Recipes to Make with Those Pesky Pumpkins

When fall comes around, everyone gains a shared love of pumpkins.  You want to post those adorable photos of the pumpkin patch you went to, carve them, and showcase them during your fun-filled Halloween party.  However, once the hype goes down, what do you do with them? Here are a few recipes you can easily cook up (and if you don’t want to use the actual pumpkin, look for the substitutions)!  Thanks to Allrecipes.com for these delicious treats.

1. Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Why spend so much money at Starbucks when you can make your own at home?

Recipe: before you begin the PSL, you have to make a pumpkin puree.

• Pumpkin Puree: (thanks to Alton Brown)
  • Ingredients:
    • 1 (4-6 pound) baking pumpkin, rinsed and dried
    • Kosher Salt
• Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the stem and split the pumpkin in half from top to bottom.
3. Scoop out the seeds and fiber.
4. Sprinkle the flesh with kosher salt and lay the halves, flesh side down, on a sheet pan.
5. Roast for around 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife can be easily inserted and removed.
6. Remove pan to a cooling rack and cool for one hour. 
7. Using a large spoon, remove the roasted flesh of the pumpkin to a food processor.
8. Process until flesh is smooth (3 to 4 minutes).
9. Store in the fridge for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.

• PSL:
  • Ingredients:
    • 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoon white sugar
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 (1.5 fluid ounce) brewed espresso
• Instructions:

1. Brew espresso.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and milk.
3. Warm over medium heat, whisking constantly until hot and frothy. (Do not bring to a boil)
4. Pour espresso into a mug and pour the pumpkin spiced milk over it.

Alternate Recipe:

• Ingredients:
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 6 ounces double-strength brewed coffee
  • 2 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream
  • 3 pinches pumpkin pie spice
• Instructions:

1. Combine hot milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a blender.  Blend until frothy.
2. Pour the mixture into 3 coffee mugs to about 2/3 full. 
3. Pour 2 ounces coffee into each mug.
4. Garnish each mug with whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice.

2. Pumpkin Seeds

Just in case you have not already carved your pumpkin.

Recipe:

• Ingredients:
  • Cleaned pumpkin seeds
  • Baking sheet
  • Colander
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar
• Instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Spread the cleaned (rinse in colander and then shake dry) seeds out on an oiled baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes to dry them out.
  3. Then, toss them with olive oil, salt, cinnamon, and sugar and return to the oven to bake until golden (about 20 minutes).

3. Pumpkin butter

This sweet treat is a holiday favorite and can be paired perfectly with biscuits or as a dip with graham crackers.

Recipe (with fresh pumpkin):

• Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 (5 pound) fresh pumpkin- seeded, peeled, and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Instructions:

1. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in a bowl
2. Place 1/4 of the pumpkin into the bottom of a slow cooker & sprinkle with 1/4 of the mixture. Repeat until all pumpkin slices are in the slow cooker. 
3. Cover the slow cooker, set it on low & cook for 8 hours over night. Stir once or twice while cooking.
4. Place a blender in the slow cooker once the pumpkin is golden and blend until the pumpkin butter is smooth.

Alternate Recipe:

• Ingredients:
  • 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup apple juice
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Instructions:

1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well.
2. Bring mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened.  Stir frequenty.
4. Transfer to another container and chill in the fridge until serving.

4. Pumpkin swirl cheesecake

Impress any dinner party guests (or your roommates) with this beautifully crafted marble cheesecake, perfect for any occasion.

Recipe:

• Ingredients:
  • 25 ginger snaps, finely crushed
  • 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 4 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • erDash of ground cloves
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (or homemade puree from PSL)
• Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees. 
2. Mix ginger snap, pecans and butter.  Then press firmly onto bottom (about an inch thick) of a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla until well blended.  Add eggs- one at a time, mixing on low speed.
4. Remove 1-1/4 cup of the batter and place in a small bowl.  Take the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, the pumpkin and spices and stir into the batter. 
5. Spoon half of the pumpkin batter into the crust and top with spoonfuls of half of the other plain batter (batter without the pumpkin).  Repeat layers. 
6. To create the marble effect, cut through the batter several times with a knife. 
7. Bake for 55 minutes or until center is almost set.  Let cool completely.
8. Refrigerate for four hours or overnight.

5. Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie is a national favorite, so treat you friends (and yourself) to this delicious dessert! 

Recipe:

• Ingredients:
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (or homemade puree from PSL)
  • 1 (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in bowl until smooth.
3. Pour into crust
4. Bake 15 minutes.
5. Reduce over temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes. 
6. Cool completely & garnish as desired.

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