Ugly lipsticks, cute shoes and inspired recipes

For the past 6 months I’ve been on a mission to use up the 10 lipsticks I’ve purchased throughout (many) years.  Two things I’ve noticed…

1 – the 80′s and early 90′s were bad decades for lipsticks
2 – the uglier the color, the longer the lipstick seems to last.

Ugh…..I blame my high school pal Mindee for the orange phase (when I reminded her of this color, not only did she remember, but reminded me that I must still have bright pink and black lipsticks to go).  Unfortunately I forgot to document the color, however, it kind of resembles a more bold version of the orange in my shoes below.  As I looked through my closet, it seems as though I’ve got shoes to match these lipsticks (trust me, the colors are great for shoes, but for lipstick?!?!).

So I need some driver to get me through the lipsticks….My plan?  Match a recipe inspired by each lipstick.   Here’s a recipe that we made for an event in October.  It’s not the most attractive, but it sure tastes good.  These confections make a great addition to a cookie platter, or can be dressed up with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pecan Crumble

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Total Time:  55 minutes

Difficulty:  Flat

Serves 12-16

Crust:

1 cup flour
½ cup quick oats
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Filling:

1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
15 ounces canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

Topping:

2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients for the crust in a medium bowl and press into a 9×13” pan.  Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven.

While crust bakes, make filling.  To make filling, add all filling ingredients into mixer and mix until well combined. Once crust comes out of the oven, pour filling onto prepared crust.  To prepare the topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until crumbly (your hands work well for this).  Sprinkle crumble over filling and bake for 25 minutes.  Once baked, let crumble set for 20 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.