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It's my favorite time of the year. There is a chill in the air, the leaves are turning and there are pumpkins everywhere. Don't forget to save the seeds when you are carving your jack-o-lantern. Roasted pumpkins seeds are a simple and super tasty treat!
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds, from 1 - 2 large pumpkins
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or to taste
1. Rinse the pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.) Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place the pumpkin seeds in a medium bowl and add the olive oil and salt. Stir to coat.
3. Add the seeds to a baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake at 325° F until toasted, about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
4. Let cool and store in an air-tight container or enjoy immediately!
Whooops! I forgot to post this before Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty sure that everyone still has plenty of family gatherings, holiday parties, gifts to give, breakfasts to eat, house guests you'd rather not have and all around free time to make some post-Thanksgiving pumpkin bread in the next month or so...am I right??
I tried to find the pumpkin bread recipe that I normally use, but since I couldn't find it, I combed through a ton-age of others and decided that the classic Libby's recipe made the style of bread that I like the best. Their standard pumpkin pie recipe hasn't ever failed me, so why not try the pumpkin bread? Yum. Aside from calling for pumpkin pie spice (which is just an excuse to make you buy another spice you'll never use again) I was totally pleased with the recipe. And you can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend in about 30 seconds. Seriously.
For one teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Measure 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice or ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg into a small bowl and stir to blend. The end.
Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Libby's
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**(see above)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans (or any variation below).
2. Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a large bowl. Beat until just blended. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into prepared loaf pans.
3. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Alternative loaf sizes:
•For three 8 x 4-inch loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
•For five or six 5 x 3-inch mini-loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.
I've had a couple of cans of pumpkin kicking around since Thanksgiving. I never got around to making any pumpkin pies, so have been trying to figure out a way to get rid of them. I thought about making my pumpkin pancakes before heading off to the gym on Saturday, but then realized that I didn't have any eggs. After the gym (and a trip to the supermarket) I decided to throw together a batch of muffins before a very important manicure appointment (more on that at a later date).
I love the flavor and texture of these muffins, but I might suggest a little streusel topping just to make them look a little cooler. They aren't particularly healthy to begin with, so it's not like you'd be instantly turning them into dessert, but they look healthy with that pepita garnish. Instead I threw in some chopped chocolate just to see what would happen. What happened was that I had a delicious pumpkin muffin studded with melty chocolate pieces! Unfortunately this recipe doesn't use an entire (15 ounce) can of pumpkin, so you might want to make a double batch or use the leftovers to make this for dinner.
Pumpkin Muffins
(Adapted from Gourmet)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoon raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas), divided
1/2 cup chocolate pieces, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Butter the muffin pan if it's not nonstick.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then stir in 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin seeds and chocolate, if using.
3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the remaining seeds. Bake until a wooden pick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Makes a dozen. 
Since I still had some pumpkin puree leftover from my pumpkin pasta sauce, I decided that a quick and easy way to use it up would be to make some pumpkin pancakes. They would also make a great breakfast to have the day after Thanksgiving when you wake up starving because you went to bed so full (just me?). And it's at least a little more interesting than screaming, "Breakfast!" and then handing a box of cereal to your house guests. Plus, you'll need the extra energy for Black Friday (and your relatives). I sprinkled a few walnuts on top but I think that chopped pecans would be a great addition to the batter, if you're a nut person. Sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't.
Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for cooking
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pure maple syrup, for serving
1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, pumpkin, butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. (The batter will be thick.)
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook about 3 minutes per side. Add more butter to the pan as needed to cook the remaining pancakes. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup. Makes 8 to 10 medium pancakes.
Hey, Whole Foods! Can you please tell your cashiers to NOT pack my fancy, fragile crackers in the bottom of my bag? Underneath the onions and celery and milk? That plastic clam shell isn't reinforced with titanium and I'd prefer whole crackers to a dusty pile of crumbs that have no better use than on top of a tuna casserole, and there's no way I'm making one of those. K? Thanks.
Now that that's over...Thanksgiving is upon us and I've been mulling over what I should make for the feast. I'm debating between making a classic pumpkin pie and an apple tart with a cheddar crumble topping...or something else entirely. If I don't make the pumpkin pie, then I'm left with a can of pumpkin puree. But that's not such a bad thing. There's a lot you can do with leftover pumpkin and it doesn't have to have anything to do with a baked good. A savory pasta sauce is a great solution for a quick autumnal dinner. You'll probably have all of the ingredients on hand for Thanksgiving anyway. And if you don't, just make sure to ask the cashier to put the canned pumpkin in the bottom of your bag when you check out.
Pumpkin Penne Pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup solid packed pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15-ounce can)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound dried pasta
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, shallot, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin, broth, heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon of sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.
3. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions. Drain well and add to the pumpkin sauce. Stir to thoroughly coat the pasta. Serve with the remaining sage and 1/4 cup of cheese sprinkled on top. Makes 8 appetizer or 4 entree sized servings.
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