30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Sixteen: Cheater Pumpkin Cider

I got the idea for this cider over at She Knows.  I think I did an excellent job of completely butchering the recipe!  The original recipe calls for real apple cider and a whole cinnamon stick, two things of which I had neither of.

Occasionally, I'll add a bit of butter and brown sugar to apple cider for a caramel-y twist.  I thought it'd be a great addition to this drink as well.

Finally, the last change I made to this recipe was omitting the rum.  The only kind of Rum we have is Malibu.  That's not exactly the type of flavor combination I was striving for!

If you're into a caramel-y pumpkin-y apple cider, but are short on time, this is the drink for you!

Cheater Pumpkin Spice Cider for One adapted loosely from She Knows
1 packet of Alpine Spiced Apple Cider
1/4 c pumpkin puree
1 1/2 c water
1 T butter
2 T brown sugar
3/4 t pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in small pan and heat until all ingredients are combined and warmed.  Top with Whipped cream if you're feelin' fancy.  Makes two small coffee cups or one giant mega mug.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Fifteen: Pumpkin Polenta

I've made grits or polenta once before in my life.  They were just ok.  I thought they were much better chilled, diced and fried the next day.

This Pumpkin Sage Polenta from Kitchen Confidante has made a grits convert out of me. 

Ew.  I'm such a messy cook.  Look at that burner pan.  Yikes!

I made a half batch because I wasn't sure I'd like the flavor combinations along with the texture of the grits. These grits were nothing like the grits I made before.  The combination of the pumpkin, sage and Parmesan cheese takes a simple dish like grits to a whole new level.

The amazing thing was that the grits tasted better the first day than they did reheated/fried the second day!

I'm pretty sure this was because they never set up like normal polenta does. This was probably due to the extra moisture from the pumpkin.  Instead of sticks they were more like flat pancakes.  Ok, but not nearly as good as right from the pot that first day.

As I made a half batch, I ate the whole thing myself.  It was the perfect light lunch for me.  I was surprised at how filling the dish was.  I'll be making this dish again, but whether I'll share it with the rest of my family is up for debate!

Pumpkin Grits for Two from Kitchen Confidante
1.5 c water
1/2 c polenta (I used a medium coarse grind)
1.5 t kosher salt (I omitted because I thought the Parmesan would add enough salt)
1/4 c pumpkin puree
heaping 1/2 t sage-dried
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 T butter, cubed
 

In med pan, whisk water, polenta and salt, if using. Bring to boil over med heat, whisking periodically. Lower heat and simmer, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Add pumpkin and sage, and continue stirring 15-20 min, til polenta begins to pull away from sides of pan. Stir in parmesan cheese and butter. Serve immediately while hot and creamy. (You can place in a small pan and chill instead so you can slice it and fry it up.  Mine never really solidified properly though.)

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Fourteen: Brownie Pumpkin Pie

I'm calling this Brownie Pumpkin Pie, from Brooke Bakes, a pie because I baked it in a pie pan.  It doesn't have a traditional pastry crust.  This pie consists of a brownie base and a pecan crumble topping with a thin layer of pumpkin pie filling sandwiched in the middle.  Seriously, it's three desserts in one.

Mrblocko said it was to be put on the make again list.  He rarely says this about any dessert I make.  Yeah, he's one of those freaky people who isn't into sugar.  At least he's not into sugar like I am. (For the record, I'm into sugar like I'm into breathing.)

I made zero changes to the recipe ingredient wise.  I did have to bake it longer than the 40 min suggested on the recipe.  It was difficult to tell when the brownie was cooked completely.  The toothpick test was inconclusive due to the soft middle pumpkin layer.  I decided it was done when the dessert pulled away from the pan and the top stopped looking shiny.  If I were to change one thing about this recipe it would be to add some coconut to the topping and some chocolate chunks to the brownie base.  Neither of these are necessary, but I think it would send this dessert over the top.  Then again, a big ole scoop of caramel or cinnamon ice cream would too!

Pumpkin Brownie Pie from Brooke Bakes
Brownie layer:
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c plus 3 T sugar
1/4 c coconut oil, softened - You can substitute veg or canola oil (I used veg oil)
1 1/2 t vanilla
3/4 c flour
1 T cornstarch
1/4 c dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda

Pumpkin Layer:
1 c canned pumpkin
1 t. vanilla
2 T almond or soy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/3 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
2 t pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/4 tsp. cinn, 1/2 t. ginger, 1/4 t. nutmeg)

Pecan Topping:
1/4 c margarine
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
3/4 c roughly chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9" pie pan or 8x8" square baking pan.

