We get stuck in unexplainable ruts sometimes, but marketers have it figured out. It is not unusual to see Christmas in July sales, and Starbucks has us all craving pumpkin lattes in August, way ahead of the seasons and holidays when those dishes are featured. I know pumpkins are not harvested until late summer, but canned pumpkin is available year round. How many of us buy that item year round, though?
Lately I have had to push my brain into thinking of deadlines in the present for material appropriate for a future time. That is tough enough, but add having to learn a thing or two more about this tech stuff, and my mind is as mushy, it seems, as that canned pumpkin puree. I just met the deadline for an October publication, and this recipe is now stuck in my head. I am going to try it early, before Halloween and Thanksgiving tables display pumpkin pies.

I had asked my sister if she had an easy favorite. She does. When I asked her the source, she pulled out of her file a crinkled page from a 1993 Good Housekeeping magazine. Maybe you would like to try it, too!
Sensational Double Layer Pumpkin Pie 
4 oz cream cheese, softened 

 2 pkgs (4 serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding 
1 tbs milk or half-and-half 

 1 can pumpkin (16 oz) 

1 tbs sugar 

 1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 ½ cups thawed whipped topping

 ½ tsp ground ginger 

1 graham cracker pie crust ¼ tsp ground cloves 

1 cup milk or half-and-half 

Layer one – Mix cream cheese, the tbs of milk and the sugar with wire whisk in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in whipped topping and spread on the crust. 
Layer two – Pour 1 cup milk into bowl. Add pudding mix and beat with whisk until well blended. It will be thick. Stir in pumpkin and spices with wire whisk. Mix well. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Garnish with more whipped topping and nuts. 

Google a spiced pumpkin latte recipe to enjoy a pumpkin evening before October rolls around. I’m sure there are tons of them out there. Enjoy!