Pumpkin Butter (& Pumpkin Roasting)

I need to get something off my chest. I have a picky eater in my house. And it's not me. Since there are only two of us, it should be pretty clear who I mean. In all fairness, he is willing to try most dinner dishes I serve. But when it comes to dessert, it's another story. I find this strange. He has a severe sweet tooth and yet is extremely finicky when it comes to what his treats contain. OK, here I go with the list... the foods that Dustin (I had to name names eventually) finds repulsive: coconut, raisins, pretty much most dried fruit except for Craisins, most nuts (especially when in desserts), fresh fruit baked into breads, whipped cream, marshmallow (except in smore's), anything too rich (chocolate decadence), anything with too much peanut butter (there is no such thing), PUMPKIN ANYTHING, and on occasion/when convenient he claims to dislike caramel and cheesecake.

That list eliminates 90% of baked goods! Astounding, I know. It leaves us two main options: chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I think he'd be happy if that's all I ever made. But you know me. I'm the queen of variety, of trying new things. And I like, even love, every single one of the things on that list. This presents a problem. It means when I want to bake oatmeal raisin cookies or pumpkin cake, I have to eat them all by myself or they're going to waste. (Or I share with my friends. Thank goodness for friends. It's not hard to make them when you're giving away sweets all the time!)

Mostly, I find it frustrating that so many foods that I find delightful, delicious, and that I salivate just dreaming about, Dustin despises. How can this be? How are our taste buds so innately different and how did we two oppositely opinioned eaters end up together? OK, I confess: I'm exaggerating a wee bit. I have to give him some credit. For me, he will break his own rules quite often. Like several weeks ago when I made a Caramel Apple Pecan Cheesecake (I think that one breaks at least 4 rules at once) and he tried a bite and then finished off the rest of the cake! I swear it is that good! He'll eat whipped cream and berries on angel food cake and chocolate-peanut butter cupcakes, but don't even bother with the pumpkin or raisins. Never gonna happen. I guess I should take it as a compliment that he often turns out to like what I bake despite its forbidden contents.

Maybe he's not unusual. Are you, dear reader, that picky as well? Maybe I, who can't think of a single dessert-like food I don't like, is the strange one. Whew! So now that that's out there, let's talk about pumpkin butter. This is what started me on my rant- this dreamy pumpkin treat! (Not Dustin approved.) I've bought jars of pumpkin butter in the past and I never knew how simply I could make my own. I bought a baby roasting pumpkin to start from scratch but you could use canned puree as well. After combining a few ingredients (mostly spices) and simmering them on the stove, you have created a thick and luxurious sweet pumpkin spread. I like mine on toast, bagels, English muffins, pancakes, waffles, anything that resembles bread. People even make pies with the stuff (not sure how, but Google could help you with that)!

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (1 4 lb. pumpkin cooked)
1 cup apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare (or purchase) pumpkin puree.

NOTE: For detailed instructions on making pumpkin puree from scratch follow this link over to The Kitchen Sink. In short, I cut my 4 lb. pumpkin in half, scooped out the guts, and placed the pumpkin cut side down on a foil lined sheet pan. I roasted it in a preheated 400 F oven for 1 hour until soft. I let it cool and then removed the skin. I first mashed the flesh with a potato masher and then transferred it to the food processor to puree. Then I placed it in a thin dish towel (I didn't have any cheesecloth) suspended in a glass bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it sit in the fridge over night. In the morning I gave it one last squeeze, drained off the water, and had thick pumpkin puree!

2. Combine all ingredients (pumpkin puree through vanilla) in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 -30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

(Adapted from Eggs on Sunday and The Kitchen Sink)