Pumpkin Surprise Food

PUMPKIN SURPRISE

Steps:

• Cut a 4 inch circle off the top of the pumpkin, including the stem; set aside to be used later as a lid. Remove seeds and stringy insides of pumpkin. Place pumpkin in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder; set aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until no pink shows; drain. Spoon the ground beef into the pumpkin. Pour in the creamed corn and whole kernel corn. Top with mashed potatoes. Cover with pumpkin lid. Pour 2 cups of water in the baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender and can be pierced with a fork.

SURPRISE, IT'S PUMPKIN! ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add pumpkin, taco sauce, and taco seasoning to the bowl. Mix well. If you like, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
• Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate. Warm slightly in the microwave, about 15 seconds.
• Lay tortillas flat, side by side. Spread 2 tablespoons enchilada sauce onto each one. Place a half-slice of cheese in the center of each tortilla. Evenly distribute the pumpkin mixture between the centers of the tortillas.
• Wrap tortillas up tightly and place them in the baking pan with the seam sides down. Cover with remaining 1/2 cup enchilada sauce.
• Bake in the oven until enchiladas are hot, about 8 minutes.
• Carefully remove pan from the oven, and sprinkle enchiladas with shredded cheese.
• Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Plate those babies and, if you like, top with sour cream and/or scallions. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN SURPRISE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk together first 6 ingredients and 1/2 cup sugar. In another bowl, whisk eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, melted butter and 3 tablespoons preserves until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. , Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full with batter. Place a portion of cream cheese and about 3/4 teaspoon preserves in each muffin; cover with remaining batter. Sprinkle with almonds and remaining sugar., Bake until top springs back when touched, 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

STUFFED PUMPKIN DINNER

Steps:

• Wash pumpkin; cut a 6-in. circle around top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loose fibers from inside. Place pumpkin in a large Dutch oven. Fill with boiling water to a depth of 6 in.; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is almost tender but holds its shape. Carefully remove and drain well; pat dry. , In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain well. Cool slightly; place in a large bowl. Add rice, tomato sauce, ham, eggs, garlic, oregano, pepper, vinegar and remaining salt. , Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Firmly pack beef mixture into pumpkin; replace top. Leaving pan uncovered, bake at 350° for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the top; if desired, use paper towel to remove excess moisture from top of meat. Slice pumpkin into wedges.

GREAT PUMPKIN DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spice. Mix well, and pour into a 9x13 inch pan.
• Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top, then drizzle with melted butter. Top with walnuts.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

PUMPKIN SURPRISE

Steps:

• Mix together pumpkin, sugar and spices; add milk and eggs.
• Spread pumpkin mixture into bottom of ungreased glass 9 x 13-inch dish.
• Distribute dry cake mix across top of pumpkin mixture. Drizzle butter over the top of cake mix. Sprinkle chopped walnuts generously across the top.
• Bake at 350° for one hour. Let the "surprise" sit for 20 minutes before slicing into it.

PUMPKIN SURPRISE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Fit 1 pie crust into a 9" pie plate and crimp edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill. Unroll second crust. Using a 1" star cookie cutter, cut out 50 stars; place on baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Cream cheese layer: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg until smooth. Spread evenly into bottom of pie crust.
• Pumpkin layer: In a large bowl, beat pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, eggs, pie spice and salt until smooth. Using a ladle, gently spoon pumpkin mixture over cream cheese mixture.
• Brush edge of pie with egg-water was. Overlap pastry stars around edge. Brush stars lightly with egg-water wash. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Cover edges with foil, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for and additional 45 minutes.
• Cool pie completely on rack. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Before slicing, leave out for 30 minutes.

SURPRISE PUMPKIN CAKE ROLL

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
• Place the egg yolks in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Set the mixer to medium speed and gradually add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar. Increase to high speed and beat until the eggs are lightened in color.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
• With the mixer running on medium speed, add the oil, milk, extract, zest, spice, salt and orange food color to the egg yolk mixture. Mix well until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and mix using a rubber spatula until just combined. Add a third of the beaten egg whites to the mixture and fold to combine. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold to combine.
• Sprinkle a tea towel with the confectioners' sugar.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula to level. Bake until the sponge cake is springy and lightly brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately turn the cake out onto the prepared tea towel. Roll up loosely and let cool completely.
• For the buttercream and decors: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the butter and confectioners' sugar. Begin on low speed until crumbly, and then increase to high and beat for 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat again for another minute. If you find the buttercream is too stiff, you may add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is spreading consistency. Place about 2 cups of buttercream in a disposable piping bag.
• Divide the remaining frosting into 4 bowls. Tint each bowl of frosting with each of the food colors: red, yellow, orange and green. Transfer the red, yellow and orange frostings each to a separate disposable piping bag with a 1/2-inch hole snipped in the end. Divide the green frosting between 2 piping bags: one fitted with a small leaf tip, and the other fitted with a 1/8-inch round tip.
• Slice 2 large edges off of each piece of kiwi, avoiding the seeded white center as best you can. Remove the seeds and any of the white center from the pieces using a small paring knife. Cut each of the pieces in half.
• Assemble the cake: Unroll the sponge cake and pipe some of the untinted frosting on the cake. Spread evenly. Beginning about 1 inch from the end of the curled edge, place the kiwi halves upright into the frosting. Pipe rows of frosting on each side of the kiwi until the frosting is the same height as the cut pieces of fruit. Place the peeled clementines on top of the kiwi with the stem ends toward the open ends of the sponge roll. Use more frosting to fill in the gaps around the clementines. Roll the fruit into the cake and trim the edge of the sponge so that no seam remains and the 2 ends of the sponge cake meet. Roll the assembled sponge cake in parchment paper and a layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Spread a large sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Pipe red, yellow and orange stripes of frosting side-by-side on the plastic wrap so that all 3 colors touch each other. Roll the frosting into the plastic sausage-style and snip one end. Place the frosting roll in a large piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Squeeze the frosting out onto a test plate until all 3 colors extrude evenly.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pipe a fat, undulating rope down the top center of the cake; immediately top with the sprinkles. Use the reserved green frosting bag fitted with the 1/8-inch round decorator tip to pipe vines on top of the center décor. Use the green frosting bag fitted with the leaf tip to pipe leaves around the vines. Trim the ends from the cake roll using a serrated knife to reveal the kiwifruit and clementine "pumpkin" inside the filled cake.
• Keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Cut the cake chilled for the neatest slices.

SURPRISE PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin, sugar, oil and eggs until well blended. In small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture until blended. , For filling, in another small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg; beat on low just until combined. , Fill paper-lined muffin cups one-third full. Drop filling by tablespoonfuls into center of each cupcake. Cover with remaining batter. , Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin portion comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

PUMPKIN SURPRISE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400º.
• Grease bottoms only of 12 medium muffin cup pan or line with paper muffin cups (I lightly spray the paper cups with cooking spray).
• Make cream cheese filling by mixing together all ingredients until smooth; set aside.
• Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, oil and eggs in a large bowl with a spoon.
• Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts and stir just until flour in incorporated.
• Stir in nuts.
• Fill muffin cups 1/3 full.
• Place 1 rounded teaspoon filling on batter in each cup.
• Top each with remaining batter.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.
• Immediately remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.