roasted brussels sprouts with butternut squash, cranberries, and pecans

Yes, I know I've posted two other ways to roast Brussels sprouts but there is yet another worth sharing! The recipe calls for butternut squash but I will likely substitute pumpkin as that is more readily available where I live. Additionally, you can use less pecans or none if desired.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CRANBERRIES, AND PECANS
from Julia's Album

5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cups Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
1½ lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
3 Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
2 cups pecans
1 cup dried cranberries

TOSS Brussels sprouts with 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt (to taste). Place, cut-side down, on a greased or lined baking sheet. Roast at 400°F degrees for 20-25 minutes, turning during the last 5-10 minutes for even browning.

COMBINE cubed butternut squash, 1 Tbsp olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Place in a single layer on a lined or greased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F degrees for 20-25 minutes, turning once, until softened. (You can bake the two vegetables on separate baking sheets at the same time in the oven, space permitting.)

MIX roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, pecans, and cranberries to combine.

Read more...

pumpkin surprise muffins

By the amount of pumpkin-related recipes in this online recipe box, you'd think I was obsessed. Truthfully, I'm not that big of a fan. It's about the seasons, and about my home culture. Making pumpkin things is my way to participate in the beautiful autumns of Northeast USA while living halfway around the world. I don't have corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and Ziegler's apple cider, but I can make pumpkin treats. It's like making peppermint things at Christmas and hanging paper snowflakes on my windows. I just love the four seasons, and I love the family memories tied to the seasons.

And it's about spreading love. Some people love pumpkin. And most people love a surprise treat, just because. And expats really like treats that remind them of home. So by sharing pumpkin love, I am allowing others to pretend the leaves outside are changing and they are bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins, and eating candy corn.

PUMPKIN SURPRISE MUFFINS
from Taste of Home

2 cups flour
½ cup plus 3 Tbsp sugar, divided
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup sour cream
6 Tbsp butter, melted
6 Tbsp apricot preserves, divided
3 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sliced almonds

COMBINE flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger. In another bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, butter and 3 tablespoons apricot preserves. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. In a third bowl, combine cream cheese and remaining apricot preserves.

FILL greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full. Place a spoonful of cream cheese mixture in the center of each cup. Top with remaining batter.

SPRINKLE with almonds and remaining sugar. Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Store in refrigerator.

Read more...

pumpkin pie bars

This recipe comes from the Kraft Foods magazine. Though I enjoy many of the recipes in that magazine, most rely on Kraft products that are not readily available in China. This recipe is not unreasonable, especially if you prepare your own pumpkin.

PUMPKIN PIE BARS
from Kraft Foods magazine

1 1/3 cups flour
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup cold butter or margarine
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
½ cup chopped pecans
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz., approx 2 cups) pumpkin
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
(or 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ t. nutmeg, ½ tsp cloves)

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; grease foil. Mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.

RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spice with mixer until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

BAKE for 25 minutes at 350°F; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Read more...

pumpkin cheesecake

I first saw this recipe when a friend made it last Thanksgiving and posted a picture on facebook. It looked beautiful! I decided it would be a special treat for Thanksgiving this year. I was never one for pumpkin pie, and pecan pie is too much for me, but this is a nice combination of the two, mixed with cheesecake. Feel free to follow normal cheesecake tips such as a water bath and bringing ingredients to room temperature before mixing, but the pecan glaze is quite forgiving of any cracks.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
from Allrecipes

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup ground pecans
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup butter
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup canned pumpkin
3 egg yolks
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground mace
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp salt
3 eight oz packages cream cheese
3/8 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp whipping cream
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream
¾ cup maple syrup
½ cup chopped pecans

COMBINE graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, 2 Tbsp white sugar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and melted butter and mix well. Firmly press mixture into one 9 inch springform pan.

MIX ¾ cup white sugar, pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, ground cinnamon, ground mace, ground ginger, and salt in a separate bowl. Set aside. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add 3/8 cup white sugar. Add egg, egg yolk, and whipping cream. Beat well. Add cornstarch and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture and stir well. Pour into prepared pan.

BAKE at 350°F for 50-55 minutes. Do not overbake. Center may be soft but will firm when chilled. Cool then refrigerate. Finish with pecan glaze, made by simmering 1 cup whipping cream with ¾ cup maple syrup for 20 minutes, then stirring ½ cup chopped pecans. For added decoration, arrange pecan halves in a row around the edge and chopped pecans in the center.

Read more...

pumpkin spice scones

A friend posted pictures and link to this scone recipe. I am in love with any scones that use heavy cream. I love the texture and richness! The spices in this recipe are just perfect for an autumn day. Like with the dreamy cream scones, the goal is to keep the dough as cold as possible until you get it into the oven.

PUMPKIN SPICE SCONES
from Pinch My Salt

2 cup flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground ginger
6 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

for the ginger molasses glaze:
1-2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp molasses
¼ - ½ tsp ground ginger
Powdered sugar to thicken to desired consistency

CUT butter into small pieces, then place back into the refrigerator. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together. Place in the freezer. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Place in the refrigerator.

