HONEY PUMPKIN PIE

Every year our church has a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner a week or two before Thanksgiving. The youth sponsor the event and use the donations for their program. 

We missed the dinner this year because it was the same day as our Tasty Bunch gathering. I usually make a dessert and donate, but since we were not going to be able to attend, I decided to offer to make two pies this year.

My husband isn't really a pumpkin fan. He usually will eat anything I make with it, but he has other favorites. Well, I love pumpkin pie. I was so excited when I found this recipe for Honey Pumpkin Pie in a magazine back in '84. Since traditional pumpkin pie doesn't contain honey, I thought maybe he might like this pie. AND he does. The honey gives it a distinct taste.... and with a less pumpkin taste. When the youth were asking for pumpkin pie and pecan pie, I thought of this honey pumpkin pie immediately.

HONEY PUMPKIN PIE

1        can (16 ounces) pumpkin (the cans are 15 ounces now)
1-1/3 cups undiluted evaporated milk (almost a 12 - ounce can)
1/3    cup honey
1/2    cup sugar
2       large eggs
2       teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin , milk, honey, sugar, eggs, and spice with a wire whisk 

til smooth.

Pour into an unbaked 9 - 10 inch pastry crust.

Bake pie for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake pie for 35 more minutes.

Cool on rack.

Chill before serving.

PUMPKIN STREUSEL CUSTARD

OMG!  I have found the perfect recipe especially for two people.  If you have visited my blog, you might have noticed I almost always make "breads" in mini loaf pans instead of larger ones because I don't want to be tempted to eat more than I need to eat.  It also allows me variety which I really like.  

When I saw this recipe in my The Best of Country Cooking 2002 cookbook, I knew I had to try it.  It was submitted by Maxine Smith of Owanka, South Dakato.  She said she had worked with her recipe to make just enough for two servings.  It would be easy to double the amounts, but then you would probably have to experiment with the cooking times.

We had planned to spend Thanksgiving at our son's in CO, but our plans got changed.  I didn't want to make a whole pie (too much for just the two of us to eat) but I hated the idea of missing that traditional pumpkin pie.  I have to smile as I type "traditional" because I haven't made a traditional pumpkin pie in years.  In fact, I can't remember the last one I made.  

Why?  My husband isn't real fond of pumpkin pie.  A number of years ago I found a recipe for Honey Pumpkin Pie and I made it. He liked it and so that became "our traditional" pumpkin pie.  A couple of years ago, I found a recipe for TURTLE PUMPKIN PIE. That one is really good and can be made "skinny".

Tonight I made the Pumpkin Streusel Custard and I LOVE IT!  It was a generous serving though and I must admit I only ate half of it. Don't worry, I will enjoy the other half tomorrow.  (Even my husband enjoyed it.  He told me I could make it again.  Yea!  That's a compliment coming from him.)

PUMPKIN STREUSEL CUSTARD

1       egg
1/4    cup packed brown sugar
1/4    teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4    teaspoon salt
1/4    teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8    teaspoon each ground allspice, ginger, and nutmeg
2/3    cup cooked or canned pumpkin
1/2    cup evaporated milk

TOPPING: 
1       tablespoon brown sugar
2       teaspoon flour
1/4    teaspoon ground cinnamon
1       teaspoon cold butter or margarine (I used light margarine)
2       tablespoons chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Spray or grease two 8 - or 10 -oz custard cups.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg.

Add the brown sugar, vanilla, salt and spices.

Stir in pumpkin and milk.

Pour into the bowls.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. (I used a fork to combine)

Cut in the margarine until crumbly. (The fork does this well.)

Add the pecans.

Sprinkle over the custard. (The center is soft.)

Bake 15 more minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  (I didn't want to mess up the center of the dish.  The custard was pulling away from the sides so I took it out after the 15 minutes.)


Cool.

Makes 2 generous servings.

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

We still have three more days in November so I'm not through with pumpkin yet. I'm also not ready to decorate my house for Christmas. It seems like I just decorated it for fall. I have friends who have had their Christmas decorations up for weeks. 

I love my house when it is decorated for both fall and Christmas. I just have to be in the right mood to do it. It will be interesting this year. You see, I always distinguish between Christmas and winter. If it doesn't contain a decorated tree, presents, or Santa, it is winter. Well, last year or I should say earlier this year, I donated all of my snowmen to Hillcrest Thrift Shop before winter was over so they could sell them. Not sure what I will do this year after Christmas.

