It Suits My Fancy ~ Pumpkin

I thought this might be a more fun way to share some of my creations over the Holidays. I love taking recipies and revamping them, especially when you have an abundance of fresh ingredients around. Right now we got pumpkins, and I Love Pumpkins and like veggies so I can go until the Beginning of the year just with recipes about these items. I have Butternut & Hubbard Squash, Rouge de en temps, Jaharradale, and a NOID New Mexico variety pumpkins. This particular day I am going to share a Pumpkin Butter made from Jaharradale and a Pumpkin Pound Cake made from the Rouge de en temps. Both of these varieties are used in decoration during fall and Halloween just because folks don't know exactly what to do with them. Pumpkins are so full of nutrition from the flesh to the seeds, take a moment from your day of online shopping and search some of the different ways to prepare, some are old fashioned, some are ethnic, it is interesting and they are relatively easy to prepare and cook. Well anyway hope you try and enjoy my recipies Spicy Pumpkin Butter Total Time 6 hours INGREDIENTS 6 cups pumpkin cubed 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon, powdered 1 teaspoon ginger, powdered 1 teaspoon nutmeg, powdered 1/2 teaspoon clove, powdered 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper, powdered (you may want to increase this for a more spicy flavor) 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon butter (to add later) DIRECTIONS ~Put pumpkin into a pot and put in all sugar and spices on top. Add water, cook undisturberbed on Medium heat for 1 hour. ~Look at pot after 1 hour. Stir just to check pumpkin doneness. Set heat lower and cover, cook for 2 more hours. This should cause the mix to get quite watery looking and dark. ~Cook for 3 more hours on low. Add butter now and check each hour. When there is 2 hours left mash with potato masher and cook fonal hour uncovered to thicken. (If it is not thickened at the end of this time cook and check in 30 minute increments, it should be the consistancy of a loose preserve, but the thicker you allow it to get the more intense the flavors, so make it your own) Pumpkin Pound Cake Total time ~1 hour 35 minutes INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup dark brown sugar 6 ounces sour cream 1 cup pumpkin 3 cups flour, self rising 6 eggs (organic, home grown makes the richest cake) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon cloved, powdered 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon cinnamon DIRECTIONS ~Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. ~Cream butter and sugar. ~Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. ~Sift flour and slowly add flour alternately with pumpkin and sour cream. ~Add remaining ingredients and mix well. ~Pour into a well greased pan, seems to work out at the same timing for 9 X 13 rectangle, bundt, or tube cake pans. ~Bake 1 hour and check doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean now it is done. If not bake for the remainig time. Allow to cool and add glaze, cing, or garnish with powdered sugar. (Tips, make your glaze with a little of your favorite holiday cheer, let harden and wrap for amazing gifts...The alchol will evaporate during the hardening process but leave the flavor behind, Captin Morgans Spiced Rum is the BOMB) I guess in all fairness I need to add how to get your fresh pumpkin for your recipies FRESH PUMPKIN PUREE you will need: pumpkin water pan icecream scoop potato masher or blender cut pumpkin in half scoop out seeds and sringy gut parts (roast seed, save seed got growing a couple next year) place pumpkin halves cut side down on a foil lined pan (for easy breezy clean up) pour about 1/2 cup water into pan to help steam pumpkin through. cook in oven for about 30 minutes on 350 degrees F Check with a fork it should be super tender from the outside in to be done. Let cool and then scrape insides from the skin with the ice cream scoop (IF IT SEEMS OVERLY WATERY AT THIS STAGE TO YOU IT PROBABLE IS...place all scooped pumpkin into a mesh colander and let it drain over a bowl in the fridge empting as needed about 2 times should have enough moisture out of a normal pumpkin)and mash or puree in blender. You can put into portions sized sandwich ziplock bags at about 2 cups each and then place into a 1 gallon freezer bag, clearly marked with a date and how much each bags in holding, and save for later.