Making Pumpkin Puree

With Thanksgiving over the plentiful supply of sugar pumpkins in my local grocery is coming to an end so I decided to take some time to make and freeze some pumpkin puree for use over the winter.  The process is pretty simple and it tastes so much better than using pumpkin puree from a can in recipes.

To start I scrubbed the outside of my sugar pumpkins, sliced them in half, and then scooped out the seeds to save for toasting later.  For cleaning out the membrane I usually use a melon baller which makes the scraping easier.  After prepping the pumpkins I placed them cut side down in a greased baking dish and put them in a 350 degree oven.

After baking the pumpkins until the flesh was soft (about an hour) I took them out of the oven and then scooped out the flesh when the pumpkins were cool enough to handle.  Using a potato masher I pureed the pumpkin until it had a smooth consistency.  Since the puree is a little watery I lined a colander with some cheesecloth and let the puree drain for a bit before packing it.  Since most of my recipes call for two cups of pumpkin puree I measured out two cup portions into freezer bags and stored them in the freezer.  Now I am all set for a winter of making pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup.        

Thanksgiving Flowers

Happy Thanksgiving! Today I thought I'd share an easy flower arrangement I made for Thanksgiving using a pumpkin as a vase.  To start I bought a sugar pumpkin and some zinnias at the grocery store. To hold the water I used a half pint jelly jar that I already had, but any glass or plastic jar smaller than the pumpkin would work.  I traced the rim of the jar onto the pumpkin and using a knife cut out the opening.  After scooping out the seeds (and saving them for toasting) I inserted the jar into the pumpkin.  To finish it off I added some water to the jar and then arranged the zinnias for a simple and festive arrangement.    

A Wedding Cake for Tammy and Drue

Earlier this month I had the honor of making a wedding cake for my friends, Tammy and Drue.  At their request the cake is a yellow cake with buttercream icing.  

Tammy's only guidance about the cake design was that she wanted to use the Willow Tree Promise Cake Topper since she collects Willow Tree figures to commemorate important events in her life.  Using the cake topper as inspiration I made fondant roses to match the base of the topper and paired them with ribbon wrapped around the base of each layer.  

This was my first time using ribbon on a cake and I found that even though the ribbon was double-sided, grease from the icing was bleeding through the ribbon.  I removed the ribbon and started again by ironing freezer paper onto the back of a new piece of ribbon before putting it on the cake.  The freezer paper provided a barrier that seemed to work well and kept the ribbon looking fresh and pretty.

I feel lucky that I had a small part in Tammy and Drue's special day and I wish them all the best as they embark on married life together.