For pumpkin brownie layer, together pumpkin, sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Add flour, cocoa , cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth. Pour  brownie batter into the prepared pie pan and spread it around evenly with a spatula.

For pumpkin pie layer, mix pumpkin, vanilla, and milk in large bowl. In small bowl, mix  cornstarch, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix well until all clumps are gone. Pour pumpkin filling on top of brownie mixture in pan. Spread evenly with a  spatuala.

For pecan topping, mix margarine, br sugar, flour, and pecans in a small bowl until combined. Sprinkle evenly on top of pumpkin layer.

Bake 35-40 min (I needed 55min), then remove from oven and cool for 20-30 min on wire rack. Move to fridge to chill for at least 1 hr before slicing and serving. Can be served warm or cold. I thought it tasted best frozen.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Thirteen: Pumpkin Dutch Baby

The recipe for today is a pumpkin dutch baby from Minimalist Baker.  I'm not sure what I did wrong but it didn't rise up the sides like my favorite dutch baby did.

This could have been because I baked it in too small of a pan?  The directions stated to use a small skillet, but I only have a jumbo oven safe skillet.  I improvised and used an 8" cake pan. 

Perhaps the batter needs to be really thin across the pan for it to rise up the sides?  Or maybe the metal in the cake pan didn't retain the heat like a skillet would.

For some reason, the original recipe of sprinkling chocolate chips on top of the pancake didn't appeal to me.  (I guess I just wasn't in a chocolate mood.)  I decided on powdered sugar and cinnamon instead.

If I make this again, not only will I cook it in a larger diameter pan, but I'll add 1T of sugar and a pinch of salt.  I thought the pancake was a little bit on the bland side, compared to other dutch babies I've had in the past.  In doing some research, I found that most recipes, for this type of pancake, contain a small amount of salt and sugar.

As a final note, this recipe states it is for two.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a meal for one.  It contains two eggs and less flour than 2 thick slices of bread would have.  I think this is a standard amount of food for an average adult to eat at breakfast or dinner. I think you'd have to have a lot of sides or small appetites for this to satisfy two people.

Pumpkin Dutch Baby from Minimalist Baker
2 T butter
2 T pumpkin puree
1/4 c milk (i used almond milk)
1/4 c unbleached all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry)
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon and powdered sugar, or semisweet chocolate chips for topping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and melt butter in a small skillet/pan over low heat.
Add eggs, pumpkin, milk, flour and pumpkin pie spice to blender and blend well. Once oven is preheated, swirl butter around sklilet to ensure all sides are coated. Add batter to skillet and place directly in oven. Bake for 15-20 min or until golden brown. Top with chocolate chips or powdered sugar and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and serve immediately. Serves one.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Twelve: Pumpkin "You-know-what"

Many moons ago, when I was a newlywed who had no clue in the kitchen, I used to make this cookie/candy/bar thingie that Mrblocko referred to as Pantry Crack.

It was a toffee that consisted of butter, brown sugar, chocolate chips and saltines.  Mrblocko named it Pantry Crack because I ALWAYS had the ingredients on hand and because it was so damn addictive.

I'm not exactly sure why I stopped making it.  Maybe because I felt that my skills were so greatly improved that I felt it was beneath me to prepare something so simple.  That's possible, but a more likely explanation would be that I enjoyed having my pants fit.

Discovering a pumpkin-y twist on this tasty treat, from Cherished Bliss, put aside all my kitchen snobbery, and my skinny jeans.

They are so easy to make I was able to whip these up while simultaneously talking on the phone and helping Blockette with her homework.  (I'm normally a two things at a time kinda girl...so that's really saying something.)

So why is this post called Pumpkin You-know-what?  Heh, well, I was originally referring to them as "Pumpkin Crack" as a bit of nostalgia from when I made the original bars.  However, Blockette thought I was saying "Crap" instead of "Crack."  So, whenever she would mention them, she would hesitate and say "you know what," so she wouldn't get in trouble for saying a Bad word.

Pumpkin Crap Crack Toffee from Cherished Bliss
about 2 sleeves of Saltine crackers
1c butter
1 c br sugar
1/4c canned pumpkin
2 t pumpkin seasoning (use less if you don't want a strong pumpkin taste)
11.5 oz white chocolate chips
optional: 1-2 T semi sweet chocolate chips (original recipe called for a handful. This many made the top look muddy vs. marbled.)

