Pumpkin everything (why not?)

Did you stock up on canned pumpkin this fall like I did? Rumors were flying back in September about a potential shortage this year so I bought 4 or 5 cans, along with several pumpkin pie canned mixes. Well, if there was a shortage, Ultra Foods and Target did not get that memo. They are my favorite places to grocery shop, and now they get another gold star for figuring out how to keep the season's most important ingredients on their shelves. And I just feel silly for stockpiling canned pumpkin (except that we have been enjoying the fruits of my panic - makes me feel a little better).

Time to put the canned pumpkin to good use people...

Just go ahead and make a double batch of the scones. You'll thank me later.

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Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons half-and-half

1 large egg

6 tablespoons cold butter

Plain Glaze

1 cup plus 1 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Icing (this is enough for about 3 batches)

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch ground ginger

pinch ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger in a large bowl.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half, and eggs.

4. Place butter into a food processor, and slowly add (using the pulse button) the dry ingredients until it is the texture of cornmeal or coarse sand, thoroughly mixed together.

5. Fold wet ingredients and dry ingredients together, then form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1 -inch thick rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide. Use a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 6 triangular pieces. Place on baking sheet (I prefer to line it first with parchment paper) with at least one inch of space between each piece of dough.

6. Bake for 14 to 16. Scones should begin to turn light brown. (Every oven is different so keep a close eye, but I found 12-13 minutes was enough.)

7. While scones cool, prepare plain glaze by combining ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Mix until smooth.

8 When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.

9. As that white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by combining ingredients in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk. Makes 6 scones.

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Pumpkin Pie Cake

1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin

1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup butter

Blend first 7 ingredients together. Pour into a greased 9x13” pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of cake mix. Drizzle melted butter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

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**If you have a good pumpkin recipe for anything, leave it in the comments or email it to me! (armbruster@hotmail.com)**