6 Things To Do With Canned Pumpkin

It's that time of year when the canned pumpkin hits the shelves.  Do yourself a favor and follow the sales.  When you can get it for around $1 a can, stock up!  I have found Aldi carries it for around $1 regular price, but it is only available seasonally.

6 Things To Do With Canned Pumpkin:

1. Cake - Just grab a box of cake mix and add a can of pumpkin.  Mix and bake as usual.  Some people like to add a little water to lighten the consistency.  You can experiment with this but it is not needed.  You can do this with chocolate and no trace of pumpkin is detectable.  My husband who will NOT eat pumpkin flavored food will eat a devil's food cake mix made with a can of pumpkin.  Spice Cake is also a great option, and more of the pumpkin flavor will come through.
2. Pumpkin Bread - You need to try this pumpkin bread.  It's so good!
3. Replace oil in some recipes - In my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, I have subbed extra pumpkin for the oil 1:1.  It changes the consistency, but it's great.  I've had other people try it and it passes the test! I haven't tried this in other recipes, but I bet in most quick breads it would work.  I might have to try pumpkin banana bread, replacing the oil with pumpkin.  I wonder if the pumpkin flavor would be masked by the banana?  My husband would be a good judge on this.
4. Dog Treats - I haven't tried this one yet but I definitely plan to.  You can make dog treats using pumpkin and a few kitchen staples.  Here is a link one one recipe.  And here's another.
5. Pumpkin Pie - This is the "duh" one on the list.  But really.  This is the best pumpkin pie I have ever had.  My mom found the recipe many years ago when she was making a pie for Thanksgiving.  She didn't have the sweetened condensed milk that many recipes call for.  So she went on the hunt to find something using regular milk.  Now this is before the internet, so I'm not sure how long the hunt took, but she found a treasure.  Here's a link to the recipe.
6. Pumpkin Butter - I came across this recipe during my 30 Days 30 Recipes Challenge.  It was from a Weight Watchers list, but I'm telling you it does not taste diet-y in the least!  Give it a try and I'm sure if you like pumpkin, you'll like this butter.

Everything on this list that canned pumpkin is used for, you can also sub your own cooked pumpkin.  Canned pumpkin is just so easy and if you get it on sale, relatively cheap.

If you haven't checked it out yet, check out The Ultimate Blog Challenge on Facebook.  

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The Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin Bread
Autumn Blessing

Fun Painted Halloween Pumpkins

Thanks to everyone who has been visiting lately!  I am so excited to see new readers thanks to the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  If you are a fellow blogger, check it out.  There's still time to join or you can think about getting on board in January. It's a great personal challenge and way to connect with other bloggers. 

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Here's a peek at what we did last year.  Every year we head out to the pumpkin patch, one of our favorite fall activities!  After we each pick out a pumpkin, feed the goats and eat some ice cream, we bring our treasures home.  Sometimes we carve and sometimes we paint.  As you can see from the pictures, last year we painted.

The pumpkin above is my husband's artistic creation.  Funny enough, he did an eyeball two years in a row.  And even funnier, it didn't dawn on him that this was a repeat until the pumpkin was nearly complete.  He's got a theme going!

The pumpkin below is my daughter's creation.  She chose a batman theme.  Cute, right?  At the time I didn't even know she was into batman.  Go figure.  My daughter is all about trying new things whenever she gets the chance.  She's always open to a new experience and when she gets bored she likes to try the next new thing.  Right now it's soccer and unicorns.  She really is a fun person.

My son went with a classic Halloween monster, complete with bloody tooth.   I think it's a zombie.  He's really quite the good artist.  He's the kid who likes to make everything on his own including Halloween costumes.  We were in the store just the other day and came across some pretty cool costumes.  He even tried some on.  When asked if he wanted one, his response was, "I think I just want to make my own".  If you remember the lobwhale, you'll see that this unique creativity is classically my son.

I chose to paint two gourds this time.  I'm pretty sure my pumpkin rotted by the time I got to it!  So, gourds it was.  I must have been feeling feminine that day and went with a flowery, sparkly theme.  I think the gourds turned out pretty, but they are a bit out of place with the rest of the bunch!  

We are each our own unique people in my family.  I was talking to my husband the other day about this because my daughter and son are almost opposites in their personalities.  This lead to discussion of my siblings and me.  While we all share some quality or other, the five of us are distinct.  It's funny how people can have such diverse personalities even when their backgrounds are much the same.  I guess we all have something different to offer the world.  And that's a good thing.

So there you have it, some inspiration for your pumpkins this year.  Stay tuned to see this year's creations!  I wonder if there'll be another eyeball.

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The Pumpkin Patch

Brookfield Orchards

Ultimate Blog Challenge Facebook Page

What I Love About Fall

Some of the best things of the year happen in fall.  It's my favorite season.  Can you blame me?  I live in beautiful New England where we wait for fall all year.  There's apple picking, pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, pumpkin-flavored everything, crisp walks, jumping in the leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving and so much more!

Here's a roundup of some of my favorite activities and recipes that are just perfect for fall.

