Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

I used to have really great time management. Apparently it has gone away, or my kids have taken it I'm not sure which one is to blame. Regardless of the cause I can't seem to get things done as quickly or in the same amount of time that I used to. I make lots of plans and 10,000 things seem to sprout up to waylay them. I never used to be late for weddings or funerals. The last wedding my family went to we missed everything except the reception and the last funeral we made it in time to drive to the graveside burial. Granted my youngest was car sick both times and there was road construction that we were stuck in for an hour (we were literally 20 feet from the exit, we could have walked quicker). Still I hate being late, or not getting things done early and the older I get the more things seem to be getting done last minute. However, I have also learned that sometimes last minute strokes of genius aren't so bad. I once made a dragon tail for my son's music performance out of an old towel and some newspaper after I found out all the other mommies had sewed costumes for weeks. My son's tail ended up being a hit and he felt like a superstar. So maybe not all things that happen last minute are so bad.

It's fall and that means one thing, pumpkin recipes. I love pumpkin, in drinks, breads, sweets, you name it. One of my favorite ways to incorporate pumpkin in is cookies. Pumpkin cookies are a great way to celebrate fall and the following recipe for pumpkin cookies has a beyond delicious recipe for a browned butter frosting. The frosting alone is worth making the recipe!

Adapted from Betty Crocker Website.

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Recipe by Foodie in WV

Yield: 30 Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose or bread flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons whole milk or heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter

Cooking Directions

1. With a mixer combine sugars, 3/4 cup unsalted butter, and vanilla.
2. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Add in pumpkin and eggs.
4. In another bowl combine flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add to ingredients in mixing bowl and beat on low speed for 1-2 minutes.
6. Roll into one tablespoon balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven.
8. In a saucepan melt 1/3 cup unsalted butter oven medium heat.
9. Stirring constantly cook butter until it turns light brown.
10. Take butter off stove and add to mixing bowl along with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
11. In mixer beat on low speed for 2 minutes until combined.
12. Add more milk if needed.
13. When cookies have cooled, frost with browned butter frosting.

Tips: 

• If you don't have ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice would also work well in this recipe. 
• Make sure to constantly stir the butter while waiting for it to brown in order that it doesn't burn. Browned butter can go quickly from browned to burnt, so make sure to not leave it unattended. 
• If you don't have parchment paper a greased or foil lined baking sheet would also do. I prefer parchment paper since it allows for even baking of cookies and other baked goods. It really does make a difference. 

Gluten Free White Rice Flour Pumpkin Waffles

Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles

My house is always loud. Not just a little bit, but deafening oftentimes. Almost all of the noise can be attributed to my two boys. They seem not to have two noise levels, just loud. This is the opposite of me. I love a quiet house. When I was in my early 20's I would go on trips by myself just to hear the quiet. I love sitting in the middle of a large field with only the sound of nature (and sometimes a great book).

My two boys hate to be quiet. They love to play with their toys with tons of action noises and fight scenes. If they go more than a couple of minutes without talking they get bored. I love my two boys, but sometimes I miss being able to watch a movie or TV show and hear all the words. Most of the time I understand a fraction of the dialogue and piece the rest of it together while my kids talk in my ear. I do know that I need to enjoy it while they still talk to me since when they are teenagers they will never want to tell me anything.

I have been experimenting with new gluten free breakfast recipes. My youngest is pretty easy going food wise and likes gluten free pancakes and waffles as much as wheat based ones. Yesterday morning I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Waffles from the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Lake Vesuvius Ohio Rock Formations 

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 12 to 14 servings. I made a number of changes to the original recipe. First I halved the recipe. I only had a half can of pumpkin, so I reduced the number of servings. Since I eat gluten free I replaced the wheat flour with white rice flour. Instead of the spices I used 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I followed the rest of the recipe as written.

Lake Vesuvius Ohio Rock Formations 

These waffles rose beautifully. Sometimes switching flours can cause recipes to be too dense or have too much liquid, but these waffles were perfect. I preferred them topped with just butter, but they were also delicious re-heated the next day with maple syrup. This recipe would work well to make in big batches and then freeze for quick weekday meals.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Waffles. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles

Summary:

A pumpkin waffle recipe using white rice flour. Great for making in big batches and freezing for quick weekday meals.

