Pumpkin Soup

When I need a quick dinner, soup often fits the bill. This pumpkin soup comes together fast and pairs well with BLTs or a salad topped with cranberries, pecans and blue cheese. It's also perfect for fall and I've even served this as a first course to the Thanksgiving meal.

I like the flavor of puree made from roasted pumpkin. If you don't want to make your own, substitute commercially canned pumpkin. If you're looking for a lighter soup, feel free to omit the milk or half & half. The pumpkin flavor is so delicious, you'll never miss it. Top the soup with roasted pumpkin seeds, pecans, hickory nuts or chestnuts.   

Cook the onions in margarine. Add a can of chicken stock. Cook until onions are
tender. Puree, add pumpkin, remaining broth and seasonings and simmer 10 minutes.

Add milk or half & half, if desired. Warm but do not boil. Serve.

Top with roasted pumpkin seeds or nuts. Perfect
accompaniment to a sandwich or salad.

Pumpkin Soup

1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp margarine

3 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned

15 ounces (scant 2 cups) pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄8 tsp ground ginger
1⁄8 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup milk or half and half, optional

Saute onion in margarine in a medium saucepan until tender. Add half of chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor (or use an immersion blender). Process until smooth.

Add remaining broth, pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground pepper and brown sugar; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk or half & half, if desired. Heat through but do not boil. Ladle into individual soup bowls. 

My Favorite Pumpkin Pie

We grow a few varieties of eating pumpkins. Each fall we pick and process the crop into puree that we freeze for use in baked goods throughout the year. The flavor of a Fairytale or Long Island Cheese pumpkin is richer and more complex that commercially canned pumpkin.

A freezer full of pumpkin inspires me to find new ways to use it. The puree can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. I like it in cakes, scones and muffins as well as soups. My latest favorites include pumpkin cinnamon rolls and pumpkin mousse. And of course, pie. We eat pumpkin pie September through March.

I've tried lots of recipes, but Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie is the best version of a traditional pie. It's easy, fast and has a good balance of spices that compliment, rather than overpower, the pumpkin flavor. It's delicious plain or with a dollop of whipped cream.

A Long Island Cheese pumpkin on the vine.

A few large pumpkins provide lots of puree.
This will hold in the freezer for a year.

Prepare a 9-inch crust. Here's my favorite crust recipe.

Combine sugar, spices and salt. I like to pass
my spices through a sieve to break up clumps.

Add eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees
and bake for 40 to 50 additional minutes. Cool 2 hours before cutting. 

If desired, top with homemade whipped cream.

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie
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
15 oz. fresh or canned pumpkin puree
1 can (12 fl. oz.)  evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

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.

Cranberry Sauce

While cranberry sauce is a staple at our Thanksgiving table, I also make it throughout the winter when fresh cranberries are available. Tart and bright, it's a nice foil to roasted poultry and pork. And while it's a great side, the sauce is a fantastic condiment on grilled meat and cheese sandwiches (your grilled cheese will never be the same). I even spread it on my toast.

Fresh berries and orange zest provide a completely different flavor and texture from the canned stuff. It comes together fast, can be made a day in advance and lasts for a week in the fridge.

Fresh cranberries are in season during the fall. Start with a 12 oz bag and a small orange.

Place all ingredients, except for the nuts, in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook 4-5 minutes.

As the berries cook, you'll hear them "pop".

The sauce will continue to thicken as it cooks.

After simmering for five minutes, sauce will be thick. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
Stir in pecans and chill for at least two hours. Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

Zest of one small orange

3/4 cup orange juice

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

dash of ground cloves

1 12-oz pkg. cranberries

1/2 chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally 4-5 minutes until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Stir in pecans and chill sauce at least two hours before serving. Makes about 2 1/2 cups sauce.

Holiday Food Prep Schedule

Hosting a holiday meal can make for a stressful day for the host. I'm sort of a stickler about getting the meal on the table at the pre-announced time, so I make a schedule to keep me on track. With an eye on the clock, I can usually have the food on the table within 5-10 minutes of my goal.

To get the entire meal on the table at the same time, I enlist both my ovens and a turkey roaster. I've adapted the schedule below to include a microwave and crock pot, in case you have just one oven. A note about a roaster: you might think it's an unnecessary kitchen tool that you'll use only once a year. In addition to roasting a holiday turkey, ham or beef roast, this workhorse can also be used to roast multiple chickens simultaneously and feed hungry crowds sausage & peppers, pulled pork, chicken & noodles and more. 

This 70+ year old roaster belonged to my grandmother. The top can be separated from the base
for countertop use. The masking tape on the upper right was placed there by Grandma Egner
so no one would (accidentally) take her roaster from covered dish dinners and farm meals. 

A note about roasting turkey: The roasting time below is for a 14 lb. unstuffed turkey with a 1pm finish time. To learn how long to roast your turkey, check the Butterball roasting chart. If you're stuffing your turkey, be sure to place stuffing in cavity just before placing in the oven. Stuffing the bird the night before can encourage bacteria growth. Also, pop-up timers can be faulty. Determine doneness with a meat thermometer: 165 degrees at the meatiest part of the thigh and breast, making sure not to touch the thermometer to the bone.

Sample Holiday Meal Schedule

Two days before the meal

• Prepare bread for stuffing: cut into cubes and dry in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes stirring once. Cool and store in a sealed bag until ready to use
• Make and refrigerate cranberry sauce.
• Make and refrigerate brine.

Day before the meal

• Saute vegetables for stuffing
• Place turkey in brine in the afternoon
• Blanch  and refrigerate fresh vegetables in prep for final cooking: green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
• Assemble and refrigerate salads and other cold sides
• Make pies or other desserts
• Make and refrigerate mashed potatoes
• Chill beverages

Day of the meal

8:30am Preheat oven/roaster

Prep turkey for roasting

9:00 Place turkey in oven/roaster

Crockpot: Heat premade mashed potatoes on low 

stirring occasionally

Prep veggies for roasting, sauteing or boiling

11:30 Assemble stuffing

12:30 Remove turkey from oven/roaster to rest for 30 minutes

Oven: Bake casseroles requiring dry heat (stuffing, 

mac & cheese, etc.)

Oven: Roast veggie sides

Stove: saute/boil veggie sides

Strain pan drippings into saucepan and make slurry for gravy

12:45 Microwave: Heat casseroles that can withstand 

moist heat (squash, green beans)

12:50 Stove: Make gravy

1:00 Let’s eat!!

How do you manage your holiday feast?