Homemade Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

I love Pumpkin Pie..... any kind of Pumpkin Pie. There are so many variations. I've always wanted to make one from a fresh pumpkin. Since making this for the first time, it's the only Pumpkin Pie I will serve at Thanksgiving. It's the Best I've ever tasted. There's something vintage about a Pumpkin Pie made with Fresh Pumpkin. It takes me back to life on the Prairie and the stories about Little House on the Prairie with Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie from Scratch:

2 C fresh cooked pumpkin: ( 1-2 small pie pumpkins. Remove the stems, quarter them, remove the seeds and string. Steam the quarters in a steamer over boiling water until tender, ( I did them in a tall Pasta Pot and it took about 45 minutes) Allow the pieces to cool. The skin will be easy to peel off. Mash the pumpkin with a stick blender or in a food processor.)
I make the puree by the end of October and freeze it until I make the Pies for Thanksgiving.

Pie pumpkins are small and dense and usually have a medium or dark orange color. They usually appear in markets and grocery stores in September, and continue to be sold through November. The most common variety is the deliciously flavorful sugar pie, but other eating pumpkins may include winter luxury, deep red, and golden cushaw.

You can purchase a Deep Dish Pie Crust or make it from scratch. Anne makes the best Pie Crust so ours is always homemade. Our Pumpkin Pie Plate measures 8 1/2" across the interior bottom and 10" across the top.

Filling:

3 eggs
1 (12oz.) can of Evaporated Milk
1/2 C Egg Nog
3/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1-9" Unbaked Deep Dish Pie Crust

Place the Crust in a Deep Dish Pie Plate.

In a Bowl, combine:
2 C Fresh Pumpkin
Sugar
Salt
Clove
Ginger
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Mix well

In a bowl, whisk:
Eggs
Evaporated Milk
Milk
Whisk well

Add wet mixture to dry mixture
Mix well

Pour filling into the pie shell ( if you have more than you need, save it for mini pie tarts)
Place pie pan on a cookie sheet
Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when tested in the center of the pie.
Use a Pie Crust Shield if needed halfway through to avoid burning the Crust.

Cool  completely on a wire rack
Refrigerate and chill completely before serving

Serve with Whipped Cream

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

I prepared the pumpkin today and put it in the freezer until
I make the pie for Thanksgiving Dinner.
I'll post additional pictures when I make the pie.

This is the best Pumpkin Pie I have ever tasted.
We will make this every year for Thanksgiving.
This was Thanksgiving 2013.

I had enough filling to make another Pumpkin Pie.
My wife made it, along with a Blueberry Pie.

Thanksgiving 2014
Ready for the oven!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Roasted Corn / a side dish!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe that I posted earlier. The recipe served this corn as part of a Red Pepper stuffing. I loved the corn so much , on it's own, that I decided to change it up a bit and post it separately as a side dish.
I have many corn recipes and have said that I could write a cookbook about corn.

2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, diced ( about 1 1/4 C)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 TBS butter
6 ears of corn, grilled/roasted
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
Fresh ground black pepper

Grill the corn and remove the kernels from the cobs
Heat oil in a skillet on medium- low heat
Add onion, garlic and salt. cook 5 minutes
Increase the heat to medium, saute 5 minutes
Add butter and corn, cook an additional 5 minutes
Season well with fresh ground black pepper

Remove from heat
Stir in lime juice and parsley

Note:
I would add some goat cheese to the mixture, mix well and serve warm.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Butter Cake

It was time to get back into posting recipes from Aunt Faye. I'll post more of them later in the week
Today I decided to share this one.
There's a bit of history here. The boxed cake mixture was introduced in 1948 in America and the 9"X13" pan was introduced in 1920. I know that my Aunt began making this cake in the mid to late 50's. My mother continued to make it when I was a child.
It's an interesting recipe.

Butter Cake:

1 - (18.25oz.) boxed yellow cake mix
2 sticks of butter, divided ( 1 stick for the cake and 1 for the topping)
4 eggs, divided
2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 - (8oz.) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
4 C confectioner's sugar

Cake:
In a bowl, combine:
cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Mix well

Spread in a 9"X13" baking pan greased with my Pan Release Mixture ( on the blog under Tips, Hints and More)

In a bowl, with a hand mixer:
cream cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick of butter, melted
Mix well
Gradually add the confectioner's sugar
Mix well

Spread over the batter
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes

Cool completely
Serve with vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Butter Cake, a vintage recipe!

