Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread

I can usually tell the winter holidays are nigh based on my desire to bake. Not that I don’t enjoy baking, but there’s always the inevitable eating (and over-eating) that occurs with an abundance of baked goods around. With a day-long meeting and a baby shower at church, I decided to provide an outlet for my compulsion while I had an avenue for sharing. My poor KitchenAid mixer has been gathering dust since Joe and I have been eating more of a Paleo diet, so I selected this recipe from the Penzey’s catalog.

In a frenzy of kitchen-purging, I got rid of all but one loaf pan, so I improvised and made one loaf and 12 muffins. The muffins took about 20 minutes to bake. At church, people enjoyed the addition of the cranberries, though I used dry because I couldn’t find fresh that week. I do love pumpkin and the texture of baked goods that include it, and I couldn’t let an opportunity to do some rare baking pass by.

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread
source: Penzey’s
Yields: 24 servings

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp grated orange rind
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 15 oz can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one. Add the vanilla, pumpkin, and dry mixture approximately 1/2 cup at a time, alternating between the pumpkin and dry mixture until all is combined. Stir in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter between two 8x4 1/2 inch greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350-degrees for 55-65 minutes (or 20-25 minutes for muffins).

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin is normally more of a fall thing, but we had a warmer December and I had some cans of pumpkin in the cabinet that I never ended up using during prime pumpkin season. Abby posted that she had made this recipe from Make it Naked, which put it on my radar as something quick and easy for a weeknight meal. In between fun social gatherings that always centered around food, I was glad to have a home cooked, lighter meal to break up the heavy restaurant food. When I gave Joe the choice of cheesy beer bread or cornbread as an accompaniment, he quickly picked the beer bread. It took considerably longer for the beer bread to bake than did the soup.

I used Penzey’s hot curry powder (my favorite) to up the heat, so ours had quite a kick, though you can adjust the cayenne based on how spicy you like it. The Greek yogurt also has a cooling effect.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup
source: Make it Naked
Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
15 ounces pumpkin puree
6 ounces light coconut milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, for garnish (optional)
Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent. Stirring occasionally as not to burn the garlic. Stir in the spices. Cook for at least one minute letting the spices get aromatic.
2. Add the pumpkin. Whisk in the broth. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stir.
4. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and chopped herbs. Add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Tamale Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread

On Monday, I turned in my baby – my senior seminar project that I’ve been working on all semester. Sunday, it snowed. And Monday, I braved the icy roads to print out two copies of that project and hand it in. Not coincidentally, Monday was also the first night I made dinner in quite some time. This had been on the menu for a couple of days but kept getting pushed back in favor of something easier, like Chinese take-out. Or bourbon. Just kidding about the bourbon.

But this dinner was worth waiting for. Once I started chopping onions and bell peppers, I got in the cooking zone. Even Joe remarked how good it was, and it’s been a while since he’s complimented me on a vegetarian meal. The filling is well-seasoned and hearty, and the cornbread is tender and moist. The cinnamon particularly makes for a fragrant and unexpected addition.

 

Tamale Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread
source: Veggie by Season

Ingredients

1 package Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. skim milk
1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin
1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 ears of corn kernels or 1 c. frozen corn kernels
1 yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with jalapeños
2 c. cooked pinto beans
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper

Garnishes:
Chopped cilantro
Grated Cheddar
Sour Cream/Greek yogurt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350*
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. EVOO, peppers, onion and garlic.
Season with salt and pepper, saute' for 10 minutes, until vegetables have softened. While veggies cook, in a mixing bowl whisk together egg, milk, pumpkin and honey.
Add cornbread mix, sprinkle of cayenne, and stir until mixture just comes together.
Drain tomatoes and add to vegetables along with the corn.
Add beans and spices to vegetables, stir well and taste, adjust seasonings.
Pour the cornbread topping over the vegetable mixture and spread to the edges of the skillet. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown and set.
Spoon into a dish and serve with garnishes.

Pumpkin-White Bean Shepherd’s Pie

I seem to be about a season behind in the kitchen. Somehow, I made it through a relatively warm fall with a stash of pumpkin with which I kept meaning to bake and cook. Now that winter has reared its freezing cold head, I’m finally digging into it, particularly since quite a few of the recipes I had bookmarked call for pumpkin. All of this to explain why I’m using pumpkin in December.

