Holiday Cooking Using Pumpkin

One food commonly associated with Thanksgiving is pumpkin. It is traditionally served in pumpkin pie, and can be topped with homemade whipped cream. This is served with or after a traditional Thanksgiving meal in many homes across the United States.

Early colonists used to prepare pumpkins by cleaning them out and filling them with honey, milk and various spices to make an early type of pumpkin pie. They then used hot ashes to cook the pumpkins. Pumpkin pie, however, is not the only way to enjoy pumpkin during the holidays.

Desserts with Pumpkin

A list of ten pumpkin desserts was published in 2008 by Women's Day magazine that included recipes using pumpkin for cheesecake, crème brulee and flan.

In 2009, Good Housekeeping jumped on the bandwagon with a list of twenty recipes for pumpkin. The recipes use canned and fresh pumpkin and include fare such as bread pudding, ice cream squares and shortcakes.

Not to be outdone, Better Homes and Gardens has posted a slideshow online that features pumpkin desserts such as upside-down cake, fudge, and cream puffs.

Some kid-friendly pumpkin recipes can be found on About.com. These recipes include favorites such as whoopee pies, tarts and trifle.

Not Just for Dessert

Pumpkin is not just a good ingredient for desserts. There are many other types of recipes that call for pumpkin that are delicious and nutritious. A wide variety of pumpkin recipes can be found at the Pumpkin Nook. These recipes cover every general category including breads, main courses and snacks.

Another place to find some great pumpkin recipes of all kinds is at Very Best Baking. Even though the recipes list one particular brand of pumpkin products, any brand may be used. The recipes include dishes such as chili, smoothie, soup and casserole. There are two sections in which to find the pumpkin recipes. They are here and here.

Those seeking a gluten-free treat can find a nice selection of simple pumpkin recipes at Elana's Pantry. The author of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, Elana Amsterdam also has a gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe in her cookbook.

How to Roast a Pumpkin

Elana Amsterdam has a simple 10-step method for roasting pumpkin on her blog, Elana's Pantry. The steps are clearly outlined and there are clear images accompanying the directions.

Pumpkin Pie

If pumpkin pie is on the menu, one creative spin on the traditional pumpkin pie recipe can be found on the Food Network. It was created by Paula Deen and includes half-and-half and cream cheese.

References:

Pumpkin History. University of Illinois Extension. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/history.cfm