<p>I love pumpkin this time of year - pie, bread, muffins, pancakes -you name it!</p>
<p>This morning I made a pumpkin smoothie - it was DELICIOUS!</p>
<p>I’ll share mine smoothie recipe - if you have a favorite pumpkin treat, please share or provide recipe link!</p>
<p>Pumpkin Smoothie</p>
<p>1/4 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 medium scoop vanilla ice cream/yogurt
4 ice cubes
1/2. tsp. brown sugar
Dash cinnamon
Milk to desired consistency (I probably used about 1/4 cup)</p>
<p>Blend in blender - enjoy!</p>
<p>A nice change from fruit smoothies and besides the ice cream, decently nutritious!</p>
<p>I like Curried Pumpkin Soup, but I don’t have a set recipe.</p>
<p>I just cook some chopped onions with a couple of bay leaves until soft and golden, then add minced garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes, then add spices and cook for a few minutes more. You could use curry powder or garam masala, or grind individual Indian spices together, or put them in whole if you are going to puree the soup.</p>
<p>I then add chicken stock and canned pumpkin, stir it all together and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and puree the soup with an immersion blender if necessary. Add some cream/plain yogurt/sour cream to finish according to your taste and correct the seasoning. You can add a little garam masala at the end to make it more aromatic, as is often done in Indian cooking. </p>
<p>You can also throw a peeled, diced apple or two in with the onion at the beginning if you like. This also works well with butternut squash, and you can use some cider instead of or in addition to chicken stock.</p>
<p>I make the same curried pumpkin soup as Consolation. Sometimes I make regular pumpkin soup too which is pretty much the same minus the Indian spices (ginger and garlic are good though) and maybe a bit of nutmeg - serve with a bit of whip cream, sour cream or creme fresh.</p>
<p>Best not from scratch pumpkin bread - Trader Joes. Just add eggs, water and oil and it’s delicious. Easy to sub egg whites. Tried applesauce instead of oil but the result was stickier that usual.</p>
<p>I have almost the exact same pumpkin bread recipe as YDS, with the addition of 1 tsp. of ground cloves. I make 3 smaller loaves - they make great gifts and freeze well.</p>
<p>For easy you can’t beat this - take a box of spice cake mix. Add a can of pumpkin. Add raisin or chocolate chips. Drop as cookies on baking sheet and bake at 350 unitl done, (no longer wet). Times varies on size of cookie. And yes - no other liquid or eggs added to mix. </p>
<p>You can actually do this with any cake mix. Chocolate works well, too.</p>
<p>This past weekend at a wedding shower I tasted a pumpkin recipe I wish I had the recipe for (had to leave before the shower was over so couldn’t ask for it). It was baked in a 13/9 pan, had a pumpkin pie type mixture/consistency on the bottom then a layer of something - kind of tasty like yellow cake, but not actually cake and some nuts. </p>
<p>Just made Consolation’s Curried Pumpkin Soup - delish I used veggie broth instead of chicken and included an apple. Yummy AND my house smells wonderful!</p>
<p>Last week I served the pumpkin tortellone along with some sausage stuffed chicken thighs braised in Chianti to nice effect. Unfortunately no leftovers for us H1N1 sickies this week.</p>
<p>Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose baking mix
1 cup raisins or nuts (optional; I usually used chopped pecans)
2/3 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 can (30 oz.) Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
3 large eggs
Streusel topping (recipe follows)</p>
<p>Preheat oven to 400° F. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups.</p>
<p>Combine baking mix, raisins/nuts, oats, sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Combine pumpkin pie mix and eggs in medium bowl; mix well. Stir into oat mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping.</p>
<p>Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire rack; cool slightly. Serve warm.</p>
<p>For Streusel Topping:
Combine 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.</p>
<p>I also have the same pumpkin bread recipe as Youdon’tsay with the addition of 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, 1 teaspoon of allspice, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. I make it in six smaller loaf pans and gift it all year round. With smaller pans, I only cook for about 45 minutes. It’s rare that I don’t have some in the freezer.</p>
I used veggie broth instead of chicken and included an apple. Yummy AND my house smells wonderful!</p>