Pumpkin Bars

On my shelf of cookbooks is one that I keep partly for sentimental reasons.  It's purple paper cover is tattered and the pages inside bear testament to which recipes I actually used a lot over the years.    It's a cookbook of recipes from women who studied theology with me, or whose husbands did. 

Looking at the names next to various entries brings back thoughts of a wonderful, stressful, difficult, memorable time.  I was an almost-full-time student, employed in the data processing department. My computer-programmer-studying-for-ministry husband was usually the only other worker there.  The school was making early transitions to data processing by computer instead of by hand.  That's a story in itself.  Anyway, in addition to working and studying I was trying to be a good wife to my husband and a good mommy to two young children.

Usually I had a bit of a meltdown around mid-term.

But this cookbooks reminds me of friendships, hopes, expectations--and in some ways, stresses notwithstanding, a much more simple time of life.  Ah, the things they don't teach us in Bible colleges and seminaries.

Pumpkins are everywhere around here right now, mounded at roadside stands, piled on wagons, filling the floor at the grocery store.  These bars are best made with pumpkin you cook yourself and puree, but canned pumpkin works fine too.  Granddaughter Trinity helped make some yesterday, and proclaimed as she gleefully stirred the bowl of eggs, butter and pumpkin.  "We are making yummy pumpkin mush!"  I took them to The OASIS last night, my newest ministry endeavor, and one young man ate four...so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks the recipe was worth saving for more than 30 years.

Enough walking down Memory Lane. Here's the recipe. It originated with Linda Wolf and is one that has smudges and spots.

Ingredients for Bars
4 slightly beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin
3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda,
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I use 1 tsp.)

Ingredients for Frosting
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. light cream or half and half
About 3 cups unsifted powered sugar

What to Do
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix eggs pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and butter together.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to batter.  Pour into a greased 15 1/2" by 101/2" jelly roll pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool.  Make frosting by combining ingredients and beating until smooth.  It may seem dry at first.  Keep beating! One of those candy-corn type pumpkin candies on tops is cute if you have them.   It is rich, so cut into somewhat small bars. Freezes well.