Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

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This is a very special dessert.  It's been in the H family for quite some time and is a favorite on Thanksgiving day.  It's a light and elegant twist on traditional essential for Fall.  

{What you need}

1 envelope Knox gelatin

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup cool water

3 eggs (reserve whites)

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

{crust}

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup crisco

1/2 cold canned milk

For the crust, mix salt and flour.  Add crisco.  Blend with a pastry blender (not too fine).  Add milk (a little at a time).  Press into a 9" pie pan.  Bake at 400 until light and brown, about 8-12 minutes.  Set aside.

For the pie filling, mix the gelatin, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon together in a double boiler.  Stir in milk, water, egg yolks.  Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until dissolved and warm.  Remove and chill about 20 minutes in ice in double boiler until the mixture begins to set.  Beat the egg whites until very stiff, adding slowly 1/4 cup sugar.  Fold into gelatin mixture.  Pour into your pie crust and top with whipped cream.  Serve cold!

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes

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Holy moly, it just doesn't get better than this.  I made these for John's birthday celebration and served them with Mexican Hot Chocolate.  We were all melting, it was just so yummy.  The pumpkin is really subtle.  Plus, these are baked, so they are way healthier than the regular donut!!

{What you need}

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

{for the coating}

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except the brown sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar and all the wet ingredients, and then slowly incorporate into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined.  Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups (I used a cookie dough scooper and was able to stretch it to about 30 muffins).  Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.  After they are baked, dip each one in melted butter, then cinnamon/sugar mixture until entirely coated.  Best served warm!!

inspired by this recipe at Two Peas and Their Pod

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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THE single most perfect cake for the fall season!!  So utterly moist and flavorful, this is one of my new favorite recipes.  It's a major hit at showers and parties and will drive you crazy with how many people ask you to give them the recipe.

{What you need}

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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{frosting}

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 round pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.  In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Spread batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.  Combine all frosting ingredients and frost as desired, stacking the cakes with frosting in between.
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• Inspired by this recipe and this recipe.

Pumpkin Crumble Dessert

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My Aunt Lyssa brought these delectables to Baby James' blessing last week and I can't TELL you how incredibly they are!!  If you like pumpkin desserts, this will sink you.  If you don't, you'll still lurve it.  Perfect for the fall/winter weather, and could be a great alternative to traditional pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving!!  This seriously might be my new favorite dessert... And they are soooo easy!!!!

{What you need}

1, 15 oz can pumpkin puree

1, 12 oz can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1, 18.25 oz package yellow cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts {optional}

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and spice.  Pour into greased pan.  Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top and drizzle melted butter on top.  Add walnuts on top, if desired.  Bake for one hour at 350 or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  Serves great hot or cold!

recipe compliments of allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These totally are not in season, but they are delicious as ever!  Tonight for dinner I made this pasta so I thought I'd try to get the most out of the can of pumpkin we bought.  I googled a recipe for cookies and found this winner here.  The only change I made was I used chocolate chips instead of raisins and nuts.  That was a no-brainer to me.  They turned out to be the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookies John and I have ever had.  Enjoy!

{What you need}

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, cream together sugar, egg, shortening, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl sift together the rest of the dry ingredients and gradually add in to sugar mixture until blended.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Spoon onto greased cookie sheets and cook for 10-15 minutes.  We found that 12 minutes is perfecto.

Pumpkin Alfredo

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I made this for a very special evening.  I had been to the doctor earlier that day for an ultrasound for our first baby, but since John couldn't come with me because of final presentations at school, I had the ultrasound tech not tell me what sex the baby was and she wrote it down on a card I provided and put it in an envelope.  We had this very delicious and elegant meal before we opened the envelope together to find out what our first baby would be.  So this is a very special meal to us, and it is pretty reasonable to make.  Not the easiest thing, but definitely doable.

It calls for half of this alfredo sauce, which is part of why it takes a little longer to make because it's like you're making two meals.  But if you find a delicious alfredo sauce that comes pre-made or something, you could probably use that too and cut down on some prep time.

{What you need}

1 (8 oz) package cheese ravioli 

(or pasta of choice--I think it would be great with spinach fettuccine too)

1/2 batch of this alfredo sauce (or about 1 1/2 cup of canned)

1/2 T real butter

1/4 c finely minced onion

2 T chicken broth

1/2 t dried thyme

1 t dried sage

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  In a separate saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. When melted, add onion and saute until it is translucent and fragrant.  Add chicken broth and herbs.  Use   a spatula to deglaze the pan a bit and get any cooked bits of onion off the bottom.  Add pumpkin and whisk to combine.  Add alfredo sauce, stir to combine and cook until heated through.  Serve immediately over cooked pasta.  Another favorite from Best Bites.