Pumpkin Torte

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) butter - melted

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
12 ounces cream cheese - softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs

PUMPKIN FILLING:
15 ounces pumpkin puree
3 eggs - separated
3/4 cup sugar - divided
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

whipped topping

CRUST:
In a medium bowl, mix the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon together. Stir in melted butter until all is moistened. Press into an ungreased 13x9 baking dish.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 cup of sugar and eggs until fluffy. Pour over the crust and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until set. Cool.

PUMPKIN PIE FILLING:
In a large saucepan, combine the pumpkin, egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar, milk, cinnamon and salt. Cook and stir over low heat 10-12 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water, let stand for 1 minute. Over low heat, stir the gelatin until it is dissolved completely. Stir in the pumpkin mixture, allow to cool.

Beat the egg whites, with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until it gets thick and glossy. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese layer. Chill for at least 4 hours or until completely set. (Can be frozen, allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving).

Garnish with whipped cream topping, sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

Aw Shucks… I’m so Corny

So, you know me.  I’m all about simple and practical.  Found a new trick with corn this year and am SO excited.  Pick the ears, peel off any outer leaves that are not laying flat and break off the stalk.  Gently peel tips of leaves back about 1/3 the length of the ear, pull out silk, pull leaves back into place, package in super size ziploc containers and freeze.  Just like that!

To cook just thaw enough to shuck, then pop in boiling water as you would fresh corn on the cob.  Seriously, you can NOT tell the difference!  No mountain of shucking debris, no mess in the kitchen, practically from the stalk to the freezer.  Only con is that 6 rows of corn takes up a LOT of freezer space!

Baking Powder Biscuits

4 C all purpose flour

8 tspns baking powder

1 1/2 tspn salt

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbspns shortening

1 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450.  Combine dry ingredients, cut in shortening, add milk by half cup portions while mixing into doughy ball.  Form ball on floured surface, roll out to 1/2 inch and cut with round cookie cutter (I use a pint jam jar ring).  Bake for 12 mins, turn off heat and let sit in oven for 2 more minutes till browned.

Hearty Ham Soup

The day after I make this... I make this with the left over ham and stock.

8 cups ham stock
2 cups string beans
2 cups shredded ham plus hock
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 coarsely chopped carrot
1 stalk coarsely chopped celery (not essential)
1/4 tspn pepper
1/2 tspn seasoning salt
1 bay leaf
1 can condensed tomato soup

sautee onion and celery in olive oil (or margarine or butter, I just pop them in a glass measuring cup, mix in a dollop of olive oil and put them on high in the microwave for 3 minutes)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and let simmer on high for 5 hours. I throw any other favorable left overs in here as well. Tonight it was peas, some scalloped potatoes and some left over risotto. Sounds crazy but it was a winning combination. We eat this with Navajo Flatbread or Baking Powder Biscuits.

Raspberry Slush

8 cups raspberries
6 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice (not essential)
1 pack strawberry jello

bring raspberries to slow rolling boil for 5 min. Transfer to blender and liquefy. Strain through a mesh, cheesecloth or food mill on smallest setting to remove seeds. Return to pot, add water and bring to boil again. Stir in sugar until dissolved, add lemon juice and jello. Turn off element and stir for 1 minute before transferring to ice cream pails (for large gatherings) or wide mouthed jars. Freeze.

To serve: start defrosting at LEAST 3 hours before needed. Depending on room temperature it could take longer. Scoop slush into a glass with an ice cream scoop to half full, top with ginger ale.

Crockpot Picnic Ham

I don’t have a timer on my oven which makes my life really complicated when I need to be out and about before supper hour, as I do twice a week when my kids figure skating lessons keep me out of the house from 3:30 to nearly 6:00 pm.

I’ve been pulling out the slow cooker a lot more these days and getting inventive. I have yet to master making a pot roast in the crockpot, some times it comes out okay, other times not so great. Still working on understanding the needs and wants of a prime roast.

One meat I have mastered in the slow cooker though is the picnic ham. And not because of any great mastery tricks on my part, but merely because it is pur-ty darn failsafe. And economical. And quick. Just my kind of recipe.

1 bone in picnic ham

1 crockpot

water to cover

Seriously, it’s that easy. Place ham in slow cooker. Fill with with warm water. Place on medium heat. Cover and let cook for 5 hours.

This makes the most juicy and tender ham you can imagine! Just serve with apricot sauce or apple sauce, your favorite mustard or our personal favorite garnish is homemade crabapple butter.

Reserve stock for this.

Easy Breezy Lemonade

My faithful standby for when all the other drinks run out and you want to serve *something* besides water. Doesn't get any simpler, economical or more refreshing than this. I've served this about 5 times in the past week and all my guests were eager to start making it at home.

1 Lemon
1/2 cup sugar (I just started using organic unrefined cane sugar and it is extra nice with this less sweet natural sugar).
2 litres water

wash lemon
slice (with peel on) relatively but not too thin
put lemon slices in the bottom of a 2 litre pitcher
cover with 1/2 cup sugar
mash sugar into lemon slices with a wooden spoon
cover with water
stir and chill

You can reuse the lemons a second time by adding about 1/3 cup sugar (the lemons have retained sweetness from the first serving) and refilling. Of course the strength will be dilluted but it is still a refreshing alternative to plain water. We love eating the lemons that slip into our glasses... they are sweet and only vaguely sour after serving to flavor the drink. Try it!

P.S. We like to serve this and other homemade beverages like rhubarb and crabapple slush in long stemmed wine glasses to give it some extra bling.