Saturday, October 24, 2009

It's ALL about the Pumpkin!



Well, one more week til Halloween, so I thought I'd share a few tried and true Sweet-Tooth recipes featuring Pumpkin. The first recipe was given to me over 25 years ago by my friend Rachel. It is scrumptious, and as she noted on her original recipe card, it contains 100% of vitamin A and 10% of iron per serving! My children used to love this with whipped cream straight from the oven!



Pumpkin Gingerbread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13" X 9" pan. Place the following ingredients in a large bowl...
3 1/2 cups Flour            2 cups Sugar
1 cup soft Butter            1/2 cup Molasses
1/3 cup Water            4 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups Pumpkin Puree            2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt            1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ginger            1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cloves            1 teaspoon Vanilla

Beat well and pour into prepared pan. Bake for about an hour or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!
(I think I'll head to the kitchen and make a pan of this when I'm done here!)



I always laugh at all the jokes regarding Fruit Cake, but I love the stuff! I never met a Fruit Cake I didn't like, and this one is delicious!

Pumpkin Fruit Cake
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl, combine
1 cup soft Butter            2 Eggs
1 cup Pumpkin Puree            1 cup Sugar
2 cups Flour            1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar            1 teaspoon Vanilla
Mix batter together til well-combined. Then add
2 cups dried, chopped mixed fruits... whatever you like.
(This can be an assortment of any combination of dried fruits or the pre-packaged typical fruitcake citron mixture that's available at your grocer's)
1/2 cup Golden Raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or whatever you like)

Pour into either one large loaf pan (bake this for 1 1/2 hours) or smaller mini-loaf pans. (Bake these for 50-60 minutes) til a toothpick comes out clean.
When cooled, brush about 1/2 cup of rum or flavored brandy over the loaves, if desired. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set for a week or two in the refrigerator.



Pumpkin Roll Cake
(A must-have for Sunday dinner dessert or Thanksgiving around here!)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a jellyroll pan or large cookie sheet and dust with flour. Dust a clean dishtowel with 1 tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients...
3 Eggs            1 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Flour            2/3 cup Pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon Cinnamon            2 teaspoons Ginger
1 teaspoon Nutmeg            1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Cloves            1 Tablespoon Orange Juice
Beat thoroughly and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes; carefully invert onto dishtowel. Sprinkle cake with 1 tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar, roll up with towel and let cool completely. Meantime, prepare icing by creaming together
1 cup Confectioner's Sugar
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Unroll cooled cake, frost with Icing and re-roll without towel! Sprinkle with Confectioner's Sugar.



Well, that will do for now lest we have a sugar-overload. Hope all is well with you and yours as November nears. I've been trying to catch up on things, and am pleased to say I finally got around to picking the Concord Grapes. I made two batches of jelly. I got the barn cleaned for winter... and just in time. My friend Martha called me the other day and needed a home for 5 laying hens... two were just old biddies past their prime, but what's two more mouths to feed? They're sweet little things, and followed my grandson and I about the barnyard and didn't mind being petted and carried. My daughter and my mom have given me a hand peeling off wallpaper from two bedrooms upstairs. I suppose I'll have to rent the floor sander again and re-do the floors in the upstairs hallway and three adjoining bedrooms. And we've been trying to find time to get my workshop together. And I need to get the tractor out and get the frost-blackened gardens tidied up and cleaned out in preparation for winter snows. And so on! I must go bake some Pumpkin Gingerbread now, so til next time! xox ~Laura of Wildenblue Farm
PS: My daughter wanted Pumpkin Roll instead!

8 comments:

  1. meow! love kitty cat! awww these sound like wonderful recipes laura. pumpkin gingerbread?! yum! so sweet of you to share these with us! great big herbal and honey hugs to you

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  2. Hi Leslie... that's Sam in the picture. We are down to 5 cats now, as another is missing. Thanks for stopping in.... perhaps you'll try the Gingerbread? xox ~Laura

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  3. Is the kitty in the photo yours? It's darling!
    I love to bake with pumpkin, and your gingerbread recipe looks really yummy. Thanks for sharing it!

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  4. Hi Janet... sorry it took me a while to reply! Yes, that is Sam, one of our 5 kitties... second oldest! We have lost two black cats over the past few weeks, most likely to a fox or fisher, which is heartbreaking, as they all are house-cats but like to be outside for a bit here and there. Is your avatar of your pup? Nice glasses! Too cute!!

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  5. Laura, stop by my blog when you get a chance, I have something for you.

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  6. Why Janet... thank you for including me in your Blog for the Friends Award... that is just so thoughtful and unexpected! I so enjoy your blog and all the wonderful recipes and information you caringly provide. Thank you again! xox~Laura

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  7. sorry you are missing another kitty laura:( sam is simply purrrfect! hope he stays close to home! my oven is down for repairs:( but as soon as it is up and running again your pumpkin gingerbread is going to be the recipe to initiate it!! xoxooxox

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  8. Leslie... male sure you serve it warm with sweetened whipped cream if you do make the gingerbread.... it is heavenly! Your hips may not thank you, but your tastebuds will!

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