Ms. Tiger Lilly: For the Savoury Snacker: Homemade Pumpkin Purée

It’s that time of year again and the leaves are changing color and falling to the ground. Everyone is pulling out their coziest sweaters and wrapping their warmest scarves around their necks. It’s finally FALL, one of my favourite times of the year and most importantly, it’s the time of the year where there’s pumpkin everywhere! So in order to get into the autumn spirit and to begin combatting those Winter Blues early, I bought a pumpkin! I think that having one around simply makes the cold outside a bit more bearable and brings a bit of all of the lovely fall colors into your home. (Note: Buying a pumpkin is a big investment in your time, so be prepared!) As a baker and photograph loving gal, charged myself with the task of properly documenting and preparing the pumpkin so that I can use it for baking later on and to clear up some room in our kitchen.

For the savoury snacker or for the sweet tooth, this is the most perfect homemade pumpkin puree recipe. It's easy to follow, fun to make and makes for a great time with friends and family while preparing. Carve the pumpkin, steam, scoop, mash and voila! You have the perfect, homemade (and free of preservative) pumpkin puree for all of your baking needs. Click here to read more or pin and save for later.

First, you need to prepare two oven-safe trays by filling them up with a bit of water and to set the oven to about 375F. Once that is done, you just need to chop up, clean and de-seed the pumpkin and place the chunks with the flesh side down into the water, and place them in the oven for about an hour, or until the flesh is soft ( a knife can easily slide through) and it’s more of a vibrant orange.