A Substitution.....

Any idea where a very large Libby's pumpkin supplier is located?   Ready for this?  Right here in Morton, Illinois.  Do you remember there being a shortage of canned pumpkin right around Thanksgiving 2009?  Heavy rains flooded the fields and made it impossible for heavy tractors and equipment to collect the pumpkins.  I wish I'd taken this a bit more seriously when I heard of the problem, I would have stocked up last fall!  Of course, we can't expect to see pumpkin again anytime soon.  We'll have to wait until fall harvest 2010.

I had completely forgotten about this while shopping over the past few months.  I am so used to going to the store and "poof," anything I want at anytime is available. 

Now I have a hankering for pumpkin squares.  What to do....

I do what I always do, I think of a good substitute.  You could do one of two things.  1)  puree a 15 oz. can of  sweet potatoes with the juices or 2) puree a 15 oz. can of carrots with the juices.  They're both an orange vegetable and they both would yield a moist result. 

So, instead of Pumpkin Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting, you have Spiced Carrot Cake Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting or Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I wonder how many new recipes were born because of a missing key ingredient?   Don't be afraid to experiment!  We all fail here or there when we experiment.  Isn't it great to come up with something new and delicious that you can call your own?

Have a great weekend!
Angie