30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Six: Cinnamon Pecan Pumpkin Ice Cream

I really like cinnamony flavored ice cream.  I think I might actually prefer cinnamon ice cream on a slice of apple pie over a piece of chocolate cake.

 I know!
You didn't think it was time for shocking confessions. Did you?

However much I love ice cream, it does not love me.  I'll be naughty every once and a while and have some, but no more than a single scoop...or I'll be doubled over in pain.

So, in order to save myself a literal butload of pain, I'm always on the lookout for a good non dairy ice cream recipe.

I found this recipe for a Creamy Pumpkin Smoothie from Oh She Glows that I thought I could adapt into something fun and autumnal.  I added extra cinnamon, cinnamon chips, coconut and pecans.

The resulting concoction was good, but I messed up.  Instead of just placing the mixture in the freezer I should have churned it in the ice cream maker.  The ice cream that was placed directly into the freezer still tasted good, but the texture had ice crystals in it.  If you churn this in an ice cream maker that won't happen.  It will be nice and smooth like a good ice cream should.


Cinnamon Pecan Pumpkin Ice Cream adapted from Oh She Glows
2 c unsweetened almond milk
heaping 1/2 c rolled oats
1 c pumpkin
1/2 T molasses
2 frozen ripe banana- sliced into coins
3  t cinnamon
3/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground nutmeg
2 T maple syrup
1/2c cinnamon chips
1/2c salted pecan pieces
1/2 c sweetened flaked coconut

In med bowl whisk milk and oats. Place in fridge for 1 hour or preferably overnight. Add soaked oat mixture to food processor with pumpkin, molasses, frozen banana, maple syrup and spices. Blend til smooth. Slowly add to ice cream maker and blend per machine instructions.  Fold in chips, nuts and coconut.  Eat immediately for soft serve ice cream or chill for 1 hour for a more firm ice cream.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Five: Pumpkin Spiced Butter

I've made pumpkin butter before on this blog.  Am I reblogging?  No way!  That pumpkin butter was a sort of jam made of pumpkins, much like apple butter. 

This pumpkin butter from Style Sweet Ca is butter that has been flavored with pumpkin and spices! I think it's so much more tasty than the classic pumpkin spread.

Originally I tried to roll the butter in log forms, wrapped in wax paper, much like one would do when making flavored butters.  I do NOT recommend this.  The pumpkin makes the butter much too soft.  Put your whipped flavored butter in a lidded container.  You'll be much happier and it will be a lot easier to use.

Make sure that you emphasize to the people that you serve this to that it is not Pumpkin butter made from mostly pumpkin.  Mrblocko did not listen to me and put margarine on his toast first.  Don't be like him.  Eat your toast just like this:

One more word of advice: Don't be like me and try to whip your butter when it's not room temp.  The butter won't combine very well with the other ingredients.  Sure it will be tasty, but not as pretty as it could be.

Whipped Pumpkin Spice Butter from Style Sweet Ca
1 c butter, softened (don't try to skip this step)
1/4 c pumpkin puree
2 T brown sugar
2 T honey
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t clove
salt to taste

Whip butter with electric mixer on high 5 min (til lt and fluffy) with whisk attachment. Add remaining ingred. Whip again to combine.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Four: Pumpkin Caramel Glazed Bundt

This Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Bundt from Eat 2 Gather was pure heaven on a plate.

It was rich and moist and I could have eaten that caramel glaze by the spoonful.  Maybe I did.  I'll never tell.  No one was around as a witness.  Just remember...if you're going to lick the pan, wait til it cools.  The caramel glaze is HOT!

Also, don't be like me and burn the first batch of glaze.  Burnt glaze is neither tastes nor smells any kind of good.  If you burn your glaze, don't be tempted to throw in the towel.  It's so totally worth the extra effort.


Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Bundt from Eat 2 Gather
1 c Vegetable Oil
2 c Sugar
3 Eggs
3 c Flour
2 t bakingSoda
1 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Nutmeg
1/4 t Clove
1/2 t Ginger
1 t Salt
2 c Pumpkin
1 c chop Pecans
1 recipe  Caramel Frosting
1/2 c chop pecans for garnish

Preheat to 350 F.

Combine oil and sugar in bowl. Beat til combined. add eggs one at a time.  beat on med high til light and fluffy. In med bowl combine flour., soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and salt to flour . Slowly add dry to wet. Scrape side of bowl once or twice. Continue to blend on low, when dry ingred completely incorp, grad add pumpkin, scrape sides of bowl. beat on med 1 min. Fold in 1 c chopped pecans.

Pour batter in to a well greased bundt. Bake 350 F for 50 min or til toothpick comes out clean when poked in center of cake. Allow to cool slightly before pouring Caramel Frosting over cake.

Caramel Frosting
1 stick Butter
1/2 c Br Sugar
1/4 t Salt
1 t Vanilla
2 T Milk
2 c Powdered Sugar

Melt butter, sugar, and salt together, whisk continually til butter melted and caramel is bubbly. Remove from heat whisk in vanilla and milk. Let cool for 2 min, add powdered sugar, whisk until thick and smooth. Spoon over cake.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Three: Rye Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin and Rye sounds like a strange combination, but they make a great team.  I found this recipe for pumpkin bread on the PBS food site.  I prefer muffins for portion control so I made the batter into muffins instead.

Sometimes bread that contains rye is a little dry or gritty.  Not this bread!  The pumpkin keeps the bread moist. I think the rye must soak up the moisture enough to puff up the flour bits to prevent the baked bread from having a gritty texture.

The muffins themselves taste surprisingly pumpkiny.  Sometimes when you make pumpkin bread you can't taste the pumpkin at all because the sugar is so overpowering.  The sweetness and pumpkin flavors are quite evenly balanced in this recipe.

