An Ode to Pumpkin part II

My parents came over for supper on Friday and my mom brought Pumpkin Pie! It reminded me that I needed to write about my favorite pumpkin dessert recipes!

Baking with pumpkin (or squash for that matter) usually requires pureed pumpkin, which can be easily done with the roasted flesh and a hand blender. "Pumpkin Pack" is indeed better as Valerie commented on my last post, but using it with all its juices is doable as long as you play with the amount of liquid. In my all time favorite pumpkin dessert (you guessed it, my mom's pie) we use the roasted flesh as is, neither blended or packed (the recipe requires blending later). Here it is in all it's glory....

Mom's Pumpkin Pie

serve this baby cold and slathered with whipped cream...yummy! For you guys watching your weight, replace the brown sugar by Splenda, place the mix in a ramekin for a crust less pie and top it with dream whip or sugar free cool whip (or is it fat free?).

Pumpkin Bread

I modified this recipe to get the above. I cut some fat and added spices mainly. It's wonderfully dark and rich because of added molasses and reminds us slightly of gingerbread. You can ice it with orange cream cheese icing, or eat it warm as is or with a little butter! Nom nom.

Pumpkin "Butter"

I have usually made this with squash in the past (buttercup or pepper) but its intended use is for pumpkin - just that pumpkin is not available year round and this recipe requires it cubed and raw... with a lot of maple syrup which is much cheaper in the spring! It is delicious on toast, on social tea like cookies, on Kath's banana whipped oatmeal (as is pumpkin itself!) and mixed with yogurt and I am assuming, on ice cream! I gave little jars of this on my wedding day as a favor...they were a big hit!

You can also use pumpkin to bake muffins or cookies and even use it in pancakes and oats for breakfast. I have also used pumpkin purée to replace applesauce in cake recipes... like this AMAZING carrot cake (the replacing wasn't my idea, but It's a great idea!) which I also made and iced with Orange Cream cheese icing for my Mom's birthday... It doesn't taste like pumpkin, but it adds a moistness to it.

Last but not least, I would like to point you towards Valerie's blog La Grignoteuse for her delectable Pumpkin and orange preserve... It is truly amazing! So that wraps up my love for pumpkin... What do you guys do with it?