After completely OD’ing on meat on vacation, I’m rediscovering my desire to take very seriously my move to pescetarianism. Though this recipe originally called for ground turkey, I subbed Morningstar Crumbles. With everything else in there, you hardly notice them anyway. Of course, when Joe asked me what I had added, and I responded, “Textured vegetable protein!”, he didn’t seem quite as excited. If you avoid fake meats, eggplant or additional mushrooms would be a good substitution.

As you might remember, I am a big fan of comforting winter meals that aren’t crazy heavy and loaded with starch and butter. Using the pumpkin-white bean puree really lightens up the typical mashed potato topping of Shepherd’s Pie. For a seemingly heavy meal, this was surprisingly light, while still being creamy and delicious.

Pumpkin-White Bean Shepherd’s Pie
source: Cara’s Cravings 
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 10 oz package baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 package Morningstar Crumbles or 1 lb ground turkey
freshly ground salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
14 oz can diced tomatoes
10 oz baby spinach
1 15oz can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup cooked cannellini beans
1 oz grated pecorino romano cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Heat a olive oil in a 9-10" cast iron or other oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for two minutes, until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes more, until they have released their moisture. Add the minced garlic and veggie crumbles. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes, until crumbles are no longer frozen. Mix in the Herbs de Provence, tomato and paste, and flour; mix to coat well. Raise the heat to high, and add the diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, letting it wilt down.Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Meanwhile, puree the pumpkin or squash together with the white beans. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture over the filling in the skillet. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, until hot and bubbling around the edges. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for 5-10 minutes more, until lightly browned.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Over the years, we’ve developed a tradition when my mother-in-law comes to visit from Wisconsin bearing brats and cheese. It started out with just us and my parents and has grown into a full Bratfest. Since she came to visit this weekend, we prepped the house, invited some friends over, and stocked the fridge with beer for a full-blown party. Our cat loves when people come to visit him, so he was waiting patiently for everyone to show up.

Usually we ask people to bring sides and dessert, but I spotted a chance to break in my brand-new stand mixer. After browsing through recipes for layer cakes and perusing baking blogs, it hit me. A pumpkin cheesecake would be the perfect addition to our Bratfest. The only problem is that I had never made a cheesecake before, a minor detail in my mind.

Thursday night, I tackled the cheesecake, carefully pressing the graham cracker crust into place in my virgin 9” springform pan, pressing the water out of canned pumpkin, and letting that stand mixer go to town on the cream cheese. At the same time, I had Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup in the slow-cooker and was whipping up some beer bread. This, unfortunately, made things a little complicated. When it rose, the beer bread was caught on the broiler, and I kept having to open the oven while the cheesecake was in there to deal with the beer bread. After the cheesecake was finished, there was the beginning of a crack that started to spread across the top. Fortunately, I had whipped cream leftover, and, never one to let a chance to use that beautiful stand mixer go to waste, I whipped it right up and spread it over the top.

The cheesecake itself was delicious, like pumpkin pie in cheesecake form. Everyone at Bratfest enjoyed it, and even though it was rich, it tasted light and creamy on the tongue. I foresee more cheesecakes in my future, as long as I have friends to help me eat them!

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
source: Annie’s Eats

Ingredients
For the crust:
5 oz. graham crackers, broken into large pieces
3 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
1 1/3 cups (10 1/3 oz.) sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325˚ F and place an oven rack in the lower-middle position.  Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan tightly with two pieces of foil.  Spray the inside of the pan lightly with cooking spray.  To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and spices in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to process until evenly and finely ground.  Add the melted butter to the bowl and pulse again until the crumbs are evenly moistened.  Transfer the crumbs to the prepared springform pan and press firmly into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake until fragrant and browned at the edges, about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 30 minutes.  Set the pan inside a larger roasting pan.

Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil; maintain at a simmer.  To make the filling, combine the sugar, spices and salt in a small bowl; whisk to blend and set aside.  Line a work surface with a triple layer of towels.  Spread the pumpkin on the towels and cover with a second triple layer of towels.  Press firmly until the towels are saturated with excess liquid.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and softened, about 1 minute.  Add about a third of the sugar-spice mixture to the bowl and beat at medium-low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and repeat, adding the remaining sugar mixture in two additions.  Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and lemon juice; beat at medium speed until blended, about 45 seconds.  Add 3 of the eggs and mix on medium-low until incorporated; repeat with the remaining two eggs.  Add the heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds.  Use a rubber spatula to give the mixture a final stir by hand.

