Pumpkin and Spice!

I'm officially obsessed.

Maybe it's that fall chill in the air, maybe it's 3rd trimester cravings, or maybe it's the irresistibly delicious pictures that keep popping up on my Pinterest, (probably a combination) but I must confess that pumpkin's got a hold on me.

It also helped that my devoted husband grabbed a 29 oz. can of pumpkin while doing the grocery shopping  (yes I'm bragging), which happened to be the largest on the shelf. So after only using 1 cup for my original intent--delicious pumpkin bread--I was left mulling over more recipes that would use up the 3 remaining cups of canned pumpkin. But thanks to all the pretty pretty Pinterest pictures and my cravings, I was left with no shortage of great pumpkin-y ideas. Here's what I made this past week:

1. Pumpkin Bread

I was originally inspired by a Pinterest image from Cooking Light, but I'm not exactly a cooking 'light' kind of gal, so after looking at the recipe, I ended up going with This Amazing Recipe from our Joy of Cooking Cookbook instead. (Which was one of the best wedding gifts we got, by the way!) I chose not to top it with any nuts or use the raisins/dates--though I was tempted to throw in some chocolate chips but held off this time in the interest of analyzing the basic recipe. Next time I'll probably add them, or whip up a nice cream cheese frosting to top it off. 

Analysis: Delish. Unfortunately it was demolished before I thought to snap a photo or two, but just know that it was just that good.

 2. Pumpkin Pie Shakes

Yep, you heard me right. As in milkshakes. Once again inspired by a Pinterest image, but this time I went with the recipe that matched it from Cooking Light. Well, for the most part. Once again, I'm all for all-natural, but not 'light,' so I wasn't about to use fat-free ice cream or cool whip--I used regular vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. And I didn't exactly have "pumpkin pie spice" lying around (??) so I used a combination of nutmeg and cinnamon, assuming that this was the intent. 

Analysis: Good but needs some tweaking. 2/3c pumpkin was way too much. I ended up adding about twice as much ice cream in an attempt to balance the flavor, which helped, but the pumpkin flavor was still a bit overwhelming and made it pretty rich. Hubby finished all of his but there was no way I could. Next time I'd probably go with 1/3c at most. And yes, there will be a next time.  

3. Pumpkin Soup

So I really just wanted to make more pumpkin bread since the first batch was gone, but we were out of sugar and eggs and other essential ingredients...and I was not about to throw out all that leftover pumpkin. So I decided I could use the rest by making soup...but didn't want the sweet flavors that a lot of recipes I saw incorporated (like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves). So I looked at a few basic recipes, then kind of made up my own concoction. Of note, I use powdered garlic and onion only because I'm allergic to the real thing. Bummer.

Analysis: I loved it. Hubby thought it was fine (but he's not as partial to pumpkin as me, either). In the end I wouldn't change anything, and I've decided my 'recipe' is a keeper, hands-down. 

Disclaimer: Unless I'm baking, I only use recipes as a "guideline." I do not measure, I don't time, I just kind of play it by ear and usually make it up as I go. So if you like to go by the book, then sorry, but my approximations will probably drive you crazy. 

Main Ingredients:

-2 cups (16 oz.) Chicken (or vegetable) Broth

-1 block cream cheese, softened

-2 cups canned or mashed pumpkin

-Olive Oil

-White Wine (to taste, about 2/3c)

Spices: (all used to taste)
-Sea Salt

-Pepper

-Garlic (1 clove or powdered)

-Onion (diced or powdered)

-Thyme 

-Oregano

-Sage

-Dash Cumin

-Dash Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:

Cover the bottom of a saucepan/soup pan with olive oil. Saute onion and garlic on high heat. 

Turn heat to low, and add remaining spices to taste. 

Add chicken broth, pumpkin, and white wine, stirring slowly and mixing thoroughly. 

Add block of cream cheese, mixing slowly until melted. Increase heat if needed, then decrease to low once thoroughly melted.

Add any other spices to taste. 

Et Voila! Serve hot and enjoy!

Now the only thing I'm waiting for is the day we get real pumpkins for carving and I can finally make my all-time favorite snack ever: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!