Easy-No Roll
Pumpkin Gingerbread Men
I really wanted to make
pumpkin gingerbread men last
night for a fun treat for the kids,
but the thought of cleaning up
another pumpkin mess made me
want to shoot myself!! And after
finding pumpkin on my bathroom
wall last night, I decided to
give everyone a break...no roll
pumpkin gingerbread men!!!!
It was one of my favorite holiday
memories as a child...baking and
decorating gingerbread with my
Mom. Who knows what those silver
almost, inedibly hard, round balls
were that we used for buttons, but
the memory is still clearly one of
my high points!! Thanks Mom!!
3 cups all-purpose flour
(may use self-rising flour if you
want taller, cake-like cookies)
1 cup Pumpkin (ok, you can use
the canned for this one!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Use baking pan like this
picture of Wilton's.
Mix flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves, and baking soda in large mixing bowl. Cream sugar and
butter together with mixer in separate bowl. Using hand mixer, slowly add molasses, pumpkin and egg. Mix well.
Stir butter mixture into flour mixture
and mix well. Beat with hand mixer
on medium about 10 seconds.
Fill pre-greased pans 3/4 full and
bake at 350 degrees F for 8-12
minutes. Do not overcook, they
should be soft!!! Remove from
pan after 8 minutes. Cool and
decorate as desired.
You don't have to make the icing
from scratch, or use a cake
decorating piping set for these.
I used Pillsbury Creamy Supreme
classic white...super easy! Place
icing in a baggie, and twist top till
icing is in one corner. Cut tip of
baggie and use like piping bag!!!
Fun memories to last a lifetime!
My children's first!!!!
Potato & Pumpkin
Salad
2 cups raw pumpkin, diced
4 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes,
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Chop potatoes into small cubes.
Place potatoes in pot of lightly
salted water. Bring to boil, and
cook until tender, about 20
minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in pan, and
saute pumpkin on medium heat
5-8 minutes, or until golden and
tender.
In small bowl mix ranch,
mayonnaise, and cheddar cheese.
Place eggs, potatoes, pumpkin,
and bacon bits in large bowl.
Toss until blended. Salt and
pepper to taste. Add mayonnaise
mixture and blend thoroughly.
May be served slightly warm
(which I prefer) or cold. Delicious!
Grandma Domijan's
String Bean and Potato Salad
with Pumpkin
4 medium potatoes, washed and cut into
1 inch cubes
3 cups string beans, trimmed
2 cups raw pumpkin, cut into 1/2 inch
cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil, or "oleo"
Place the potatoes in a pot, and fill with
several inchs of water. Bring to boil, and
cook for 20 minutes. Drain, salt & pepper
to taste. Set aside.
Either steam string beans for 8 minutes
in boiling water, or purchase steam in
bag green beans in fresh, or frozen
section of grocery...already trimmed
and washed!!!
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in frying pan. Add
Pumpkin, and saute over medium heat
for about 5 minutes, or until lightly
browned.
Mix red wine vinegar and oil in small
bowl. In large bowl, place potatoes,
string beans, garlic, and pumpkin.
Add oil mixture and toss until well
blended. May be served warm or cold!
Super Easy Pumpkin Soup
4 cups raw pumpkin
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg cream cheese
Bring chicken broth to boil in medium pot.
Add pumpkin, garlic, pepper, and salt.
Reduce heat to low and cook, covered,
for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir
in cream cheese, and place in blender.
Puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
Serve hot. For an extra yummy treat,
place seasoned bread crumbs in center
and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top
liberally.
Ahhhh...it doesn't get any better than
this on a chilly night! The cream cheese
gives it some protein, and makes it a
little less orange for the picky toddlers!!
Please do NOT try this soup with canned
pumpkin!!! I tried it the other night, and
blaaaaahhhh!!! The organic canned
pumpkin was not a winner!!! Use fresh
pumpkin, if possible, for that almost
sweet butternut squash flavor with the
cream cheese. My confession of the day:
if I'm in a hurry and really don't feel like
cleaning the kitchen after I cook, I
satisfy my a craving for squash with Lean
Cuisine's Butternut Squash Ravioli...
veges, squash, nuts, creamy, cheesy...
mmmmmmmmmmm!!!! You have to try
it before you judge!!! You'll be pleasantly
surprised!!!
