Tuesday tip: Making and Storing Pumpkin Puree

I absolutely could not think of a better post to do the day after Halloween than this one! Everyone has left over pumpkins right? Instead of throwing them away you could turn them into pumpkin puree and save it to make pies (or whatever your little heart desires) for the holidays!
Making Pumpkin Puree is so simple and not very time consuming at all. You only need a few materials even the most simple of kitchens comes equipped with.

Materials:
Left over jack o' lantern (or new pumpkin)
Aluminum foil
Pan
Knife
Potato Masher (or spoon or food processor or mixer)
Ziploc Bag

Preheat oven to 350
First, rinse out your pumpkin, make sure it's clean inside, then chop it into several chunks about the size in the below picture.

Cover a cookie pan with aluminum foil and place the pumpkins on it and put into the oven for about 45min-1 hour

They will be soft and mash-able like potatoes.

Next you can peel the skin off the flesh of the pumpkin and then mash or mix them until they are smooth. Now you are all finished with your puree! You can use it now or store it for later.

To store pumpkin puree measure 1 to 2 cups of the puree into a Ziploc bag and place them flat (for better storage). Write the date and the contents on your package and you are all set! Your frozen puree will stay good for up to a year! It's perfect to save it up for those Thanksgiving pies!

I'm really excited to hear how many of you did this and what you plan to do with your pumpkin puree.


-Amanda

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

So now that the holidays are coming up I thought it was the perfect time to post a made from scratch pumpkin pie! This is the perfect way to impress people during the holidays especially if you're a beginner to cooking because its just so simple!
They never come out looking just like the store bought ones but they ALWAYS come out tasting so much better!

Ingredients:
1 medium pumpkin halved and gutted (I used sugar pumpkins if you don't use sugar pumpkins add sugar to taste usually about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 tbsp pumpkin pie seasoning (I just had some laying around, alternatively you could use cinnamon nutmeg cloves and cardamon I dont know the exact amount but taste everything! make it how you love it!)
2 eggs and an additional egg yolk
1 tbsp lemon zest
Pie Crust (I would have made this from scratch had I not had a spare pie shell sitting around. Waste not want not)

Method:
First and foremost I always pour myself a glass of wine, I love me some cooking and wine! :-)
1.Remove stem and gut pumpkin.(I save the seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds) Lay pumpkin cut side down on foil lined baking sheet bake 350 until tender and mashable like potatoes about 45 min - 1 hour.

Let cool

Peel skin (orange part) of pumpkin off.
Mash flesh of pumpkin with potato masher (or even a spoon or blend with food processor)

In food processor (or with hand mixer, ect.) add cream, seasoning, eggs and lemon zest.(enjoy the laundry in the background)

Blend until a smooth consistency
Pour into pie crust

Bake in oven at 425 for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 for 45 minutes.
Let cool.
Enjoy!
This was a really big hit with my mother in law and pumpkin pie is her favorite! SCORE! I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe and I would absolutely love to hear variations and suggestions!
Happy Baking!

-Amanda