Pumpkin Bits

Ah 'tis the season of leaves changing on the trees, pumpkins in the patch, and butternut squash hefty in the veggie garden. So let's go sweet with this pumpkin one. Butternut squash soup to follow...if not today, then tomorrow.

PUMPKIN BITS

(These may be made ahead and kept in fridge or frozen.)

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter

1 cup oats uncooked (may be quick cook or not)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 pkg. cream cheese softened (8 oz.)

3 eggs

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (and if you're like me and don't have any handy, use: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, a dash of cloves)

Preheat oven to 350

Line a 13 x 9 pan/dish with heavy foil enouogh to leave some edge to form a "rolled handle" on each end, and then grease with butter

Mix flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a bowl

Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Stir in oats and pecans (may use a combination of pother nuts too--like walnuts, etc.). Reserve one cup of mixture for the crumbs on top.

Press remaining mixture onto bottom of pan. Bake for 15 minutes

Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spice with an electric mixer until well blended.

Pour over crust. Sprinkle with leftover reserved crumbs.

Bake 25 minutes. Lift from pan using foil "handles."

Cool completely before cutting into square bits.