Stuffed Peppers
with Poblano & Pumpkin
4 whole peppers, your choice of colors,
(I used a trio:yellow, red, and orange)
halved and seeded
1 cup raw pumpkin, finely chopped
1/2 large Poblano pepper, seeded and
finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 small zucchini squash, finely chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup white rice
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup Roasted Red Pepper and tomato
soup (by Pacific Natural Foods, in
soup section of grocery store) or 1
cup of your favorite tomato sauce.
Salt & pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook rice, using chicken broth in replace-
ment of water, for 20 minutes, or until
done. Heat olive oil in pan on medium
heat. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms,
zucchini, pumpkin, and poblano pepper.
Saute until tender. Mix pumpkin mixture
with rice and tomatoes. Season with salt.
Slice peppers in half and stuff each with
rice mixture. Place in lightly greased pan
or dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1
hour, or until slightly browned on top.
Spoon Red pepper soup over top of
each, or use your favorite tomato
sauce. Scrumptious!!
Pumpkin Upside Down Cakes
with Sugar Cookie Eggnog Pudding
1 cup Sugar Cookie Eggnog (found this
in the grocery store and it inspired my
entire recipe)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (yes, had to try)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick or 8 Tbsp butter or margarine
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and
flour 12 mini bundt cake pans or muffin
pans.
In large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking
soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg,
cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
In separate bowl, using mixer at medium
speed, cream butter until smooth. Slowly
add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the
eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well after each.
Add milk and vanilla, then dry ingredients
and beat until well blended.
Spoon the batter into the mini bundt or
muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 350
degrees for 16-19 minutes, or until cake
tester comes out of center clean. Cool
cupcakes for 10 minutes.
Remove from pans and invert on plate.
Filling:
1 box instant vanilla pudding
2 cups sugar cookie eggnog
Prepare according to package instructions
with using the eggnog in replacement of
the milk. Cool in fridge for 20 minutes.
If using regular cupcakes, cut a hole out
of the top center of the cake. If bundt pan,
there's already a prepared hole present.
Spoon pudding into center of cupcakes.
Garnish as desired. Serve!!!!
Pumpkin & Turkey
Croque Monsieur
4 thin slices of raw pumpkin in your bread
slices' shape, and lightly salted
4 thick slices french bread
8 thin slices Turkey Ham, this is in the deli
section and is turkey that is chopped &
formed to look like ham (it was one of
my Dad's favorites, and I never really
found a perfect recipe for it...till now!)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
8 slices swiss cheese
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Or may
use Toaster oven at this setting.
Heat olive oil in frying pan. Saute
pumpkin slices on medium low heat
for about 4 minutes each side, or until
slightly browned on each side, and
cooked thoroughly. Remove from heat
and set aside.
Mix mayonnaise and mustard. Place
slices of bread on baking sheet. Spread
evenly with mayonnaise. Place two slices
of Turkey Ham on each slice of bread.
Place pumpkin on top of each ham slice.
Split parmesan cheese evenly in 4
amounts and sprinkle on top of pumpkin.
Top with swiss cheese slices until top
fully covered with cheese. Place in oven
and bake for 20 minutes, or until slightly
browned and bubbly on top. Serve hot!
Ooooooh, so delectably crunchy and melty, gooey cheesy!!!!
Pumpkin and Mascarpone
Cream Cheese
2 cups raw pumpkin, cooked on medium
heat for 8 minutes
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, room
temperature
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
Place cheeses, pumpkin, cream cheese,
mascarpone cheese, pumpkin pie spice,
salt, and powdered sugar in medium
bowl. Using hand mixer, beat on high
for 2-3 minutes, or until creamy. Place
back in fridge and chill untill serving.
YUMMY!!! The taste of a creamy pumpkin
pie cheesecake, but acceptable for
breakfast!!!!
breakfast
Cheesy Pumpkin Fondue
with Roasted Vegetables & Fruit
4 potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes, roasted
(see my recipe for roasted vegetables)
1/2 loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
Variety of items to dip in fondue: cooked
meats, fruit, roasted veges, raw veges...
