Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Last year for Thanksgiving we made our first "from scratch" pumpkin pie. It was a fun experience. We purchased a special "pie" pumpkin. With no clue how to proceed, we just quartered the pumpkin, cleaned out the seeds and other "pumpkin guts" (to quote Connor) placed cut side down on a cookie sheet, and baked until soft. Once cooked, I scraped the meat into the food processor bowl and pureed until smooth. Not happy with the not-orange-enough color of the puree, I added a cooked carrot to the mixture. It didn't change the flavor, but made the color more appetizing. I actually ended up with more than I needed, so I froze the remained to use in future pies or pumpkin bread.

My plan was to use the puree in place of canned pumpkin in my favorite pie recipe, but thought it deserved a homemade crust. Since I rely on frozen pie crust, I called on my son James, the chef, to make the pastry. He made a rustic, French style crust, rich with butter and sugar. It was delicious. We will definitely be doing this again.

This is my old "go to" recipe. Adjust accordingly if you bake your own pumpkin.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Heat oven to 425°

2 Crusts for 9" deep dish pie

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 ½  cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 can pumpkin (29oz.)

Whipped cream for garnish

.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place on cookie sheet in preheated, hot oven.

.

Immediately lower temperature to 350°.

.

Bake 35 - 45 minutes or until center is almost set

Cool completely on wire rack. Serve topped with whipped cream

 

Pumpkin Patches, Pumpkin Pies

One of my favorite fall activities is going to the pumpkin patch with the grandkids, and my favorite patch is at Baggenstos Farms. Connor's preschool class went there last year, and Jordan's Brownie troop had their event there in October. The farm is awesome. In addition to the pumpkin patch, they have a farm store, rabbits and goats to pet, and various fun activities for the kids, like pumpkin bowling. Currently closed temporarily, they re-open for Christmas trees at the end of this month. 

Last year for Thanksgiving we made our first "from scratch" pumpkin pie. It was a fun experience. We purchased a special "pie" pumpkin. With no clue how to proceed, we just quartered the pumpkin, cleaned out the seeds and other "pumpkin guts" (to quote Connor) placed cut side down on a cookie sheet, and baked until soft. Once cooked, I scraped the meat into the food processor bowl and pureed until smooth. Not happy with the not-orange-enough color of the puree, I added a cooked carrot to the mixture. It didn't change the flavor, but made the color more appetizing. I actually ended up with more than I needed, so I froze the remained to use in future pies or pumpkin bread.

My plan was to use the puree in place of canned pumpkin in my favorite pie recipe, but thought it deserved a homemade crust. Since I rely on frozen pie crust, I called on my son James, the chef, to make the pastry. He made a rustic, French style crust, rich with butter and sugar. It was delicious. We will definitely be doing this again this year.

This is my old "go to" recipe. Adjust accordingly if you bake your own pumpkin.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Heat oven to 425°

2 Crusts for 9" deep dish pie

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 ½  cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 can pumpkin (29oz.)

Whipped cream for garnish

.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place on cookie sheet in preheated, hot oven.

.

Immediately lower temperature to 350°.

.

Bake 35 - 45 minutes or until center is almost set

Cool completely on wire rack. Serve topped with whipped cream

 

Rhubarb Season

            In a still-rural part of Portland’s west hills, the Skyline Restaurant, or Skyliner, as it is locally known, hasn’t changed very much since the 1950’s. In the 70's, when I was growning up, it was a gathering place for area teenagers. In the 80's, it was the first restaurant we took our kids to.  Even today, the same red vinyl booths surround the lunch counter, and the same newspaper clippings adorn the wall. Except for prices, the menu hasn’t changed either. They still serve the best huge double-bacon-cheeseburger on the planet. (#12 with bacon.) You can always count on homemade split-pea soup with chunks of ham, clam chowder on Friday, and home-baked pies.

            Some years ago, my husband’s grandparents came to stay with us for a week. One day, we all went for a drive, and ended up at the Skyliner for lunch. We walked in with Papa and Grandma, and were greeted by a waitress nearly their age. She took our order, asking Papa what kind of pie he wanted. “I’ll bet you don’t have rhubarb,” he answered. “That’s my favorite.”

            “I’ll bet you I do, honey!” The waitress grinned. “Coming right up! Would you like that ala mode?”

            I think Grandma was a little jealous of the attention, but she loved the pie just the same.

           









 

       
       In some backyards, rhubarb in spring is as plentiful as zucchini in the summertime. We love it stewed with a bit of sugar, or in the classic strawberry-rhubarb pie.
       The following recipe has been in the family for generations. It's a different use for all that rhubarb. My mother-in-law’s cousin from Texas sent it to her as a list of ingredients with a temperature. A little common sense was all it took to mix it all together and bake until done. Then the fun started. Having an over-abundance of apples, and blackberries free for the picking, I used the batter as a simple cobbler crust.
       Any version is great topped with ice cream, whipped cream, milk or plain with coffee.

Rhubarb Cake

Preheat oven to 350°

Cream:

1 ½ cup sugar  

½ cup shortening

Beat in:

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

                

Sift and mix in until well blended:

2 cups flour     

1 tsp. soda      

¼ tsp. salt

Fold in:

3 cups raw rhubarb, cubed

Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes

Cobbler Variations

Make batter as above, omit rhubarb, and set aside

Apple:                                                                         

Enough large apples, cored and cut into wedges to make 5 cups. In a large glass bowl, combine apples with 1 cup sugar, more or less to taste. Microwave on high until apples begin to soften and juice starts to gather. Stir in 1 tbsp. corn starch.

Berry:

5-6 cups blackberries, raspberries or Marionberries. Sift 1 cup sugar with 1 tbsp corn starch. Fold gently into berries, adding more sugar to taste.

Pour evenly in buttered 13 x 9 baking dish. Spread batter evenly over filling.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes

Pumpkin Pie Time

            My motto (one of them) has always been “it’s never too early to plan.” This is especially true for holidays, especially where food is involved. With Thanksgiving incredibly less than 3 weeks away, it seems like a good time to start planning the feast.

            We have two extra, uncarved, pumpkins left over from Halloween, and Laura and I decided we'll try to make them into pie filling. So far, we haven't found the time, but I'm hoping  that will change in the next couple of days. The plan is to clean and quarter the pumpkins, season them with cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and cloves, and bake until soft. Then scrape the flesh, puree and proceed as usual. We'll see how it turns out.

            Just in case, I’d like to share once again, one of my family’s favorites, Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. I found the recipe originally in a magazine in the very early 80’s, and made it for my first “adult” Thanksgiving. It was an instant hit. You can use “lite” cream cheese without hurting the results at all.
.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Heat oven to 425°
2 Crusts for 9" deep dish pie

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 ½  cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 can pumpkin (29oz.)

Whipped cream for garnish

.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place on cookie sheet in preheated, hot oven.

.

Immediately lower temperature to 350°.

.

Bake 35 -45 minutes or until center is almost set.

Cool completely on wire rack. Serve topped with whipped cream