FRN Gets Tasty: Pumpkin Pie Edition

Have you ever wondered how to make the best pumpkin pie? Have you ever made a pie from scratch and wondered what to do with the rest of the parts of the pumpkin? Well, we have the answers for you. HC turned a sugar pumpkin into three tasty treats: pumpkin pie, sweet roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin skin chips. Keep reading for delicious, no-waste recipes!

The Best Pumpkin Pie

- 1 small/medium sugar pumpkin*

- 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

- 12 oz can of evaporated milk

- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

- 1/3 cup white sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon salt 

- 2 teaspoons cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon cloves

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

- 2 crust (classic or graham cracker, store bought or home made)**

* Before you can make the pie, you have to turn the pumpkin into puree. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and strings. Set seeds aside. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the pumpkin halves cut side down. Bake for an hour/hour and a half -- until a fork can easily pierce the skin. Remove from oven, let cool, scoop out pulp -- be careful not to rip the skins, then set those aside. Blend pulp in a food processor until smooth. 

** This filling recipe makes enough for two pies. Either have two crusts or you can freeze the second half of the mix for up to one month. When you're ready for it, defrost in fridge and stir before baking. 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F

2. Beat the eggs and egg yolk in a large bowl. Add the sugars, salt and spices. Mix until blended.

3. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 325°F. Bake the pie for another 30-45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You may want to wrap aluminum foil around the crust half way through baking to keep the crusts from burning.

4. Cool the pie on a wire rack for about 2 hours. 

Cinnamon Sweet Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

- Pumpkin seeds from sugar pumpkin

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Separate seeds from any pulpy parts of the pumpkin. Soaking them in water for 20 minutes helps this process.

2. Let seeds dry by spreading them on a baking sheet lined with a paper towel.

3. Toss seeds with oil, sugar and cinnamon. Spread in a single layer.

4. Bake seeds for 20-35 minutes, until crispy.

Pumpkin Skin Chips

- Skin from sugar pumpkin

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 teaspoons salt

1. Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Cut pumpkin skins into wedges or strips.

3. Sprinkle olive oil and salt on the pieces.

4. Roast for 20-35 minutes, until they look dry. 

Meet Addie from Cornell University!

Addie helps transfer food to reusable containers during a recovery at Cornell.

Addie Lederman first joined FRN when she was approached by a friend in her freshman peer education class. Two years later, she's the Logistical Coordinator for Cornell University's FRN chapter and balances her time helping feed her community with working towards a Master's degree in earthquake engineering. Pretty impressive, huh? Read more about Addie below.

THE BASICS

Name: Addie Lederman

School: Cornell University

Year of Graduation: 2016

Major/area of study: Civil Engineering

Position on leadership team: Logistical Coordinator

WE ASKED ADDIE...

Where are you from? Yorktown, NY

How did you get involved in FRN? As a Freshman, I was involved in a peer education class that promoted sustainability related to preventing food waste. One of the other co-founders of our chapter, John Lowry, approached me at the end of the semester, and asked if I'd like to join him and a few friends with this thing called Food Recovery Network, and I said sure!

Can you share a favorite FRN memory? One of my favorite memories was a recovery I did last year.  We had just brought on our first few volunteers, and my sister, who also attends Cornell, joined as a volunteer.  I got to mentor her for her first recovery, and we got over 80 pounds of food that night.  It was super busy, but it was fun to see her enjoying it.

What's one thing you love about Cornell University? A lot of our professors are some of the top leaders in their fields, and we get to learn from them.  Also, there's free popcorn in the Student Union all day every day.

What are your ambitions post-graduation? After graduation, I plan on getting a Master's degree in structural engineering, with a focus in earthquake engineering.  But I still plan to get involved in reducing food insecurity in some way!

Tell us something unique about yourself! I really enjoy swing dancing, and I've made maple syrup from tapping the tree through jarring the final product.

Interested in learning more about Cornell University's chapter? Check them out here and on Facebook.

We are the Standard

FRNds at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. 

I have been reflecting on a conversation I had with FRN Advisory Board member Robert Egger, the powerhouse behind DC Central Kitchen. I ran into Robert as he was leaving an event and I was just entering though we had hoped to meet there to chat. He remarked on how busy I was lately as I got into the elevator, to which I quipped, “I’m just trying to keep up with you.” His response was, “Well, I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

I saw Robert again the next day, and we finally were able to have our much-awaited conversation where he actually expounded on his comment that has stuck with me to this day. What Robert was uncovering in his comment is that, we are all working incredibly hard at what we do. For all of us, it’s being a student, it’s being part of the food recovery movement, it’s being an agent of change. It is seeing solutions where none existed and executing that solution with potentially limited resources. For Robert -- who has been in the movement for a very long time and has shaped a lot of what it looks like today -- it is in his best interest to set the bar for newcomers like me very, very high. We have to think strategically and collaboratively at all times. This work demands that we don’t take any steps back. You have to be a baller.

When I think of our network in 39 states across the country and what we have achieved, and where we have set our sights for the future, I know that all of our students are the standard. They are the high bar constantly being raised higher by sharing knowledge, not taking no for an answer, experimenting, and recovering more and more food on their college campuses and in your communities. They are the high bar who has the ear of restaurants, businesses, and policymakers. They are the high bar who will take their experiences with FRN and provide answers to those problems yet to be solved. They are the high bar, and they’re recruiting volunteers who will only help raise that bar higher and higher. 

As our network grows, we’ll welcome newcomers with open arms, but, like Robert said, “We’re not going to make it easy.” The bar is set pretty high, after all. 

7 Ways to Improve Your Partner Agency Relationship Webinar

Yesterday, we hosted our first-ever webinar focused on strengthening your relationship with your partner agencies, also known as the hunger-fighting organizations our students work with in their local communities. Among the student leaders featured were the following:

Allison Blakeley of Rochester Institute of Technology, Lila Stenson and Asya Yukhananov of Goucher College, Emily Lebo of California State University in Fresno, Michelle Barakat of Susquehanna University (pictured above), Julianne Seykor of University of Arkansas, Rachel Carroll of University of Maryland and Stephanie Saunders of Portland Community College.

These students highlighted the ways their chapters affect change in their communities through their work with FRN. Julianne’s chapter, for example, recently hosted a roundtable discussion to hear directly from community members how FRN could better serve them. Michelle’s chapter started a monthly breakfast program to better connect students to the community they serve, and Lila and Asya hope to start a community garden to supply more fresh fruits and vegetables to their partner organization.

All of our speakers stressed the importance of establishing regular communication, organizing additional events or volunteer opportunities and giving voice to individuals experiencing food insecurity. To hear our students’ stories directly, you can stream the webinar recording here. We are constantly proud of the work our students do to fight hunger in novel, yet powerful ways.

To follow our FRNds’ lead and get engaged in your community this holiday season, check out these awesome events: National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth’s Home for the Holidays 2015 & National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week by National Coalition for the Homeless.

The #GivingTuesday #FRNdzy Story