Pour the filling into the springform pan, over the crust.  Smooth the top.  Pour enough simmering water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.  Bake until the cake is slightly wobbly when the pan is shaken and the center reads 150˚ F on an instant-read thermometer, about 90 minutes.  Transfer the roasting pan to a wire rack and cool until the water is just warm, about 45 minutes.  Remove the springform pan from the water bath, discard the foil, and run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake.  Cool until barely warm, about 3 hours.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan.  Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the bottom of the pan to loosen.  Transfer to a serving platter.  Garnish with candied pecans and whipped cream as desired.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Pumpkin Pancakes for One

Let’s talk about breakfast for just a minute. You know, the most important meal of the day? I’ve never been one to skip a meal and have always been a breakfast eater, mostly of the cereal variety. Lately I’ve come to the conclusion that I have to have some protein at breakfast, which usually comes in the form of Greek yogurt or soy milk. I can’t do solely doughnuts or pancakes or waffles for breakfast. No matter how much I eat, it always seems like I’m hungry a few hours later.

Pancakes are not a weekday breakfast. Pancakes are for lazy Saturdays and sleeping in and drinking cups of coffee. Except for these pancakes. They’re quick, easy to mix together, and only make two large-ish pancakes, perfect for breakfast for one. And you only dirty two bowls and one pan. For my protein fix, I had some Morningstar veggie sausage patties on the side. There isn’t a ton of sugar in these so I don’t feel like I’m on some kind of sugar-high after eating them. They’re just moist and full of those wonderful fall flavors. I topped mine with some plain yogurt and a drizzle of agave nectar, but feel free to go all-out and use butter and maple syrup. If you’re not a big nutmeg fan, reduce it to 1/8 of a tsp or leave it out altogether because the nutmeg flavor is very strong.

Do you eat different breakfasts on the weekends vs. the weekdays?

Pumpkin Pancakes for One
source: Cate’s World Kitchen

Ingredients

1/4 cup pumpkin
1 egg white
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Preparation

Stir the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger together in a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white, pumpkin, and buttermilk. Stir into the dry ingredients and stir just enough to moisten everything (there will still be a few lumps).

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and spray with nonstick spray. Pour half the batter into the preheated pan and cook until bubbles appear on the top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook an additional minute or two. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with maple syrup.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Another year, another pumpkin shortage, or so it seems. Now that October has rolled in, I’ve begun to get a bit impatient. When I do remember to check for canned pumpkin at the grocery store, I have yet to find any, and other bloggers are making me crazy with their pumpkin oats and pumpkin bread. I’m craving last year’s turkey pumpkin chili and creamy pumpkin penne pasta.

Being a student, I don’t have a lot of time to drive around town and look for canned pumpkin, but I DO have the time to sit at home and roast my own pumpkins to make pumpkin puree. That might sound counter-intuitive, but I worked on my senior project this weekend and this project kept me from throwing the computer against the wall at times (like when the search function went down on the Episcopal Archives site and none of my links would work. Praise the Lord for Google caching everything.) Plus, how awesome is it to make your own pumpkin puree? I felt like I was in a Laura Ingalls Wilder novel, you know, if they had a food processor in that little house on the prairie.

Whether you can’t find pumpkin readily or you’re concerned about the BPA in the liners of canned goods, making your own pumpkin puree is a good option. The hardest part was scraping out the seeds and pulp, but then you can roast the seeds for later. I’m looking forward to some roasted with Mexican spices on my salads this week for lunch.

First, you’ll need some pie (or sugar) pumpkins which are readily available at most grocery stores and farmers markets this time of year. Make sure you don’t get ones with a bunch of lacquer on the outside. Those are for decoration. And the ones for carving might prove difficult to roast and are not as tasty.

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.

 

Cut the stems off the top of the pumpkins. That will help you stabilize the pumpkins when you cut them pumpkins in half. Scoop out all of the pumpkin guts. I like to use a grapefruit spoon. It’s a little small, but the little teeth really help in getting out all the pulp. Throw away or rinse the pulp off of the seeds so you can roast them later.

Place the pumpkins face-down on a rimmed baking sheet or shallow pan with enough water to have a 1/4 inch depth. Roast these babies for 60-90 minutes. Mine were done at about 60, but you want to make sure the flesh is really soft. A reminder: all of that water can cause quite a bit of steam, so if you’re wearing your glasses when you open the oven, you won’t be able to see anything. Not that I know from personal experience or anything.

