Fall Foods Are Here Again

    It's fall once again--the leaves are falling, it's getting colder.  It's time to break out your favorite comfort foods and hot drinks again.  Fall is the best time to eat because everything is geared toward warming you up and reversing your bad mood caused by the lack of sunlight.  There are all those great foods: pumpkin pie, pot roast, beef stew, chili, turkey, and squash-- not to mention the hot cocoa and apple cider. I don’t know about you, but after all that Halloween candy, I always start to crave some good, home-cooked meals. That turkey for example-- there’s just something about it that, no matter how cold it is, it warms you right up, just as much as it puts you to sleep in a content mood. After Thanksgiving dinner, you can enjoy a big slice of pumpkin pie with a mountain of whipped cream on top.  Sound good?  Well, here’s a simple recipe that I got on foodnetwork.com on how to make a delicious pumpkin pie.

Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar
dash of salt
4 tablespoons butter, frozen, cut in pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening frozen, divided
1/2 egg, lightly beaten
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Pumpkin pie filling:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the frozen butter and process until it is the size of large peas, about 5 seconds. Add the frozen shortening and process for 3 seconds. In a measuring cup, combine the egg and the water. Add egg mixture and process for 5 seconds. Empty the dough onto a counter and incorporate Remaining flour without overworking the dough. Let rest 2 hours.

Pumpkin pie filling:
In small bowl, combine sugar, salt and spices. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 45 minutes or until firm.

By Claire Kuda