Pumpkin Recipes

Easy , the best I have tried

This is an excellent holiday bread. It is a sweet bread and makes an excellent gift. Wrap in pretty celophane paper and tie with a cord or ribbon.

This is one simple, satisfying little cake, a standard from my mother's 1950s-era recipe box. Typed up on a big index card, the recipe has two notes I share with you: Next to the option of fresh or canned pumpkin, my mother wrote, "Fresh is best!" At the beginning of the instructions for mixing up the cake, she wrote emphatically, "Do not use mixer!" Now I find that canned pumpkin makes a beautiful cake, but I do take her advice on the issue of spoon versus mixer. It is worth the extra effort for the texture, and the recipe comes together quickly even when you're cooking unplugged. You can ice this cake while it is still warm from the oven, or wait until after it has cooled.

These golden, pumpkiny waffles have a touch of spice, which adds a nice and recognizable holiday flavor, but if you're a real pumpkin lover, you'll enjoy them without the spices as well. The hazelnut butter is delicious and festive (add some panfried turkey sausages and you've got Thanksgiving breakfast), but the waffles are also good-just not as dressed up-with butter and maple syrup. This batter also makes delicious pancakes.

These bars prove that pumpkin is good for more than carving into scary Halloween faces or baking in a Thanksgiving pie. And as desserts go, this one is fairly nutritious; pumpkin is rich in vitamin A (beta-carotene) and fiber. Don't tell the kids that, though.

This is a lovely pudding!!!

I don't know which is more fun, carving Jack or roasting the seeds. One 4-pound pumpkin will yield about 2 cups seeds. Save the seeds whenever you carve a pumpkin, then roast some of them and plant some of them. Next year, you'll have your own pumpkin patch-and lots of roasted pumpkin seeds! Kids and pixies can stir and toss the seeds with salt or spices and help spread them on the baking sheet.

You maybe inspired to save this luscious risotto for Thanksgiving (and you wouldn't be disappointed if you did so), but I urge you to throw caution to the wind and dive in. Because it is made with canned pumpkin, there is no need to wait until the frost is on the vine, and because the pumpkin naturally thickens the sauce, the risotto can be made with long-grain rice, rather than a more expensive risotto variety, like Arborio.

This filling, with it's spiced, savory flavor, can be used to stuff tortellini to serve in a rich, roast chicken broth. Or mix it with mashed sweet or white potatoes to make a gratin topped with buttery bread crumbs seasoned with nutmeg, cinnamon, and telemé cheese. The raviolis can be made ahead and frozen.

Gingersnaps add pizazz to this rich-tasting dessert. Just a little bite is enough.

The maple in this recipe is very subtle; the seasoning, and heavy custard, pretty much overpowers it. If you want a more distinctly maple flavor, use one of the following two. You may also find that this is not sweet enough; to sweeten it more, incorporate up to 1/2 cup sugar with the eggs. All in all, this is pretty close to traditional pumpkin pie flavor, with a hint of maple.