Preparation Time: 0h, 25m

Cooking Time: 0h, 5m

Total Time: 0h, 30m

Yield: Serves 12-14

IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes

IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes

 
My youngest tried to run into traffic yesterday. It scared me half to death. He always walks out to the mailbox with me in the afternoon and yesterday he decided to run off down the street. In two seconds he was gone and I was running like a madwoman after him. I grabbed him right before he stepped off the curb. Then he was mad the rest of the afternoon since he received a long time out. As I was on the phone with my dad last night he volunteered to talk to my youngest. I turned him down. My dad is the sweetest person in the world, except he would tell me the scariest stories to get me not to do things growing up. In order to get me not to run into the street he told me what happened to our neighbor's cat. I was 5 and I don't think I ever tried to run into the street again. He also had a story with a clown and is one of the major reasons I hate the circus. I don't remember what the lesson was about, but I'm positive I never did the behavior again. They were very effective though and I never did the behaviors again. When I pointed this out to him on the phone, he laughed and told me that he learned from grandmother. I believe him since my grandmother had a look that could turn your blood cold. Whatever you did you would never do again. Ever. I think I need to learn these skills with my youngest. He is the opposite of his older brother and once every couple of weeks does something to give me a panic attack. I think it's going to be a very long 14 years until college. Earlier in the week before the traffic incident I made IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes for my family for breakfast.

Ritter Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First I was out of eggs so I followed the recipe with the eggs omitted. I increased the amount of pumpkin to 2/3 cup and the oil to a little under a 1/4 cup. Pancakes always turn out best for me using my griddle and that was the method I used for this recipe. They came out nicely browned and perfectly cooked.

Waterfront Huntington, WV

My kids ate these pancakes for breakfast and loved them. They had a great smell and my kids liked them with just a little bit of butter. My favorite part was that they were easy to wrap in a paper towel with a little bit of butter and walk to the bus. They were definitely easy to transport since they didn't need maple syrup. I would suggest doubling the recipe if you have big eaters. I had to make another batch in order for my whole family to have enough.

For the recipe go to IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

A nutritionist has been talking to my oldest son's class. While this would seem a good thing with most kids, not so with my son. He has decided that all he is now going to eat is salad. Apparently the kids have been told that they need to eat salad with low fat dressing and lots of green veggies. I would see this as great advice for households that rely on a lot of pre-packaged goods. We are not one of those households. The only thing that I buy pre-packaged is cereal. My son is not eating junk food at home and is very thin. He has decided that he should now never eat any red meat or anything high in fat. I'm really not happy with the lesson plan. I understand that our state is overweight. My city has been listed as one of the fatest in America. However, my family is thin. We eat a variety of foods and everything is made from scratch. That also means that I have no problem with my kids enjoying a homemade brownie or french fries from a fast food restaurant occasionally. I am a big proponent of moderation. I also wish that we could educate families about proper nutrition such as recipe selection etc instead of making my thin child think that he can't eat certain foods. I grew up eating red meat, home baked goods and my mother's mean lasagna. If you ask anyone that knows me I am also thin and exercise everyday. The food has not made me fat, I eat decent servings and don't eat to the point I am too full. I hope that my son moves out of this phase. I talked to him about healthy food choices and that those choices can include higher fats as long as there is balance. Today's recipe is an example. My youngest loves pancakes, I love him eating foods with vitamins. So I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes from the Food Network.

Disc Golf Rotary Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 14 ingredients (I only followed the part of the recipe for the pancakes). It takes 30 minutes all of which is active (different than the original recipe) and makes 4 servings. I made a large number of changes to the original recipe. The original recipe had a syrup and whipped cream, I prefer my kids to only have butter on their pancakes since too much sugar can make them a little wild. Additionally I made this batch gluten free using gluten free all purpose flour. Whenever you convert to gluten free you need to add more liquid, I added more buttermilk until the batter had a thinner consistency. I substituted low fat buttermilk for the half and half and used all canola oil instead of butter. I made the pancakes on my griddle, it's a great way to ensure nicely browned pancakes. Finally, I reduced the sugar to an 1/8 cup since my youngest doesn't like things too sweet.

Look Out Tower Rotary Park Huntington, WV

I doubled this recipe so my youngest had enough to snack on the rest of the day. They turned out very nicely and had a great pumpkin taste. Instead of topping them with syrup we ate them with melted butter and they were perfect. They are a nice way to celebrate fall and pumpkin is great since it is full of vitamins A and C. If you aren't a fan of pancakes I use pumpkin all the time in smoothies and they are delicious!

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Pancakes.

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

Gluten Free Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

I got stuck in a thunderstorm with a scared and crying 4-year-old today. It seems that every time we have a late summer storm it hits right before I have to go to the bus and wait for my oldest to come home. Now it wouldn't be as bad if the bus actually came in front of our house, it doesn't. I have to walk a block down the street and across to wait for the bus. Plus the bus is never on time so I have to arrive 5 minutes early. Today there was lightening, horrible rain and wind waiting for me as I stepped out the door. My 4-year-old was terrified and by the time I got to the bus stop I was sopping wet. It only got better as the tree across the street got struck by lightening and my oldest stepped off the bus crying. It wasn't the best weather scenario to be stuck in. Luckily the nasty weather brought our temperature down 25 degrees from yesterday's high, so I will take the cooler weather. Cooler weather always makes me think forward to fall and most of all fall baking. This week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins from Martha Stewart Living.

