pumpkins

So it totally does NOT feel like fall where I live, but I was at the grocery store today and saw pumpkins for sale (for 4 bucks a pop!) and immediately started craving pumpkin desserts and pumpkin foods of all sorts. My Grammy's Aunt Lucile Rose Potter Miller had an incredible pumpkin bread recipe. I've shared it below. You will definitely want to try this one, and it's even more delicious when you spread cream cheese frosting ALL over it.


Aunt Lucile's Pumpkin Bread
Makes 2 loaves

3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2 c. pumpkin

Combine all ingredients and pour half of mixture in loaf pan. (remember, it makes 2) Bake at 350 for one hour.

Cream Cheese Frosting
2/3 c. cream cheese
1 t. vanilla
3 c. powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy. Add sugar. Beat until smooth.

Another delicious one. You may have had something similar to it:
Pumpkin Pudding Cake

1 large can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves

Mix well and pour into a 9x13 cake pan.
Then combine the following ingredients and crumble over the top of pumpkin mixture:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup melted butter or margarine

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and then serve warm with whipped cream on the side.

And one more. I haven't tried this one yet, but when I was youger, my parents took us to New Zealand. (Bear with me, this is related to pumpkins.) We stayed at this incredible place called Huka Lodge in a town called Taupo on the North Island. It was so beautiful, right on a gorgeous river, but what I remember most about it was the food! There were six of us Parker children on the trip, and I guess one night my parents must have wanted to dine alone (what?), so we, the kids, ate at a little bar in the restaurant. Well, this place was so wonderful, that they did not give us "kid food," oh no, it was much too heavenly of a place for chicken tenders. They gave us this Roasted Pumpkin Soup that was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. I have since then dreamed of finding that pumpkin soup recipe and recreating it. Well, fat chance, that was like 17 years ago or something. So, I'm going to try one from Food Network instead. :) How about you try it, too?