Endless Beers: PUNKIN Pie Beer Cocktail

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RELAX. I realize that many are still upset about the end of summer, and saying goodbye to their summer brews. But frankly, I’m sick and tired of hearing people complain about pumpkin being out too early. We are nearly halfway through September and it’s time to embrace it. So why not embrace it with…BEER!

As you know, there are many pumpkin beers to choose from. To kick off the summer beer season, why not celebrate with something new? This weekend, our friend told us about a “pumpkin pie” beer cocktail.

It’s pretty much just a garnish, but it does change the flavor of the beer. Here it is: syrup (maple) and brown sugar. Where? Around the rim.

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Eat it, Sandra Lee: Homemade Pumpkin Pie

I confess: This Thanksgiving, I did not make the turkey.  I did not make the stuffing.  I did not make the cranberry sauce.

Here’s what I did do, though.  I make a pumpkin pie.  From scratch.  I made the crust, I baked a whole pumpkin, and with that pumpkin, I made the filling, with spices that came from individual spice jars, not a packet of “pumpkin pie spice”.  And guess what, Sandra?  It was damn good.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

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tiny pumpkin pie

An Easy Way to Eat in Costume: Teensy Pumpkin Pies

“Tiny,” “miniature,” and “small” are probably words you’d never find in a description of ES anything (or ML anything, for that matter). Under normal circumstances, when it comes to food, I’d never recommend downsizing—growing up with an Armenian mother and grandmother meant the house was full of food all the time. Five people are coming for dinner? Better get enough for 20, you never know. Or if you’re at my parents parties…better get double, because everyone’s going to want to eat another meal after they’re drunk.

When I don’t have a big enough portion size on my plate, I get a “That’s ALL you’re eating?” from both parents, plus an intervention about anorexia (come on). However, in my opinion, there’s one exception to this huge rule. Have you ever been to a party (or more specifically, a networking/media event) where you’re given full-size portions of something, and supposed to eat them with a fork, while holding your (full-size) drink and mingling at the same time? Me too, and it drives me effing crazy, to the point where I’d rather not eat instead of not enjoy my food. Which more often than not results in a very drunk ML.

Luckily, Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park have found a solution to this problem with their new book, Tiny Food Party. To test the functionality, I’ll be holding my own Tiny Food Party later this month (recap to follow, if I’m sober enough to remember any of it). As an added bonus, Teri Lyn and Jenny have given me some tiny Halloween recipes, for a flawless (or just fun), cake-pop free Halloween. How are you supposed to eat pie with a fork in a costume, anyway?

Teensy Pumpkin Pies

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Pumpkin Pie in a Pumpkin

Two years ago, in my very first ES post ever, I wrote about a certain pair of two-year-olds and a stuffing-stuffed pumpkin.  Last year around this time, I changed things up and made a rice-stuffed pumpkin.  Now Halloween is gone, twins are almost five, Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and I once again heard the call of the stuffed pumpkin.  But what to stuff it with this time?  I considered potatoes or quinoa, but those just seemed too…tame.  Then, inspiration struck.  Why not stuff a pumpkin with pumpkin pie?  Crazy.  I knew that this had major FFU potential, so I bought two pumpkins just in case.  Spoiler alert:  I still have the second pumpkin, uncut, on the kitchen shelf.  That’s right, folks.  I baked a pumpkin pie in a pumpkin. And you can too.  Here’s how:

Step one:  Bake the pumpkin.

When choosing a pumpkin, go with a small-to medium-sized one. Fewer bumps are ideal, or you will have to contend with holes when you peel it.

Cut the top off the pumpkin, then scrape out all the seeds and gross stringy bits. If you want, you can save the seeds and oven-roast them. Then put the whole hollowed-out pumpkin on a cookie sheet, place in a 350-degree oven, and bake until a fork goes through the skin easily. Let cool, then peel off the skin. To make the shell more or less pie-shaped, cut around the opening about a third of the way down the pumpkin until you have what looks like a bowl.  Reserve the cooked part that you removed for later.

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Top 10 Holiday Song Food Shout-outs

Around this time of year, we start seeing food everywhere. Who are we kidding? We see food everywhere all the time. But during the holidays we hear it everywhere, too! Have you ever noticed how much of holiday songs are about food? We have. And here’s a list of our Top 10 favorite holiday song food shout-outs, with a recipe to match for each.

Click the pics for recipes and assorted goodness.

10. The Christmas Song: Roast Chestnuts

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos”

Chestnuts

9. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree: Pumpkin Pie

“Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Let the Christmas Spirit ring
Later we’ll have some pumpkin pie
and we’ll do some caroling”

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8. Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah: Latkes

“Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the menorah
Let’s have a party, we’ll all dance the hora
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat
Dreidels to play with and latkes to eat”

Latke

7. Let it Snow: Popcorn

“It doesn’t show signs of stopping
And I’ve bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

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