It's Not Pumpkin Spice -- It's Pumpkin!

I'm not a fan of "pumpkin spice"

unless it's spicing pumpkin!

After all a "pumpkin spice" latte is just coffee with

cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

It has nothing to do with a pumpkin!

But I love pumpkin

And we have several favorite pumpkin recipes that

I make year after year

One of my favorites is a Cranberry Pumpkin Coffee cake

Found eons ago in a Victoria magazine cookbook

It has the flavors of November . . . 

pumpkin and cranberry!

It's a great breakfast bread for Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving weekend

Of course, there's pumpkin pie

Our first is usually for dessert on Halloween

preceded by our traditional chili

I use Mother's recipe which is as old as the hills for it doesn't

use evaporated milk!

Our first is Halloween and then we have it again on Thanksgiving

for Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving unless there is pumpkin pie for dessert!

I made pumpkin pancakes one morning for breakfast

Eaten with real butter and real maple syrup

and little link sausages

They were good and I used a half a recipe which meant that I had a cup of pumpkin left

So I made mini loaves of pumpkin bread

(another favorite of mine)

and, although the recipe is not mother's, it is an old one and is plain --

no nuts, no raisins

Just pumpkin and spices!

I love pumpkin bars and you'll find them on almost every dessert table in October and November.

I have a great recipe -- called "Killer Pumpkin Bars" and it was a winner

but this year I tried a different version -- with cranberries and a brown butter frosting

Oh, my, they were good.  

Now I'm not sure which recipe is the best!

I do love pumpkin and the traditional pumpkin dishes that appear

as dinner dessert or tea time treats during October and November.

Here are the recipes:

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY COFFEECAKE

2 1/4 cups flour

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped

Granulated sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter an 8 cup ring mold or other decorative mold. Dust the pan with flour, shaking out the excess.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, pumpkin-pie spice, baking soda and salt.

In the medium size bowl of an electric mixer, at medium speed, beat the eggs until they are foamy. Beat in the granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, and oil until well blended. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until a batter forms. (Do not overmix). Gently fold in the cranberries.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin metal spatula around the edge of the mold to loosen the cake and turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.

Sprnkle the cake with granulated sugar before serving.

MOTHER'S PUMPKIN PIE

1 unbaked pie shell

1 1/2 c. cooked or canned pumpkin

1/3 c. white sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 t. ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 c. rich milk (I use half and half)

1/2 c. heavy cream

Mix all ingredients but the pie shell together.    Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell and bake in a 400 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until firm or until  a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.    Cool the pie well.

PUMPKIN TEA BREAD

3 1/2 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2/3 c. water

2 cups canned pumpkin (a whole can)

3 cups sugar

Sift dry ingredients together.    Mix pumpkin, walt, oil and eggs together.    Pour into dry mixture and mix well.   Pour into greased and floured bunt cake pan and small loaf pan or two medium loaf pans.    Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350.    Cool 30 minutes before removing from pan.    (Obviously, the smaller pans will take less time to bake.)