Three Things You Can Make With Pumpkin

If you're like me you love the smells of the fall harvest and winter holidays. Some smells include, cinnamon, cranberry and PUMPKIN! Pumpkins are fun to carve for Halloween and the bigger the better but when choosing a pumpkin to cook with try to choose a smaller sized one. And are usually labeled sugar pumpkins for eating opposed to ones used for decorating. The pumpkin seeds can be roasted at low temperatures and eaten as snacks or used as a substitute for other nuts in many recipes. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of zinc and unsaturated fatty acids which aid in prostate health. Pumpkins contain lots of fiber and have been shown to curb a person's appetite. Pumpkins also contain high amounts of vitamin c, beta-carotene and potassium. They have been shown to prevent hardening of the arteries that cause strokes. So while you're eating your pumpkin pie this thanksgiving, think about that. Just remember not to go overboard on the other stuff which can negate any benefits you receive from eating pumpkin.

Are you tired of the same old pumpkin pie every year? Do you ask yourself what else can I make with pumpkin pie? Here are the top three pies or dishes you can cook with pumpkin:

Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter -- melted
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
24 ounces cream cheese -- softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the crust by combining the graham
cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl.
Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as
to turn the mixture into paste. Keep it crumbly. Press the crumbs onto the
bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of a spring form pan. You
don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of
cheesecake. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, and then set it aside until you are ready
to fill it. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and
vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs,
cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
Pour the filling into the pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. The top will turn a
bit darker at this point. Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.
When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.
When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8
equal pieces. Use dental floss to make a clean cut. Serve with a generous
portion of whipped cream on top.

Pumpkin Nut Bread

Yield: 2 loaves or 2 pumpkins, 24 servings

4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 envelopes (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 tsp) Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, undisolved yeast and salt. Heat milk and butter until very warm (120 to 130 F); stir into dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in pumpkin, eggs and 1 cup flour. Beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in nuts, pumpkin pie spice and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half to 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Roll up tightly from short end as for jelly roll; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place, seam sides down, in 2 greased loaf pans (8 1/2" x 4 1/2").Cover; let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Brush with egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

For pumpkin-shaped loaves:

Divide dough in half; set aside a 1-inch square from each. Roll each half to 10 x 11-inch oval and place on sheet pan with side of wooden spoon, make 4 symmetrical curved creases from top to bottom of oval to resemble a pumpkin. Place 1-inch square on top of pumpkin as stem.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 1 / 24 of recipe: Calories 150, Total fat 5 g, Saturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Sodium 180 mg, Carbohydrates 23 g, Dietary fiber 1 g, Protein 4 g

Stew In a Pumpkin Shell

1 large pumpkin
Melted butter
Sugar
2 large onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
Olive oil
3 pounds chuck steak, cubed
1 pound tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 1/2 pints beef stock
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds raw pumpkin, cut in chunks
2 cans sweet corn
12 canned yellow peach halves, sliced
Syrup from canned peaches

Bouquet
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper

To prepare the pumpkin, cut the top to form a lid, angle cutting so the lid will sit on and not fall in. Leave the stem for a handle. Remove the "guts", the fibers and seeds and discard. Scoop away most of the solid flesh, leaving a sturdy wall of pumpkin, being careful not to cut through it. Measure out 2 pounds of the pumpkin flesh for the stew.

Brush the inside of the cleaned pumpkin with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Replace the lid and set the pumpkin aside on a baking sheet.

Cook the onion and garlic in a little oil until soft but not browned. Transfer to a large saucepan. Brown the beef in the oil and add it to the onion mixture in the saucepan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, half the stock, the bouquet, a little salt and plenty of pepper to the meat and onions. Cover and simmer until the meat is almost cooked. This should take about 1 hour.

At this time, put the pumpkin shell in the oven at 375 degrees. Leave it for 30 minutes, or longer if the walls are thick. But be careful not to collapse the walls. You can use a large casserole as a support for the walls.

Add the sweet potato, potato and pumpkin to the saucepan and cover with more stock. Return to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the meat is tender, the potatoes are cooked, and the liquid is thickened with the dissolved pumpkin.

Stir in the sweet corn and peaches and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste, correcting the seasoning and adding a little of the peach syrup. Remove the bouquet and discard. Ladle the stew into the pumpkin and put back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings

So have fun experimenting with these recipes and add your touches to them.