Butter Cake is a vintage recipe that's been around for many generations. This is from the archives of my Aunt Faye's recipes. I needed to get back to posting more of her recipes. I'll work on that this week. This is made with a boxed cake mix. The first boxed cake mix was introduced in America in 1948. I know that my Aunt made this cake in the mid to late 50's when she was a personal chef in Michigan!
She made this for out family gatherings too.
I hope you have a chance to stroll down memory lane and try some of America's vintage recipes.I've posted many of them on the blog.
The 9"X13" baking pan was introduced in 1920. I blogged about it in a post titled, 1960's American Desserts made in the Classic 9"X13" Pan. You can research it on my blog.

Butter Cake:

1 - (18.25oz.) box of yellow cake mix
2 sticks of butter, divided. 1 for the cake and 1 for the topping.
4 eggs, divided
2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 - (8oz.) package of cream cheese, room temperature
4 C confectioner's sugar

Cake:
In a bowl, combine:
cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Mix well
Spread in a 9"X13" baking pan, greased with my Pan Release Mixture ( on the blog, under Tips, Hints and More)

In a bowl, with a hand mixer:
cream cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick of butter, melted
gradually add confectioner's sugar
Mix well
Spread over the batter

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes
Cool completely
Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Roasted Chickpea Snack

This is definitely a Hippy in the Kitchen snack!
It's from a blog that I follow ( Food 52) .
I volunteered to so a taste test of the recipe. THey posted a list of many recipes that they wanted readers to prepare and write a critique.
Apparently I wasn't the only one that volunteered to test this recipe so they ended up with too many and I didn't have to do it.
I liked the recipe so much that I wanted to share it.

1- 15 oz. can of chickpeas ( garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp sweet hungarian paprika

1/4 tsp regular paprika

1/8 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp onion powder

1 TBS fresh lime juice

In a bowl, whisk well:
All ingredients except the beans

Add beans and coat well.

Spread them on a sheet pan, lined with foil, in a single layer.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, stir well and continue baking for 10 -15 minutes more.

Check every 5 minutes to prevent burning.

Remove and cool completely on the pan.

Store in a covered container.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Hatch Jack Cheese Soup

Hatch Jack Cheese Soup

This can be made with Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese if you don't have access to Hatch Jack Cheese.
As the weather cools down and Fall and Winter approach, I make Soup!
I make it every weekend.  I  create many original soup recipes. and I have hundreds of recipes available to me. When we go to the Mennonite Central Conference Sale in Kansas every year, I immediately go to the booth that sells Mennonite and Amish family recipe books. They have incredible Soup recipes.
Here's one of them. I have adapted it to make it my own. It can certainly be made with Cheddar Cheese. I liked the idea of a "white" creamy soup.

4 TBS butter
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 TBS flour
2 C milk
1 C vegetarian broth
1 C heavy cream
1 C of shredded Hatch Jack Cheese
1/2 C canned diced green chiles

Melt butter in a soup pot on medium heat
Add onion and garlic
Saute until soft
Add flour and whisk until smooth

Combine milk and vegetable broth
Slowly add it to the flour mixture, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken
Reduce heat to low
Add cream
Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly
Do not allow it to boil
Fold in Chiles

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Tropical Dump Cake

Dump Cake is an iconic recipe that has been made in most families for generations. It's simple, and a great dessert to take to a family gathering, or a church supper. It's also an iconic American 9"X13" baking dish recipe.  There are many versions, many flavor options. This one is new to me and it's delicious!

Tropical Dump Cake:

1 - 20 oz. can of cubed pineapple ( pineapple chunks), including the liquid
1 - 15 oz. can of tropical fruit, including the liquid
1 package of orange cake mix
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1/2 C instant oatmeal
1 C coconut flakes

Pour pineapple and tropical fruit with the liquid into a 9"X13" baking dish.
Pour dry cake mix evenly over the fruit
Mix oatmeal and coconut together and sprinkle it evenly over the top
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!