The Great Pumpkin

Caitlin Morath  

I’ve been planning my Halloween costumes since June. I was at the cider mill two weeks into September. I started drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks even before they reappeared on the menu. To put it simply, I’m a bit of a fall fanatic. There’s just something about crisp air and football Saturdays that I can’t get enough of.

But for all of the things that I adore about autumn, one object stands out among the rest: The Pumpkin.

Any baker can tell you the pumpkin is a versatile ingredient that, when used correctly, can help create the most spectacular baked good. But my roommates can attest that pumpkin has moved far beyond the realm of pie in our household. From cake to pasta sauce, cookies to dip, I’m on a mission to use canned pumpkin puree to its fullest potential. What follows are the recipes for a few of my favorite creations thus far.

Do you have any crazy pumpkin ideas for me to try? Send me your ideas by tweeting #wolverinecuzine or commenting on our Facebook page and I’ll post photos of how your recipes turn out!

Pumpkin Fluff Dip:

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) container of Coolwhip
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 pack instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Mix all ingredients. Serve with graham cracker for dipping.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 package low fat cream cheese
½ stick of butter
½ cup low fat milk
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ -1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pinch nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:
Cube cream cheese and butter. Add cheeses, butter and milk to a saucepan on low heat. Cook until melted. Stir in pumpkin and seasonings. Cook until heated throughout. Yields enough sauce to cover one box of pasta.

Pumpkin Cookies:

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugar and butter until smooth. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly beat dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture until combined. Drop rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until edges are firmed. Note: I tend to serve my cookies unadorned, but feel free to play around. Adding raisins, drizzling with white chocolate or covering in glaze are just a few ideas.

Pullin' Piggy

Ari Brown  

One of the better parts of living in your own place is owning a freezer big enough to store things in bulk. What I’m rocking isn’t exactly a veritable meat locker, but I’ve got that thing packed up, chock full of salmon, sausages, duck legs, and pork shoulder.

My first meeting with pork shoulder of the uncooked variety was when I was looking for the cheapest cut of meat I could find that wasn’t shitty chicken. I was young and in love when I first saw the price tag of under $2.00/lb — I knew I had to make it mine. I talked to my boyzzz behind the meat counter and asked them what I could do with that deliciously priced piece of meat. Instead of words, they joined together in song and dance as the heavens opened up and rained down pulled pork recipes upon my ignorant soul. (Pro Tip: talk to the guys behind the meat counter. They know all and are more than happy to help you figure out how to cook something or even what to eat that night.)

As I write this, I’ve got 12 lbs of pork shoulder in the oven. No lie, I think it’s too much meat for this recipe since it’s cut into the shape of a fucking cube, and the probability that the center will be cooked appropriately after 4 hours is slim to none.

Pulled pork is simple. I recommend making this on a day when you have a lot of homework to do. The pork is cooked in three stages, and one of these stages is pretty much bullshit. The quick rundown is the following: primary cooking, tined cooking, and sauced cooking. The whole recipe takes 6 hours.

The primary cooking phase is the first phase, and it lasts 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 275°F, check Facebook for a lil bit, then come back. Put the meat in large chunks in the roasting pan — you DO have a roasting pan, right? — add your spices, add the purp’ drank (sugared soda of your choice DO NOT CHOOSE DIET I REPEAT DO NOT CHOOSE DIET), place the lid on, throw it in the oven, and get on with your life. (Fuck, I am so far behind in my work right now. You had better make this recipe or all my effort will have been in vain.) The spices should be salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, onions, and garlic. Once again, I know I don’t have to say this again, but just for funsies I will: LARGE CRYSTAL SEA SALT and CRUSHED PEPPERCORNS.

The second phase is simple: you take out the pan; drain the excess liquid (save the onions god damnit), and tine the pork. Tining is really easy: you take two forks and use the tines of the fork (the sharp things that stick out) to pull apart the pork. Put the lid back on, throw that shit back in the oven. Chill out for another 1.5 hours.

The third phase is where you add barbecue sauce, stir, and taste. Repeat as necessary. Once perfect, cook for another 30 minutes. Boom. Roasted.


Spices:
    2.5 lb. pork tenderloin
    salt & pepper to taste
    1 large onion, chopped
    4 cloves of garlic, minced
    1.5 teaspoons ground dry mustard
    2 to 3 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
    1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Purp' Drank
    24 oz of Dr. Pepper

Recipe based off of slash stolen from Mama Foodie