Anyway, as I was saying, I'm not through with recipes with pumpkin. My husband isn't crazy about pumpkin. He admits it is probably not pumpkin he doesn't like as much as it is cloves. He can detect cloves like I can detect onion. I even have a Honey Pumpkin Pie recipe I make if I want just a plain pumpkin pie. He likes it. It has no cloves and also the pumpkin gives it a different texture. 

Well, he liked this Pumpkin Pecan Pie. He loves nuts and it isn't very "spicy" as it only has a little nutmeg and cinnamon. It is another recipe from the Big Valley Amish Cook-Book. Mrs. Daniel P. Kanagy was the contributor. I did use a few substitutions.

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

3       slightly beaten eggs
1       cup mashed pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin)
1       cup sugar (I used stevia)
1/2    cup dark corn syrup (I used light corn syrup)
1       cup or 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used 2/3 cup pecans pieces)
1/2    teaspoon cinnamon
1/4    teaspoon nutmeg
1/4    teaspoon salt
1       teaspoon vanilla
1       9 - inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare pie crust and set it aside. (This pie crust is definitely a keeper.)

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and

then add the pumpkin, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla salt, and spices.

Mix well.

Pour mixture into pie crust.

Sprinkle chopped pecans over mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Chill

before serving with

whipped cream, if desired.

Here are some pictures of my fall decorations...

PUMPKIN DATE BREAD

This Pumpkin Date Bread is called a quick bread. I guess I never thought about why some people call some breads "quick" breads before. I don't know why I started thinking about it as I sat down to write this post. Just did, I guess. Here's what I came up with.

When most people think of breads they are talking about yeast breads. Yeast breads take a while to make because you have to allow the yeast to work/rise. The other kinds of breads that contain fruits, nuts, etc don't contain yeast and are faster to make - thus the name quick breads.  What do you think? Sounds reasonable to me.

Whatever. Who cares? I admit most of the time the breads I make are quick breads even though they might be called that. I feel they are usually better if you wrap them in foil while still a little warm and not cut them to serve until the next day. I store them in the refrigerator.f

I especially liked this Pumpkin Date "Quick" Bread because it contains dates. I LOVE dates - as I have said many times here. I also like pumpkin but Wayne - not so much. Any way I can make my pumpkin recipes and sorta disguise the pumpkin with something else, it often works. Sometimes I think it is the spices in pumpkin dishes that he doesn't really like. He doesn't like cloves or allspice so I really have to be careful using those. Years ago I found a pumpkin pie recipe that he will eat. Honey Pumpkin Pie contains pumpkin pie spice but I think the honey overpowers it.

I made this bread mainly for us, so I replaced the 2 cups of sugar with 1 cup of pyure organic stevia blend. Actually the 2 cups wouldn't have been so much since the recipe made two large loaves. You could probably reduce the 2 cups because it is plenty sweet using the stevia. The topping is an added treat. As I said it made two large loaves so it could be baked in the mini loaves and you could treat 5 - 6 friend/family with a delicious baked loaf for the holidays.

Click here for a printable version of just the recipe.

PUMPKIN DATE BREAD

1       cup applesauce
1       cup canned pumpkin
2/3    cup oil
3       eggs
1/2    cup milk
1/3    cup molasses
1       teaspoon vanilla extract
3-2/3 cups flour
2       cups sugar or 1 cup stevia blend
2       teaspoons baking soda
2       teaspoons ground cinnamon
1       teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2    teaspoon baking powder
1       cup chopped dates
1       cup chopped pecans

TOPPING
1/4     cup packed brown sugar
1/4     cup chopped pecans
1/2     teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9 x 5 - inch loaf pans or five to six mini loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk, molasses, and vanilla;

mix well.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder with a whisk.

Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and

stir well with a wooden spoon.

Stir in dates and pecans.

Divide evenly between the loaf pans.

Combine the topping ingredients (brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon) using a fork.

Sprinkle over the batter.

Bake for 55 - 65 minutes or until they test done (for the larger loaves). Check the smaller mini loaves after 45 minutes.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes before removing to finish cooling on wire racks. Wrap in foil and store overnight for best results.