By Jack's garden operation grows more ambitious every year. The greenhouse, the market sales, the Farm Fund jar that now holds over three hundred dollars. He's 11 and he farms the way some kids play video games — obsessively, joyfully, with the deep understanding that this is not a hobby but a vocation wearing a hobby's clothes.
Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made beef stew with wine earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.
The trees along the highway are turning — maples red, oaks gold, the Bradford pears doing their useless purple thing. Iowa falls are short and violent and beautiful. The kitchen shifts to slow mode: crockpots, Dutch ovens, the oven at 375 from September through April. The fall cooking is the cooking of a woman settling in for the long season.
The trees along the highway made it official this week — fall is here, and it’s not asking permission. After the stew, after the hotdish, after all that grounding warmth, I wanted something sweet to mark the turning of the season, something that didn’t require the Dutch oven or hours of watching. This Pumpkin Pie Dip is exactly that: the flavor of everything October promises, pulled together in minutes, the kind of thing you set on the counter and let the family find. Jack came in from the greenhouse and ate half of it standing at the island, and that felt exactly right.
Pumpkin Pie Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Graham crackers, gingersnaps, or apple slices, for serving
Instructions
- Beat the base. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat again until fully combined and no streaks remain.
- Fold in the whipped topping. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the thawed whipped topping until the dip is light, airy, and evenly mixed.
- Chill before serving. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the dip to firm up slightly.
- Serve. Set out with graham crackers, gingersnaps, or sliced apples. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 95mg