Celebrating October

Whenever I think of October, I instantly imagine yellow and orange hues, chilly weather, and of course, pumpkins. Pumpkins symbolize October, and for this blog entry I wanted to celebrate the autumn season and post some tasty pumpkin recipes, which I got from the web. I absolutely adore that cozy feeling I get when I smell pumpkin spice on a chilly day. You instantly get a warm feeling, and October just springs to life. When I think of that delicious nutmeg-cinnamon-y “spice” smell of October, I think of pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread. I love the taste of pumpkin bread, and it’s actually healthy, too. Pumpkin pie, even though a dessert, is still pretty good for you, since it’s made of pumpkin and is of light texture. Try these two recipes at home, and bring alive the magic and warmth of October anytime.

Pumpkin Pie
(from: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=549931)

12 servings (serving size: 1 wedge and about 1 tablespoon topping)

Ingredients
Filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin

Crust:
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur)
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
Preparation
Position oven rack to lowest position.
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare filling, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pumpkin, and stir with a whisk until smooth.
To prepare crust, roll dough into an 11-inch circle; fit into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under and flute.
Pour pumpkin mixture into the crust. Place pie plate on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet on lowest oven rack. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 50 minutes or until almost set. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare topping, beat cream with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the amaretto and powdered sugar, and beat until blended. Serve with pie.

Pumpkin Bread
(from: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000842pumpkin_bread.php)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée*
1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts

* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.
Method
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.
3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.