Ritter Park Sign Huntington, WV

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 1 hour of total time, a half hour of which is active and makes 12 muffins. The original recipe was for 8 mini loaves. I have never owned mini loaf pans, with two boys mini loafs just aren't something that would be eaten in my house. Muffins on the other hand are very popular. Plus they are easy for my boys to grab from the kitchen on their own, which is much easier than cutting a loaf of bread for them. I ended up with 12 muffins and my baking time was approximately 20 minutes. I also made a batch of gluten free muffins. For the gluten free version I used gluten free all purpose baking mix. I do make my own gluten free baking mix on occasion, but this time I used pre-made boxed mix. The baking time for the gluten free muffins was around 25 minutes. I did not garnish the finished muffins with sage. I figured the sage flavor would be too intense and I know my two boys would comment and refuse to eat them.

Ritter Park Huntington, WV

The funny thing with this recipe is that the gluten free muffins turned out higher than the regular muffins. They were crumbly, but that is normal with gluten free baking. The regular muffins were a little intense on the sage flavor for my two boys. It is definitely more of an adult taste, with the browned butter and sage combination. However, I loved the gluten free muffins and ate two while they were still warm. This recipe would also make a great full size loaf, just increase the baking time to about an hour.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins.

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

Recipe Type: Muffins

Summary:

A simple recipe for pumpkin muffins with fresh sage and browned butter. Great for fall baking!

Preparation Time: 0h, 30m

Cooking Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 1h, 0m

Yield: Serves 12

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili from Taste of Home Magazine

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

This morning my youngest ran into the kitchen and announced "I love bacon". Then he ran away into the other room. That's how my household is, the three males in my house have a minor bacon obsession. As I was writing this post my husband went into a 5 minute one sided conversation about how he will only eat crispy bacon and that he judges Tudor's Biscuit World locations (a popular WV breakfast biscuit restaurant) by if they have crispy or chewy bacon. I should be used to this by now since growing up my father insisted on two things for Sunday breakfast, crispy bacon and fried potatoes. Neither of which I was allowed to cook, my bacon was never crispy enough and I have a bad tendency to over flip fried potatoes. A couple of weeks back I made a chocolate cake with bourbon glaze and chocolate covered bacon. My family is still talking about it and honestly I think it might be their favorite thing I have ever made. Maybe I should just cook bacon at every meal and then everything that I make would be well received. My youngest ended the day by informing me that he had seen a sign for bacon donuts and that he wanted one. It looks like I will be spending part of my weekend tracking down this alleged donut or I won't hear the end of it. While the rest of my family is bacon obsessed, I am obsessed with fall foods and in particular pumpkin and apples. Last week I tried a new recipe for Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili from the September/October 2013 issue of Taste of Home Magazine.

Church in the Southside Neighborhood of Huntington, WV

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 4 hours and 20 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 10 servings. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First, I made my beans from scratch. I prefer this method since I can control the amount of the salt. I also used my own chicken broth. I don't salt the broth to cut down on sodium. Finally, I didn't add cubed avocado since my kids refuse to eat it currently and I used grilled chicken thighs instead of turkey. I rarely have frozen turkey leftovers, but I frequently have leftover chicken so the substitution was a nice way to save money.

Julian's Market Southside Neighborhood Huntington, WV

With only 5 grams of fat this recipe has a lot of protein (16 grams) while being low in fat. Plus since it's all done in the slow cooker it's very easy to prep and makes more than enough for multiple meals. With fall being right around the corner this recipe will be great when the weather turns cooler.

For the recipe go to Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

Review of Sow Cooker Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili from the September/October issue of Taste of Home magazine. Great for fall!

Preparation Time: 0h, 20m

Cooking Time: 4h, 0m

Total Time: 4h, 20m

Yield: Serves 10

Summer Slow-Cooker Meals: Spicy Pumpkin Chili

Slow Cooker Spicy Pumpkin Chili

There are days I get burnt out as a stay-at-home mom. This has been one of those weeks. I love my kids and spending time at home with them everyday. However, there is also the flip side. I started working as an intern when I was 17. I stayed at the company for 7 years until I moved to West Virginia. During grad school I worked three jobs, including teaching a class. I met my husband and got married during my master's program and have stayed home since. Then there are the moments when you realize all the things that your high-school friends that got married and had kids later have accomplished. Some of them have been very, very successful. There is always that awkward situation when everyone that I knew back in Seattle talks about how smart and successful I was when I was younger. I know they don't mean it the way it comes out, but it still gives me pause. My husband thinks that I should start claiming that I work at home since I blog and take care of the household. Maybe he's right. I can always hope that one day my blog will become vastly successful, but we all know that's unrealistic. In the meantime I remind myself that my kids are growing up surrounded by my love and knowledge. That's enough rambling for now, onto the cooking! This weekend I chose to keep my cooking simple and I relied on my slow cooker. I tried a new recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Chili from the new All Recipes magazine.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes 1 1/2 hours of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 10 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First, I allowed my chili to cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours on low. I like my flavors to fully come to fruition so I increased the total cooking time. It would also work well on the stove in a dutch oven or a big pot with a lid. I was unable to find my crushed red pepper flakes, so I was forced to leave them out. Finally, I used a full 8 ounces of tomato sauce with garlic. I also found that I needed to add more salt than the 1 teaspoon suggested by the recipe.

