Pumpkin puree

There are different ways to cook up your pumpkin. You can cut it up and peel it and than steam it.

That is one way.

I do mine different and I think it is a much simpler way to do it.

First off, smaller pumpkins are easier to work with.

Use pie pumpkins for baking, if possible. They are meatier.

You can also use all purpose pumpkins that are grown for baking or jack-o-lanterns. But, the great big ones have a lot of liquid in them and your baked goods don't turn out quite as well .

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will need a an or two to hold the pumpkin halves.

You will also need a large knife to cut the pumpkin and a spoon to scoop out the seeds

To puree, you will need a blender or food processor.

Wash your pumpkin.
Now, cut your pumpkin in half. 
Cut it in half so that the top half is one piece and the bottom half is the other piece. 

Don't cut it in half the other way. It is easier to cut that way. But, it takes a lot longer to get the pumpkin to cook though. I really don't know why, but it just seems to.

Now, you need to scoop out all the seeds. Those you can either save to roast for a treat. Or you can save them to dry and plant later for more pumpkins.

Take the pumpkin halves and place cut side down in the pan.

Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the pan.

Put the pan in the oven. 
Bake for about an hour and a half or until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a knife.

Check once in a while to make sure there is still water in the bottom of the pan.
If the pan is dry, add a little more water.

When the pumpkin is tender, take out of the oven and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle.

When you are able to handle the pumpkin, take a spoon and scoop out the pumpkin pulp out of the shells. Add to the container of a blender or food processor.

Puree.

Now,you are ready to bake or freeze it.
Canning is no longer recommended by the USDA.

Pear Crisp

I love a nice warm from the oven crisp. Until this year, I had never tried it using pears. I don't know why, because it tastes fabulous.

You will need a baking dish that holds 2 quarts. I usually use a round glass casserole, but you could use a 9" square baking pan.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 Celsius

Ingredients:
5 cups sliced and peeled pears
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup oat flour(all purpose flour will also work)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Peel and slice the pears and spread evenly in the baking dish.
In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Cut in the butter until you get coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the pears.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.

Serves 6.

Frugal Me Fridays- What Is It?

I can't believe it is Friday already.
I've been busy canning and freezing and time is just flying by.

I've spent a lot of years learning how to stretch a dollar.
I make everything from scratch.
I make stock from a turkey carcass.

We all have a different idea of frugality.

Some people clip coupons to save money.
I don't use coupons much because I don't use what I can find coupons for.

I would like to know what is frugal for you
or do you have any questions on how to be frugal with something.

Leave me a comment or send me an email.
My email is greatcookrep@live.com.

Have a great Friday!

Peaches, Pears, and Apples OH MY

Sunday was a busy day.
There was plenty of picking going on.

My husband, daughter, and I went to my parent's place to pick fruit.
My sister showed up to help too.

Dad has a apple tree with a bumper crop.
A couple pear trees and a couple peach trees too.

The peach are the small white Iowa peaches.
Here is some of what we brought home.

These are not everything either.
The fruit crisper drawer is full of apples and there is a cooler full in the garage.
I have a cooler full of pears that isn't in this pictures.
There is also a huge box of peaches sitting in the back of the truck.
Too full for us to want to move until some of the peaches are gone.

Mom and Dad also have tons at home.

I did make butterscotch peach jam yesterday.

Today I am planning on making applesauce.
I may freeze some apples today too.
Later this week, I will be doing apple butter.

The pears aren't ripe yet.
They don't ripen til picked off the tree.

I am still doing tomatoes too.

One day I need to find time to cook my neck pumpkin.
This I got from a friend.

I'm going to be busy.
But, a good kind of busy.

Frugal Me Fridays- Freezing Fruit

If you find yourself with an abundance of fruit, freeze it for later.

Sometimes there are discounted or free bananas because they are over-ripe.
Grab them!

If you are given fruit, take it.

Fruit is so simple to freeze.

Peel and cut if needed.
Or just wash.
Freeze.

If you want to make sure the pieces don't stick together, freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for a couple hours.
Take out of the freezer and put into containers or freezer bags.

Bananas are super simple.
You can freeze them for a frozen treat or for baking.

For treats, you will want to peel and either leave whole or mash.
My daughter likes them left whole, but you can mash them until smooth and than scoop out like ice cream.
If you are planning to bake with them, you can peel and mash or you can just stick the whole banana in the freezer.

My mom peels and mashes. She measures and than freezes.

I just stick the unpeeled banana in a bag and into the freezer it goes.
To use, thaw out and snip off one end of the banana and squish out the banana.
What I like about doing it this way, is that the mashing is virtually unnecessary.

I have heard frozen grapes are good treats too.
I have not tried it, but it's an idea worth trying.

Spaghetti Squash

 

 This is a spaghetti squash. A squash this size will feed a family of four or five. It is called spaghetti squash because you rake the flesh out with a fork and it comes out in strands somewhat like spaghetti.

You serve it like you would pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and maybe a little Parmesan cheese. You can also top it with a sauce like Alfredo or marinara.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 Celsius.

You will need a pan large enough to lay the squash in.

You will also need a knife, a large spoon, and a fork.

A towel is nice, but not necessary. 

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

Wash your squash off and pierce the hard skin a few times with a knife.

Lay in the pan and put in the oven.

Bake for one hour and poke with knife to see if it is tender. If the knife goes in fairly easy, it is ready. 

Take out and let it rest a few minutes.

With the knife, slice it in half lengthwise.

With the spoon, scoop out the seeds and spongy stuff.

You might want to hold a towel against outside of the squash so it's not so hot.

Rake the fork down the pulp and it will come out in strands.

Serve with sauce of your choosing.

The seeds can be roasted like pumpkin seeds or dried and saved for future planting.

Crockpot Hungarian Goulash

This is a great, simple meal that just screams comfort. Hungarian goulash is different from the tomato sauce/hamburger/macaroni version that most Americans are used to.

Serve this over rice or noodles and you have quite a meal.

This serves 4-6 people.

You will need a 4 to 6 quart size crockpot.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. cubed beef roast
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1-1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup flour

Cut up the meat and put it in the crockpot.
Combine the ketchup,Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, dry mustard, and 1 cup of the water.
Pour and over the meat and stir everything together.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours until the meat is tender.
Combine the rest of the water and the flour.
Stir that into the beef mixture and turn on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

While the sauce thickens, cook your rice or noodles.

The cut of roast can determine how long to cook it. Chuck roast is tougher so it may take the full 10 hours, whereas a loin roast may be tender at 8 hours or less.