Pumpkin Butter

I just tried something new today using pumpkin puree. I wish I could say that it was my idea but, no, I got it from www.weelicious.com. I did however change it a little bit. Anyway, I usually buy a whole pumpkin and just steam and puree and freeze it in either ice cube trays or measure it out into 1 cup amounts and freeze individually in plastic bags. The ones I freeze in ice cube trays are easy to add to Aidan's soups, one pot rice dishes, pasta sauces and such (you get the general idea)... a quick and easy way to sneak in a bit of vegetable goodness and fiber into my toddler who refuses to eat anything green or clasified as a vegetable. Whereas the ones frozen in cup measurements, I save that for making treats like pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread & butter pudding (lovely orange when it's done) and vanilla pumpkin custard. I do the same with other vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato and beetroot, just to name a few.

Now, on to the recipe for pumpkin butter. You'll need;

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon pdr.
pinch grated nutmeg
1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Combine everything in a saucepan and simmer on low heat for about 5 mins, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks glossy and slightly thickened. Cool and serve on toast or crackers.

**Extras can be refigerated for up to a couple of weeks according to the website I got it from but, I don't think it will last that long. My mom thinks it's really good, she's been sneaking a couple of spoons every chance she gets... says it reminds her of 'payasam', an indian sweet dish. I think it reminds me of pumpkin pie minus the calories from the crust, butter, eggs and sugar. And, it looks like a very popular Malaysian spread called 'Kaya' which is made of sugar, eggs and coconut milk. Best bit, I made cheese toast with bread thinly spread with pumpkin butter and a slice of cheese this morning and my son loved it. This looks like it's going to be a new favourite in my family.