Spiced Pumpkin Applesauce

Last week I bought a bunch of apples at the farmers market.  I opted to try to make applesauce with them which was a new adventure for me.  The combination of pumpkin and apples is great for fall so I used up more of my canned pumpkin and tossed it in with the apples.   I wanted my apple sauce to be healthy so there is no sugar added, but you can certainly add sugar or honey to sweeten it up a bit.

Spiced Pumpkin Applesauce

Ingredients:

• 5 medium apples
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1) Core and slice apples

2) Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.

3) Remove cinnamon stick and blend to desired consistency.  I used an electric mixer, but you can use a food processor, blender, or a potato masher depending on how chunky or smooth you want it.

Pumpkin Hummus

Up until last summer I had never tried hummus before.  Man was I missing out.  Now its one of my favorite snacks, and its great on everything.  I had never tried making my own hummus before, but when I saw a recipe for pumpkin hummus I knew I had to try it.  It was much easier than expected to make.  Only issue I ran into was when the cup got stuck in the base of the blender and I thought I was going to have to destroy the entire thing to free my hummus.  Luckily it didn't come to that and after about 5 minutes of panicking I got the cup off the base and enjoyed my snack.

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz. can of chickpeas (drained)
• 1 clove of garlic
• the juice from 1 lemon
• 6 tbsp canned pumpkin
• 5 tbsp tahini
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1) Place everything in a food processor and blend until smooth.  That's it!

More Pumpkin Beer

Happy October!!  Just like last year I've spent the last few months stocking up on as many different pumpkin beers as I could find.   I also picked up a pumpkin wine and a pumpkin cider.  Again, I don't know a lot about beer but here are some different varieties to look out for.  This years varieties include some which have an alcohol by volume (ABV) a bit higher than average beer.  I'm excited to give them a try.

Pumking - Southern Tier Brewing Company - ABV 8.6%
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - Saint Louis Brewery - ABV 8.0%
Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale - Boston Beer Company - ABV 8.5%
HornyCopia Pumpkin Ale - Rex Beverage Holdings - ABV 5.7%
Redhook Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Ale - Redhook Ale Brewery - ABV 5.8%
Ichabod Pumpkin Ale - New Holland Brewery - ABV 5.2%
Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin Ale - Boston Beer Company - ABV 5.7%
UFO Pumpkin - Harpoon Brewery - ABV 5.9%
Pumple Drumkin Spiced Ale - Cisco BRewers Inc. - ABV 6.0%
Pumpkin Lager - Lakefront Brewery - ABV 5.8%
Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin - Shipyard Brewing Co. - ABV 9.0%
Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale - Hoppin' Frog Brewery - ABV 8.4%
Smoked Pumpkin Cider - Tieton Cider Works - ABV 6.4%
Prairie Pumpkin Wine - Prairie State Winery - ABV 10.0%

Pumpkin Grilled Cheese

I'm always on the lookout for new things to do with pumpkin, especially canned pumpkin which I always have a few cans of on-hand.  Needless to say I was super excited to see the new Food Network magazine which included 50 things to make with canned pumpkin.  The first thing that really jumped out at me was a recipe for pumpkin grilled cheese, and lucky enough I had all the stuff to make it. It was really easy to make and all of the flavors came together nicely.  I have changed the recipe slightly, since I didn't think the pumpkin flavor was quite strong enough.

Pumpkin Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• Bread
• 1.5 Tbsp canned pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 2-3 strips cooked bacon
• Monterrey Jack cheese

Instructions:

1) In a small bowl combine pumpkin, honey, and mustard.

2) Spread mixture on one slice of bread.  Then add cheese and bacon.

3) Top with 2nd slice of bread and grill until golden brown in a buttered skillet.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

We are having a brunch at work to kick off the new fiscal year.  I love using work events as an excuse to try out a new recipe.  The air has been a little brisk lately and its really had me craving some fall flavors.  What says fall more than apples and pumpkins?  I decided to combine those two wonderful flavors into a muffin.  I sampled one when they came out of the oven and I must say they are the perfect fall treat.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 medium peeled, cored and chopped apples
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons butter

Directions:

1. 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.
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3. 2) In a large bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. 

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2. 3) In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. 

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2. 4) Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. 

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2. 5) Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. 
   
4. 6) In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

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2. 7) Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter.

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2. 8) Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
3.  

Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches

Summer is in full swing and I have been craving some ice cream.  The only ice cream I have in my apartment is pumpkin ice cream left over from all of my Halloween activities.  Pumpkin ice cream isn't something I normally eat on its own, so I had to find something to add to it.  After lots of experimenting I found it best when it was turned into a simple ice cream sandwich.

Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• Ice cream
• Graham crackers
• garnishes 

Instructions:

1) Begin by letting the ice cream sit out long enough so that is soft enough to spread.

2) Using a spoon take a large spoonful of ice cream and spread on the graham cracker.

3) Place a 2nd graham cracker on top to form a sandwich.  You can then roll the sides in whatever garnish you would like. Sprinkles, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc.  I tried black sprinkles to give it a Halloween vibe but it looked pretty bad so don't try that.