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups raw, grated pumpkin
10 ounces cheddar cheese
8 ounces swiss cheese
16 ounces CREMA, 100% leche de Vaca
or if unavailable 1 cup sour cream
3 tsps cornstarch
Cook raw pumpkin in small pot for 10 min-
utes over low-medium heat with 1/4 cup
water. Place in blender with CREMA (or
sour cream) garlic powder, pepper, and
mustard and beat until smooth.
Place wine in a medium, heavy-bottomed
saucepan and bring to a simmer over
medium heat. Add pumpkin mixture and
continue to heat on medium.
Cut cheeses into cubes, or shred. In
separate bowl, toss the cheeses with
cornstarch. Add a handful of cheese
at a time to the pumpkin mixture and
continue to stir till all cheese is melted.
Cheese fondue can gently bubble, but
do not boil. Transfer to cheese fondue
pot and keep warm...serve immediately!
Pecan & Parmesan Encrusted Pumpkin Sticks with Creamy Pepper
Dipping Sauce
2 cups 1/4 inch x 2 inch sliced Pumpkin Raw
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups oil
Sauce:
2 tsp favorite hot sauce (mine is Texas
Pete's Hot Sauce) more may be added
to desired heat
8 Tbsp mayonnaise
Preheat oil in frying pan on medium high
heat. Slice pumpkin pieces in 1/2 inch by
2 inch strips. Beat eggs in medium bowl.
Mix the salt, pepper, bread crumbs,
crushed pecans and shredded parmesan
cheese on plate. Dip the pumpkin strips
into the egg and throughly coat. Then dip
into the bread crumb mixture and
thouroughly coat. Drop gently into oil, and
cook until golden brown, flipping half way
through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from
frying pan and place on paper towel.
Mix hot sauce and mayonnaise until
creamy. Serve pumpkin strips with some
sauce on the side, and sprinkle with extra
parmesan cheese for effect.
DE-LI-CIOUS!!!!!!
Granola Pumpkin Morsels
with Caramel
With two sick kiddos and recovering
from a spraying water heater that has
now been replaced, I wanted something
delectable that I could make with
ingredients that I already had in my
cabinet. Granola and yummy Caramel
topping, for our ice cream, seemed like
the obvious choice ...so here's my satis-
fying creation for the day. As you can see
from the picture, the caramel is more than
just drizzled, and if you so desire, place
a small dipping bowl of the sauce next to
your bite size morsels for full enjoyment!
Ingredients:
2 cups raw pumpkin, grated
3 cups granola, of your choice (I used
Bear Naked Fit-Vanilla almond crunch)
1 stick butter (8 Tbsp or 1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder,
salt,and cinnamon in a medium bowl and
set aside.
Combine butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla
in a large bowl and beat at medium speed
just until smooth. Fold in pumpkin. Stir in
flour mixture until just blended. Add
granola last, so it keeps a crunchy texture
and doesn't turn to pure mush while baking.
Drop small spoonfuls onto cold baking sheet
two inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes or
until golden brown on top. Remove from
oven, and let cool for 5 minutes. Place
several on dessert dish while slightly warm
and drizzle (or drown depending on mood)
with caramel. May also be served with a
small dipping bowl of caramel. Ooooh la la!
Mascarpone and Pumpkin
Souffle Biscuits
6 GRANDS frozen biscuits
1 cup raw shredded pumpkin, cooked
in microwave for 4 minutes
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
Butter for muffin pans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 12 muffin pans. Cut Grands
biscuits in half, making 2 circles.
place each thinner circle in the
bottom of each muffin pan section.
Mix mozzarella and cheddar cheese
together in bowl. Place cheese in
muffin pan, separated on top of
each biscuit bottom.
In a large mixing bowl, place eggs,
milk, mascarpone cheese and blend,
using hand mixer for 30 seconds.
Blend in the black pepper, mustard,
red pepper and salt. Pour egg mixture
over each biscuit half to top of muffin
pan. Sprinkle more red pepper flakes
on top of each muffin section.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-35 minutes,
or until souffle is golden brown, and
puffy. Remove from oven and serve
immediately!
