Fall's Signature Food: Pumpkin

Pumpkins are the signature food of autumn and who doesn't love pumpkin?  Pumpkin is packed full of fiber, great for our skin (proven to reduce wrinkles), a food that can lower the bad cholesterol, and improve our vision.  And of course they are in season, so it's time to stock up.   Remember to buy local too - I'm annoyed when I see people buying pumpkins at Walmart when they are the same price from your local farmer.    Here's two of my favorite pumpkin recipes:


FIRST RECIPE:

Pumpkin Curry Soup

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cup pumpkin from a pie pumpkin

1 cup light coconut milk

 

 

Heat the coconut oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the vegetable broth, curry powder, salt, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes. Cover, and boil 15 to 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the pumpkin and coconut milk, and cook another 5 minutes.

Pour the soup into a blender, filling only half way and working in batches if necessary; process until smooth. Return to a pot, and reheat briefly over medium heat before serving.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

 
RECIPE 2

This is my all-time favorite pumpkin dessert, and it's absolutely AMAZING!  The recipe is on my last year's blog right here:  The Best Pumpkin Bunt Cake

But, here's the picture on my Grandma's platter:

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I miss my Grandma this time of year.  Right before she died (2009) we took a trip to the pumpkin patch in Strum - she was so full of life that day.  One of these days, I'm going to look for the pictures of that day.

Good-by, sweet flowers!
Through bright Summer hours
You have filled our hearts with cheer
We shall miss you so,
And yet you must go,
For this is the Fall of the year.


Yes, that's right, I finally ripped out our window boxes and decorated them for Fall.  The window boxes on our house are my favorite (next to the screened in porch) because they make the house feel alive.  Here's what they looked like a month ago:

Window Boxes - August

And now today:

Same Window Box - October

What a great week, first a super fun class reunion, an amazing book club at Hollyberry Inn but I'm SUPER excited to be going to the Badger vs. Gopher game on Saturday with my oldest son Graham, my dad, and my brother.  Go Badgers!!!!

Share my blog, let me know, leave your address, and I have a little something fun to send to you :)  Who doesn't like free stuff?

What's your favorite pumpkin recipe?  I have waaaaay to many to share, most of them fattening.  I'm trying to avoid the unhealthy pumpkin recipes since I'm sidelined from exercising for a bit (varicose vein surgery coming up).

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

P.S. - I'm canning pumpkin tonight - I'll have to let you know how it goes :)

More Pumpkin Recipes

Mmmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmm, I love anything pumpkin.  This week I made a Pumpkin Spice cake that was easy and looked beautiful!   Everyone loved it!

Pumpkin Spice Cake - pictured on my Grandma Evelyn's platter

Here's the recipe:

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.

Heat oven to 350.  Beat butter, sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla.  Combine flour baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir into batter.  Pour batter into prepared bunt cake pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.  I then added white frosting (1 cup powdered sugar, 3 T of milk). 

I LOVE it when I have a recipe where I can use my Grandma's old Cuisinart mixer - 65 years old and still works great!

Next I experimented with some pumpkin waffles.  I'm not going to lie, they weren't that great so I won't bother with the recipe.

Pumpkin Waffles - on my Grandma's platter and with her butter dish

I got the idea for Banana Pumpkin Bread from my sister-in-law Tracy.  This recipe is fantastic!

Here's the recipe:  Pumpkin Banana Bread

My friend Kara Breitenfeld lives on a cranberry marsh so she had some cranberries to share (how lucky) but I'm not sure what to do with them all.  Any ideas?

Got Cranberries?  I do!

Thanks for reading,

Kristin