We Blockos found that the taste of the muffins was so flavorful on its own, and they were so moist as well, there was no need for butter at all.

Rye Pumpkin Bread/Muffins from PBS
1 c flour
1/2 c rye flour
1 t baking powder
1 c pumpkin pureé
1/3 c veg oil
2 eggs
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t ginger
1/8 t cardamom
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. spray 9x5 loaf pan (or line muffin tin with papers.) Set aside.
In med bowl, whisk flours and baking powder. In another med bowl, add pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, sugars, baking soda and salt; whisks smooth. Fold in flour mix until just combined. Over mixing will result in tough bread. Fold in walnuts. Transfer batter to pan or 12 muffin cups.  Bake the loaf for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are puffed, golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes and serve warm.(It took 25 min for the muffins to cook as well.)

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day Two: Crockpot Chili

There's no better way to start your October weekends off than with a big bowl of chili.  Crockpot Pumpkin Chili from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice is a great way to put a new spin on a classic meal.  Adding pumpkin to your chili is a great way to sneak in an extra veggie in an already rich veggie dish. 

I suppose you could make this chili with ground beef, but that would make the dish a lot more complicated since it is prepared in the crockpot.  If you use chicken you can stick the meat in the crockpot frozen.  Using ground beef will require you to brown the meat in a skillet first.  We used chicken cause it is a leaner meat, and I'm lazy.

The chili is supposed to have corn in it.  I forgot!  As it is, the recipe made 9 servings for us!  The original says it only makes 6.  Those must have been some HUGE serving sizes.  Even if your family is a bunch of hearty eaters this batch of chili still feeds a goodly amount of hungry folks.

Crockpot Pumpkin Chicken Chili from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
14 oz diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) pumpkin puree
2 c chicken broth
1 lg onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, mince
1 T chile powder
1 t cumin
1 heaping t dried oregano,
1/2 t black pepper
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed, minced, (we used 1 with the seeds)
1 1/2 lb chicken breasts or cutlets, skin and visible fat removed (this is about 3-4 breasts)
2 cans (14 ounce each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used 1.5c each cooked pinto and black beans)
1 c corn kernels, if frozen, thawed
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped (I used 2t dried)
sour cream, shredded cheddar, guacamole/avocado, green onions and/or tortilla chips, for serving

To a 4-5 qt crockpot add tomatoes, broth and pumpkin. Stir til combined; add onion, garlic, chile powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and chipotles; combine well. Add chicken, beans and corn. Cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 on low. When ready to serve remove chicken and chop into bite-size pieces or shred with two forks. (we shredded ours) Add back to pot, stir in cilantro and serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar, green onions, guacamole and/or tortilla chips.

30 Days of Pumpkin-Day One: Pumpkin Cookie Dough

These pumpkin cookie dough balls from Foods for the Soul are a great fall mid morning snack!  I like to pretend they are healthy cause they contain a veggie.  I also like to pretend that I'm the queen of everything.  Bubbles are great until someone goes and burst them so ....   shhhhh!

These pumpkin dough balls are slightly different from the ones I made back in Dec'12.  These don't contain any oats, and twice as much sugar.  Remember what I said about healthy?  Uh scratch that.  The Oat cookie dough balls are probably better for you.  These cookie dough balls are pure smooth pumpkin dough, which there is a time and a place for.  That time is now, and the place is in your belly.

Pumpkin Dough Balls adapted from Foods for the Soul
1 c flour
heaping 1/2 t cinnamon
heaping 1/4 t pumpkin pie spice blend
1 T butter or margarine, melted
1/4c + 1T canned pumpkin
1/2 t vanilla
1/2c brown sugar

In a small bowl mix flour and spices, in another bowl mix remaining ingredients.  Add dry to wet.  Roll into 32 balls.  Chill on parchment or wax paper covered cookie sheet in freezer.  Once solid, store in airtight container in freezer.  Keep cold until served.  Will be extremely mushy at room temp.

1 c all-purpose flour (measured correctly)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

¼ c + 2 tsp pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ c brown sugar

- See more at: http://foodsforthesoul.net/2013/09/23/pumpkin-cookie-dough-bites/#sthash.I2PuXYT3.dpuf

1 c all-purpose flour (measured correctly)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

¼ c + 2 tsp pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ c brown sugar

See Kid-Friendly Halloween Treats

1. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, pumpkin, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Mix in the brown sugar, smearing any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the dry flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Line a baking sheet or large plate with wax paper. Roll the cookie dough into 32 little balls, using between 1 – 1½ teaspoons of dough in each ball. Place on the wax paper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

- See more at: http://foodsforthesoul.net/2013/09/23/pumpkin-cookie-dough-bites/#sthash.I2PuXYT3.dpuf

1 c all-purpose flour (measured correctly)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

¼ c + 2 tsp pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ c brown sugar

See Kid-Friendly Halloween Treats

1. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, pumpkin, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Mix in the brown sugar, smearing any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the dry flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Line a baking sheet or large plate with wax paper. Roll the cookie dough into 32 little balls, using between 1 – 1½ teaspoons of dough in each ball. Place on the wax paper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

- See more at: http://foodsforthesoul.net/2013/09/23/pumpkin-cookie-dough-bites/#sthash.I2PuXYT3.dpuf

Thirty Days of Pumpkin

Is there such a thing as too much pumpkin?  

No way Josie!  

For the entire month of October, I'll be posting a squash-o-riffic recipe for Thirty Days.  

via

Insane?

Yes.

Glad we cleared that up.

via

Gourds away!