Tag Archives: pumpkin

recipe: pumpkin pie ice cream!

recipe: pumpkin pie ice cream!

since we’re all drowning in pumpkin spice flavored concoctions that don’t contain any pumpkin leading some to deep understanding jean baudrillard and simulation, i thought i’d try my hand at making a “pumpkin pie” ice cream ( actually a custard ) made with real pumpkin. the results is incredible. it really tastes like a creamy, sweet, frozen pumpkin pie. A++ will make again.

ingredients
1 cup organic valley half-and-half
6 organic valley egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. pumpkin spice
2 cups organic valley heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin

whipped topping
1 cup organic valley heavy whipping cream
1T confectioners sugar
1tsp vanilla

nutmeg seeds and fine grater

directions

combine half and half and 1/2C heavy whipping cream and scald in a heavy saucepan.

whisk in yolks, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl, gradually whisk in the cream and then add the pumpkin spice.

return to a medium pan and stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. do not boil.

remove from heat and whisk in 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and pumpkin.

chill thoroughly, at least 8 hours.

assemble ice cream maker according to directions.

start up ice cream maker and add mixture slowly.

churn for about 20 minutes until thick, soft-serve consistency is reached.

put in a freezer safe container and store in the freezer.

to make whipped topping combine heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until mixture thickens and peaks form. do not over over mix or your whipped topping will become lumpy and buttery!

add a dab of whipped topping to a scoop of ice cream and grate a bit of nutmeg over the topping.

enjoy!

day 3040: odin’s jack o’ lanterns!

day 3040: odin's jack o' lanterns! I.

even though i’ve always wondered about how smart it might be for any of us to be poking pumpkins with sharp implements, we’ve been carving jack-o-lanterns for a few years with odin i’m really not sure how it’s not ended in bloodshed and a trip to the emergency room.

two years ago, odin mostly handled the overall artistic design and we did most of the carving. last year, odin still did the design and some of the carving with help from grandma.

this year he did pretty much mostly everything All By Himself!

i think they turned out just great. and not a drop of blood shed!

day 3040: odin's jack o' lanterns! II.

is it just me? do i see just a slight toothy resemblance?

day 2660: pumpkin carving with grandma.

day 2660: pumpkin carving with grandma. I.

of course, if you’ve gone on A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents you have to carve at least one of them into a proper jack-o’-lantern with a master carver.

while i sort-of anticipated someone losing a finger i guess i should have never doubted grandma’s skill at keeping all digits attached. no doubt she’s carved more than few pumpkins in her day and to the best of my knowledge nobody has ended up in the emergency room 🙂

day 2660: pumpkin carving with grandma. II.

i might be a bit biased, but that’s a great lookin’ jack-o’-lantern!

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents!

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! I.

since fall is fast approaching ( or, rather, technically here ) that must mean halloween is not far away which means it’s time for our yearly trek to a local The Pumpkin Patch to search for the perfect pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns.

it’s a seasonal ritual made all the more special this year because grandma and grandpa snowdeal came for a visit and got to partake in the pumpkin hunting fun.

the pumpkin patch we really enjoy has all sorts of fun stuff beyond pumpkins, including a barn with many different kinds of animals including very curious goats who like to nibble on anything they please.

odin isn’t quite sure whether or not he’s going to lose his whole glove to one particularly nibbly goat.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! II.

i think the sheep would like to taste the camera.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! III.

since we live in a small town it’s certainly not unusual for odin to run into a few friends who are on their own Pumpkin Patch Adventures. it’s mighty nice that the old tobacco drying barn has a slat missing that’s just the right size for posing.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! IV.

it’s all fun and games jostling around the opening, at least until the llama decides it’s time to stand up and leave everyone guessing as to whether or not he’s going to spit on you!

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! V.

this is gunner. he’s one of the nice folks who drives a group of pumpkin patchers to the patch in a wagon pulled by a tractor.

you know it’s time to leave when he blows in the horn.

he asked odin to look after his horn when he jumped into the tractor. see if you can guess what happens to the horn.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! VI.

and we’re off! gunner is happy to not look where he’s going and tell you all sorts of stories about the history of the area, including the fact that the very path we’re driving on was originally a horse and buggy trail that connected two nearby towns.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! VII.

since halloween is approaching you never know what spooky, scary stuff might appear on the trip. since odin is a seasoned veteran he knows to keep on the lookout.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! VIII.

SPOOKY!

one year they had a gorilla jump out onto the trail which i think freaked too many kids out since they haven’t done it since.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! IX.

the ol’ riding the tractor like a bronco through “raging” stream bit never gets old.

every year, even though it never happens, i think there’s a small chance we’ll get stuck in the stream.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! X.

finally, it’s pumpkin huntin’ time!

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XI.

it doesn’t take long to find The Perfectest Pumpkin that’s all the more perfect ’cause it’s easy to carry.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XII.

and even the bigger ones are perfect when grandpa offers to help carry them on your head.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XIII.

odin poses in The Wilds of the Pumpkin Patch with his Prize Catch.

i almost think we should have it “stuffed”.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XIV.

grandpa and grandma caught documenting the adventure with their camera phones :-
)

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XV.

we were lucky enough to find a few gourds which was a treat because odin really, really though grandma would enjoy taking a few back home to michigan.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XVI.

back on the wagon, odin says, “hey grandma, how about how put the horn on my head like a hat. that’d be funny!”

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XVII.

the request, i think, was all a set-up for his next request to put the horn on her head so he could could talk into it and she could tell him if it was loud.

to the bemusement of the rest of the wagon riders, she complied.

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XVIII.

what could be more perfect that a little picnic after pumpkin hunting? not much, expecially when the pumpkin patch place supplies brats and sauerkraut!

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XIX.

of course, we can’t leave without saying goodbye to the goats!

day 2660: A Pumpkin Patch Adventure with Grandparents! XX.

such a fun annual tradition, much better than just picking up pumpkins in a parking lot. highly recommended if you’re in the area.

“tucker and becky’s pumpkin patch” on oboe road off PC between highways 27 and 33.

amusingly, our Pumpkin Patch Adventures take place a hop skip and a jump away from odin avenue. in fact, i think we first stumbled upon the road when we went on our first Pumpkin Patch adventure.

day 2304: odin and his not-so-scary jack-o-lanterns.



after two thousand three hundred and four days we fixed an egregious oversight and finally carved some jack o’ lanterns with odin.

for whatever reason, every year my grand plans to carve some stupendously awesome and complicated designs never seem to materialize, so this year we decided to go back to basics which, of course, was just fine by odin.