream and create the signature Butterbeer foam. Add cream soda to fill mug.

Chocolate Wands

1 package pretzel rods

1 cup chocolate chips

sprinkles

Melt chocolate chips in a mug in microwave on high in 30 second intervals. Dip pretzel rods in chocolate, sprinkle with sprinkles. Place wands in cups or mugs to harden.

Pumpkin Pasties

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk (1 12-ounce can)
Pam or butter for greasing casserole dish
9-ounce pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts) (our favorite recipe here)

Make filling*:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Stir in pumpkin, salt, and spices. Add evaporated milk and mix well.

3. Pour filling into prepared casserole dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool filling completely on a wire rack.

Make pasties:

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

5. Make or purchase pie crust pastry. Roll pastry thin and cut into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter. Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle. Fold crust over filling and firmly crimp edges closed. With a paring knife, cut three small slits in the top for venting. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 400 degrees only until crust is a light golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

*To make this recipe even easier, skip steps 1-3, instead purchasing a pumpkin pie from the grocery store. In step 5, simply scoop out filling from the pie onto the pastry circles.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge

 

Ok, so I know I posted a pumpkin recipe last week - Aunt M's amazing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. But it's November, people! I'm in pumpkin paradise!

As the lovely Kate Jackson says on her blog Framed Cooks, this fudge is pretty much "pumpkin nirvana". I couldn't agree more.

In fact, this fudge takes me to such a happy place that I feel inspired to write poetry about it:

Oh, fudge!

Pumpkin fudge!

White chocolate pumpkin fudge!

So gooey and smooth and sweet!

 

You're all I want to eat.

Your sweetness can't be beat.

I try, but can't retreat

From your flavor most complete.

 

It draws me from my seat

To eat and eat and eat

And eat and eat and eat

And eat and then repeat.

 

Oh fudge,

pumpkin fudge,

white chocolate pumpkin fudge!

How glorious a treat!

 

I find the power of this fudge even more impressive given the fact that in general, I'm not a huge fan of fudge. Moreover, I tend to shy away from any and all things white chocolate. So why do I love white chocolate pumpkin fudge so much?

Well, let's see. We've had our poetry lesson for the day. How about some math?

What do you get when you subtract the fudge and white chocolate from white chocolate pumpkin fudge?

Oh, yeah! Pumpkin! (That was an easy one.)

 

The P-meister is definitely the key ingredient here. The savoriness of the pumpkin counteracts a bit of the sweetness in the chocolate, sugar, and fluff that come together in just about any fudge recipe. I'm not saying that this fudge isn't sweet - because oh man, it is - but the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice make the resulting sweet headache more than worth it.

What I also love about this recipe is its color. As you make it, the mixture goes from a milky cream to a bright and frothy orange, then calms down to a silky and smooth pastel baby orange. So pretty, you almost don't want to eat it.

But then you do. And pumpkin paradise is had. You're welcome.

-Becky

 

White Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge

Adapted from Recipe Girl via Framed

3 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
12 oz package white chocolate morsels
7 oz jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped walnuts, plus another 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line 9″ square pan with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick spray.

2. Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3½ quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft ball stage).

3. Remove from heat and quickly stir in remaining ingredients until well blended.

4. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining walnuts on top and press down slightly. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The story of these cookies starts in the fall of 1988.

That was the fall our Uncle S got married and Katie and I got to be flower girls. Is there anything in life a five year-old girl wants more? No sir!

It was a simple wedding - just two attendants, flower girls with wreathes in their hair, and an outdoor reception at the bride's childhood home. Looking back on that day, I remember so many things - the cool breeze in the air, the slightly sticky feel of the bouquet in my hands, and how funny it looked to see my dad and grandpa dressed up in suits. I thought it was one of the most beautiful days of my whole (though as of yet, rather short) life.

Of course, the most important part of that day was what we all gained from it - a new member of the family.

I've looked up to my Aunt M ever since that day - a woman who didn't mind that her husband's best man was a woman; whose family welcomed our family into theirs; and whose own wedding spoke of her overall approach to life - simple, and in its simplicity, beautiful.

Aunt M, for example, makes homemade gift tags for Christmas presents. She serves AMAZING homemade soup and sandwiches at family gatherings. And she's not afraid to speak her mind or ask a question that needs to be asked. These are small, but important things.

It was at a family gathering a few years after Uncle S and Aunt M's wedding that I first "met" Aunt M's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Now, mind you, it was the chocolate that tempted me, not the pumpkin - autumn squash isn't exactly what a kid looks for in her sweets. But one bite and I was hooked. You might say that on that day, Aunt M and her family of baking women set the bar against which I would someday measure my own baking prowess. Excellence, indeed.

  

To me, these cake-like cookies say "autumn is here", and "everything is better with chocolate chips", and "you know you can't resist me so just give in and eat me now".

But they also remind me that goodness and beauty are found in simplicity. Like Aunt M and Uncle S's wedding, it's the love you put into it, not the fancy-schmancy-ness that counts. This recipe is one of the simplest I've ever encountered, and the cookies are ready to devour in less than an hour. And devour them you will.

I always say that I get a lot of my baking skills from Aunt M, and even though we're technically not blood relatives, I'm proud to call this a family recipe. You're a lucky man, Uncle S, a mighty lucky man, indeed, and I thank you for bringing such a wonderful person into our lives.

In tribute to you and Aunt M, I shall now eat a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie (or maybe two or three). Join me!

-Becky

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Family recipe via Aunt M

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon cream or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 to 1.5 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Using a mixer on low speed, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg in a large bowl (or,  just stir with a wooden spoon).
 

3. Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and blend until well combined.

4. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Spoon heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets 2.5 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until bottoms brown ever so slightly and top doesn't dent when pressed with a knife.

6. Cool cookies on cookie sheet one minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in airtight container up to five days.