COMBINE butter and flour mixture, cutting with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Get the liquid mixture out of the fridge and pour into flour mixture all at once, stirring until just moistened.

DUMP onto the counter and knead just barely until everything is stuck together. Pat into a rough circle, ¾ to 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 pie pieces. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, or until lightly brown on the bottom. Once cool, drizzle with glaze.

Read more...

crispy chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

I had a roommate in college that loved chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. I thought they were ok. I ate a few of hers, then made them one time in China, but I just wasn’t a fan. They were the wrong consistency for a cookie. Call it a muffin and I’d be happy. But a cookie?

Then I found this recipe on Guilty Kitchen. Just her description of the issues with traditional pumpkin cookies (the cakey texture!) and her multiple attempts to make the perfect recipe made me realize I had to try her cookies. Even if they required making pumpkin butter. So here is the recipe, in all its tasty glory. It is worth every minute you spend stirring the pumpkin butter on the stove. The texture is perfect!

CRISPY CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN COOKIES (makes 3 or more dozen)
from Guilty Kitchen

1 cup butter
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin butter
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
fine grain sea salt, such as pink Himalayan (optional)

CREAM butter and sugar in medium sized bowl. Add egg, vanilla and pumpkin butter. Mix well.

MIX dry ingredients in separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add to wet and stir to combine. Stir in orange zest and chocolate chips and set in refrigerator for 1 hour.

DROP cookies onto cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt before baking if desired. Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes.

Read more...

pumpkin butter

Before I moved to China, I bought pumpkin in a can. Even my first two years here, I continued to buy pumpkin in a can (at $6 a can!). Then I heard how easy it is to make pumpkin puree. But won’t it be too watery? My roommate happened to have cheesecloth. Perfect. So this year, I made all my pumpkin puree from scratch. (Truth be told, ayi cut up the pumpkin, but me and the microwave did the rest. A little water in the container, put on the lid, microwave for 15 or more minutes, and puree with an immersion blender. Drain with cheesecloth, even overnight, to thicken.)

Cooking the pumpkin down into butter isn’t fun. It’s time consuming, and you can’t multi-task. But by some coincidence, I was reading Little House in the Big Woods during the same week and was so excited to find out that Ma made pumpkin butter! I guess making this butter in my tiny kitchen in China was my way of connecting with the pioneer women of old.

PUMPKIN BUTTER (makes approximately 1 cup)
from Guilty Kitchen

2 cups pumpkin puree (homemade)
or
1 can of pumpkin puree (27-29 oz)
1 cup brown sugar

COMBINE pumpkin and brown sugar in a small saucepan.

HEAT on medium and stir continually for 1 hour until very thick.

REMOVE from heat and allow to cool. Then make crispy chocolate chip pumpkin cookies…

Read more...

pumpkin pancakes

I made these pancakes on Thanksgiving weekend with some extra pumpkin puree. I had extra syrup from the topping on a pumpkin cheesecake (recipe coming) so I topped the pancakes with that homemade sauce. The result was fabulous!

PUMPKIN PANCAKES (8-10 pancakes)
from Martha Stewart

1 ¼ cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1 cup milk
6 Tbsp pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg

WHISK dry ingredients together in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

COOK batter in a greased skillet over medium batter, 2-3 minutes per side.

Read more...

pumpkin whoopie pies

Whoopie pies are a regional treat in the United States. Recently, boutique bakeries, blogs, and other cooking media (TV shows, magazines, etc.) have brought the strange-named dessert beyond places like Southeastern Pennsylvania. This version is especially great for the fall, with its pumpkin roll-like combination of moist pumpkin cake and cream cheese frosting.

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES (makes a lot, depending on size)

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cloves
2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a non stick baking mat.

WHISK together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a large bowl; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

DROP heaping tablespoons on prepared sheets about 1 inch apart, using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, if available. Cook about 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on pan

filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla

SIFT powdered sugar; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating just until smooth.

ASSEMBLE the whoopie pies when the cookies are cool. Spoon or pipe a large dollop of filling on ½ of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies and press down slightly.

REFRIGERATE for 30 minutes before serving.

Read more...

pumpkin bread

This recipe has been in my family since my mom was a girl. She was over at a neighbor's house one day and she and the girl decided to make pumpkin bread. They found this recipe in a cookbook at the neighbor's house. Somehow my mom managed to keep the recipe all these years and pass it on to me. While there have been a few exceptions, I traditionally make it during the week or two before Thanksgiving. I am also quite fond of giving loaves to friends, coworkers, or other people in my life as a Thanksgiving gift. That said, feel free to make it any time of the year, especially in the autumn months!

PUMPKIN BREAD (make 2 loaves)

3 1/3 cups flour
2 t. baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves

2 cups pumpkin*
2/3 cup water

2/3 cup oil
2 2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

HEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two loaf pans (9x5x3). Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin and water.

COMBINE oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Mix in dry ingredients and pumpkin, alternating. Pour into two loaf pans.

BAKE 70 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean); cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; cool completely.


*Homemade pumpkin puree tends to be more watery than the canned variety. If making pumpkin puree from scratch, consider using the full 2 2/3 cup of pumpkin with no added water.

Read more...