Roasted Pumpkin Pie Tarts

November 23, 2015

No dessert says the holidays like Pumpkin Pie… For years I made my pumpkin pies like most everyone else in America, with a can stuffed with pureed pumpkin. Until I started wondering why I was tossing out all my Halloween pumpkins and going to the grocery store to buy what I just threw out! I had to stop the madness! So, I started roasting my own pumpkin and mashing it up myself. What I discovered was that the taste of a roasted pumpkin simply does not come in a can! Who would have thought???

It did take a little trial and error at first, this was before the days of Pinterest after all. So what I learned was that you don’t want water-logged pumpkin pie, pumpkin requires a little draining, no biggie. A pumpkin, even a small one is more than enough for one or even two pumpkin pies, so freezing the remaining pulp is a great idea. And low and behold, one does not need condensed milk to make pumpkin pie! Go figure!

This is a super flavorful and healthy pumpkin pie recipe that can be made into single serving size tarts like I show here, or into a full size pie! Just use your favorite pie crust, either one you are making yourself or right out of the box, either way, this filling is amazing! Just two simple extra steps and you get to utilize those Halloween pumpkins for more than Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and forget about using bland canned pie filling forever!

This pumpkin pie starts with a pumpkin… crazy I know!

Cut your small pumpkin in half.

Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and set aside for roasting!

Once your pumpkin is hallowed out, it’s time to roast it.

Spray a parchment lined cookie sheet with some non-stick cooking spray.

Roast for about 1 1/2 -2 hours until the skin buckles when touched.

This is what it looks like when roasted.

Scoop the flesh out from the skin.

Discard the skin. (this is great for your compost pile if you have one)

Place the flesh directly into a strainer set over a bowl. You want to drain any excess liquid.

Here is the liquid that came out of my pumpkin after a few hours of draining. I likely would have gotten a bit more had i done this over night.

Now mash the pumpkin and scoop out two cups full.

Place your two measured cups of roasted mashed pumpkin in a mixing bowl and store the rest for another pie or soup… this freezes well.

Add in 1/2 cup of half and half.

Some raw honey.

Cinnamon

Ground ginger.

Add in some fresh nutmeg… please do not replace the fresh nutmeg with the jarred stuff, it is not the same at all and will significantly change the flavor of your pie. If you do not have fresh nutmeg, simply omit the ingredient.

Add in two eggs.

Salt.

Mix.

Add in sugar.

Mix again.

This is the Pampered Chef Brownie Pan, it’s great for making small tarts and single portion foods.

Roll out your favorite pie crust.

Cut into square pieces to match the tart tray.

Spray with non-stick cooking spray and start forming your shells.

Once they are all formed you are ready to start filling.

I am using the large Pampered Chef Cookie scoop here.

Fill each shell.

Once they are all filled, they are ready for the oven.

Roasted Pumpkin Pie Tarts

Serves 18

Ingredients:

1 small (3-4lb.) pumpkin

1/2 cup half and half

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 heaping Tbs. raw honey

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

8-10 grates of nutmeg

2 pie crusts

cooking spray

Directions:

To prepare Roasted Pumpkin:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Cut pumpkin in half, remove seeds and place both halves cut side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Roast for 1 1/2 – 2 hours until tender. Allow to cool. Remove flesh from skin and place in a strainer set over a bowl to drain for a few hours.

To make tarts:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Mash drained pumpkin. Measure 2 cups of mashed pumpkin and place in a mixing bowl. Add in all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cut and fit crust into pie plates or tart pans. Fill with mixture and Bake for about 40-45 minutes until golden brown on top.

Allow to cool, enjoy!

*Gluten-free when using a gluten free pie crust.

Portuguese Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (Sementes de Abóbora Assado)

October 28, 2015October 28, 2015

Being Portuguese, one of my most favorite Halloween traditions is roasting of the pumpkin seeds! American pumpkin seeds (usually involving lots of salt as the only spice) are tasty and I do like them at other times of the year, but there is nothing like a home roasted Portuguese Style pumpkin seed that you get after carving your Halloween pumpkin!

