Pumpkin Cranberry Dip...

Going to a holiday party and looking for a dip to take? If you have a leftover can of pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving, here's a simple recipe worth opening the can for.

A 15 oz. can contains almost 1-3/4 cups of pumpkin, so you'll have about 1-1/4 cups of pumpkin left over. Most quick bread recipes call for 1 cup of pumpkin, so plan on making a bread, too.

Serve this barely sweet dip with toast points or crackers, or use it as a spread on turkey sandwiches.



Cranberry Pumpkin Walnut Spread


Makes 2 cups

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup dried cranberries, plus a tablespoon for garnish
3/4 cup toasted walnut or pecan pieces
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt

Break the cream cheese up into chunks and drop into a food processor. Sprinkle with the cranberries and nuts. Spoon in the pumpkin puree and sprinkle with the spices and salt. Pulse until almost smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl down once. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with extra cranberries.

NOTE: You can make this 1 or 2 days in advance. Just cover and refrigerate. Let the dip sit at room temperature about 30 minutes before you plan to serve to soften just a bit.

Pumpkin Eater...

Who knew that a raw pumpkin could be so appealing? I returned home from an evening meeting earlier this week, only to discover that my darling little grasshopper slayer decided that she needed a piece of pumpkin, sans pie.

Chloe was perched on top of "her" chair when we returned and when she saw me turn on the light, look at the desecrated pumpkin on the dining room table, she crouched and pinned her ears back. Skylar, on the other hand, leaned up against the bar and looked at me, saying with those adorable brown, button eyes, "It wasn't me, Mom, she did it."

Chloe has separation anxiety issues and every time we leave the house, she finds some mischief to amuse herself until we return, even though she's confined to the family/kitchen room. Animal experts would suggest that I put her little hinny in a crate while we're gone. I know I probably should, but then Skylar would be uncrated and what kind of trauma would that cause? Anyone have any advice?

Chloe was subdued the rest of the evening, probably with a tummy ache, but otherwise she was fine. The next day, I talked with my friend Eileen, who owns See Spot Shop, and after she stopped laughing, she told me that pumpkin is not harmful to dogs, and that Chloe likely just got an extra dose of antioxidants. It wasn't like I was going to make a pie with the darn pumpkin anyway... it's best to use the small, sugar pumpkins for pie.

I just put the pumpkin there to remind me that it was fall, and Thanksgiving is coming. Sometimes it's hard to remember that when the temperature is 80 degrees outside. And Chloe was quick to remind me that even fall has a short season.