Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

Lately due to the cold weather and Halloween just around the corner I've made several different things with pumpkins. My husband told me the other day, "I didn't know there were so many things you could make with pumpkin other than pie!" Yes, there are indeed many ways to serve the delicious mush, and here is a list of what I've made from the orange stuff:

1. Dinner in a Pumpkin

Image above comes from the blog post linked above

I was very intrigued when I found this recipe on Pinterest. As soon as we picked our pumpkins I was eager to try this recipe. You can't go wrong with ground beef, rice and cream of chicken as ingredients! We had a bit of fun by drawing a face on our pumpkin before he (or she?) went into the oven... Sick!

The artist at work.

 Is it fun pretending to be cannibals? Why, yes it is!

The result? It was pretty tasty!Will I make this again? Yes! I would, however, add some slivered almonds on top for some crunch. It tasted great when we added barbecue sauce to it. Julian did not touch the stuff, which is always a bummer. We're slowly acclimating him to food that isn't pizza, cream cheese on toast, and apple slices.

2. Pumpkin Cake Bars 

This recipe comes from my mom who has been making these ever since I can remember. Eating these bars really brought me back to my childhood. There's something about them that warms your soul. 

PUMPKIN CAKE BARS

2 C. Flour

2 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon     

½ tsp. salt

¾ C. oil

2 C. pumpkin

4 eggs

Combine first 6 ingredients.   Add oil, pumpkin and eggs, beat 1 min on medium speed.  Pour into greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  

I frost with cream cheese frosting. A great cream cheese frosting recipe can be found in your Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. You *know* you have that one. If you don't, buy it! It will be the best investment in a staple cookbook you can make.

Speaking of which...

3. Cream of Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is featured in my edition of Better Homes and Gardens, but as I discovered looking at my friend's newer version it is NOT featured in the later editions. Fear not -- I will let you in on this beauty!

Ingredients:

1 C. Canned Pumpkin

1 and 1/2 C. chicken broth

1 T. butter

1 T. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. ginger, nutmeg, or a combination of both

1/8 tsp. salt (I always end up using more than this)

Dash pepper

1 C. milk, half and half, or light cream

Directions:

Whisk together pumpkin and 3/4 c. of the chicken broth until well combined. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour, ginger/nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook 1 minute more. Stir pumpkin/broth mixture and remaining broth. Cook and stir until heated through. If necessary, add more milk to get it to the right consistency. Season to taste.

*Added note -- my husband and I LOVE this with a dash of cayenne pepper. We don't add it to the pot, however, because of the kids' delicate taste buds.

All I can say is: DELICIOUS!

4. Pumpkin Bread

Image above comes from the blog post linked above

This recipe is great! It has a very moist texture, reminiscent of good quality bread pudding. I used powdered Stevia instead of regular sugar and brown sugar to accommodate my guests, and it turned out great regardless. I used regular milk instead of almond milk as well. 

5. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 

I've found the trick to making great roasted pumpkin seeds is letting them dry out for 24 hours after rinsing them. Coat them well in unsalted melted butter and kosher salt. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, checking every 15 minutes to turn them. When they turn that lovely golden color, you're good-to-go. You'll have yourself a crunchy, delicious and nutritious snack. My almost three-year-old couldn't get enough of them.

There you have it, folks. I hope you can try some of these recipes out while pumpkins are in season and the canned stuff's on sale. Bon appetit!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

My husband had the day off this past Monday, so we decided to take advantage of the extra time we had together and go to the local pumpkin patch. We had a ton of fun together, and my eldest can't stop talking about it. Since then he says to me randomly, "Mom, I had lots of fun with you at the pumpkin patch!" He's adorable!

We happened to have picked out four pumpkins -- one for daddy to carve, one for mom to bake with, and two for ... well, fun I guess! Since we ended up with four I couldn't help myself and make it a photo-op moment. Here's the four of us with our "finds"!

I love being a goof, and I love helping our kids be goofy sometimes, too. Since they're little it's easy to take advantage of moments like this. I know someday getting away with goofy moments won't be as easy once embarrassment of this nature sets in. I must say, however, my dad's goofiness inevitably rubbed off on me. Here's hoping it will do the same with my kids.

All-in-all there was nothing super exciting about our excursion, but as I've said before it's little moments like this that make life spectacular. Happy Fall, y'all!

 

My Boys :: A Poem

Wind sweeps your curly locks
and dusts your long eyelashes,
While dirt and dead crumpled leaves fly
between fingers so eager to crush.
Only after a moment beg to be washed.

With fingers all ready to dirty once more,
These brothers come knock-knocking at my heart's door.
I open
and with their arms they open too.
One begs for a kiss.
Another a chance to stand tall.
I give, give, and they give to me even more.

My heart floods with meaning,
With purpose and joy,
When I keep close to this spectacular task:
Motherhood, Boys, is great and becomes greater,
When I remember to serve myself last.