Each and every family has a different style of pumpkin seed roasting and a different mixture of spices. I have been working on this recipe myself for a few years now and I think I have it just right for my taste. These are super spicy, so in the tutorial pictures, I give advice on reducing the heat if you like.

Start with an empty sealable container. This recipe can be doubled easily and will store nicely if you prefer to use it throughout pumpkin season… this recipe is great for squash seeds too!

To your container, add in garlic powder.

Kosher salt

Paprika… now, I use Hungarian Paprika which is very spicy, so if you like spice, use it, if you don’t, don’t

Crushed red pepper flakes

Since I already use Hungarian Paprika, I only use a touch of Cayenne Pepper… If you don’t have Hungarian Paprika, you may want to use a bit more Cayenne. Here I am using 1/4 tsp… I would up it to 1/2 tsp without the Hungarian Paprika.

Cover your container and give it a good shake.

Once you are through mixing your spice, it’s time to move onto the pumpkin. This guy is about to become a Mickey Mouse pumpkin!

Have a large bowl handy for your seeds.

I like to cut the bottom of my pumpkin for carving because no seam is shown up top.

Now pull apart and you will expose all your seeds.

Scoop them out.

You will find you may have a lot of pumpkin goop mixed in with your seeds, you don’t need that.

Remove all the goop. From here I DO NOT wash… I like that they are still slimy. Slimy seeds let the spice mix stick better!

You can throw out the goop.

Now, add in a little of the spice at a time. I have 2 cups of seeds here, so I am starting by adding in about half of my seasoning.

It looks to me like they are not well coated enough. So, I ended up adding the remaining spice. You be the judge on yours.

After they are mixed, this is what they should look like. Lay them in a single layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet… please do not try to put this directly on a cookie sheet… even with parchment, they stick. You could oil your pan first if you don’t have parchment paper.

After about 20 minutes in the oven, they look like this… You want to stir them up again and lay flat again. Pop them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so.

When done roasting, this is what you get.

Portuguese Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups non-washed pumpkin seeds

Spice Mix:

1 Tbs. Paprika (Hungarian for extra spice if desired)

1 Tbs. Kosher salt

1 Tbs. granulated garlic

1 tsp. dry crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine all spices in a resealable container. Spread on pumpkin seeds and stir. Bake in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350°F. Stir. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Break up any big pieces. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Bedazzled Jacket

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015

Kid’s are expensive! From the moment they are born all they do is grow. At first they are in a size for literally days, then a couple of weeks… thank the good Lord that at least my kid’s are finally getting a few months out of a size at this point. But, it is still not cheap to buy a whole new wardrobe every few months! Hence the hand me down.

Big brothers and sisters have been handing clothes down since the beginning of time. If you have kids that are the same sex, you are golden. But, what happens if you have a boy and then a girl or visa-versa? What happens is, it’s time to get creative and transform some of those clothes! Hey, if you can save a buck, why not save it!

This cute corduroy jacket was my son’s and it was great for him last year, but he has well out grown it now… So, I broke out the hot glue gun, some ribbon and my handy-dandy new Bedazzler and had fun transforming a pretty basic boy’s jacket into a super cute and sassy Pumpkin Spice fall jacket for my baby girl! And I think it came out rather cute! I get complimented on it everywhere we go!

Last weekend it was time for our annual hay ride and pumpkin picking, so she donned it and I grabbed some shots for you all to see… Take a look at how I did it!

Here is Lucas’ jacket pre-make over.

I start by using my bedazzler machine to add some sparkle to the collar.

Two plain studs and one jewel (orange).

Here is the pocket pre-sparkle.

I start with some ribbon right over the pockets. I chose to secure it with hot glue because it’s a jacket and doesn’t require a ton of washing… But, were it a shirt or pants, I would have chosen a strong fabric glue.