Pumpkin Pie and Bread Recipes for the Holidays

Here's some favorite recipes of mine for the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. My favorite is the Pumpkin Pie—it's not the bland, plain type found in stores.

Pumpkin pie originated with American colonists, who carved out pumpkins and re-stuffed them with the pulp (without the seeds), milk, spices, and honey. They baked the stuffed pumpkin in hot ashes. That was very messy and took awhile, so I highly recommend starting with canned pumpkin—it's a lot easier to use than fresh pumpkin for cooking. Save the fresh pumpkins for Jack-O'-Lanterns (see pumpkin links below).

— Dan Anderson, San Diego, California

• Mayflower Pumpkin Pie
• California Pumpkin Bread
• Tennessee Pumpkin Bread
• Orange Glazed Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Links

Mayflower Pumpkin Pie

Makes 2 pies (12-16 servings).

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup flake coconut

• 2 9-inch unbaked pastry shell (1 1/2 inch deep).
  • Variation: for an exotic and sweeter pie, use a store-bought Graham cracker shell.
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (in addition to the above)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked, or canned pumpkin
  (1 can = 1 1/2 cups = 15 oz.)
• 1 2/3 cups undiluted evaporated milk
  (1 can = 13 oz. ev. milk)

• 1/3 cup toasted shredded coconut (optional)
• Pecan halves (optional)

Combine butter and brown sugar. Add chopped pecans and 1/4 cup flake coconut. Mix well. Press mixture firmly into bottom of pastry shell.

Combine eggs, sugar, salt, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin, and evaporated milk, blending well after each addition. Poor pumpkin mixture over brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 425°F. for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F. and continue baking 40-50 minutes, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Garnish with toasted coconut and pecan halves, if desired. Serve warm or cool.

California Pumpkin Bread

Makes 2 loaves.

• 1 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cup walnuts (or other nuts)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Pumpkin (16 oz.)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix raisins and nuts and soak in apple juice. Mix flour, baking sobaking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg allspice, and cloves. Beat eggs. Stir in sugars, oil, and pumpkin. Stir in dry ingredients. Add raisins and nuts. Pour into greased 8x4-inch pans.

Bake 60-70 minutes. Knife stuck in center shouldn't come out sticky. Cool 10 minutes in pans. Cool 10 minutes in wire racks.

Tennessee Pumpkin Bread

Makes 1 loaf.

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin (or any winter squash)
  (1 can = 1 1/2 cups = 15 oz.)

• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking power
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger

• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup flake coconut (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one-at-a-time, beating until smooth. Stir in pumpkin.

Sift together flour, baking power, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger.

Stir dry mixture into pumpkin mixture in four parts, alternating with water. Do not overbeat. Fold in nuts.

Pour into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45 - 50 minutes. Garnish with toasted coconut and nuts, if desired.

Orange Glazed Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 muffins.

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking power
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup mashed, cooked, or canned pumpkin
  (1 can = 1 1/2 cups = 15 oz.)
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade

Make a "well" in flour mixture. Pour pumpkin mixture into well. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon into 12 buttered muffin cups. Place 1 teaspoon marmalade on top of each muffin. Bake at 400°F. 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. Place on wire racks to cool.

Pumpkin Links

Here's some useful Pumpkin Links

• Pumpkins and More, http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/
  Everything you wanted to know about pumpkins and more (UIUC Extension)
• Pumpkin Nook, http://www.PumpkinNook.com/
  Another comprehensive pumpkin web site, including tips on growing pumpkins.
• Happy Halloween All Family Resources, http://www.familymanagement.com/holidays/halloween/
  includes free pumpkin carving patterns