My husband liked that this recipe has the health benefits of pumpkin without the taste being overly noticeable. He isn't a big fan of pumpkin, but he was surprised by how much he enjoyed this recipe. I love pumpkin and chili so this was a dish I really liked. It made a very big batch, more than enough for at least 10 servings. For the servings for my kids I added cheese and sour cream. They aren't big chili fans so these additions made them willing to eat their bowls. If you like your chili on the spicy side I would suggest adding jalapenos or a bit of cayenne. Since I cook with my kids in mind I always try to have my recipes be on the mild side.

For the recipe go to Spicy Pumpkin Chili.

Don't Know What to Do with Canned Pumpkin? Try Pumpkin Pancakes

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes

I have a pet peeve, recipe disappointments. I'm not talking about recipe fails, they are obvious. You take the dish out of the oven and you can see right away, something didn't work. I'm talking about recipe disappointments, those moments when you finish your recipe, stand back and think wow, that looks yummy. Then you bite into the dish and everything falls apart. While it may look beautiful, the taste is flat. Don't worry I'm not perfect by any means and have these experiences quiet frequently. Normally when they happen I try re-making the recipe with changes in order to figure out what exactly needs to be modified. It doesn't help when many food sites are moving to user based reviews. While I like the idea of reviews, they have a few issues. When you see that thousands of people like a recipe you assume it will turn out and when it doesn't you instantly feel like a failure. I think that is the root of the problem, the more positive reviews a recipe gets the more pressure you feel to give a positive review. With my reviews I try to be as honest as I can, when something doesn't work I relate how to change the ingredients or steps in order to make the recipe work. Today I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes from the new All Recipes magazine which was one such experience.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 12 pancakes. I made a number of changes to the original recipe and suggest even a few more. Perfect pancakes are something to be savored and I do my best to make delicious breakfasts. After struggling with pancakes for years I bought a griddle and haven't looked back. They are wonderful, no more gooey centers or burnt pancakes. I eat gluten free so I made two batches of these pancakes, one with gluten free flour and one as written. Either way I suggest a few modifications. The taste of the allspice is way too strong. It needs to be reduced to 1/2 teaspoon or less. The recipe does not include nutmeg, which to me helps reduce the strong taste of ginger and allspice in recipes. Additionally, the cinnamon flavor is hard to notice. I would suggest adding a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, increasing the cinnamon and using buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar. The flavor would be much better. The pancakes end up too dense and heavy, which could be alleviated by only using baking soda or baking powder. Using both of them and too little liquid makes for a pancake that sits in your stomach for days. A thinner batter would help for the pancakes to be a little less hearty.

I made these again with changes and they were much better. However, my two kids liked them either way, they ate both batches. For the second batch, which is pictured, I added chocolate chips. Both my kids and I preferred the chocolate chips since it mellowed the pumpkin taste. My family is an example of different food opinions, my boys loved the recipe as written, while I preferred it with changes. Food as with many things in life, is relative.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Pancakes.

Wanting to Escape the Heat and Think of Cooler Weather: Try Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce

Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The weather is cooler, without being cold and the leaves turn beautiful colors. Best of all are the fall foods. I love anything involving apples or pumpkin. Since we are in the middle of the heat of summer it can be a little hard to want to cook. The humidity has been very high and the temps were in the 90's today. Needless to say it doesn't make me want to cook. It leaves me thinking of all the great things to come in the fall. So I decided to try some fall like foods for dinner tonight. I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce from the new All Recipes magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I followed the recipe mostly as written. I make my own chicken broth since it allows me to control the amount of salt (and it tastes better). While the original recipe uses butter I substituted extra virgin olive oil. I prefer cooking with olive oil since it is healthier for the heart. Since Vidalia onions are in season that is the type I used in this recipe. They really are delicious. I allowed my onions to caramelize before adding the pumpkin. I hate half cooked onions in recipes, it turns me off.

If you are making this for more than two people you really need to double the amount of sauce. As written it was barely enough for three small sized portions. My husband likes lots of sauce and this needed more to fully coat the pasta. I liked that the chipotle peppers gave it a nice kick, if you like spicy foods you can increase the amount or seed the peppers to reduce the spiciness.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce.

