Easy Pumpkin Recipes ~ Julie Lence

 Fall is in the air! Actually, at my house, fall has been in the air for a few weeks. It’s such a short season (or it feels that way to me) that I begin decorating right after Labor Day, regardless of the temperature outside. I set out my scarecrows, autumn scented candles, and pumpkins. And when I’m done, I have a taste for something pumpkin-y and visit the bakery for whatever I can find. This is easier for me, because hubby and kiddo aren’t fans of everything pumpkin. If you and your family are, check out these easy pumpkin recipes below. They’re sure to satisfy everyone’s cravings.

 

Pumpkin Dip:

Ingredients:

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened 

¾ cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions:

To soften the cream cheese, plate it on a plate and microwave for 5 seconds on High power. (Alternatively, allow the block of cream cheese to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.)

Place the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract in a food processor (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer). Blend until fully combined, stopping and scraping with a spatula as needed.

Serve with apple or pear slices, pretzels, vanilla wafers, graham crackers

Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Stores refrigerated for up to 1 week.

https://www.acouplecooks.com/pumpkin-dip/

 

Pumpkin Bread:

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

¾ cup canned pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, beaten

½ cup flavorless oil

⅓ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350, and spray a 9x5" bread loaf pan with cooking spray. Ensure a rack is in the center position of the oven.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Make a hole in the center of the mixture, and add all remaining ingredients: pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and vanilla.

Stir everything together very well, but try not to over-mix.

Scrape the batter into the pan, and place in the oven. Bake for 60 minutes, and then test the center of the bread for wetness with a long toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. If not, add another 5 minutes of baking time and test again.

Ensure the bread is fully done before you remove it from the oven or it will sink as it cools.

*** Walnuts or chocolate chips can be added

https://www.dessertfortwo.com/easy-pumpkin-bread/

 

Pumpkin Bread Pudding:

Ingredients (For the bread pudding)

1 pound loaf sourdough or artisan bread (12 cups bread chunks)

5 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tablespoon vanilla extract

1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1 pinch salt

Ingredients for the Bourbon Sauce:

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup whole milk

¼ cup salted butter

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch squares. Place it in the baking dish and place in the preheating oven for 5 to 10 minutes until lightly dried but not browned.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Pour it over the bread in the pan and mix it with your hands until fully coated.

Place in the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until it is puffed and golden and you can no longer see standing liquid. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

***Make ahead: This recipe is great made ahead: make it day of and allow to sit at room temperature until serving, or make it 1 day in advance and refrigerate. If you’d like, you can crisp up the top by reheating it in a 350 degree oven until warmed.

Directions for the Bourbon Sauce:

Prior to serving, in a small saucepan, whisk together all bourbon sauce ingredients over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, simmer lightly bubbling for 3 minutes, maintaining the heat at medium to medium low so that it doesn’t bubble heavily. Once it turns golden brown at about 3 minutes, taste and make sure the flavor is caramelly with a hint of bourbon (the bite of the bourbon should be cooked out). Remove from the heat and strain it into a pitcher. Makes ¾ cup; make up to 3 days in advance, refrigerate, and warm over medium heat before serving. 

https://www.acouplecooks.com/pumpkin-bread-pudding/

 

 

 

Russell & Clara Stover

Valentin'es Day is one week away. Romance is in the air… and has littered store shelves for weeks. Cards, jewelry, and stuffed animals catch the shopper’s eyes, as do dozens of heart-shaped candy boxes; delectable chocolates in various sizes, some with nuts, some without and others with fruity fillings. While choosing a sentiment for your sweetie, odds are good you’ll gift him or her with a box of Russell Stover Candies, the largest producer of boxed chocolates in the United States.

Russell Stover

Russell Stover was born May 6, 1888 in Alton, Kansas. His parents had moved to Alton from Iowa to Kansas to seek a fortune, but returned to Iowa to farm after a Kansas drought. As a young man, Stover attended Iowa City Academy. From there he went to the University of Iowa to study chemistry. He left the university after one year and moved to Chicago to earn a living as a salesman. His first endeavor was with a candy company. His second job was with the American Tobacco Company. It was right before he made his move to Chicago that he met Clara Lewis at a sweet shop.

Clara Stover

Clara was born in 1882 and grew up on a farm near Oxford. As a young woman, she borrowed money from a neighbor to study music at Iowa City Academy. She had seen Russell around campus, noting he was tall, with blue eyes and a winsome smile, and thought he was an industrious student.

Russell and Clara hit it off from the beginning. Each were big dreamers, and after a courtship, they married June of 1911. One of their wedding gifts was a farm in Canada, but growing wheat in Saskatchewan didn’t pan out for them, so they moved to Winnepeg and began a candy-making business in their apartment. They moved back to the states in 1915 when rumors of an impending war reached them.               

Russell Stover turned to selling candy throughout the Midwest to earn a living. In 1920, he and Clara moved to Des Moines where he took a job as superintendent of Irwin Candy Co. The company failed and the court appointed Stover to run the company. He sold the assets to Graham Ice Cream Co in Omaha. He and Clara moved there, with Russell going to work for Graham Ice Cream.

In 1921, Stover met Christian Nelson, a school teacher and soda jerk who had the idea for a chocolate covered ice cream bar. Russell and Clara partnered with Nelson and eventually the Eskimo Pie was born. During this time, Clara continued experimenting with chocolate and sweet treats in her kitchen, perfecting her skills and recipes. Later, she and Russell sold their share in Eskimo Pie and started Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies in Denver, with Clara as the president and secretary and Russell as vice-president and treasurer. They were a hit with the public and hired workers to help in their home before opening their first factory in Denver in 1925. A second factory opened in Kansas City in 1931, with Russell and Clara now making their home in Kansas City. The company struggled through the Depression and World War I. Russell and Clara lost much of their wealth, and in 1943, determined to rebuild and succeed again, they restructured the company to form a partnership with faithful employees. The company was renamed Russell Stover Candy, with Clara’s name being removed.  

     

Russell & Clara in younger years

During their long marriage, Russell and Clara had one daughter, Gloria. Russell died May 11, 1954 in Miami at the couple’s home. Clara died June 9, 1975 in Mission Hills, Kansas. She was 93. After Russell’s death, Clara managed the company until 1960, when Russell Stover Candies was sold to Louis Ward. In July of 2014, Swiss-chocolate maker Lindt bought Russell Stover Candies and remains the owner.