by Alyse Passmore

Created on: October 25, 2009

While canned pumpkin can sit year around on our grocer's shelf it often doesn't make it onto our grocery lists until fall hits. This Halloween smash is sensational in a variety of dishes. Everything from soup to hot cereal can be complimented with pumpkin, just open a can and mix it in. Pumpkin can be substituted for eggs to bind together a cookie recipe or used in place of potatoes in a stew. Just get experimental and you will be surprised.

Pumpkin is in a sense magical. While the pumpkin at your doorstep will not transform into a splendid coach all set to whisk you away to the prince's ball it will last up to six months packed full of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and fibre. It is a good source of vitamins A and E, potassium, beta-carotene, magnesium and iron. The seeds that often get discarded with the pumpkin innards during carving may aid in protecting against prostate cancer and osteoporosis and appear to have anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, pumpkin is a mysteriously wondrous fruit that should not be kept as a seasonal treat.

Let's carve up and get cooking some decadent treats. Although, making a pumpkin puree can be time consuming it can also be very rewarding. As we become more responsive to our environment and the effects of waste the smallest steps made towards going green can be very empowering. Don't let your pumpkin rot away in the dump make it worth your while and cook it up. The seeds can be spiced up in many different ways including this simple spicy recipe which uses a dash of cayenne, a pinch of salt and a twist of lime juice or just glazed with brown sugar and baked until golden.

After you have had your fun hacking and hammering scary faces into your pumpkin cut it up into chunks and on a pan lined with parchment paper lay it out and bake for 1 to 2 hours or until very soft. Once the pumpkin has cooled the skin should just peel away. Mash the pumpkin by hand or puree with a food processor and freeze. If you have young children freezing the pumpkin into an ice cube tray makes it easily accessible. Then, when their soup or oatmeal is too hot you can just mix in frozen pumpkin instead of ice for the extra benefits. There are just so many ways to use pumpkin.

Yet, our household's favourite use of this seasonal fruit would have to be Pumpkin Cheese Cake. It is creamy and rich and looks fabulous beside anyone's Turkey dinner.

What you will need:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

cup raw sugar (white sugar works if that's all you have on hand)

1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree or 2 cups of your own puree

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

teaspoon nutmeg

teaspoon ground ginger

teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

teaspoon salt

Box of ginger snap cookies

Box of Tennis cookies or vanilla wafers

1 cup butter

Prepare the crust by melting 1 cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat and adding two cups of ginger snap cookie crumbs and one cup of either Tennis cookie crumbs or vanilla wafers until all ingredients are combined. Press cookie mixture into the bottom of a spring form pan and set aside. Using a mixer blend together the cream cheese and sugar, add the pumpkin, spices and vanilla and then the eggs one by one. Lastly, add the salt, beat until creamy and give it a taste. Add a little more cinnamon if you would like. Bake at 350F (175C) for 50 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool in the fridge. Then, decorate with whip cream, cinnamon and caramelized pumpkin seeds.

Enjoy it with family and friends. Or, do as I would, complain about how the cheese cake flopped and hoard it for yourself. Lastly, this recipe freezes wonderfully just don't let your male counterpart know.

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