It's the Great Pumpkin, Sara Jean

i love autumn. the colors, the smells, the crisp in the air. and with autumn comes pumpkin season!

i suppose i could eat pumpkin year 'round. i give it to mahjong daily with her food (greyhounds have very sensitive stomachs....trust me...you want the pumpkin in their diet....everyone is happier for it). but somehow it only feels appropriate for me to have it in the months of october and november.

once i see those bright happy orange gourds in the farmers markets, i put them in everything i can think of. and as i mentioned in my favorite thing.....orange is on the list of happy!

i have a variety of breakfast dishes to start the day. one of my go-to favorites has been pumpkin scones with spiced pecans and candied ginger. the pumpkin adds a nice moist texture to the scone so it's much better than the dry hockey pucks you find at most major coffee chains. and pumpkin pancakes. with rolled oats and whole wheat. so fluffy and flavorful, you don't taste the "healthy". pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for a quick grab-and-go breakfast on work days. and one of these days, when i'm feeling especially fancy, i'll be making pumpkin cinnamon rolls. maybe for thanksgiving. seems like a holiday type of breakfast.

i've also found the versatility of pumpkin in savory dishes. i took a three week trip through europe a few years ago during october, and noticed that every country i was in, they used pumpkin in their main courses. diced and tossed with pasta. pureed and used as a base for soups, mashed and used as the filling for dumplings. now i use it as a base for many of my favorite autumn main dishes. pumpkin risotto, pumpkin coconut milk soup, pumpkin polenta. and one of my all time favorites, pumpkin gnocchi with a sage brown butter sauce. i actually learned the recipe during that october european adventure. i spent some time at a cooking school in tuscany, and learned how simple and amazing the combination of pumpkin and sage can be. it makes the entire house smell wonderful!

and of course, desserts. pumpkin pie was probably the only way i had this amazing squash in my younger years. and pumpkin pie is amazing....but why limit oneself? now i make pumpkin cheesecakes (with gingersnap crust), pumpkin mousse, pumpkin cream cheese bars.

i've also started using the seeds as a base for snacking. i made a trail mix with spiced pumpkin seeds as a base. threw in some dried cranberries, almonds, golden raisins, peanuts and candied ginger. makes for a nice mid-day pick me up.

and now for the even better facts. beyond it's amazing taste, pumpkin has a stupid amount of fibre. also vitamin C and potassium, so i always feel a little better about dishes that i'm able to sneak it into. there's a study that shows the carotenoids in pumpkin keeps the elastin in skin strong, and helps prevent wrinkles! so for the vanity's sake.....load up on the pumpkins!!

there is one minor problem with all of this pumpkin. as i mentioned, i use pumpkin daily in mahjong's kibble to keep her digestive system healthy. so.....when she smells that i'm cooking with pumpkin? this is what i deal with in my kitchen:

neediest. hound. ever.