Ma What's For Dinner?

Serves: 6   Prep time:  30 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes

1 ¾ c  All Purpose Flour

3  1/2 t  Baking Powder

¾ t        Kosher salt

3/4 t     cinnamon

1/2 t     all spice

1/2 t    ground nutmeg

3 T         Granulated sugar

1 1/2  c  Milk

1 large    Egg

1 t            Real Vanilla Extract

3/4 can real pumpkin puree

In a medium size bowl combine the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and add in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract.  Mix until smooth.

Fold in pumpkin puree being sure not to overmix, this will toughen the pancakes.  Let your batter rest for 15 minutes before you cook them.

Preheat your frying pan to medium heat.  You’ll know it’s hot enough when a drop of water skips along the surface.  Melt a bit of butter on the pan.  Using a ladle drop about 1/3 cup batter onto your buttered pan for each pancake.  When you see bubbles all over the top of the pancake, it’s time to flip.  Flip only once and don’t press down on your pancake or they won’t be light and fluffy.  When the second side is browned pull them off and keep them warm under some tinfoil on a plate.

Top with butter and syrup or sprinkle with powdered sugar.  The kids will devour these!  Mine do!

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Serves: 6  Prep Time:  15 minutes  Cook Time:  30 minutes

1/4 cup raw sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 (15 1/4-ounce) cans pear halves, keeping stem end attached, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Lay puff pastry sheet on a work surface brush with melted butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 6 even pieces. Fan the pear slices over the puff pastry, using 1/2 a pear for each puff pastry square. Sprinkle tops of pear tarts with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until pastry is golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from tart from oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts, 5 minutes more.

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Serves: 4   Prep time:  15 minutes   Cook Time:  1 hour

2 acorn squash, cut in half, and seeds cleaned out

1 lb turkey sausage diced

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 tart apple (I used granny smith) peeled, cored, and chopped

1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped

1 T brown sugar

1 T maple syrup

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup craisins

½ cup golden raisins

1 t cinnamon

1 clove garlic chopped

½ t nutmeg

¼ cup apple juice

S&P

Unsalted butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place your squash on a baking sheet flesh side up.  Pierce the squash with a fork several times.  Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat brown your turkey sausage, about 7 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine rice, apples, pears, sugar, syrup, walnuts, craisins, raisins, cinnamon, garlic, nutmeg and apple juice.  Stir to combine.  When the sausage is browned add it to the stuffing mixture and season with S&P.

Distribute stuffing mixture evenly among your squash.  Top with a pat of butter and bake for one hour.

Tasty Tidbit:  You could make this dish with butternut squash or even a small pumpkin!

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