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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Everything Pumpkin-Spice Plus a Favorite Pumpkin-Sage Pasta Recipe


October is pumpkin month to me. With that in mind, I wanted to put together some of my favorite ways to cook and use pumpkin.

You've got your fresh pumpkins. Now how to cook them for puree. Here are 4 methods to cooking pumpkin for use in baking and other recipes.


This granola recipe can be made with or without the nuts. But, of course, I think the texture of the pecans is extra special, so I try to scrounge enough up for doing this recipe right.


Save your dollars and make a pumpkin-spice latte at home, for pennies! Here's a syrup recipe that uses actual pumpkin, not imitation flavorings.


These little gems are great for the tailgate crowd or a Saturday gathering at home.


So, not up to the task of deep-frying, but still want the pumpkin-spice flavor in a breakfast bread? How about cinnamon buns that have pumpkin and spices in the dough?


Coffeehouse pumpkin-spice scones are addictive. Here's a recipe to make your own at home. Bonus -- the dough is freezable, so you can bake however many you want at a time.


This is the easiest scratch cake recipe ever. You don't even need a mixing bowl. Mix the batter right in the pan that in which you will bake it.


And finally, a savory recipe for using pumpkin puree. I make this several times in autumn and winter. Delicious! I want to add that this pasta recipe is so good, that I serve it to guests. Yet it is easy enough to put together while guests stand around in the kitchen talking with me. I just gather my measured and prepped ingredients together in advance to avoid mistakes. When I make this, I look like a pro and so will you. Go generous on the Parmesan, if you can.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.






You'll find this post, and many others like it, a click away,  through this link (click) -- a compilation of my recipes, shopping lists, and menu plans that illustrates how I feed my family of 4 adults on $125 to $135 per month.



18 comments:

  1. I like pumpkin, too. You have so many recipes to choose from!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i've been following your blog for 5 years, trying to read every post, but somehow I missed some of these pumpkin recipes.
    how did that happen? : (
    i love pumpkin-spice. and i love your writing. the pasta dish sounds yum.
    beth

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for this list. I don't know if you know this but Dollar Tree has canned pumpkin again. Just thought I'd pass that on.
    Is it messy to make doughnuts? I want to try but don't want a big mess or wasted oil.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is timely for sure!

    I made some pumpkin apple streusel muffins last week and then a second batch of mini muffins of the same recipe.

    Then last night I made butternut squash sage soup for supper. It had apples and onions in it so I used my immersion blender to smooth it all out. I really liked it. There is one cup leftover for hubby to have lunch today.

    I want to try the pumpkin coffee perhaps this weekend.

    Alice

    ReplyDelete
  5. A good variety of recipes to choose from. I may give the sausage recipe a try.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your pasta sauce sounds like a couple of my recipes, minus the sausage!
    We usually bake part of the pumpkin to use in a couple of recipes that use roasted pumpkin. The rest goes into puree.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love adding pumpkin to my chili recipe to make it more creamy. I wonder if it will be hard to find this year? You have some good looking recipes on here, Lili. I need to try the granola one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like to bake my pumpkin in halves. This is a great way to warm my very cold kitchen and get the pumpkin cooked. But I don't do this until after Halloween. Thank you for the coffee syrup recipe. I didn't know you could do that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kris said...
    I like pumpkin, too. You have so many recipes to choose from!


    Hi Kris,
    It's wonderful to have a change of foods with the change of seasons, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  10. beth said...
    i've been following your blog for 5 years, trying to read every post, but somehow I missed some of these pumpkin recipes.
    how did that happen? : (
    i love pumpkin-spice. and i love your writing. the pasta dish sounds yum


    Hi Beth,
    Thank you for the kind words and hanging in there with me.
    If you make the pumpkin, sausage, and sage cream pasta, I hope that you enjoy it as much as our household does.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous said...
    Thank you for this list. I don't know if you know this but Dollar Tree has canned pumpkin again. Just thought I'd pass that on.
    Is it messy to make doughnuts? I want to try but don't want a big mess or wasted oil.


