Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

1 Pumpkin (small, Trade Joes sells pumpkins for pies)

3 eggs

1 cup of Evaporated Milk, Vitamin D Added

1 stick of butter (melted)

Dash of salt

¾ cup of Organic Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1 ready to eat Graham Cracker Crust

Directions: Wash pumpkin, cut in half, remove stem and scoop out seeds and remove strings. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about one hour at 350 degrees.

Once cooled, peel, smash, and mix pumpkin until smooth. In a large bowl, add milk, melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, dash of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extra and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. 

Autumn Harvest Recipe Ideas for dessert

Autumn is the perfect time to reflect on all that we have. Here are some suggestions for a scrumptious autumn dessert suitable to serve at Thanksgiving.

Autumn Harvest Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

½ cup of butter, softened

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour, divided use

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of buttermilk

2 cups of finely peeled apples

1 ¼ cups of packed organic brown sugar

½ cup of chopped nuts

1 to 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

1/3 cup of melted butter

Drizzle topping: (optional)

½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon of shortening

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together ½ cup of softened butter, and sugar until well-combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine 2 2/3rds cups of flour, the baking powder, soda and salt; add alternately to beaten mixture with buttermilk, beating until combined. Fold in apples.

While cake is cooling, combine chocolate pieces and shortening in a small saucepan or micro-safe bowl. Melt over very low heat, stirring until blended, or microwave on low power until melted, stirring to blend. Before serving, drizzle topping over cake. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Gilmore Girl's Inspired Recipes

Laughter and excitement is in the air at  The Yellow Mug Café in North East Fresno, now transformed into a Pop-Up of Luke’s Diner. It is 7:19am.  The line is very long, with lots of gals in their thirties wearing plaid and scarves and knit hats, as if Fresno is actually a cold place to live like in The Gilmore Girls, which it is not. I overheard an eager crowd of gals say, “I’ve never actually spent the night in line before, but for this it was worth it.” There’s no way my son, who coincidentally his nickname is Luke is going to step near the line, he doesn’t want to be late for school. 7:55am, I text my daughter the news of Gilmore Girls kinda coming to Fresno and she is elated, but a bit perplexed, “what is The Yellow Mug Café, she asks?”

If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls, you know what all the fuss is about. As Lorelai Gilmore (another coincidence, that’s my daughter’s nickname), “Coffee, coffee, coffee”.  So Netflix who shows the Gilmore Girls has transformed over 200 coffee shops around the United States into pop-up Luke’s Diners to celebrate the show’s 16^th anniversary.

After the coffee, and the excitement, you might want to make some Gilmore Girl’s inspired treats.

Café Luke’s Round Cookies

1 stick of real butter, softened

1/8 cup of sugar, granulated

1 cup of all-purpose flour

½ cup of Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips

Powdered Sugar

1/16 cup of peanuts or almonds

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a medium sized bowl with an electric mixer at low to medium speed. Gradually add the flour and chocolate chips and then combine with hands. If dough is dry or crumbly, add a little bit of water. Spray your hands with cooking spray or add a little flour if dough is too sticky and is sticking to your hands. Using the palm of your hands, roll rounded Tablespoonful’s of dough into 1-inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet for 13 minutes approximately. Let stand 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheet and after cooled roll in powdered sugar. The color of the cookies will be pale not golden brown. If not allergic to nuts, may add crushed almonds or pulverized peanuts.

 Coconut Lemon Crumb Squares

1 ¾ cups of Graham cracker crumbs

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup margarine, melted

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup of coconut              

Filling

½ cup of granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup of lemon juice, plus ¼ tsp. of lemon rind

½ coconut

Directions: Melt the margarine and pour over the first ingredients. Combine in a large bowl and work together until crumbly. Press the mixture into an ungreased 9x9 inch pan and set aside.

Next, place filling ingredients in a pot on low heat, stirring until thickened. Pour filling over bottom layer. Cook for 25 minutes in a 350 degree over. Depending on the size you cut for the squares, makes approximately 30 squares.

Nonie Julie's Potato Torta

Noni Julie’s Potato Torta

4-6 potatoes, peeled and cooked

½ cup of cooked and diced of each, fried and drained salt pork, and chopped Italian Sausage

½ cup of combination chopped onion and leek

2/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

½ cube of butter

¼ cup of milk

Salt and pepper

Directions: Mash potatoes with milk, salt and pepper and combine all ingredients including butter, Parmesan

cheese, salt pork and Italian Sausage. Add more milk or cheese to your taste preference.

