Saw this on TV this morn.  Way to make your own pumpkin puree & the pancakes looked absolutely yummy.  Just had to share.....



Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Making homemade pumpkin puree is easier than it sounds. Canned pumpkin is always a good substitute though. You can buy it at any market and with the economy the way it is it may be cheaper to by the can as opposed to buying a pumpkin.

1 (8 lb.) sugar pumpkin
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut top off pumpkin and reserve. Scrape out seeds (keep these for making snack mix!). Brush the inside of the pumpkin with butter. Place pumpkin in a foil-lined baking dish. Bake for 2 hours and allow to cool to touch. Pour out any extra liquid. Scoop out pulp and blend in a food processor. Chill and drain off any extra liquid before using.


Souffléd Pumpkin Pancake

I created this recipe one fall weekend morning when I was in the mood for something with pumpkin. I was almost out of flour, so pumpkin muffins were out of the question. This little experiment turned out to be fabulously light and delicious. Make one large pancake instead of many little ones, and everyone can take a bite!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pecan halves
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup buttermilk
11/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup pure pumpkin puree (homemade or storebought)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar
Pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of the butter into a medium bowl and set aside. Add the brown sugar to the remaining butter in the skillet. Stir until the sugar begins to melt. Add the pecans and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a small dish and set aside. Reserve the skillet for the pancake.In a small bowl mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Add the egg yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla to the reserved melted butter and whisk until blended. Gradually whisk in the flour. Stir in the pumpkin puree. Set aside.In a very clean bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the pumpkin batter. Carefully spoon the batter into the skillet. Sprinkle the top with the reserved pecans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.Dust the pancake with confectioners' sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with maple syrup.

Bumping up this thread since home-cooking for people seems to be a hot topic lately!

That sounds great ! I love red beans & rice. I have a ham bone in the freezer, will try it this weekend.

Is the ground beef from a roast one would have ground? Or if you do not have a grinder, have a butcher do it? Sorry, but with all the recalls....

Recipe sounds good, though.

3cat,

That recipe sounds great, and cabbage is one of my favorites.

Luckily, we have a little "foodie" market that grinds beef each morning from locally produced beef.  

Also, you could buy an inexpensive round steak or roast, chop it up into small pieces and cook it before adding it to the soup.  The great thing about soup recipes is that you don't need an expensive cut.

Cooking simple recipes is a good way to lose weight and reduce your cholesterol!

leslie what a great tip to slightly freeze the beef and never thought of using a food processor. Have the small Oscar so this will be perfect to do.

It works for poultry & pork too. Makes it easy to do your own ground meats. Since its not totally frozen, you can still freeze it after grinding without cooking it. Unless I can get to 1 of the local meat markets, I always grind my own. Plus its a good use for large cuts of cheaper meat you get on sale. Don't use london broil though, it doesn't have enough fat to hold together for a burger, meatballs or meatloaf. Neither do chicken breasts or center cut pork. I made meatballs out of london broil & they turned into chunks of ground meat when I tried to simmer them in sauce ! 

Yum. Thanks, bug! Do you ever skip any rinse steps even if does promote gas just to save time?