Bippity Boppity Boo!

Hey, if Cinderella's fairy godmother could turn a pumpkin into a carriage, then I can pretty much turn a pumpkin into anything else. . . bread, pie, ice cream, ball, soup. You get the idea. Jessica had another wonderful and highly enjoyable pot luck/playgroup at her house today. Theme: Thanksgiving. My contribution: Homemade pumpkin ice cream & triple layer pumpkin spice pie. For those of you with an ice cream maker, I'm posting this recipe because if you like pumpkin ice cream, then this recipe is heavenly. Technically, it's more like a pumpkin gelato, which is all the better in my book!

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. whole milk

1 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp salt

dash nutmeg

In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

In medium saucepan, combine the rest of ingrediants with a whisk. Heat over medium low heat, stirring continuously, until until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4 to 6 minutes. DO NOT ALLOW THE MIXTURE TO BOIL! (I accidently let it happen twice because I wasn't paying attention and my cream curdled. That does NOT make for yummy ice cream.) Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and allow to ripen, at least hours. Enjoy!

And here's pic of the pie that I made, which is a great alternative for those without an ice cream maker. The recipe can be found here http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/triple-layer-pumpkin-spice-pie-107943.aspx Hey, I don't ALWAYS make everything from scratch :-)