Brookfield Orchards

One of the things we do to kick off the fall season is a family day at the orchard.  Last year we spent time at a couple orchards, but this one is my favorite.  I buy apples here throughout the season and make many recipes with these tasty local fruits.  Click the link above to read about one of my favorite places of all time.

Apple Recipe Roundup

These recipes are time-tested and family approved.  Try any one of them and you surely won't be disappointed.   I'm always looking for new recipes, so if you have a good apple one you think I'd like, share it in the comment section below.  Healthy recipes are a bonus!  I may even do a recipe review and let you know if I like it!

Pumpkin Roundup

Not long after the apples have appeared pumpkins steal the show.  Unlike my recipes made with fresh apples, most of my pumpkin recipes call for canned.  I do cook with fresh pumpkins as well, but they are much more tedious to deal with than fresh apples.  Typically I start making pumpkin recipes long before we head to the pumpkin patch in mid October.  In fact, I made this bread just the other day!

Carving and decorating pumpkins is also one of our family's favorite traditions.  Here are the one's we made last year.  Can you guess who made each one?

Crochet

Autumn is the perfect time to crochet.  With a slight nip in the air, you can cuddle up with your current project on the couch.  Here's a blanket that works up quickly and easily, and could be done by Christmas with time to spare.  Follow this link so you can see how it's made.  If you've never crocheted before, fall is the perfect time to learn!

Try these for your Thanksgiving Feast!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I think it might be beat out by Christmas, but just barely.  We have some fun Thanksgiving traditions in our family.  Some are typical like turkey and pie.  Others are not so typical, like Bingo.  Everyone in our family has a great time on Thanksgiving!

Here in New England winter rolls around just about the time Thanksgiving finishes up.  Christmas gets me through the cold season and hopes of spring once the new year begins.  But fall in New England will always be my favorite.

Do you have any favorite autumn activities?  A favorite fall recipe to share?  Pumpkin spice or anything nice?  Share it in the comment section below!

Also, today is day two in the Ultimate Blog Challenge!  Check it out!  I think there's still time to join!

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Ultimate Blog Challenge
Ultimate Blog Challenge Facebook Group

Pumpkin Butter - 30 Days 30 Recipes - Day 21

Ok, I guess I'm on a pumpkin kick.  And my family is still not a fan of it!  My first impression was that this recipe was going to be WAY too sweet.  Then I put it on an english muffin and had a bite. It's delicious!  I can imagine it being good on a fresh homemade roll or maybe a biscuit.

I had to use canned pumpkin because pumpkins are not in season right now.  Besides, it's so much easier and there are no added ingredients in the can, just pumpkin.

Lastly, the amount of sugar seemed high to me for a "diet recipe", but in light of the small serving size the amount was just right.  I will probably be eating this pumpkin butter for a while because I'll be the only one eating it, but that's OK.  It's so tasty!  This recipe was very easy and made me long for the days of autumn.

Find the original recipe on page 27: 100 Favorite Weight Watchers Recipes.

Taste Score - 10
Ease of Preparation Score - 10


Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:

1 1/2  cups fresh pumpkin (I used 1 can)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
dash salt

Cook pumpkin until tender, drain off liquid and mash.*  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until desired consistency is reached.  This may be canned or kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.

*Skip this step if you are using canned pumpkin and simply mix all ingredients together.

Nutrition Information:
Serves Approximately 32 (about 1 tablespoon)
21 calories
0 grams fat
5 grams carb
0 grams fiber
0 grams protein

Weight Watchers POINTS - 0
Weight Watchers Points Plus - 1
Weight Watchers Smart Points - 1


Nutrition information is approximate and is calculated using caloriecount.com.

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Pumpkin "Pie" - 30 Days 30 Recipes - Day 20

This recipe is certainly a keeper.  I am pretty sure that over three or four days I ate this entire recipe by myself.  My husband isn't a fan of pumpkin and my son didn't try this one.  My daughter tried it and she said she didn't like it.  I'm not sure I believe her!  Anyway, in this case, I am not taking my family's opinions into consideration.  They are not pumpkin pie lovers!  If you like pumpkin pie and are looking for a lower calorie alternative, this is definitely the recipe to make!

In the future the only tweaks I would make would be to try this one out with a different sweetener.  I've made one similar to this with granulated Stevia in the Raw and it was not good.  Too much stevia can really make things bitter.  I may give it a whirl with liquid stevia, which tends to be less bitter, or even monk fruit extract.  I'll let you down if I do that.  Splenda is just fine with me, but I do like to mix up my sweeteners just to keep all things in moderation, as they say!


Find this recipe on page 4: 100 Favorite Weight Watchers Recipes.


Taste Score - 9 (just because it's not actual pumpkin pie)
Ease of Preparation Score - 9



Pumpkin "Pie"

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can pumpkin
5 ounces evaporated milk
3/4 cup Splenda granulated
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a deep dish pie plate with nonstick spray.  Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Pour into pie plate and bake 35 minutes or until set.

Nutrition Information:
Serves 8
1 serving =
58 calories
3 grams fat
6 grams carb
1.5 grams fiber
3 grams protein

Weight Watchers POINTS - 1
Weight Watchers Points Plus - 2
Weight Watcher Smart Points - 2

All nutrition information is approximate and is calculated at caloriecount.com.