Preheat oven to 400. Line jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil and then parchment.  Eliminating this step will result in sadness.  If you skip both or just use parchment, your bars will not release nicely from the pan.  If you use only foil, your foil will not release nicely from your bars. (The parchment paper trick was new to me and I sang as I removed the bars from the pan.  Getting the foil off of the toffee part of the bars is not fun.  Not fun at all.)  On top of the parchment, place your saltines.  Break them as you see fit.  Just make sure you cover the entire pan.

In a medium pan, bring the butter, sugar, pumpkin and spice to a boil over med high heat.  Boil for 3 min.  Pour toffee mixture over the saltines.  Bake for 5 minutes.  The toffee will be bubbling,  Remove the pan from the oven, and turn the oven off.  Sprinkle the chips over the toffee saltines.  With the oven door open, place the bars back in the oven, with the oven OFF.  My chips were softened after 2 minutes.  Spread out the chips making pretty swirly designs.  Let the bars sit on the counter for about an hour until the chocolate just begins to set up.  Cut into squares using the crackers as a rough guide.  (my crackers tend to shift around in the pan as they are made so I just eyeball it.)  Before breaking into pieces, let the bars cool completely.  I placed mine in the freezer for 15 min.  Break bars apart and store in the freezer.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Eleven: Pumpkin Carrot Ginger Muffins

I've never cooked with Candied Ginger before.  This is mostly because I'm cheap.  I see the containers of candied ginger in the store and think, "They want to charge HOW much for that small amount!!!"  Then I walk away.  Sad.  And Ginger-less.  Until the grocery store decided candied ginger was a seasonal item they no longer wanted to stock.  I scored a 4 oz container for 89 cents!!

Of course, when I got home I had no idea what to make with it.  So I googled around and found a recipe for coconut, carrot, pumpkin spice bread from The Gouda Life.  I changed things up and made muffins instead!

The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of chopped candied ginger.  I thought this was going to use up the entire container, but to my surprise, it barely made a dent in it!

I didn't think these muffins had a carrot or a pumpkin taste to them at all.  The veggies are completely masked by the coconut, pecans and ginger.  I find that it's dishes like this that convince kids veggies aren't bad, they're just prepared that way.  Kind of like Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but not.

Pumpkin carrot ginger muffins adapted from The Gouda Life makes 22 muffins
3 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
1 c brown sugar
2 t vanilla
½ c pumpkin puree
1 c whole wheat flour
2 c all-purpose flour
2 T ground flax
¼ c rolled oats
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
3/4 t nutmeg
½ t cardamom
2 c coarsely grated carrots (this is about 2 carrots)
¼ c diced candied ginger
½ c shredded coconut, toasted
1/4 c pecans, toasted and rough chopped

Preheat oven to 350.  In small bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin til smooth. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix flours, flax, oats, baking soda/power, salt and spices. Add wet to dry along with carrot, coconut and pecans. Fold together just until you can’t see flour anymore. Don’t over mix . With a large cookie scoop, place one scoop of batter in a muffin cup lined with a paper muffin cup. Bake 20-35 min until toothpick comes out clean.  Extra muffins can be stored in the freezer.  To defrost peel off paper, wrap muffin in paper towel, and microwave for 15 seconds.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Ten: Microwave Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Yesterday I posted about how I consumed an entire batch of pumpkin tortillas without sharing.  Here's proof that I'm not a complete meanie piggy piggy oink oink:

See!  I actually made something, and let my child eat it.  Am I redeemed? 

No?

Harumph.

Just to show you what a great sport I am, I'm gonna share this recipe for a microwave pumpkin coffee cake regardless of your lack of forgiveness.



2 Minute Pumpkin Coffee Cake in a Mug from Heather Likes Food
1 T butter
2 T sugar
2 T pumpkin puree
vanilla extract, few drops
1/4 C flour
1/8 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 t pumpkin or apple pie spice



 Crumble topping
1 T butter
2 T flour
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t cinnamon

In a mug soften 1 T butter in microwave, 5-10 seconds. You don’t want it melted, just soft. Stir in 2 T sugar and mix. Stir in pumpkin, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and spices; stirring until just combined. Use the back of your spoon to smooth it out in the bottom of the mug.

Topping: In a separate, small bowl, combine 1 tbsp of butter(if it's not softened, you can nuke it for 5-10 sec), 2T flour, 1 T brown sugar, and 1/4 t cinnamon. Use your fingers to to pinch the butter and mix it in with the other ingredients. When it starts to look like lumpy sand, and all ingred combined, pour on top of cake batter in mug.

Nuke 50-80 sec depending on your microwave.  It will look just barely set on top. You don’t want to overcook it or it will get hard and gross. Nuke for 50 sec, and then in 10 sec intervals checking after each interval until done. Eat white it’s still warm. Once it cools off, it's not nearly as amazing.