While you wait for the pumpkin to cool, go write another page of your paper, shift your laundry from the washer to the dryer, and get another glass of water. Or do whatever you need to do. When the pumpkin flesh no longer burns your fingers, scoop it into your food processor and give it a whirl for a few minutes.

To get that thick canned pumpkin texture, I lined a mesh sieve with coffee filters, but you can use cheesecloth or paper towels or even a clean pillowcase. The fresh pumpkin will keep for a few days, but unless you have some really heavy-duty baking planned, you’ll probably want to freeze them in 1 cup portions or so.

Voila! You have just succeeded in sticking it to the man who withholds canned pumpkin from the shelves.

source: Pennies on a Platter

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

I didn't actually make this. You see, last week Joe worked the night shift, so our time together was short or non-existent. The original plan was that Joe would help chop things up and then I would get home and make it, but time was of the essence, so he went ahead and followed the recipe. He did a wonderful job, and I hope that he'll take the lead more often in the kitchen!

Like most chilis, this was better the second day. I loved the hint of cinnamon and thought it brought out the pumpkin flavor. I thought it looked a little thick, so I added about a cup of pumpkin beer just to thin it out slightly. There is nothing quite like coming home to a delicious pot of chili on the stove!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili
source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium sized peppers, diced
1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 small can diced green chili peppers
15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
14 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can pumpkin puree, or 2 cups homemade

Preparation

Spray a large pot with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until just softened. Add the garlic and bell peppers, and cook about 5 minutes more until tender. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano.

Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes to blend flavors.

Or, just brown the turkey with the seasonings and combine with remaining ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with your favorite chili toppings - cilantro, green onion, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Last year I made this pumpkin chocolate chip bread over and over again because I loved it so much. So this year I wanted to try some other recipes before I reverted to the old one. I trusted Elise at Simply Recipes to guide me, and I was not disappointed. Allspice is quickly becoming a favorite spice of mine, and this bread has a healthy dose of it. I asked Joe which bread he liked better, and he said that he would have to do a side-by-side comparison. I love the walnuts in this as well, though it probably isn't as healthy as the pumpkin chocolate chip bread with it's 1/2 cup of oil.

Pumpkin Bread
source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée*
1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.

Creamy Pumpkin Penne

I keep thinking that this picture looks a little orange and then remembering that it IS orange. I believe that this was my first savory dish using pumpkin, and I am a fan. The richness of the blended cottage cheese makes this sauce seem a lot more indulgent than it actually is. I switched out the chicken sausage for some mild Italian sausage links that I needed to use, so it isn't quite as healthy as the original. If you do this, cook the sausage through before adding the garlic and onions. The spinach is a great addition for color and heft. Plus, this meal came together quickly. It was like eating a gourmet meal at home!

Creamy Pumpkin Penne
source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients
4 oz whole wheat penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 2T chopped fresh sage
2 links cooked chicken sausage, sliced
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (1% milk fat)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup nonfat milk
pinch of nutmeg
5oz torn spinach, thick stems removed
grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, optional

Preparation
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook gently for about 10-15minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, sage, and chicken sausage; continue to saute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

In a blender, combine combine pumpkin, cottage cheese, and milk. Blend until no lumps are present. Add to sausage mixture in skillet and continue to cook over low heat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Add sausage mixture and baby spinach, and toss together. Cover for a few minutes to let the spinach wilt. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Swirled Pumpkin-Bourbon Cheesecake Squares

I'm so pleased that it's fall again, and I can revisit recipes that I saved from last year and never got around to making them. The funny thing is that I even bought gingersnap cookies at the end of last fall to make the crust for this and still didn't make them. Last Friday, we had plans with some friends for dinner, and I offered to bring dessert. When I was calling out saved recipes to Joe, he zeroed in on this one. Who wouldn't? I had him at bourbon.

These don't have a very strong pumpkin flavor, but they're nice and creamy in addition to being festive. The bourbon flavor really comes through in the crust. It's almost like making a cheesecake but without nearly so much effort. These were a hit, and I'm glad I finally got around to making them.

