Pumpkin pancakes - With sausage! For a fundraiser. They're really fluffy, and you simply add pureed pumpkin and pumpkin spice to regular pancake batter.
Banana nut muffins (masquerading as pumpkin muffins) - My friend's cross country team sold these at a bake sale, but she wasn't really sure which flavor I was purchasing to support this worthy cause. However, her own mother made them. Still yummy, though unsatisfying in my quest for autumn gourd.
Pumpkin spice latte - Haven't gotten any yet. This is a serious crime to be remedied tomorrow because it'll be chilly.
Pumpkin ice cream - Haven't gotten any yet. To be remedied later this week when it's warm again.
Pumpkin candles - To be enjoyed year-round. I already own six, but last night I was admiring a small glass jar candle at the drug store. It was perfect in scent: rich, but not too spicy. After replacing the lid, I tried to place it back on the display. Instead, the lid slipped, and the candle jar smashed in pieces around the candy rack. Without turning around, Mum said, "Is there something else I have to buy?" I found the glass chunk with a price tag still attached, and the cashier scanned it while I apologized and warned her to clean the glass. Then I asked if I could still keep the loose candle. This makes up for all the things I didn't break when I was a kid.
Pumpkin soap - Oh, heck yes. Delicious for the nose, not the taste buds.
Carved pumpkins - I love carving and lighting pumpkins, but I've never been terribly original. Every single year since I was young, I carve a jack-o-lantern with the exact same triangle eyes and nose and toothy smile. Dad usually does the creative lantern: geometric shapes, stars & moon, giant tree. Last year, I stepped it up by carving a mermaid, but I think her arm fell off.
Wasted pumpkins - The downside of pumpkin carving. I once heard a farmer marvel that people spend big bucks for big pumpkins that they will just throw out and never eat. My family never made toasted pumpkin seeds, homemade pumpkin pie, etc., so jack-o-lanterns are a big waste on November 1. If we're lucky, we remember to toss them before the gnats set in.
Is anyone else celebrating gourd season?
I looove toasted pumpkin seeds! Sooooo good. I'm also really, really into salted caramel mochas from Starbuck's lately. Not pumpkin, but still seasonal and delicious.
ReplyDeleteI also love toasted pumpkin seeds. Two years ago when I was working for America Reads we took a field trip to a farm in Queens and everyone (including me) took home a little pumpkin. I gutted it to cook the seeds, which took forever and did not yield much food. I remember it being more fun when I was a kid, but maybe my parents actually did most of the work. Sadly, I have not encountered any gourds this year.
ReplyDelete