The author, contemplating pumpkin parfait via Hasbro

I first went to college back in 2006. I was forced to pay money for a meal plan to a cafeteria that on my first visit served me a plate of fries complete with a dead fly. I only returned on one other occasion – when the school asked me to help interview the new French professors prospects.

Despite living in the dorms, I ate pretty well — I just got a little creative (I had an iron that I designated as the “Toasted Cheese Iron”). There is something that I wish I had tried, though: an Easy Bake Oven.

With slight modifications, I am certain a lot of recipes could be made in the plastic oven that’s heated by a light bulb, turning you a dorm room gourmet that will impress (and amuse) your friends and roomies.

In order to prepare for this blog, I went to the store and found the Easy Bake Oven has changed immensely in appearance since I was a child: it weighs noticeably less, and even costs less at $24.99 — according to my mother, she paid $30 for mine as a child.

After my outing, I formulated a list of things I wanted to try and contacted my cupcake-loving, chemist sister to toss around ideas for foods that could be easily modified to accommodate the device’s small opening  and of course, the fact that I would actually be baking in an Easy Bake Oven.

Surprisingly, I managed to generate a long list. The first that I’ll be bringing you is Pumpkin Parfait, as I’m a pumpkin maniac and am trying to indulge in it as much now before the stores quit having it for sale.

What you’ll need:

• Mixing bowl Cereal bowl (or another mixing bowl)
• Couple of spoons (they can even be plastic)
• Paper plate Easy Bake Oven ½ can Libby’s Pumpkin (Note: if it’s off season you can more readily find organic canned pumpkin—but at a much higher cost of about $6 a can.)
• Cinnamon (I add this based on smell, but I’m going to say 1 or 2 tsp.)
• Pumpkin Pie spice (same as cinnamon)
• Ginger (optional) (a dash or two)
• ¼ cup canned pecans 1.5 Tbsps butter (softened)
• 1/8 cup brown sugar – packed
• Whipped Cream
• 1 graham cracker
• Parfait Dish or the like. (I used those Ball’s plastic freezer jars; they’re pretty amazing and work great for parfaits. As a bonus they’re easy to wash and pretty cheap at like $4 for 5 of them.)

First, you’ll want to preheat your little Easy Bake Oven for 20 minutes.

While that’s preheating, you can get to work making your stuff. Mix up your canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ginger together in the mixing bowl. In the other mixing bowl (or cereal bowl) mix together the canned pecans, butter, and brown sugar.

On the paper plate, crush up the graham cracker using a spoon. Fold the paper plate in half, creating a channel of sorts and pour enough into the bottom of your parfait container to give you a base of it.

When the oven’s done preheating, fill up both of your little Easy Bake Oven dishes with the pumpkin mixture and place a layer of the pecan mixture on top. Using the handy dandy plastic pusher, push the dish inside the oven. Let cook for 20 minutes or until the pecan mixture glazes over.

Let cool in cooling area of the Easy Bake Oven. Using a spoon, scoop the contents of one dish into the parfait dish, sprinkle some graham crackers, and then scoop the contents of the other dish. Add a generous helping of whipped cream on top and enjoy. It winds up tasting like a pumpkin pecan pie… and is amazing.

You might also be interested in:

1. Be a better blogger: Five essential steps