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30 Days 30 Recipes

Pumpkin Roundup

Do you love all things Pumpkin?  Check out this list of posts and recipes, perfect for fall.


New England Pumpkin Pie

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Bread

The Pumpkin Patch

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Apple Recipe Roundup
Breakfast Recipe Roundup


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The Pumpkin Patch

This is our FAVORITE pumpkin patch.  We've come here every year since the kids were very young. The place is huge and, big bonus, compared to all the other places around, the pumpkins are cheap!  

They do a flat rate of one price for large and one price for small.  There is no weighing and guessing as you approach the scale....oooh, how much is it going to be this time????  If you get a pumpkin bigger than a pie pumpkin, it's considered big.  There are so many to choose from sometimes it's difficult to know where to begin.  You can bring a wagon or just drive down to a spot you like and pick one out.  If it's been a very wet year, the weeds can be overwhelming, but most times it's just fine.  They also sell fall decor like Indian corn and gourds.  The kids always like to pick out a gourd and at prices less than a dollar, we indulge them!

After we pick pumpkins, we head over to the counter to buy some goat food in ice cream cones.  Sometimes the goats get feisty, but if you feed them with an open hand or right from the cone it's all good.  

After some good old fashioned fun feeding the goats we round things out with some homemade ice cream.  My favorite to buy at this time of year is the pumpkin ice cream.  It is delicious!  When we are done with our ice cream the kids usually play on the climbing equipment for a little bit before we head home with our pumpkins.

And you can't deny the pumpkin patch makes the perfect photo opportunity!

Here's the patch we like to visit: Westview Farms Creamery.  But if you're not in Massachusetts, I'm sure there is a great place near you!


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Pumpkin Pie
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Bread

New England Pumpkin Pie

Image found here.

This pumpkin pie uses no sweetened condensed milk.  And that's precisely the reason my mom started making it.  She didn't have any on hand and she was in need of a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  It's my favorite pie with all the flavors rounding it out just right.  Give it a try and let me know if you think it's as good as I do!

New England Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can pumpkin*
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1/8 cup molasses
1 pie crust

Sift sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  Mix with pumpkin.  Add eggs, melted butter, molasses and milk.  Line pie pan with crust.  Pour pumpkin mixture into raw pie crust.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 50 minutes more.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Pumpkin pie is best served cool with a dollop of delicious, fresh whipped cream!


*You can sub 1 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin, strained for best results, as canned pumpkin tends to be more dense than non-canned.  Measure after straining.



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Jack-O-Lantern Candle Jars

From Alexas_Fotos

Can you believe it?  Halloween is here already?  It seems like time just slips through my fingers.  Am I the only one who feels like time goes faster the older I get?

That being said, fall is one of my favorite seasons.  It's a great time to get outside and enjoy the crisp air and just take it all in.  I know winter is just a blink away, and I want to enjoy the outdoor time as much as possible.

In the fall I love to cook, bake and craft.  Here is one of the crafts I've done in the past.  I got the idea from Pinterest.  It's very easy and maybe it will inspire you!

Painted Jack-O-Lantern Jars

This crafts is simply made using old spaghetti sauce jars and acrylic paint.  

You can sketch a design with a permanent marker, but I just freehand-painted right onto the jar and lid. When they were dry I added a tea light candle for a cute effect.  I'm happy with how they turned out.  

These can really be adapted for any season.  They're also great for kids.  Let your imagination guide you!

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Leftover Pumpkins

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Leftover Pumpkins?

It's nearing the end of October and you've been thinking about all the pumpkins you have out in your front yard.  They've been providing great decoration so far, but you wonder what you'll do once Halloween has come and gone.  Don't let all that delicious goodness go to waste.  Like I showed you last week, one thing you can do is toast your seeds.  Today you I will show you how to bake your pumpkin.

Quarter your pumpkin.  I have the best luck using a made-for-kids pumpkin carving knife.  It's not sharp, but it cuts pumpkins and squash better than any utensil I've tried.  Then take a spoon and scoop out the guts.  Be sure to save the seeds for toasted pumpkin seeds!

Lay your pumpkins cut-side down on a large baking sheet then cover loosely with foil.

Bake pumpkins at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours, or until they are golden and are easily pierced with a fork.

You can see the color has changed and the flesh is easily scooped out.

Any pumpkin can be baked, but the best for baking are small pie pumpkins.  The ones shown here are from Breezy Gardens, a local farm.  They are, by far, the best I've tasted in a long time.  The flesh was smooth and creamy and though I made to use in recipes such as Pumpkin Bread, I ate some of it alone as a side dish with butter and salt.  Delicious!

Baked Pumpkin

Great for using in recipes instead of canned, though it may be less dense depending on your pumpkin variety.  

Ingredient:

pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut pumpkin into manageable pieces.  Place cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Cover with foil and bake 1 hour.  Check with fork.  If fork does not go in easily or pumpkin does not seem tender, bake at 10 minute intervals until the right consistency is achieved.

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Toasted Pumpkin Seeds