Swirled Pumpkin-Bourbon Cheesecake Squares
source: Kelsey's Apple A Day

Ingredients
For crust:
about 20 gingersnaps, broken into large pieces
1/4 c. granulated sugar
3 TBSP butter, melted
1 TBSP bourbon

Cheesecake Filling:
11 oz. low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 c. low-fat sour cream
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 TBSP (packed) dark brown sugar
3 TBSP bourbon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9x2 in. square pan with foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.

2. To make the crust: Process the gingersnaps in a food processor until very finely chopped. You should have one cup of crumbs. Combine crumbs, sugar, butter, and bourbon. Pat into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool on a rack.

3. To make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg, vanilla, and bourbon and beat until smooth.

4. Scoop 3/4 c. of the cream cheese mixture into a medium bowl and stir in pumpkin puree and brown sugar.

5. Spoon the plain cream cheese mixture evenly over the crumb layer in the pan. Dollop pumpkin mixture on top and swirl with a fork to make a decorative design.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until firm in the middle when gently shaken (Mine took about 35-40 minutes). Cool in the pan for one hour. Chill thoroughly.

7. To serve, lift cheesecake and foil from pan. Cut into squares.

Chocolate-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

When I saw the picture of these in Sherri's blog, they looked so fluffy and delicious that I knew I had to try them at some point. They are very cake-like, and the hardened chocolate really takes them over the edge. I'll admit I had a lot of fun swirling the chocolate over the cookies. The spice is very subtle, so you can taste the pumpkin nicely. These also look gorgeous. I currently have them stacked up on a covered cake stand, and they look like I bought them from a bakery!

I used a round tbsp to scoop them out, and the dough yielded 20 cookies.

(If you haven't noticed, I recently discovered the food setting on my point-and-shoot digital camera, so my pictures have gotten SO much better, in my opinion.)

Chocolate-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies
(source: yum.)

Ingredients

2 c. flour
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin puree
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk dry ingredients together. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light. Add egg; beat, until smooth. With mixer on low alternately add flour in two parts and pumpkin in one. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.

Bake until puffed and golden- about 15 minutes.

When cookies have cooled, melt chocolate either in microwave at 30 second intervals or over double-boiler. Drizzle over cookies and cool in refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Reference: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Blondies

Last night, my church held a Celebration of New Ministry service for our new rector who arrived at the end of August. It was a formalized ritual way of welcoming and installing him as our rector and praying that God will guide him and us in this new partnership. It was an extremely moving and beautiful service. The bishop was there with his miter and crook. A female ordained Methodist minister gave the sermon. The choir sang. And then afterward, like any good church people, we ATE!

A few words about this church: The community itself is very old, dating back to Civil War-era, when our congregation split off from the Cathedral because the people wanted a free-pew church (meaning your yearly pledge would not determine where you sat. You didn't have to "rent" a pew by pledging). Ever since then, the congregation has taken difficult stands, often against the status quo, in order to follow where they felt the Gospel was calling them. For instance, it is not unusual in the congregation for a lesbian couple, with their daughter, to take up the offering. Or to see a man with full-sleeve tattoos sitting next to a lawyer in a suit. Anyway, the old historic building itself was destroyed in the late '90s by a tornado, so for the time being, we worship in a room with an altar that also serves as a multi-purpose room. So once the service finished, the room was transformed into a banquet hall in about five minutes.

By virtue of my last name, I was designated to bring a dessert, and I'm always looking for an excuse to cook. I found these on Cate's blog last week and knew I had to make them. They were delicious, but I was in a bit of a rush and didn't quite let them cool enough, so they ended up a little ugly-looking as I was trying to get them ready to go.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Blondies
(source: Cate's Kitchen)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.

Pumpkin Waffles

I promise I wouldn't make so many things with pumpkin if everything I made with pumpkin didn't turn out amazingly. One after another, each dish never fails to impress me. Now I see why the ladies on my cooking board are addicted!

Last Saturday morning was a sleeping-in, studying, and cleaning the house day, so I decided to get Joe and I moving with a special treat of pumpkin waffles. I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided to give it a go. These may be the best waffles I have ever had. They were the perfect combination of crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Served with real maple syrup, they were the perfect fall treat.


Pumpkin Waffles
source: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray

Accompaniment: warm pure maple syrup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250-degrees and preheat waffle iron.

Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.

Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

After seeing this pumpkin bundt cake on Cate's blog, I knew it was something I had to make. Fortunately, our supper club for our church met this past Friday, and I was asked to bring dessert! I don't think I've ever been so excited to bring something. After debating other options, I chose this one, and it was perfect! It helped that the night was cool, and the couple's house where we met was decorated for Halloween, so the cake went along with the theme.


It also tasted fantastic. It was very moist, and the glaze added a lot aesthetically. Our rector was there and said if I wanted to get him a Christmas present, he would put in an order for another one of these cakes right now. So, I think it was a hit!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake
source: Cate's Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I didn't have any so I used 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cloves) I followed Cate's lead with this substitution.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can; not pie filling)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

For glaze:
2 T butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1-3 T cream or milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bundt pan. Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan. Shake a few times to be sure to remove any bumps then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

To make glaze, heat butter until melted. Stir in sifted powdered sugar. Mix in cream or milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle over cake while it is on a wire rack so excess falls through.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Sheesh, what's with all this chocolate pumpkin nonsense? Don't you make real food anymore? Actually, I swear I had a good reason to make this bread. The music director at the church Joe and I have been going to was leaving, and Sunday was his last day. Since I sing in the choir, the choir was responsible for the food for the reception after the service.

This recipe makes two loaves, so if I hadn't been taking it to church, I probably would have halved the recipe. Fortunately, I made both loaves because the bread went quickly, and Joe was disappointed at how little there was left. Maybe this is sad, but it was definitely a boost to my self-esteem to see people keep reaching for my bread.

(Oh, and I so want to make a "loaves and fishes" joke, but I'll spare you.)

You seriously want to make this bread. Words cannot describe how moist and flavorful it is, the way the chocolate melds with the pumpkin spice. Did I mention it's a Cooking Light recipe?


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

source: Cooking Light via Brooke

Ingredients
2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding (I used fat-free plain yogurt + 1 tsp of vanilla extract)

4 large egg whites (I used 2 eggs)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 32 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Nutritional Information:
CALORIES 152(30% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 2g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 137mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.5

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm not really a baker but something about the impending coolness of fall and the slight chill in the air has gotten me in the mood for baking. Fortunately this coincided perfectly with several occasions that allowed me to off-load some of my baking.

These brownies are ridiculously good. I had been drooling over the recipe for a while and used my relatively calm second half of the week (following a Greek test and a Pastoral Care paper) to bake them, knowing that I could take them to a gathering at a friends' house on Friday night.

Let me just say, that I don't know how I managed to not eat half of the pan before Friday night. I did sneak a few and allowed Joe to have them. I am never that person that brings something to the party that everyone fawns over, but these brownies are that dish. Word cannot describe how good these are. They are the perfect combination of something familiar and something a little unusual.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

(source: Cara's Cravings)

Ingredients:

Brownie Batter:

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter:

6 oz cream cheese, softened (I used fat-free.)

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan.

For the Brownies:

Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture by hand.

For the Cheesecake:

In a separate bowl, beat together all ingredients.

To assemble:

Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan. Spread the pumpkin batter over it, distributing evenly. Drop the remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. To make the swirls, run a butter knife back and forth through the pan. (I totally failed at this part! Oh well, they still tasted amazing.)

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely and chill before cutting and serving. (Mine took a little longer to cook, probably because I used a glass pan instead of dark metal. I baked mine for about 50 minutes.)

Healthy Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Everyone on my cooking board has really worked themselves into a frenzy over fall baking and pumpkin. Other than pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, I hadn't really used pumpkin much in my own cooking and baking. Enter these delicious-sounding muffins from Elly at Elly Says Opa. In honor of the first day of fall, I made these the other day.

These muffins are impossibly moist. If I didn't know better, I would think they were made with several sticks of butter. And I love raisins and the way the add a little bit of sweetness. I might add up to 1/2 cup next time I make these. I can never have too many raisins!

Healthy Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
source: Elly Says Opa

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable oil, if you're not calorie counting)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Sift together flours, baking powder and soda, salt and spices.
In a seprarate bowl, beat egg with brown sugar until well combined. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, applesauce and pumpkin puree.
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts and raisins.
Pour mixture into muffin cups and bake approximately 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nutrition Info, per muffin: Calories: 143 / Fat: 3g / Carbs: 27g / Dietary Fiber: 2.4g / Sugar: 2.2g / Protein: 3.8g

EDIT:
This post has been submitted to the Marvelous Muffins event held by Joelen over at Joelen's Culinary Adventures!