Easy Baked Ziti with Pumpkin, Spinach and Chicken Sausage

I absolutely love pumpkin. There is something so comforting and relaxing about baking and cooking with winter squash, especially pumpkin. While I make pumpkin dishes year round I make a large number of pumpkin recipes during the fall and winter. The cooler months seem to just cry out for pumpkin. Everyone always thinks of pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, but I love savory dishes that utilize the squash. As I have stated before my family loves pasta. Growing up my mother made pasta multiple times a week and it has been an ingredient that I have loved ever since. My two boys are huge pasta eaters and will eat spaghetti tossed with olive oil as a snack. Combining pasta and pumpkin is something I love to do. A couple of weeks back I tried a new recipe for Baked Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage from Libby's Pumpkin.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 12 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I made no ingredient modifications. Since I eat gluten free I used gluten free penne and gluten free all-purpose flour. I am not a huge fan of reduced fat mozzarella and always buy fresh mozzarella so I used full fat fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded suggest by the recipe. I prefer fresh mozzarella, the taste is superior to shredded. I found that it was hard to have enough pasta to spread across the pan when layering. Don't worry though once it is baked it works fine. I actually added the mozzarella cheese at the beginning of the cooking time and then the Parmesan cheese the last five minutes. I preferred this method since it allowed the fresh mozzarella to fully melt.

If you like your pasta with a kick I would suggest adding more cayenne. I only added a pinch as suggested and I felt that it needed a little more flavor. I would add 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne or 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper if you like spicy foods. My husband was pleased that the recipe made the gluten free pasta not noticeable. He eats gluten free at dinner with me, but gluten free pasta he often finds lack luster. This dish was nice since it masked the taste of the gluten free pasta and the flavor from the pumpkin came out nicely.

For the recipe go to Baked Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage.

Pumpkin Muffins

This is the time of the year that I snack a lot. When I say a lot I mean I tend to have at least three snacks a day, oftentimes more. I am lucky that I also work-out everyday and inherited my dad's great metabolism. With all my snacking lately, I have been baking a lot this month. There is something about winter that makes me want to bake and eat. This winter has been warmer than most, but not warm enough to do much outside. Since I have been inside so frequently I have experimented with a number of new recipes. Some have been great, others have needed some changes. Today It tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Muffins from the Libby's Pumpkin website which worked perfectly.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active and makes 20 servings. I made a number of changes to this recipe. The original recipe was for mini muffins. I don't own a mini muffin pan and I'm not a big fan of mini-muffins, so I chose to make full sized muffins instead. Additionally since I eat gluten free I used gluten free all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour. I also used gluten free granola. My baking time was increased to 25 minutes and I rotated the pan halfway through baking time. The recipe uses a mixer to incorprate the ingredients. I chose to mix by hand instead and they worked fine. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

These muffins turned out very moist. I like that they only use a 1/4 cup of oil and they worked very well being converted to being gluten free. The granola gives the tops of the muffins a nice crunch, which was popular with my two boys. These would also work well with chocolate chips or chocolate granola on top.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Muffins.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Torte with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

My kids are able to make huge messes. As I sit here writing this post my living room floor which I have picked up 5 times today is once again full of toys. I think I might pick up the same toy over and over again everyday. My husband doesn't seem to be much better than my kids. I think he believes that his socks will actually walk themselves to the hamper. They don't. When I was gone for a week this fall my husband didn't pick-up any of his dirty clothes and dishes and was genuinely confused how nothing was clean or put away. Part of it has to do with my expectations of cleanliness. Growing up my mother had a lot of stuff. Not just a few things, but literally our house and then apartment were full of stuff. Nick-knacks covered every available space and there was always stuff everywhere. I am the opposite. I like everything put in its place. My living room is decorated, simply with everything having a spot. It drives me crazy when things are cluttered. Christmas has a tendency to stress me out not for the reason that most people deal with, but for the clutter. As soon as my kids open their gifts I am going around organizing. One way that I keep myself sane is chocolate. I love chocolate and it has an immediate effect on my anxiety. This week during the craziness of the holidays I made a Pumpkin-Chocolate Torte with Pumpkin Whipped Cream from the December issue of Eating Well magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 4 hours 50 minutes of total time, 50 minutes of which is active and makes 10 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I did not line my pan with parchment paper and I had no problems taking out my torte, so I don't believe that the step is necessary. For the whip cream I chose to just make a straight whip cream without the pumpkin puree and with just a small amount of vanilla. Finally I let the torte firm up overnight before serving. I think this helped it to firm up completely. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys and I really loved this recipe. I like that it only has 11 grams of fat per serving, which is much lower than most dessert recipes. The taste isn't overly sweet, but still has a nice chocolate flavor. I did not drizzle the top with melted chocolate, but I think it would be delicious if you wanted to add this step.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin-Chocolate Torte with Pumpkin-Whipped Cream.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread or Muffins

