Homemade Is Best

In today’s episode of Homemade is Best, Russ and Helana pick-up where last week’s episode on Pumpkin left off: Pumpkin Desserts.  Sweet and sugary items are often the most commonly produced pumpkin-based dishes.  Whether it’s grandma’s famous Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving or that gotta-have-it decadent Pumpkin-Flavored Cappuccino at Starbucks, Sweet Pumpkin dishes are just one of the many perks of this season’s cooling weather.

We begin our show with a discussion of What’s Helana Excited About? As always, her answers do not disappoint.  She suggests the different ways to cook with Pumpkin Purée from the Farmer’s Market, Pumpkin Purée from Libby’s, and/or Toasted Pumpkin Seed Oil from specialty food companies like La Tourangelle.  Although you will be able to find various purées at most any store, La Tourangelle sells 2 15-ounce cans on Amazon (with free shipping!) that rivals any of the expensive prices you’ll find at Whole Foods or Fresh Market.  Use the purée for the foundation of any of today’s sweet desserts and the olive oil for salad dressings, homemade gelato, and much more.

 Helana’s recipe for Pumpkin Cheese Cake dressed in warm honey, walnuts, and a pecan graham cracker crust.  Talk about Clearly Delicious!

Onto the recipes! We begin our discussion with a holiday classic–Pumpkin Pie.  Helana’s recipe is rich, decadent, and once nabbed her a boyfriend.  True story.  Check-out our variation to see if it’s the same as Grandma used to make! Moving onto a Golden Girls favorite–(Pumpkin) Cheesecake, Russ and Helana share how this advanced recipe is worth every ounce of effort (and perhaps, every pound gained? We’ll let you decide).  Both Russ and Helana have a medley of Cheesecake stories from disasters with cracked surfaces to hot water baths that just don’t do the trick, but they offer up all of their tips and tricks free of charge.  We also suggest some other tips that will keep your cheesecake from cracking.

Finally, we end our discussion with Helana’s most requested Fall Recipe–Pumpkin Spice Ginger Bread and Russ aces his quiz on “quick breads.” This bread is moist, fluffy, and the quintessential taste of fall.

Other Cool Stuff:

Guy Fieri’s Pumpkin Pie Crème Brulée

Emeril Lagasse’s Pumpkin Crème Brulée

“Pumpkin” at Clearly Delicious

Helana’s Chocolate Azteca Cupcakes & Marx Foods Chile Recipe Contest

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