The great pumpkin----or is it a mystery?

Now that Halloween is over, you think what’s next??? Well, since Halloween is just still warm and still probably in our homes inside and out. The only things we remove are the candy wrappers and remainder of, ”the day of the dead”, we still have our corn stalks and bails of hay, scarecrows, (just any thing that fits the fall picture), our pumpkins, oh yes our pumpkins. You know the things that you spend so much time picking out at the store, rolling them around and around in your arms, just making sure it was the perfect one, whoops a dent here, whoops a flat side here, a blemish there and, aha, one that is just right, (sounds like the story of the three bears), anyway, After all of the agreement and nodding of heads, of the wife and the three kids, you happily put the acceptable ones gently into the grocery cart and head to the checkout. (It is funny for the ones that are left are not that way for long, because some other shopper is checking out the ones you left behind, because being a sensitive person they want to make sure that no one is left behind). Now the next step is taking them out of the cart, (you know it is easier to put in then take out), then plunking them down on those conveyer belts that move them happily down to the checker. Who, then has to pick them up, (they should have a class on how to do that), and put them on the scale, you wonder how they do that without out straining their back or something. Can you imagine doing that all day? They move it around until its fit on the weigher, and then you have to put it into the cart and on and on. Now the next step is positioning them on the front porch, which is a science in itself, and leaving them outside for several day until “cutting day”, no I don’t mean just the pumpkin usually a finger or something else that is involved in the wonderful art of pumpkin faces. Remember when you just had four holes and that was it. Well, let me tell you it has gone high tech now. The only best ones are something out of the scariest movies or something that resembles a caricature of the “dead”. Ooooohhh scary. Well, phooey I say to that, I’ll stick to the basic “the fours holes” thank you, two eyes, one nose and one toothy grin for a mouth, always smiling. Now what next, you have this pile of innards, my kids to lovingly call the “guts” left lying around. It’s PUMPKIN SEED TIME. That is one thing the kids have fun with, mushing the cold “guts” through their fingers and plunking every last seed into a bowl, then mom mixes up her special seasonings and sprinkles them on top and into the oven. Nothing beats the taste of freshly baked pumpkin seeds. Sorry, for the nostalgic journey, but, when I get started on something….. Those smiling pumpkin faces are starting to fall inwards and you have grab them quick to cut them up for the next step…. This brings me to the recipes for the day…. Pumpkins….the great mystery, what do you do with them when they are not fun anymore. Well---you make something incredibly delicious out of them.

Pumpkin Pie

A traditional favorite made fuss-free now with an easy pat-in-the-pan crust!

Prep: 20 min Start To Finish: 1 hr 20 min
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry (See Below)
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
Sweetened Whipped Cream (see below)
Directions:
Heat oven to 425°F. Make Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry. Beat eggs slightly in large bowl with wire wisk or hand beater. Beat in sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, pumpkin and milk. To prevent spilling, place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack before adding filling. Carefully pour pumpkin filling into pie plate. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Place pie on wire cooling rack. If after 4 hours the pie has not been served, cover and refrigerate it. Serve pie with Sweetened Whipped Cream. Store pie covered in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cold water

Mix flour, oil and salt in medium bowl with fork until all flour is moistened. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all water is absorbed. Shape pastry into a ball. Press in bottom and up side of pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches.

Sweetened Whipped Cream
¾ cup whipping (heavy) cream

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Beat ingredients’ in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Coconut Pumpkin Praline Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour,

1/2 cup packed brown sugar,

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1 cup solid-pack pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Coconut Praline Topping (recipe follows)
Combine flour, brown sugar, coconut, pecans, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder in large bowl. Combine egg, pumpkin, milk, and vegetable oil in medium bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until blended.
Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Top with coconut praline topping. Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove to wire rack. Serve warm.
Yield: 1 dozen.

Coconut Praline Topping:

Combine:

2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans, and

3 tablespoons milk in small bowl