    You're welcome. And thanks for the heads up about Dollar Tree and their stock of pumpkin.

    So, for making donuts -- keep in mind, the larger the pot that you use for drying, the more oil you will need, but the more donuts that you can fry at a time, so shortening the time to do the frying. The bigger pot will likely be deep, so there won't be as much splattering on the stove-top compared to using a smaller pot.

    If you use a smaller saucepan for frying. you can use less oil, but the whole batch will take longer as you will only be able to fry 2 or 3 at a time in a smaller pot.

    With the leftover oil, I store it in a jar in the fridge and reuse it for more frying on another day, as well as incorporating some of the oil (mixed with clean new oil) when sautéeing other foods. If the oil collects a lot of crumbs or flour particles, I filter the oil with a paper coffee filter. Works well.

    Hope this answers your questions.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Alice said...
    . . .I made some pumpkin apple streusel muffins last week and then a second batch of mini muffins of the same recipe.

    Then last night I made butternut squash sage soup for supper. It had apples and onions in it so I used my immersion blender to smooth it all out. I really liked it. There is one cup leftover for hubby to have lunch today.

    I want to try the pumpkin coffee perhaps this weekend.


    Those muffins and soup sound so delicious, Alice! The apples and pumpkin or squash is such a wonderful combination.
    It sounds like you are making up for lost time with regards to cooking at home. I'm really glad for you!

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. live and learn said...
    A good variety of recipes to choose from. I may give the sausage recipe a try.


    Hi live and learn,
    Our family really enjoys the pumpkin/sausage pasta. It's such a refreshing change in pasta sauces. I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.
    Enjoy the rest of your travels!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous said...
    Your pasta sauce sounds like a couple of my recipes, minus the sausage!
    We usually bake part of the pumpkin to use in a couple of recipes that use roasted pumpkin. The rest goes into puree.


    I enjoy roasted pumpkin cubes as a vegetable side dish. I add some onions and herbs to to roast with the pumpkin. The rest of my family is not as wild about roasted pumpkin as I am, so I only do this every once in a while. But I agree that roasted pumpkin is so delicious and makes a great base for a pumpkin soup. The roasting adds a lot of flavor. Thanks for this reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Belinda said...
    I love adding pumpkin to my chili recipe to make it more creamy. I wonder if it will be hard to find this year? You have some good looking recipes on here, Lili. I need to try the granola one.


    Hi Belinda,
    Adding pumpkin to chili sounds delicious! Great idea!
    I don't know about availability elsewhere, but my local stores have it well-stocked. Our Kroger affiliate has the 15-oz cans for $1.69 this week. I'd say that's an average price for my area. So, my guess is availability will be "average." Someone, above, just said they'd seen canned pumpkin at Dollar Tree already.
    Enjoy the granola!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sheri said...
    I like to bake my pumpkin in halves. This is a great way to warm my very cold kitchen and get the pumpkin cooked. But I don't do this until after Halloween. Thank you for the coffee syrup recipe. I didn't know you could do that.


    Hi Sheri,
    Great idea to bake pumpkin on a day you want to heat the kitchen. I do that with large batches of baking on super cold days.
    Enjoy the coffee syrup recipe!
    Have a wonderful day, Sheri!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love pumpkin. Your recipes look tasty and thrifty, Lili. Thank you for sharing so much. We had to cut our food budget almost in half a month ago when my husband was laid off. We're living off UI and my income. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate having your blog for inspiration. I know we'll be alright. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate what you do.
    -Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Stephanie,
    I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties and wish you the best with your circumstances. My husband and I have been there and understand how something like a lay-off is both a financial and emotional burden. I'm glad that I can be of help in some way.
    Thank you for the kind words -- they made my day!

    ReplyDelete

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