Gosh, it's one of the biggest food days of the year and no posts to date!  Today that stops. 

I am still the kid in my family, so I don't have any Thanksgiving dishes of my own to contribute to the big family meal, which is kind of nice because it allows me to make whatever the heck I want.  A few years back I discovered this little gem- not a lot of work and big rewards!  It's delicious on bread or biscuits, and I bet it'd be a nice filling for something too. 



Pumpkin butter is like apple butter, so you start with a puree of the basic fruit, add some things, and cook it down until it's silky smooth and just delicious.  You will start a new Thanksgiving trend.

This recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan and I found it in a newspaper insert so it's hard telling if it's been published elsewhere. 

Maple Pumpkin Butter
from Dorie Greenspan

1- 29 oz can pumpkin (not pie mix, just plan pumpkin)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put all ingredients in a large, heavy, ovenproof casserole and stir to blend. Place the pan over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, stirring all the while. Lower the heat and, still stirring, cook 5 minutes more.

Slide the casserole into the oven and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until the pumpkin butter has thickened and there is no liquid around the sides of the pan, 1 to 2 hours.

Cool the pumpkin butter, then cover and chill. Packed airtight, it will keep for a week in the refrigerator.