Cinnamon

The most recognizable taste in pumpkin pie spice is cinnamon—a spicy, sweet, and warm spice, which gives the backbone to the rest of the spice flavors that are found within the mix, along with helping out its aroma.

Nutmeg

One of the main sources of the aroma in pumpkin pie is nutmeg. Containing a smell that many describe as resembling that of a forest, its slightly sweet flavor also enhances the dessert.

Ginger

Most people either love ginger or hate it, but its presence in pumpkin pie is complementary and you might not even notice it. The sharp, peppery taste and smell of this spice is hardly noticeable—unless you really pay attention—but in its small dose does wonders.

Cloves

Finally, cloves are the last common spice found in pumpkin pie. This dried-out tree bud is ground into the mix in small quantities and provides a hint of a pungent sweetness and warmth that is unmistakable.

The post Spices that Make a Pumpkin Pie Taste Just Right appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Not only is Thanksgiving celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada, a month and a half earlier than in the United States, but you’ll also find some unique food items on Canadians’ tables. Here are some of the more surprising ones!

Canadian Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is a dessert served in both the United States and Canada on Thanksgiving, but the north-of-the-border version is quite a bit different. While American pumpkin pie is mostly sugar and pumpkin baked into a crust, the Canadian version is toned-down, focusing much more on spice flavors such as ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Rice Dressing

Dressing (or stuffing) is served as a traditional accompaniment to turkey both in the US and in Canada, with the American version typically being made with a base of bread crumbs. However, finding rice-based dressing containing similar ingredients like vegetables is quite popular in Canada.

Potato Gratin

Both Americans and Canadians love to eat potatoes on Thanksgiving, but the Canadian version differs from the typical US dish of mashed potatoes. You’re more likely to find a potato gratin—a baked dish containing sliced potatoes and loads of cheese melted on top—on a Canadian table.

The post Unique Food Items You’ll Find at Canadian Thanksgiving appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Gather Ingredients

For this recipe you need 750g chunks of pumpkin, 350g sweet shortcrust pastry, plain flour, 140g caster sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 beaten eggs, 25g melted butter, 175ml milk, 1 tablespoon icing sugar.

Prepare Pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 180C. Boil the pumpkin in water in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Prepare Pastry

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and place it in a 22cm tart tin. Chill for 15 minutes before baking for 25 minutes or until the base is golden brown.

Mix Filling

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add pumpkin puree and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the filling has set.

Leave to Cool

Once the filling has set, take out of the oven and leave to cool. Remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and sprinkle over the pie. Serve chilled.

The post How to Make the Perfect Pumpkin Pie appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Brach’s, an American candy company, is taking their holiday hype to a whole new level this year after introducing a candy that will leave no one indifferent.

Brach’s newest product, their “Turkey Dinner Candy”, is a candy that attempts to join all of the top Thanksgiving flavors into a medley of candies which have some good-sounding and some…questionable-sounding members.

For instance, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie could be really delicious in candy form. These two sweet Thanksgiving treats seem like normal and logical choices to make candy.

Would you feel the same way, however, about roasted turkey, green bean, and stuffing-flavored candies?

All of these choices are included in this bizarre Thanksgiving medley which is being sold at Walgreen’s drug stores all over the United States.

So, what do you think? Would you be brave enough to give this strange new candy a try?

The post Would You Try This Crazy Thanksgiving-Themed Candy Corn? appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Cinnamon

The most recognizable taste in pumpkin pie spice is cinnamon—a spicy, sweet, and warm spice, which gives the backbone to the rest of the spice flavors that are found within the mix, along with helping out its aroma.

Nutmeg

One of the main sources of the aroma in pumpkin pie is nutmeg. Containing a smell that many describe as resembling that of a forest, its slightly sweet flavor also enhances the dessert.

Ginger

Most people either love ginger or hate it, but its presence in pumpkin pie is complementary and you might not even notice it. The sharp, peppery taste and smell of this spice is hardly noticeable—unless you really pay attention—but in its small dose does wonders.

Cloves

Finally, cloves are the last common spice found in pumpkin pie. This dried-out tree bud is ground into the mix in small quantities and provides a hint of a pungent sweetness and warmth that is unmistakable.

The post Spices that Make a Pumpkin Pie Taste Just Right appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Not only is Thanksgiving celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada, a month and a half earlier than in the United States, but you’ll also find some unique food items on Canadians’ tables. Here are some of the more surprising ones!

Canadian Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is a dessert served in both the United States and Canada on Thanksgiving, but the north-of-the-border version is quite a bit different. While American pumpkin pie is mostly sugar and pumpkin baked into a crust, the Canadian version is toned-down, focusing much more on spice flavors such as ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Rice Dressing

Dressing (or stuffing) is served as a traditional accompaniment to turkey both in the US and in Canada, with the American version typically being made with a base of bread crumbs. However, finding rice-based dressing containing similar ingredients like vegetables is quite popular in Canada.

Potato Gratin

Both Americans and Canadians love to eat potatoes on Thanksgiving, but the Canadian version differs from the typical US dish of mashed potatoes. You’re more likely to find a potato gratin—a baked dish containing sliced potatoes and loads of cheese melted on top—on a Canadian table.

The post Unique Food Items You’ll Find at Canadian Thanksgiving appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Gather Ingredients

For this recipe you need 750g chunks of pumpkin, 350g sweet shortcrust pastry, plain flour, 140g caster sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 beaten eggs, 25g melted butter, 175ml milk, 1 tablespoon icing sugar.

Prepare Pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 180C. Boil the pumpkin in water in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Prepare Pastry

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and place it in a 22cm tart tin. Chill for 15 minutes before baking for 25 minutes or until the base is golden brown.

Mix Filling

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add pumpkin puree and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the filling has set.

Leave to Cool

Once the filling has set, take out of the oven and leave to cool. Remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and sprinkle over the pie. Serve chilled.

The post How to Make the Perfect Pumpkin Pie appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Brach’s, an American candy company, is taking their holiday hype to a whole new level this year after introducing a candy that will leave no one indifferent.

Brach’s newest product, their “Turkey Dinner Candy”, is a candy that attempts to join all of the top Thanksgiving flavors into a medley of candies which have some good-sounding and some…questionable-sounding members.

For instance, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie could be really delicious in candy form. These two sweet Thanksgiving treats seem like normal and logical choices to make candy.

Would you feel the same way, however, about roasted turkey, green bean, and stuffing-flavored candies?

All of these choices are included in this bizarre Thanksgiving medley which is being sold at Walgreen’s drug stores all over the United States.

So, what do you think? Would you be brave enough to give this strange new candy a try?

The post Would You Try This Crazy Thanksgiving-Themed Candy Corn? appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.