4) Place the completed sandwiches in the freezer and then freeze until the ice cream is firm.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  This scares me a little since the end of Thanksgiving means the beginning of the Christmas season.  I'm just not ready for Christmas.  Things just need to slow down a bit while I get my life in order, or at least take down my Halloween decorations.  Anyway.  Here is a dessert that is super simple and will look great on your Thanksgiving dessert table.  I give to you....

 

 

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

 

 



 

 

Ingredients:

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 gallon pumpkin ice cream

1 cup caramel sauce

1/3 cup chopped pecans

 

Directions:

 

1) Spread softened ice cream evenly into the pie crust. Cover and freeze for at least an hour.

 



 

2) Spread top of pie with caramel sauce and top with chopped nuts.  Cover and freeze for another hour.



 

3) That's it!  Two simple steps.  Serve it up and let the compliments roll in.

 



 

Pumpkin Beer

Last fall I jumped on the pumpkin beer band wagon just as most places were selling out. I was only able to try 2 or 3 of the less popular varieties.  This year I vowed to do better.  I set out at the end of September to secure my pumpkin beer selections and I believe I did quite well. I was able to purchase 12 types of pumpkin beer and 2 types of pumpkin cider. Since I don't know a lot about beer I won't bore you with a review of each one but I will tell you a little about them all

(from left to right)

 

1) Jacks Pumpkin Spice Ale - Anheuser-Busch - ABV 5.50%

2) O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale - O'Fallon Brewery - ABV 5.50% 

3) Punk'n Harvest Pumpkin Ale - Uinta Brewing Company - ABV 4.00%

4) St. Ambroise Pumpkin - McAuslan Brewing - ABV 5.00%

5) Woodchuck Hard Pumpkin Cider - Woodchuck Brewery - ABV 6.90%

6) Punkin Ale - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - ABV 7.00%

7) Post Road Pumpkin Ale - Brooklyn Brewery - ABV 5.00%

8) Ace Hard Pumpkin Cider - Ave Cider - ABV 5.00%

9) Pumpkin Smasher - Big Muddy Brewing - ABV 6.00%

10) Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale - Tyranena Brewing - ABV 7.50%

11) Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale - Smuttynose Brewing Company - ABV 5.84%

12) Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale - Buffalo Bill's Brewery - ABV 5.20%

13) Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale - Shipyard Brewing Company - ABV 5.10%

14) Pumpkin Ale - Onion Pub and Brewery - ABV 5.40%

Pumpkin Chili

The weather has gotten quite chilly meaning its time to whip up a batch of chili.  Keeping with my October theme I made a big pot of pumpkin chili in the crock pot.  It was the perfect dinner to enjoy while watching all the Fox Halloween specials.  

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced

2 Serrano peppers, diced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups tomato juice
1(15.25-ounce) can black beans, drained

1 can of chili beans in chili sauce
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:1) In a medium saute pan, brown the ground beef; drain. 

2) Chop the onions, bell pepper, and serranos and add them to the ground beef. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

3)In a slow cooker, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and pepper. Stir it all up. 

4)Add in the cooked beef and stir.

5)Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. 

Pumpkin Puppy Chow

Thursday nights are usually spent on the couch of one of my guys friends. They play whatever video game they are currently playing while I collect stars in Super Mario Galaxy 2.  I've also been trying to do some sort of Halloween themed activity every night of October so I was looking for something fairly quick and easy.  It was really easy to make and got great reviews from everyone.  

Ingedients:

9 cups rice chex

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 pkg. Pumpkin Spice Hershey's kisses



Directions:

1) Measure out 9 cups of chex in a large bowl





2) Melt the kisses in a double boiler

 3) Pour the melted kissed over the chex and stir until well coated

4) Place powdered sugar in a large Ziploc bag (or small trash bag) and add chex mixture

5) Shake shake shake and serve



Pumpkin Fettuccine with Gouda Cheese Sauce

To start of the month of October, I wanted to cook something festive.  Last weekend at the farmers market I picked up some pumpkin spice fettuccine, so I decided to give it a try.  The pasta can also be purchased online. It has a light pumpkin flavor and seems like it could be pretty versatile.  I paired mine with a Gouda cheese sauce, corn bread, and green beans.  I will certainly be picking up some more this weekend.

 

 Pumpkin Fettuccine with Gouda Cheese Sauce


Ingredients:

• 1lb Pumpkin spice fettuccine
• 2 cups milk, heated,
• 1/4 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 sage leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups Gouda cheese, shredded

 

 

Directions:

 

1) In a small sauce pot combine milk, onion, garlic and sage. Cook over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Don't let it boil.

 

2)Remove pan from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove and discard onion, garlic and sage leaves. Cover to keep warm.

 

3)In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook until it is a glue-like consistency.

4)Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

5)Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of shredded Gouda cheese. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6) While the cheese is melting, boil a large pot of water for the pasta.  Once the water has reached a rolling boil add the pasta and cook until tender. The pasta only takes about 6 min to cook.

7) You can either mix the pasta and sauce together before serving or serve them separately like I did.

Happy October!