Ada and Max, Autumn 2012, Poland
So, I am not a gourmet chef…nor will I ever claim to be. But there are two things that I can definitely be gourmet at:
1. Eating
2. Drinking
Some of the finest foods I have ever eaten have come from Poland.
Some of the rest…Italy.
And, without a doubt, the best autumn foods come from the land of pumpkin.
Now, I know that each person in their pumpkin growing country around the world is chanting the name of your country for best-making pumpkin recipes.
But, for me, I’ll come back to the States for pumpkin…
Pumpkin pies, pumpkin breads, pumpkin muffins…pumpkin spice lattes!
Poland may have to take the blue ribbon for pumpkin soup, though…Oh, and pickled pumpkin.
But let’s come back to America.
And, right now, there is the GREAT phenomena that is called: Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Sipping a Pumpkin Spice surrounded by family
Currently, I live very close to many large supermarkets and to many small Starbucks. So, grabbing a Pumpkin Spice Latte is easy.
But, when I live in Poland, an hour away from the nearest Starbucks, I resort to my kitchen…my store-bought pumpkins (did you think I was going to say homegrown?)…and my very own easy bake oven (well, that’s how my sister describes its size).
And I scour the internet, and we find amazing recipes that make us and our tummies oh so happy!
Therefore, today I want to share with you this…
Your own Pumpkin Spice Latte, made from your own pumpkin puree.
If you try this at home, come on back and give us your thumbs—Up, Down, Sideways.
Give us your suggestions—Add this, take away that, just right!
And even share your photos. Can’t wait to hear back from you.
In the meantime, here’s what you do to start it off:
Ada and our pumpkin named Puree
1. Buy a small to small/medium-sized pumpkin. Hint: You really don’t need a big pumpkin. But if you do buy a bigger one, just be prepared to freeze a lot of puree. Although, that is not a bad idea. Pumpkin puree already made in the freezer begging to be used makes my stomach smile.
2. Turn your oven on between 375-400F.
3. Take out a cookie sheet with a lip and line it with wax paper
4. Wash and cut your pumpkin into wedges. You only need to remove your stem. Don’t worry about removing your seeds. That will easily be done after your pumpkin is baked.
5. Now, put your pumpkin on your sheet and add water to the sheet, covering the bottom. You don’t need to overload the water. You can always add more later while your checking the tenderness of your very own pumpkins baking.
6. Stick the pumpkins in and let them begin to bake. Every 15-20 minutes or so, try piercing the pumpkin with a knife. When it’s pierced easily and looks like the perfect squash, you’re done. Anywhere between 20-60 minutes. Probably depending on your oven. So, plan on setting your timer for 20-minute intervals and find short activities to do in between (or curl up with an awesome book or blog—like And2MakesCrazy 😉 ).
7. Once your pumpkin is easily pierced, remove it and let it begin to cool.
8. Once it’s cooled a bit, scoop the seeds and the stringy part off the top. Do what you wish with the seeds. And then continue scooping the perfect pumpkin pulp into your blender, getting rid of the skin. It’s super easy and takes no time at all.
9. Try blending your pulp without water, but if it doesn’t blend well, then add a small amount of water at a time. Soon you will have the perfect and beautifully orange puree.
10. This is the last thing I do. I use a 1-cup measuring cup to scoop each individual cup of puree and then put them in separate freezer bags. That way I will only have to take out one cup at a time when a recipe calls for it.
Now that you’ve made your own beautiful puree…
Go crazy! Perhaps get another to share this with so you’ll have 2 to Make Crazy...and make the following recipe found on Farmgirl Gourmet:
http://www.farmgirlgourmet.com/2012/11/pumpkin-spiced-latte.html
Curl up, get a good conversation going, sip, dream, and enjoy!
Autumn is here…
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