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 :)

Apple Favorites

My Great Aunt Helen is a famous cook, quite literally. She started the Norske Nook, has a few published cookbooks and has been on the Letterman show. For my wedding shower, she gave me a recipe for this delicious and easy Pecan Caramel Apple Pie.

Pecan Caramel Apple Pie

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup pecan halves

5 cups of apples

2 T flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup sugar

Pie crust for double pie

Pat melted butter in bottom of pie tin. Sprinkle brown sugar over bottom and sides and then pecans. Roll pie crust and lay on top of this. Place apples, sugar, cinnamon and flour over apples. Place pie crust on top, flute edges and bake at 350 for 1 hour till done.

Remember to use a large pie tin and also put a baking sheet underneath the pie because it tends to bubble over.  When I serve the pie, I like to flip it over so the caramel goodness is on top.  Delicious!!!

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie

I finally mastered apple butter.  The first time I attempted to make it I totally failed because I added apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider - duh!  All that time and all those apples wasted.  Luckily, my friend Heather Harrington shared some apples from her orchard and I tried a different recipe then the original apple cider recipe.  Here's the one I used:

Peel and core 30 apples
1 - 2 cups of sugar (I used 1 cup sugar and 1 cup of honey)
1/2 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add apples to a crockpot.  Add sugar cinnamon and salt on top.  Cook on low in the crockpot for approximately 10 hours on low.  Continuously cook down until the apple mixture looks and tastes like apple butter.  Once it's done, either jar and add to your fridge or use the canning process (water bath canner - 10 minutes).

Apple Butter

Lucky me, I was able to spend some time at one of my favorite places on earth - the American Club.

 

 

American Club - the room

 

American Club

And I ate at my favorite Italian place EVER - Il Ritrovo's (if you visit Sheybogan it's a MUST).

Il Ritrovo's Pizza - to die for

I need to wrap this up because I'm on my way to a class reunion.

What's your favorite apple recipe? 

Thanks,

Kristin