Place rolled crust in a well- oiled 9x13 inch pan, add potato filling and spread in the pan. Remaining crust, curl atop the potato filling. Add one beaten egg to the top of mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Crust

2 ½ cups of flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup of water

1 egg, beaten

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions: In a large bowl, mix flour and salt, next, add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and 1 cup of water. Mix until mixture forms a ball. If too sticky, add a Tablespoon at a time of flour, if too dry, add a Tablespoon of water at a time.  Cover the dough ball with a cloth and place atop a lightly floured surface and allow the dough to rest for 20-30 minutes. Roll dough out thinly and place flattened dough/crust in a well-oiled 9x13 inch pan. 

Pumpkin Pie Sour Cream

Pumpkin Pie Sour Cream
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of canned or mashed cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup of dairy sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of evaporated milk
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts, California walnuts preferred
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell


Directions: in a medium size bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. With an electric mixer, mix pumpkin, sour cream, and eggs. Mix well.  Stir in evaporated milk and add chopped walnuts. Pour into an unbaked pastry shell. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Gina Meyers is best known for her popular culture television trivia and cooking expertise books related to the Twilight Saga, Harry Potter,  and the iconic television show Bewitched. She is the proud winner of the prestigious Gourmand International Cookbook Award for Best Charity Cookbook in the world, Hope For Haiti. Paris, France March, 2012.

Gina’s Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook, first edition, has been listed in OK! Magazine’s top Twilight merchandise must-haves and featured on Comedian Alan Carr, Chatty Man’s late night talk show. Her Love at First Bite Cookbook was also mentioned on the hit TV Show, The Office.

From an early age, Gina has had a passion for the culinary arts, experimenting in the kitchen with baking and creating anything yummy and unique. http://www.ginameyers.com

Gina has been a television consultant for Popstar! Magazine , Columbia Pictures Television, as well as Nickelodeon Magazine. She is a featured regular on national radio and television programs as a cooking expert. Gina has also worked for Xerox and Google Corporation.

Gina is the owner of Serendipity Media Group, a global publishing, marketing, and promotions company. With Serendipity Media’s help, many authors have also found international success and recognition. http://www.serendipitymediagroup.com

Pumpkin Pie Sour Cream

Pumpkin Pie Sour Cream
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of canned or mashed cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup of dairy sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of evaporated milk
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts, California walnuts preferred
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell


Directions: in a medium size bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. With an electric mixer, mix pumpkin, sour cream, and eggs. Mix well.  Stir in evaporated milk and add chopped walnuts. Pour into an unbaked pastry shell. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Gina Meyers is best known for her popular culture television trivia and cooking expertise books related to the Twilight Saga, Harry Potter,  and the iconic television show Bewitched. She is the proud winner of the prestigious Gourmand International Cookbook Award for Best Charity Cookbook in the world, Hope For Haiti. Paris, France March, 2012.

Gina’s Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook, first edition, has been listed in OK! Magazine’s top Twilight merchandise must-haves and featured on Comedian Alan Carr, Chatty Man’s late night talk show. Her Love at First Bite Cookbook was also mentioned on the hit TV Show, The Office.

From an early age, Gina has had a passion for the culinary arts, experimenting in the kitchen with baking and creating anything yummy and unique. http://www.ginameyers.com

Gina has been a television consultant for Popstar! Magazine , Columbia Pictures Television, as well as Nickelodeon Magazine. She is a featured regular on national radio and television programs as a cooking expert. Gina has also worked for Xerox and Google Corporation.

Gina is the owner of Serendipity Media Group, a global publishing, marketing, and promotions company. With Serendipity Media’s help, many authors have also found international success and recognition. http://www.serendipitymediagroup.com

Gina's Go To Guittard Chocolate Rounds

Gina’s Go To Guittard Chocolate Rounds

1 stick of real butter, softened

1/8 cup of sugar, granulated

1 cup of all-purpose flour

½ cup of Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips

Powdered Sugar

1/16 cup of peanuts or almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a medium sized bowl with an electric mixer at low to medium speed. Gradually add the flour and chocolate chips and then combine with hands. If dough is dry or crumbly, add a little bit of water. Spray your hands with cooking spray or add a little flour if dough is too sticky and is sticking to your hands. Using the palm of your hands, roll rounded Tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet for 13 minutes approximately. Let stand 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheet and after cooled roll in powdered sugar. The color of the cookies will be pale not golden brown. If not allergic to nuts, may add crushed almonds or pulverized peanuts. 

More Recipe Ideas from Cookbook Author Gina Meyers