Kitchen Krafts

Won’t your family be surprised when you serve them soup from and in a pumpkin! You can prepare these recipes for lunch or dinner with help from a parent or another older person. The Spiral Bread or the Crispy Butterscotch Sundaes would also make a good family home evening treat.

Pumpkin Soup

By Paula Weed

3 cups canned pumpkin

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

medium-size fresh pumpkin (if available)

2 cups grated Swiss cheese

chopped chives

1. In a large saucepan, stir together the pumpkin, cream, and milk; place on low heat. Mix in the sugar, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue cooking on low (do not boil) for 10–15 minutes or until hot.

2. If a pumpkin is available, wash it, then cut off its top and remove the seeds and the matter that clings to the sides.

3. Pour the hot soup into the pumpkin tureen (bowl), put on the lid, and place it on the dinner table.

4. From the pumpkin tureen, ladle the soup into bowls, and top with grated Swiss cheese and chopped chives. (Note: instead of bowls, you could use small hollowed-out pumpkins.)

Spiral Bread

By Paula Weed

1 loaf frozen whole wheat bread dough

1 loaf frozen white bread dough

1. Thaw the bread loaves according to the package directions.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each bread loaf into a 7″ x 14″ (18 cm x 36 cm) rectangle.

3. Place the rectangles of dough on top of each other. Then, starting with the long side, roll them together. Cut the roll in half.

4. Grease two 4″ x 8″ (10 cm x 20 cm) loaf pans. Place one roll in each pan, cover with a clean cloth, and let the dough rise one hour or until it is over the top of each pan.

5. Bake at 375° F (190° C ) for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Using hot pads, carefully turn each pan on its side on a cooling rack, and gently shake the pan to remove the bread. Stand the bread upright on the rack to cool completely.

Crispy Butterscotch Sundaes

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 gallon (1.89 l) vanilla ice cream

Crispy Topping (see recipe below)

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

2. Stir in the brown sugar and the corn syrup. Mix in the cream, bring to a boil, boil 2–3 minutes, then let cool.

3. Serve a few tablespoons of Butterscotch Sauce over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then top with Crispy Topping (see recipe below).

Crispy Topping

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

1 1/4 cups coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1. In a medium saucepan, cook the brown sugar and butter over medium heat until melted. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

2. Spread the mixture evenly over a 10″ x 15″ x 1″ ( 25 cm x 38 cm x 2.5 cm) jelly-roll pan.

3. Bake at 300° F (150° C) for 15–20 minutes, stirring and turning every five minutes. Let cool. Sprinkle on top of sundaes.

Illustrated by Mark Robison