Tag Archives: Halloween treat

Put the pumpkin in a parfait — you’ll eat it all up

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I stopped at two grocery stores today and both were completely out of Libby’s brand canned pumpkin. Years ago, when I first moved to Fargo, I had a young neighbor (we were both young at that time) who grew up in a small town not too far from Fargo. She often talked about the wonderful things her mom could whip up in the kitchen. Once, when we were discussing some kind of pumpkin dessert, this neighbor told me the only kind of canned pumpkin her mom would use was Libby’s. That was enough for me. I’ve been buying Libby’s ever since, except for the times I buy an organic brand of pumpkin. But today, with no Libby’s on the grocery store shelves, I wound up buying the store brand.

I used the store brand to whip up this pumpkin mousse. Guess what? It tastes perfectly delicious when mixed up with pumpkin spices, whipped cream and vanilla pudding.

I like to layer the creamy pumpkin mousse with crushed cookie crumbs. Today I pulled a box of Trader Joe’s Almond Butter Thins from my freezer. I crushed some of them in a large zip-top plastic bag, using my fist as a hammer. In the past, I’ve used ginger snaps in the parfaits. But, I think I’m sold on the Almond Butter Thins.

The Almond Butter Thins make perfect dippers for the Mousse. A bowl of the Pumpkin Mousse surrounded by your favorite cookies would be a nice sweet treat to have out at a party.

The Mousse can also be spooned into a crumb crust and topped with the remaining whipped cream to make an extra special no-bake pumpkin pie.

I love these individual, not-too-big parfaits to serve as a light, something sweet ending to a meal. They’re nice for Thanksgiving, too. I made a couple larger desserts in custard cups to share with my next door neighbors.

If you’d like to watch me mix up the Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits, you can click right here to go to that Lakeland Cooks segment.

Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits in custard cups

Get creative as you choose little glasses or cups that will be filled with Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits. I use something different every time I make them. But, they always taste the same — like a creamy, dreamy pumpkin pie. So much better than the traditional pumpkin pie that I’ve openly admitted to not being very fond of.

This, I like…

Pumpkin Mousse Parfait

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 (5.1-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 1 (15- to 16-ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Cookies or graham crackers, crushed
  • Pecan halves or candy corn, for garnish

In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Put in the refrigerator while mixing pumpkin mousse.

In another mixing bowl, use a wire whisk to blend pumpkin with pudding mix. Gradually add milk, blending well after each addition. Add nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon and mix well. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.

Put a layer of crushed cookies in the bottom of custard cups or small glasses. Spoon some pumpkin mousse on top of cookies in each glass. Repeat layers of crushed cookies and pumpkin mousse as many times as you wish. If not serving immediately, cover the parfaits with plastic wrap and refrigerate. At serving time, top each parfait with a light sprinkle of crushed cookies and a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with a pecan half or a candy corn. Makes 8 to 10 parfaits in 4-ounce glasses.

A sweet and spicy snack mix to get you poppin’

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I think I can blame my mom for my insatiable appetite for popcorn. She told me once that when she was pregnant with me, she craved popcorn. She ate the white, crunchy snack morning, noon and night when she could.

I don’t want to eat popcorn morning, noon and night. But, contrary to the fact that the peak period for popcorn sales for home consumption is in the fall, I eat popcorn all year long — fall, winter, spring and summer.

Traditionally,  the popcorn I eat has been doused with melted butter and sprinkled with salt. But, last spring when my doctor frowned at my cholesterol number that had skyrocketed, I knew it was time to ditch the butter. I came up with a very satisfying alternative. I drizzle hot, freshly popped corn with lime-infused olive oil that I buy at Vinaigrette in Minneapolis. I skip the salt and, instead, sprinkle cayenne over the popcorn. Bright and spicy. Crunchy and satisfying. It does the trick for me. I must warn that it is only for those who can take some heat.

And, speaking of heat — a few years ago I spent a few days with my friend, Joyce at her home on Blue Lake along with several other friends. As we sat out on her deck one afternoon enjoying the sunshine over the lake, Joyce brought out a big bowl of a snack mix that included popcorn. It was a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. She made the mistake of placing the bowl right in front of me. I nibbled and nibbled and nibbled and nibbled. It was one of those things that I really wished I didn’t have to share. But, everyone wanted to eat it and no one cared to share. It was addictive.

Joyce gave me the recipe that she uses to make this sweet and spicy snack mix. It’s not just for eating on a sunshiny summer day. It’s great for game time, passing around the campfire, stashing into the bike bag, packing for an afternoon of snowshoeing, offering at parties and gift-giving. That’s why I call it all-purpose, all year long, Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix.

Mix up the snack tidbits and cook up a buttery, sweet and spicy syrup to toss it all together. Baking the snack mix in a warm oven dries it and makes it crispy.

Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix is another great way to enjoy popcorn. Time to get poppin! Make lots, because your family and friends will want you to share.

If you’re like me and just can’t seem to get enough popcorn, you may enjoy my Honey and Peanut Butter Popcorn. The recipe is in my column this week.

Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix ready to go into the oven.

Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix

(an adapted version of Joyce’s recipe)
  • 5 cups corn chips, such as Fritos
  • 4 cups Crispix cereal
  • 8 cups popped corn
  • 1 (11.5-ounce) can mixed nuts

Mix ingredients in a large roasting pan.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Make syrup.

Syrup:

  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (I like to use a little more, up to 2 or 3 teaspoons)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt)

Put syrup ingredients in 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour hot syrup over popcorn mixture in roasting pan. Stir until all ingredients are coated with the syrup. Bake in preheated 250-degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread hot mixture on wax paper to cool. Feeds several very lucky popcorn-hungry munchers.