Pumpkin fever

Everyone knows I love to bake and cook....and SOMETIMES, I have been known to go through phases...where I get a little obsessive about a particular item, and tend to "over-do" it a bit.

This fall, it appears that just might might be a little thing called "pumpkin fever."

I think is started 2 months ago, with that first visit to dad's pumpkin patch. That was followed with a second visit a few weeks ago...and roasting that first pumpkin.

I got one of dad's cow pumpkins, and decided I was going to get Grandma Jahn's pie recipe from Penny. She shared it with me, and it's been all down-hill from there. I'm not stopping, hey, this stuff freezes, and I LOVE giving it to friends and family!

I started 2 weeks ago today. In one afternoon, I made 3 pumpkin pies, all of which were gone by Tuesday...I then made a couple more for work friends, a special "fancy" pumpkin/ sweet potato pie for Larry (who has been my communications mentor and is moving to Oklahoma), and then started in on a pumpkin-banana bread recipe.

I think to date, again, in just 2 weeks, I've made close to 1o pies, 4 loaves of bread, and I have a recipe for pumpkin puffs I'm dying to try, and would you believe, in all of this, we MISSED the pumpkin show? Amara was still getting over her cold, but I digress....my friend Keith, took this photo of a pie I made for he and his family. I teased him about it, because he is a great 'photog' and he knows I keep this blog--so why not? I hope he gets a kick out of the fact that I published this, I told him I would!

Here is Grandma Jahn's Pumpkin pie recipe, from Penny. Granted, I didn't get a crust recipe from her, but I've used the one in the red & white, Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for years, and I'm sure she likely did something close:

Pie Recipe: 4 c pumpkin, 2/3 c evap. milk, 2 c sugar, 1 T cinnamon, 1/4 t ground cloves, 1/4 t salt. Mix these ingredients together then add 4-6 T flour until it reaches a good consistency. Pour in a pie shell and top with cinnamon. Bake at 400 for 15 min then 350 for 45 more minutes.

The "amended" recipe I found, and have been making a lot is this:

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground ginger
about a 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. each of nutmeg and cloves (more or less depending on how you like it)
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. all purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. evaporated milk
2 T. water
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inch)

and the Pumpkin-Banana recipe I've been on is this:

• Pam baking spray
• 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves*
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg*
• 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Add flour mixture and nuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake on the center rack for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.

Enjoy pumpkin frenzy!