Cold season has definitely hit my house. My two boys and I seem to have had a cold for the last two weeks straight. I am not one of those people that does well sick. I tend to be irritable and a wee bit snappy. It doesn't help that last winter the cold that I had turned into pneumonia and then two trips to the ER and a hospital stay. I think the whole ordeal has me a little paranoid. Add that to the fact that the two times I have intended to get my flu shot this year some sort of mini-issue has prevented it from happening. Luckily I got the pneumonia shot last year and I am determined to get my flu shot before the end of the month. The beginning of cold/flu season always has me thinking of food. Weird I know, but colder weather and feeling under the weather makes me long for soup and comfort food. As I have talked about before this is my favorite time of the year. I absolutely love fall flavors, with pumpkin being my number one favorite fall food. However, this is the first year I have been eating completely gluten free, so things have been a little different. The fall back staples in my fall recipe file have had to be modified. Some recipes have worked gluten free really well. Others have been pretty much disasters. Last month I tried a new recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread from Everyday Food which worked great as both bread and muffins.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 1 1/2 of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I found a great coconut flour based all-purpose gluten free flour which I love. It makes the best cookies and baked goods and my kids can't tell the difference from regular wheat flour. Make sure to not overly beat the mixture once the pumpkin and buttermilk is added. Overly stirring will cause the bread to not rise properly and have a dense, not fluffy texture. I had to cover the bread with foil approximately a half an hour into baking to prevent over browning. I actually made this recipe twice. The first time as bread and the second time as muffins. For the muffins I made 12 total and baked them for approximately 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I used muffins liners since I love how they look and they are so much easier to deal with than trying to get muffins out of a pan. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys loved this bread. It doesn't have an overly strong nutmeg/cinnamon flavor. If you are a fan of a strong spice flavor I would recommend adding a small amount of ground cloves to the recipe or even a bit of ginger. I often add ground cloves to my pumpkin bread recipes and it does a great job of adding a little something extra. This recipe worked well as both bread and muffins and we ate the whole bread in less than a day. A great gluten free recipe that I will definitely make again.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread.

Slowcooker Pumpkin Harvest Beef Stew

Everyone knows how much I love my crockpot. If there is one kitchen appliance that I don't think that I could live without that would be the one. I love it and it makes my life so much easier, especially with two very active boys. While some people use their crockpot only in the colder months, I love mine year round. It's just as great to not heat up my kitchen in the humid and horribly hot summer months as it is to have a great meal of chili or stew waiting in the slowcooker at dinner time in the winter. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love that the weather cools down, without being too hot or too cold. One of my favorite things about fall is the food. I absolutely love pumpkins and winter squash. They are delicious in so many recipes and dishes. Last week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Harvest Beef Stew from the October/November issue of Taste of Home magazine, which looked full of fall flavors and a perfect crockpot recipe.

This recipe has 17 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of prep and 6 1/2 hours of cook time and makes 6 servings. I chose to use sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin. I didn't want to take the extra step of peeling and cutting the pumpkin. I find sweet potatoes easier to deal with and make the substitution frequently. I chose to leave out the beef granules. The all natural beef broth that I chose to use is naturally lower in sodium and I preferred to salt at the table instead of adding the beef granules. Finally, instead of using flour I substituted cornstarch since it is gluten free. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love beef stew and making it in the crockpot is a great way to save time. It also works well on lower quality cuts of meat. This recipe does a great job of combining beef stew and fall flavors. My oldest son really loved this dish. He is a big fan of beef stew and ate all of the beef out of his serving. I like that this recipe uses multiple types of fall squash. Overall, a great fall crockpot recipe.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Harvest Beef Stew.

USA Weekend Pumpkin Bread

Growing up the fall season was always a big deal. My mom had eleven brothers and sisters and since she was the oldest our house was always busy. There was always baking or cooking of some sort being done and it was by helping my mom get ready for parties that I learned to really cook. One of my favorite baking ingredients was pumpkin. My mom would make pumpkin pies and breads that were delicious and it was the one time of year that my mother allowed me to have pie for breakfast (since it had pumpkin in it I was able to argue that it was somewhat nutritious :). I seem to have passed on my love of pumpkin to my two boys, anything pumpkin related that I make they gobble up every last bite. Recently, I pureed a number of pumpkins that I found at a farmer's market in our area and have been baking recipes using the puree in the last month. While reading the Sunday paper I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Bread in the USA Weekend insert, using ginger instead of nutmeg, which looked delicious and different than my normal pumpkin bread recipe.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It makes 24 servings and takes approximately an hour to prepare and bake. All the ingredients are very basic and I already had all of them in my pantry cupboard or fridge. Instead of using canned pumpkin I used frozen puree that I had prepared a few weeks back. I found the baking temp to be a little too high since I was using dark coated pans, so I turned the oven down to 325 and baked about 10 minutes longer than the recipe suggested. I did notice that the sides of the bread browned quickly, so I tented the bread to cook the last 20 minutes or so. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you like the taste of ginger and pumpkin, you will like this recipe. It has a very strong spice flavor and works well with melted butter. I wasn't sure if my sons would like this recipe due to the ginger, but my family ate both loves in about 3 days, so it was very popular. I love finding recipes that are different than the run of the mill traditional cookbook recipe and this recipe definitely fits the bill. A great lower sugar way to make pumpkin bread, which can also be modified to use applesauce instead of half the amount of butter. Overall, a delicious fall bread recipe.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Bread.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you haven't guessed from previous blog posts, I absolutely love pumpkin. Fall is my favorite time of year and I do a ton of baking during the fall and winter months. There is something very comforting about the smell of baked goods during the colder months which makes me feel very warm and homey. My husband and kids just love that they get all kinds of delicious food and sweets to try. A couple of years back I started making my own pumpkin puree due to my total inability to find any type of canned pure pumpkin. With so many freezer bags full of homemade puree I set out to find various recipes utilitizing the ingredient. I found a number of chocolate-chip cookie recipes that I was less than excited with and my family half-heartidly ate them. This year I tried a new recipe from the Food Network website and I was pleased with the result (and so were the rest of my household, who ate almost 60 of these cookies last week).

