Pumpkin pie!

Ok it's November!  Time for pumpkin pie!  We were slackers this year and didn't get around to carving and decorating pumpkins this year.  We have 3 of them and they happen to be the pumpkin pie pumpkins so I would feel bad letting them go to waste and I heard that making your own pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie is so much better than canned so I thought I'd give it a try!  It was great!  Something was a little off with the crust (that's what I get for using store bought) but the pumpkin was amazing!  I had never roasted a pumpkin before so I looked it up on, you guessed it, Our Best Bites!  That recipe comes complete with step by step picture instructions. They have everything on there!  So here you go again getting 2 recipes in one!  Giving it a 5!

Pumpkin Puree:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice pumpkin in half and remove stem. You can cut it in quarters if you want, or just leave it halved. It doesn’t really matter. I cut mine in quarters so you could see the insides better.

Step 2: Using a spoon, scrape out all of the stringy stuff and the seeds. If you want to toast the seeds (shown below), make sure to save all this junk in a bowl and not the trash can! You’ll be left with just the pumpkin rind and the flesh.

Step 3: Spray a foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place your pumpkin cut-side down on the sheet.  Also, during this step, I would recommend covering the pumpkin with another piece of foil. I’ve never done that before, but I noticed the sticker on my pumpkin advised doing so. And I figure those pumpkin people might know a little somethin’ somethin’ about roasting pumpkin. Mine sometimes turn out a bit dry and I think covering them with foil might help keep some extra moisture in. On the flip-side, depending on your pumpkin, it may be overly moist instead. See the solution to that in step 6!

Step 4: Cook pumpkin in your 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until it’s tender when pierced with a fork. When done, remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.

Step 5: Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh and discard the skin/rind. It should be super soft and easy to scoop right out, kind of like scooping out an avocado.

Step 6: Place pumpkin pulp in a food processor and process until smooth. (Or you can just mash it with a fork or potato masher) Now. If your pumpkin is on the dry side, you can add a little water (or juice depending on what you’re making) at this point to get the consistency you want. My pumpkin was dry and I was aiming for the consistency of canned pumpkin so I slowly drizzled in about 1/4 cup of water until it had the right feel. If it’s too moist, just put your puree in a strainer to let some of the moisture seep through.

At this point you can use it in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin. (Check out some of my faves at the end of this post!)
FYI: I used a 2-lb. pumpkin and it yielded 1 3/4 C puree. And if you are trying to gauge- One 15 oz. can equals 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree and one 29 oz. can (the biggie) equals 3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree. So my 2lb pumpkin was almost exactly equal to one can.

And now onto the pumpkin pie recipe I used.  Which was actually the one off of the Libby's canned pumpkin label!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin  (or 1 3/4 cups of the pumpkin puree)

1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Whipped cream (optional)

(I used pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, ginger and cloves)

Directions:

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Italian Meatball Soup

Ok I'm really on a roll with Our Best Bites!  I am loving their recipe book!  This recipe comes from them again!  It was awesome!  It's actually 2 recipes in one since you make your own meatballs to go in the soup.  My kids kept asking for more meatballs and more noodles.  Well at least they ate it!  I was looking for a recipe to use up the spinach from our co-op and this worked wonders!  I give both recipes a 5!









Here's the meatball recipe first:

Italian Meatballs:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef (I actually used ground turkey instead)
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt*
*If you want, you could substitute all the Italicized ingredients with 3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning found here.

Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a broiler pan and broil until the meatballs start to brown–I actually use my toaster oven. Just because I can. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use).

And now the soup recipe:

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 recipe of Italian Meatballs
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
5 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 cup water
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup small pasta uncooked
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. When preparing the meatballs, make them small and bite-sized.  Broil the meatballs according to the recipe directions until they are just brown and can maintain their shape.

2. While the meatballs are cooking, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot.  Saute the onions and garlic until translucent.  Add broth, water, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.  Heat to boiling.  Gently add the meatballs, carrots, pasta and spinach.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through, the carrots are tender, and the pasta is al dente.