Easy Homemade Pumpkin Butter

I have received numerous requests for my autumn abundance article, so here it is...Enjoy!

It's autumn and with that comes the abundance of squashes. Squashes grow like wildfire and provide so much taste. Doesn't pumpkin butter sound delicious? You can make your own for much less than the cost of buying it in the store. Plus, you control the ingredients. What more could you want? You can make your own nutritious blend for dirt cheap. Read on....

Every year I like to steam up pumpkin, let it cool and peel it. Then, I freeze it for later use throughout the remaining year. It's a great beginning for any pumpkin recipe, including my pumpkin butter. You could probably used canned pumpkin, but I cannot guarantee the final result. I can attest to FRESH pumpkin as providing superb taste, though.

You can make pumpkin butter either on the stovetop or in a crockpot. I started making my recipe on the stovetop. Then I noticed I needed to stir it too frequently, even while cooking it on low heat. So, I transferred everything to a crockpot and let it cook. How easy is that?

This recipe relies on the natural taste of spices and the sweetness of pumpkin instead of heavy refined sugars. Most recipes, you will notice, use an inordinate amount of sugar. Not mine. You will receive the pure, natural taste of ingredients. My tasty recipe only uses minimal refined sugar. And, you could easily substitute unsweetened apple or white grape juice for the white and brown sugars. Of course, you can add more sugar as you like.

So....

You will need:

3 cups pumpkin, cooked and peeled

1 T. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

½ t. ginger

2 t. white sugar

2 T brown sugar

Place all ingredients into a crockpot and stir thoroughly. Turn on high heat. Cook for 3-4 hours. Stir as needed. 

Store in airtight container in fridge. You can also can this and give as a holiday gift. 

 

Find interesting? Kindly share...Thanks! 

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Versatile Beets

Here's more fun with beets:

It's that time of year when beets are in season. Beets contain a natural sweetness that lends well to a variety of tasty, budget-conscious foods. While using up a batch of recently-purchased beets (fresh from the farmer's market), I came up with this recipe that doubles as a soup or main dish.

Beet Rice Soup (serves 4)

6 cups water

1 medium beet, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

5 slices leek (or ¼ cup cut onion)

½ cup uncooked rice (your choice of type)

¼ t thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

Fill large dutch oven with water. Place in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, partially covered, for about 20 minutes. Test rice and veggies for doneness.

For soup, ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired. Store unused portion in airtight container in fridge. Or, freeze for future use.

For a main dish, steam up some skinless chicken. Dice up chicken and place onto serving dish. Remove solid food from the soup mixture with a sieve. Place mixture over the chicken. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese prior to serving. Store unused portion in airtight container in fridge. Or, freeze for future use.

There you have it. A cost-effective, nutritious and versatile way to use beets. Share with your friends so they get an idea about how tasty beets are.

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Happy July 4th Weekend!

Wishing everyone a joyous, festive and safe July 4th weekend. Happy Independence Day to all my U.S. readers. :) Enjoy the barbeques, good food and...if you have a chance...watch the holiday classic with James Cagney playing George M. Cohan..."Yankee Doodle Dandy". It's the best!

Be grateful for our freedoms, that we sometimes take for granted.

Be safe while using or watching fireworks.

The Delights of Spaghetti Squash

Fall is the season for squashes. Succulent squashes can provide taste and versatility to your meal plan. Have you ever seen a spaghetti squash and wondered what to do with it? Here are some tips that may whet your appetite...

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Do this prior to all uses.

Either cut the squash halves into quarters or chunk-size, depending upon your ease level. Squashes are hard to cut and require strength. Perhaps an electric knife will help. I've never used one for this purpose, but it may work.

Place the cut-up squash into boiling water or the steamer. Cook until you can poke a knife easily through the meat. (Squash meat is the portion you eat.)

When cooked, scoop out the squash with either a fork or spoon. Squash will separate into strands.

Use these strands and cover with spaghetti sauce to make a vegetable version of spaghetti.

Cover the strands with a mixture of steamed veggies, olive oil and fresh herbs. Gently mix together. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Use the strands as a side dish by mixing with a little butter and Italian seasoning. Italian seasoning usually consists of basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Or, use your own herb mixture to satisfy your taste.

Mash the strands together as if making mashed potatoes. Add a little soy milk, dairy milk or plain nonfat yogurt and a dab of butter. Mix thoroughly. Enjoy this as a side dish.

Spaghetti squash can be enjoyed as is, also.

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