This recipe has 14 ingredients and yields approximately 60 cookies. The total time is 32 minutes, with 15 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients are very basic, I had every spice and dry good already in my pantry cupboard. Instead of using store-bought pumpkin puree I used the homemade pumpkin puree I made last month. This recipe would work just as well however, with the canned variety. Be very careful with the baking time for these cookies. My oven tends to run hot, so I turned my pans half-way through the baking. These cookies brown a little quickly, but if you take them out too soon they will be very cake-like in texture. If you prefer a less soft texture, I would flatten out the cookies with a cup or spoon before baking. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written, with no modifications.

These were a much bigger hit in my household than the previous chocolate-chip pumpkin cookie recipes that I have tried. This recipe does make a lot of cookies, so would be perfect for a party or a bake sale. However, the cookies are pretty small, so if you prefer you could make larger cookies or bake the batter in a 13 by 9 inch pan and bake them as bar cookies (with an adjusted cooking time). Overall, a delicious way to use fall flavors that takes very little time to prepare and cook, and would be a perfect baking activity with kids (my five-year-old was able to help with no problems).

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Pumpkin Scones

As I've stated numerous times recently, fall is my favorite time of the year. The weather cools down, but isn't too cool yet, the leaves turn beautiful colors, and best of all the food. I have a slight pumpkin obsession and make just about anything possible using pumpkin puree. For whatever reason, pumpkin puree is impossible to find in my area except for the few months leading up to Thanksgiving. Therefore, I make my own pumpkin puree, which is very quick and easy to do. With a freezer full of puree I have been making numerous recipes, with one of my favorite being Pumpkin Scones. The recipe is as follows:

• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 7 tablespoons Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg 
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 6 tablespoons Cold Butter
• 1/2 cup canned or homemade pureed Pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons Half and Half
• 1 large Egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl.  Cut butter into mixture (either using a pasty cutter or a food processor, sometimes I even use a fork). Mixture should be crumbly, but not full of butter lumps.

In another bowl combine pumpkin, half and half and egg. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Form a ball with the dough, add more flour if dough is too sticky. Form dough into a circle approximately 1 inch thick, cut into either 8 or 12 scones, depending on the size preferred. Place on a greased baking sheet. If desired brush with heavy whipping cream and sugar (I almost always do this step, but some people prefer scones without this step). Bake for 14-16 minutes.

These scones are very easy to make and have a great fall flavor. The original recipe included two types of glaze, I chose to bake the scones without the glaze, I try to avoid additional sugar when possible. My two boys really enjoyed these scones and ate almost the whole batch before my husband arrived home from work. A great way to use fall spices and makes a delicious breakfast or snack.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my chocolate-chip pumpkin cookie recipe!

This recipe was adapted from here. It contains the recipe for the two glazes, if you would prefer to add them to the recipe.
.

Better Homes and Gardens Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

I really love pumpkin. As far back as I can remember fall has been my favorite season and one of the big reasons for my love of the season is pumpkins. I love just about any recipe using pumpkin and bake a ton of pumpkin recipes during the fall. One of my favorite memories growing up was the day after Thanksgiving every year when my mother would let me have homemade pumpkin pie for breakfast, to this day it is one of my favorite foods in the world. Unfortunately, my mother isn't around to make my favorite pie anymore, but my two children have grown up sharing my love of everything pumpkin and I have found creative ways to use it in recipes. I was excited when the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine had a recipe for Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, which looked delicious.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. The approximate prep and cooking time is about an hour. Now, I am usually a very detail oriented cook. I make lists every week for my meal plans and create my grocery lists based on sales, pantry cupboard stock etc. Well, this last week I thought that I had all the ingredients for this recipe and low and behold the day I was to make it I was missing some ingredients. Therefore I modified this recipe quite a bit. First, I substituted ziti for elbow macaroni, since it was the only type of pasta I had on hand. Second, my two sons drank all my whole milk, so I used the non-fat milk I already had in the fridge. I used fresh pumpkin, instead of canned since I had already made a bunch and stuck it in my freezer. Finally, instead of soft bread crumbs I used panko. I prefer the crunchy texture of panko in most recipes and use it frequently as a substitute for bread crumbs. I left out the sage since I was unable to find it at my local grocery store and had no desire to drive out of my way to find one ingredient.

