My solution was to do a "recipe sampling" like I would do in a store. Hand out printed recipes and sample the finished product. I've done it 100's of times but mostly with a commercial kitchen to prepare the food.
I decided on a pumpkin theme. Timely for fall and October. I set up the tables with burlap instead of a tablecloth, fall leaves and pumpkins for the decor, and bushel baskets and trays for the chips and pumpkin treats. All things I've done before.
What I love doing is coming up with new, innovative ideas. At least things I personally have never done or seen before. And all this was all tried and true. My only "new" was how I displayed the signage for my pumpkin goodies. Simple, and a small thing really, but enough to make me happy. Was I the only one who noticed? Who delighted in my seemingly endless reservoir of creativity? Yes. But then that's why I'm sharing here.
I prepared Pumpkin Scones, my sister Mandy's recipe, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, from my sister Heidi's recipe. I made 12 times the cookie recipe and 10 times the scone recipe. I ended up with about 150 of each. The cookies were gone in the first 30 minutes. They were a hit. Both received rave reviews. Unfortunately, for me, I took home about 25 scones. I knew I would eat them all. And. I. Did.
Getting to the point of having finished products wasn't an easy road. I had nutmeg drama. Who'd of thought nutmeg would be so elusive, and such a pain-in-the-butt. But it was an ingredient in both recipes - therefore, a must have. I bought some at Stop and Shop, only to get home and find it wasn't in the shopping bags. "It must have fallen out in the car." Not my luck, although I cleaned out the car of toys, colored pencils, garbage, and soda cans while I searched. The next morning I drove to Target - because I needed other things there as well, but they don't carry nutmeg. I then headed to Stop and Shop again. At that store there were about 20 emergency vehicles - ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. They were blocking off the entrances to the parking lot and there was yellow crime scene tape strewn about. I turned around to search elsewhere. I found out later there was a bomb threat at that store. The next store down the street was Trader Joe's. No nutmeg, but lots of other things I love, so not a total waste of time. And then finally, about a mile away, paydirt! Whole Foods had nutmeg. Whew!
And what's the deal with finding a pastry cutter? I had gotten rid of mine a while back because it was beaten, bent, and broken. I really needed one for the scone recipe - I had to cut five pounds of cold butter into an extremely large amount of flour, brown sugar, and spices - and how exactly was I going to pull that off without one? There wasn't a pastry cutter to be found! Anywhere! Don't people use them anymore? So I had to come up with an alternative. A pizza cutter. That's right. For 20 minutes I pushed a pizza cutter back and forth in a mixing bowl trying to cut the butter into the flour. Not fun - although the image might be funny. And probably not the best solution, but you can't just squish cold butter into flour and have it turn out right.
The best part of my great pumpkin bake-off? Feeling like I wasn't so far away from people I love. The smells of familiar foods bring nostalgia and memories of people who bake them and whose recipes you've used. Baking for me is more than about the result, and is found totally in the process. It's all about family. Really. In our family, the day before Thanksgiving is Pie Day It may be a more important holiday than Thanksgiving. I remember baking pies with my Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom, and other family members in my Great Grandma's single wide trailer home. Traditions, legacy, and pie, all shared in a mass confusion of people, rolling pins, and assorted ingredients strewn about on counters, tables, and the floor.
Speaking of pie, my favorite pumpkin dish is Pumpkin Pie. It's humble beginnings were in Colonial America. Colonists scooped out the seeds and pulp and filled the pumpkin with honey, milk, and spices. The top was replaced and the whole thing was roasted in the fire.
Pumpkins are more than delicious treats and spooky jack-o-lanterns. They are a superfood. It's the orange color of the pumpkins that make it super. Yup, it's beta carotene, which our body uses to make vitamin A. It's a heart, eye and brain healthy food. Pumpkins can also help keep us young, as antioxidants neutralize cell damaging free radicals. So, pumpkins are a truly superfood. A very tasty one.
Because of canned pumpkin, we can enjoy pumpkin treats and dishes year round. But when they are in season, you should try fresh pumpkin. {Remember, you won't get a good pumpkin flavor with jack o'lantern or other pumpkins. You need to use the pie or sugar pumpkins.}
- Cut your pumpkin in half and remove seeds and pulp.
- Place cut side down in a roasting pan.
- Poke the skin of the pumpkin a few times with a fork.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven until soft. You'll be able to pierce the skin and flesh easily with a fork.
- Let it cool.
- Scoop out flesh into a colander and let excess liquid drain off.
- Place drained pumpkin into blender and blend until smooth.
Mandy's Pumpkin Scone Recipe
Heidi's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
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