Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It's that time of year!

 Carve your pumpkin and save the seeds.

Separate the seeds from the pulp. This can be done easily with a strainer, or by soaking the seeds for about 10 minutes in warm water.

Spread out on cookie sheet and let dry overnight.


Sprinkle with garlic salt and bake for an hour at 350. Easy! Tasty and a great source of fiber. My preschool students love these!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I have half a can of pumpkin in the fridge. What to do?

Recipe courtesy of Tidy Mom.

2 eggs
1-1/4 cups buttermilk or buttermilk substitute
4 TBSP melted butter
5 TBSP canned pumpkin
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
dash of nutmeg

The original recipe calls for food coloring, but I really don't think it needs it! It's pleasantly orange without chemicals.

1) Make your buttermilk substitute:

I used a cup of almond milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. It came out perfectly! I imagine soy and rice milk would do equally well.
You can also use regular milk and vinegar.
Or yogurt and vinegar.
If you have no vinegar, use lemon juice instead.
The idea is that vinegar supplies the tangyness that is so distinguishable in buttermilk recipes.

2) Turn on your griddle and spray non-stick on it.
3) Combine all the ingredients in the order listed, stirring after each addition.
4) Cook away!

Maple syrup is even tastier than usual on these pancakes. Something about the cinnamon just makes it even yummier.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese

I used to make a special, inconvenient trip to a bagel store to get pumpkin cream cheese. No more, no more!

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP brown sugar

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate.

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin AND chocolate? I'm in. These muffins are surprisingly light and fluffy, with a nice kick of pumpkin spice. The texture of the almonds is wonderful.

This would be a great Thanksgiving-breakfast meal!

I found this recipe on a bulletin board in the kitchen at work (where we do a lot of baking for the tots). No idea it's original source. I made a few alterations for maximum yumminess.

• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 T pumpkin pie spice
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin (half a one-pound can)
• 1/4 cup yogurt or milk if needed - you can also use this if you have less than one cup of pumpkin
• 1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
• 1 cup chocolate chips (these are sort-of optional if you want to make a less sugary version... but who makes chocolate optional?)

1) Chop almonds until pieces are fine.

2) Grease a muffin tin and preheat oven to 350.
3) Combine flour, sugar, spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to blend. Set aside.
4) Combine pumpkin, eggs and butter (melted). Blend well.
5) Add almonds and chocolate chips to wet ingredients. Stir with spoon or spatula (do not use mixer).
6) Add dry ingredients and stir with spoon until mixed.

7) If the mixture is too dry, add a little yogurt or milk. Mixture will not be gloppy like pancake batter, but shouldn't stand in stiff peaks.
8) Spoon into muffins tins or a small cake pan. These muffins rise, so don't fill to the top. Optional: top with streusel.
9) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

These muffins are great with hot coffee or cold milk. They are especially tasty the next day!

Pumpkin Cake

(Two cakes are pictured, but this recipe is for one).

Recipe courtesy of The Blissful Table*. I highly recommend the cake recipe alone, even if you don't frost it or make it into a pumpkin like she does -- it's light and moist and very flavorful. Everything a cake should be!

Ingredients for bundt cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour (not the same as all-purpose)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

dash of nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk or homemade buttermilk substitute (see below), room temperature

1) If you are like most people and don't keep buttermilk on hand, prepare your substitute. You have plenty of options:

I used a cup of almond milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. It came out perfectly! I imagine soy and rice milk would do equally well.
You can also use regular milk and vinegar.
Or yogurt and vinegar.
If you have no vinegar, use lemon juice instead.
The idea is that vinegar supplies the tangyness that is so distinguishable in buttermilk recipes.

Prepare your buttermilk substitute and set aside.

2)  Preheat your oven to 350. Put your butter in the microwave on "defrost" setting for a minute or two, until it's about room temperature. If it's slightly melted, that's ok.


3) Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the  eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.

4) In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour into prepared bundt pan.

5) Bake at 350  for approximately 30 -35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then invert ONTO A PLATE and remove cake from pan.

If you don't flip it onto a plate, you will have a hard time getting it onto one. This cake is so moist it breaks if you try to pick it up. Cool completely.