I was very impressed with how well this macaroni turned out even with all the modifications. I think I actually preferred the ziti to the macaroni. Using the ziti made the recipe more of a baked pasta and it was delicious. My two boys loved this recipe and ate all the leftovers over the course of the following two days. The taste of the pumpkin is delicious without being overly sweet and the cheese blends nicely. Overall, a great way to use fall ingredients.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Mac and Cheese.

Easy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I love this time of year, when the weather starts getting cooler and fall produce starts appearing. One of my favorite activities during the fall is baking. The smell of nutmeg, cinnamon and all spice are wonderful. In my post yesterday, I did a step-by-step of how to make pureed pumpkin. The other great thing to make with pumpkins, besides the yummy puree are roasted pumpkin seeds. They are very easy and a variety of spices can be added to them.

The first step is to scrape out the seeds from the pumpkin. It doesn't matter whether you use a baking pumpkin or the pumpkin you helped your kids carve for a jack-o-lantern, either one will do. Run the pumpkin seeds under water and get rid of the pumpkin strings and flesh. Now the next step is to dry the seeds before spicing. There are a couple of different ways this can be done. First, you may wrap them in a couple of layers of paper towels and let them sit until they are dry. If you don't want to wait that long, the easiest trick is a hair dryer. My mom taught me this trick and it works great, just dry the seeds until they are no longer wet and your set. Now you can add seasoning. You can pretty much use any seasoning you wish, the seeds I made this week had a 'Halloween' flavor. I added the following spices: 

• 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (you can also substitute vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon all spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

 Toss seeds in the spice mix and place into a 325 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes. You will want to stir and check on the progress at 10 minutes and every 5 minutes there after to prevent burning. The drier your seeds are to start the less time they will take in the oven. You seeds will look something like the picture below before going in the oven.

If you prefer traditional roasted pumpkin seeds the only ingredients you need are sea salt and oil or butter. If you are watching your fat or cholesterol you could also use cooking spray to coat the seeds. I have read of people soaking the seeds in apple juice or sugar water for a sweeter flavor or salt water overnight for a more savory flavor. I haven't personally tried either of these methods, but they sound yummy!

That's it, it's that simple. Pumpkin seeds are a great snack and very easy to make. Plus, it's a great recipe to have the kids help out with in the kitchen. My five-year-old got a kick out of making the pumpkin puree and roasted pumpkin seeds this year.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree

When I was younger and lived near a number of natural and whole food markets I took for granted how easy it was for me to find unusual or seasonal ingredients year round. Now that I live in a region that is limited in availability for many ingredients, I have learned to make many items from scratch and freeze for later use. Canned pumpkin is one ingredient that is nearly impossible to find in my area unless it's around Thanksgiving. I'm not talking about the pre-seasoned pie filling, but rather plain pureed pumpkin to use in pancakes, muffins and other baked goods (and yummy pumpkin soup). In order to enjoy pumpkin year round I have taken to cooking, pureeing and freezing pumpkin when it's in season. Here is the quick (and inexpensive) way that I make Homemade Pumpkin Puree.

The first step is to buy a quality pie pumpkin. I purchased my pumpkins this year at the farmer's market in Charleston (WV) which had a great selection of pie pumpkins at a much cheaper price then the grocery store. Next cut the pumpkin in half. I use a serrated knife, an non-serrated blade has a much greater chance of slipping and leading to kitchen accidents. Now the fun part, scrape out all the seeds and orange pulp. I use just a regular large kitchen spoon and it works fine. Save the seeds to make roasted pumpkins seeds later (recipe to follow later in the week). I cook my pumpkin in the microwave, it's easy and doesn't create a lot of dishes or mess.


So the next step, cut up the pumpkin into chunks that are small enough to fit into a microwave dish with a lid.

Depending on the size of your microwave your pieces will be larger or smaller. Now pour in a couple of inches of water into the dish, put on the lid and microwave for 20 to 30 minutes. I normally check my pumpkin after about 10 minutes and continue checking every 10 minutes until it's done.

Next step is to remove the pumpkin from the skin. Most of the time the skin will fall right off, and you will end up with cooked pumpkin that looks like the picture below.

Now the final step, pureeing. I use my blender, but a hand blender, food processor or hand mixer would also work. Puree until smooth and it will look something like the picture below.

After the puree is done, I place it in freezer bags, remove the air and stick in the freezer for future baking/cooking. It's much cheaper than purchasing at the store and is very easy to make! So the next time your at the farmer's market or grocery store and see pie pumpkins are a good price, don't forget to pick up a few to make into puree and freeze for yummy treats and recipes.