The Beautiful Color Orange!

Okay, so I should warn you, there will be orange children wandering around my house for a few days.  There is really no escaping the orange goodness of Thanksgiving!  With butternut squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes on the menu, my children are going to be full of carotene, therefore, I won't be surprised when they take on a slight orange hue! I can remember when my friend had her first baby.  He loved orange veggies and who doesn't? With the deliciousness of each one, this kid ate at least one orange veggie a day.  Well about two weeks in, we started noticing that Tyler was turning orange!  We had no idea why and so my friend called her pediatrician and took him in.  We still laugh about how the doctor had to explain to her that the carotene in the veggies was turning Tyler orange. So to start the holiday off on a good foot, my daughter asked for pumpkin oatmeal bake this morning.  So here we go...off to turning orange with a delicious and healthy oatmeal bake!  Then tomorrow we are going to have a delicious pumpkin pie!  Ohhhh, this time of year makes me so happy!  

Pumpkin is a beautiful fruit (yes, I said fruit.)  It is so versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  I have to admit, I don't make anything pumpkin without cinnamon.  To me they are a married pair.  You can make many beautiful soups and stews with cinnamon as an ingredient, however, for the majority of us, pumpkin is usually found in more sweet dishes then anything else.  

I use pumpkin all of the time in breakfast dishes.  I have made delicious pumpkin donuts, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin oatmeal cups (and bakes), and pumpkin pancakes.  I was just on Pinterest recently and found a pumpkin French toast bake that I am dying to try!  So, pumpkin is popular in our house! 

In addition to breakfast, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cupcakes have graced our kitchen as well.  And of course, the most popular of all...the pumpkin pie! 

Today I am going to share two of my favorite pumpkin recipes; pumpkin pie and pumpkin oatmeal bake.  These recipes are so easy and you can use either fresh or canned pumpkin to make them.  Not only are these recipes absolutely divine, but they are also extremely affordable! 

Fun Fact #1  Did you know that most commercially sold packed pumpkin is actually a combination of butternut squash and fresh pumpkin?  Butternut squash has a beautiful, smooth texture and is sweeter than pumpkin.  The color is undeniable!  This is why fresh pumpkin is light orange and packed pumpkin is dark.  Why does it say 100% pumpkin on the can?  Because, the USDA considers all squash (including pumpkins) to be in the same family, therefore, companies don't have to disclose the different types of squash in the ingredients.  Weird right?  

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake- Serves 4-6

3 cups whole, rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Directions- Lightly spray an 11 x 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.  Mix well to combine everything evenly.  Pour into prepared baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Serve immediately. 

Yummy goodness before baking photo!

 

Oh so good!  Full of pumpkin and cinnamon.  This is sure to be a recipe your family will love! 

 

 

 

 

Original Pumpkin Pie- Serves 6-8

 

 

2 cups of fresh pumpkin or 1 can of packed pumpkin puree (15 oz.)

1 can of evaporated milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

 

Directions-

Preheat oven to 425

Roll out pie crust and line one 9 inch pie pan.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar,spices, eggs, and salt.  Mix well.  Using a whisk, slowly pour in the evaporated milk.  Whisk until the milk is combined and the custard is smooth and creamy.  Pour batter into the prepared pie crust.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 and continue to bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  To ensure that the crust doesn't get over baked, you can lightly cover the crust with foil or use a pie shield. 

Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours. I allow it to set for more than that...it comes out better if I leave it for at least 4 hours. 

 

***Notes- I always brush the crust with egg to get a nice golden color.***

 

I will be taking pictures to add to this post today as I bake my pumpkin pie for tomorrow.  If you have any questions about the crust or the filling, please ask...I will try to look several times today and tomorrow as people are cooking and baking to answer as many of them as I can.

 

I hope that you are enjoying your holiday preparations!

 

Blessings to all!