Homemade Pumpkin Puree How-To

It's November y'all! Some people would think that pumpkin season is over and I completely disagree! I think eating pumpkin year round is a wonderful thing and perfectly acceptable in my book.

You can of course make any pumpkin recipe with canned pumpkin but why not make your own. It's so simple. Besides I had to do something with my withering pumpkin. We picked pumpkins a couple weeks ago but for some reason one of them had a soft spot on top that was growing larger by the day. I could continue to let it spoil then toss it or I could roast it and make pumpkin puree. I chose the latter of the two. Really I had no choice. Have you ever smelled rotting pumpkin? It's beyond foul.

1). Wash your pumpkin in the kitchen sink with a veggie brush and a little detergent then dry it. See the mushy spot?

2). Cut your pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and scrape out the stringy bits with a large spoon. Looks like butt cheeks. hee hee :-)

3). Cut the pumpkin into quarters, then into eights. Cut off any mushy spots if you have any.

4). Place cleaned out pumpkin pieces face down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

5). Roast pumpkin in a preheated 400 degree oven til soft. This will depend on how big/thick your pumpkin is. I checked on my pumpkin every 30 minutes and took it out of the oven after 90 minutes.

6). Allow pumpkin to cool slightly so that you can handle it without burning your hands. Peel the leathery skin off the pumpkin flesh and chop into manageable pieces.

7). Place golden chunks of pumpkin in food processor.

8). Process the pumpkin in batches til creamy and lump free.

9). Use in your favorite recipes or freeze.

Need a pumpkin recipe? Try one of these:

• Cinderella (Pumpkin) Cake
• Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
• Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting
• Pumpkin Empanadas
• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie