All things pumpkin

Fall is here with the promise of good things. This time of year simply makes me happy. Not just the air turning crisp and cool. Not just nature's colorful show of beautiful fall foliage. Not just the anticipation of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Mostly because everywhere we look we see the most beloved autumnal symbol. The pumpkin.

All lined up and waiting to decorate your home for the fall season.

I LOVE pumpkins. Pumpkin-licious everything makes fall a favorite season. Okay, I admit, I love all the seasons. The changing seasons are just one thing I love about Pennsylvania. As soon as you tire of one, it's time for the next and all that it brings. But that's another story. Today we're talking about pumpkins and fall.

Fall magazine covers cry my name every year. Purchase me, purchase me, they say. After a turkey on the cover, pumpkins are the next reason I'd be tempted to buy a magazine. Sounds silly, I know, but pumpkins hold the promise and flavor of the season for me and the potential for new delicious ways to enjoy a favorite ingredient.

So tempting to see such a display.

Pumpkin is so versatile and satisfies when it's both savory and sweet. You can never go wrong with pumpkin pie for dessert or a late-night snack. And it's great for breakfast, too, especially on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

But I get ahead of myself when I think about food. Pumpkins first make the scene in early September. On first appearance in the market, I need to start my seasonal collection. I like to start with some mini pumpkins for my mantel, my desk at work, and to place strategically through the house. Of course, we can never forget some big ones for the front doorstep and by the fireplace.

And I always enjoy filling an old amber glass compote mom bought me years ago at a stand in Lancaster Amish country with some colorful and oddly shaped gourds for texture and visual appeal on the tablescape in the foyer. So welcoming to see as we pass through that space.

Baby pumpkins are so cute.

Yes, pumpkins are an important decoration to get me in a fall state of mind. Who doesn't love our family tradition of the annual trip to the local farms for October festivities, including the hayride to the pumpkin patch? My adult children still insist on the yearly adventure and what mom and pop would say no to that kind of pumpkin fun? Not me or hubby, for sure.

Certainly my two daughters have inherited my love of pumpkin. All three of us get excited to see the annual return of pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. Always better to dip our pumpkin cream cheese scones or some cakey-delicious homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies like the ones we enjoyed just this past week.

Also in my quest to satisfy pumpkin cravings, I love to search for new recipes to try. Decadent pumpkin cheesecake always delivers, so I enjoy making that around Thanksgiving. Results of a recent search have me thinking I want to try this season the pumpkin pie creme brulée I found on foodnetwork.com. Just reading the recipe satisfies as I imagine the creamy custard topped with burnt crispy sugar. Oh my.

This girl surely loves a good recipe, but it's also okay when I'm too lazy to cook or bake from scratch since I'm just as fine with popping, say, my frozen Trader Joe's pumpkin mousse in the oven. I found that after an intense workday, I'm not such a food snob and will eat anything store-bought if the ingredients are top-notch. I've told you before that this is why Trader Joe's is a favorite for me and the family. TJ's seasonal offerings always satisfy and fall is no exception.

As I check online at TraderJoes.com and peruse TJ's Fearless Flyer that hubby brought home the other day, I see other pumpkin products we know and love. They've also got pumpkin bread and muffin mix on the shelf for when I need a quick fix and don't have the energy to make a mess in the kitchen. 

For our nightly ice cream habit, we can't forget our favorite smooth, rich and creamy Pilgrim Joe's pumpkin ice cream with a just-right blend of seasonal spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and a hint of cloves. Top off some warm pumpkin bread, fresh from the oven, and that's just some down-home comfort in a bowl.

A beautiful display at a local farm.

New last year to our fall repertoire is TJ's pumpkin cream cheese, which is also oh so good. It's a creamy and whipped taste of heaven as an excellent spread on bagels, and even better for dipping ginger cookies or spiced wafers.

And on the back page of the October flyer, Trader Joe is now offering, while supplies last, Pumpkin Spice Coffee, spiked with actual spices, not artificial ingredients. The 100% Brazil Cerrado Arabica beans are roasted and infused with orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla beans, and all natural pumpkin spice flavor. This "official beverage of pumpkin season" is described as a low-cal slice of pumpkin pie in a cup. I'm sure you know what will be in my cart this week at TJ's!

Now I'll admit that the pumpkin fare I've described this far is all sweet, but I have to say that savory pumpkin works well for me also. Let it be noted that my dinner choice is made if I see pumpkin ravioli on a restaurant menu.

And last year I debuted pumpkin lasagna with sausage, fresh basil, zucchini, and ricotta for Thanksgiving to add some Italian flair to the bounty on the table. The dish was enjoyed by all and so the recipe is surely a keeper that will be repeated.

Fairytale designer pumpkins are just fun.

Now that I have all you pumpkin lovers salivating and dreaming about your next pumpkin foray, I'll share with you a favorite pumpkin bread recipe:

Therese's Pumpkin-licious Quick Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Mix together:
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups sugar (or less to taste)
4 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil (I sometimes substitute applesauce)
1½ tsp. salt


Then add:
1 cup pumpkin (canned is just fine) Note: My name's not Martha.
⅓ cup water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups flour

Pour evenly into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 50-60 minutes at 350°. Test for doneness with cake tester or toothpick.

Mm-mmm good! I also like to divide the batter between mini loaf pans for gift-sized loaves to send home with guests after a fall dinner party. Your friends will remember and love you as they enjoy their own pumpkin adventure the next day at breakfast. As Martha would say, it's a good thing.

So I'm hoping I got you excited about some pumpkin potential this season and you think of me every time you see the plump gourd-like squash in your travels. Remember, you too can have a pumpkin-licious life with all things pumpkin.

Until next time, yours in fun and the pumpkin patch...Therese 

Recipe for love

Today was a wonderfully low-key day. After all the festivities preparing for and celebrating daughter Melissa's wedding shower this past week, I was ready for low-key, for sure.

After three nights in a row staying up later than is ideal, we slept in Sunday morning. It was a really nice luxury to not have to be anywhere or do anything. Everyone needs time here and there to be off a schedule to decompress, but that isn't always feasible. Today I made it happen for me. Yes, sure, there was lots to do, there always is, but I was okay to let it all go and give myself time to rejuvenate, knowing that cranky would surely appear in full force if I didn't listen and attend to the needs of my body and soul.

Homemade biscotti and Italian cookies.

After a breakfast of leftover Italian shower cookies, thanks to my wonderful relatives, my mom called to ask if she could bring anything for our Sunday family dinner. How about ravioli? Mmm, sounds good, but I told her I would make pasta e fagioli. I could hear her delight through the phone. Why? Because cooking a big pot of pasta e fagioli is a sign of a new season for our Italian-American family, readiness for crisp fall days. I made mom's day with that announcement. I told her all she needed to bring was some crusty Italian bread.

Mortadella, provolone, Italian rolls,
and olive oil chips and
olive tapenade from Trader Joe's. Mmm.

She made the delight mutual and asked if we wanted some mortadella with that bread. Sure! Mortadella is just heaven on warm crusty Italian bread. Do I hear you say, What is mortadella? The literal translation is "the death of her."  Mortadella is an Italian (Bolognese) cold cut or "salume" made of finely hashed or ground pork sausage.

The "death," I like to think, refers to the small cubes of pork fat throughout the pink meat. Delicately flavored with spices, such as ground black pepper, peppercorns, myrtle berries, nutmeg, and coriander, the meat also has pistachios or olives throughout. Mortadella is best sliced thin and is certainly not health food with all the chunks of fat, but that's what makes it so delicious on warm bread, just oozing goodness as the fat melts on the bread and in your mouth.

So while I waited for mom and pop to show up with our mortadella, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, something I hadn't had much time to do in recent weeks, and something I was sorely missing. My daughter Amanda and her hubby Jack, just back from a tour of duty on Guam, are staying with us temporarily until they move to New York in January when Jack starts his next assignment in Ballston Spa. With Amanda and Jack come their two long-haired Chihuahuas, Alfie and Lucy. So our two of the same breed, Baci and Bella, have some company for now, too.

So we took all four pups on our walk around the neighborhood. After their round, the kids and pups went in, and I decided to continue for a few more spins myself. On my third spin, I saw that my mom and dad's car was in the front of our house, so I jogged lightly up the block to meet them. When I reached them, mom said she just told dad that she thought that young girl walking was their daughter. Oh, loving you, mom! So nice as an almost fifty-year-old to hear your mom call you a young girl!

After greeting mom and pop, they went in the house and I finished my walk, quickly, I should say, so I could get to the kitchen table to dive into the mortadella and bread. Ah! Sweet reward!

After lunch, while mom and pop visited with Amanda who hasn't been home in over a year, I took the opportunity to grab a few winks and take a nap on the sofa. Just what the doctor ordered!

Soon after, it was time to start our dinner, so I oven-roasted some carrots and broccoli with some good olive oil at a high temperature. That's all you need for some caramelized goodness, intensifying flavor and bringing out the inherent sweetness of any vegetable. A simple recipe, the results are a quick and easy way to get your veggies in you through the week in salads for lunch or to accompany just about any dinner.

Then I started the main course, a traditional Italian meal of pasta e fagioli, which translates to pasta and beans. Here's my basic recipe I build upon now for years:

Pasta e Fagioli

olive oil
1 pound Italian pork or chicken sausage, cut in coins OR cubed cooked ham or pancetta
chopped onion to taste
minced garlic to taste
6 cups water
3½ cups gravy (or tomato sauce, if you're not an East Coast-Italian American)
3 cups (two 15-ounce cans) great northern beans, undrained
3 cups (two 15-ounce cans) red kidney beans, undrained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
ground black pepper
½ package (8 oz.) ditalini, uncooked (or any other small pasta you may like)
freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, heat oil and sauté meat, onion, and garlic until onion is tender, but not brown. Stir in water, gravy, beans, parsley, and pepper; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes to blend flavors. Return soup to a boil. Add pasta and boil, stirring occasionally, so you don't burn the bottom, 10 minutes or until your pasta is tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.  

One-pot meals satisfy when
the air gets crisp and cool.

Now this recipe should make 6-8 servings of love, but I usually double this, since leftovers are even better.

And I'm always sure to tweak the recipe, depending on my mood. I say you can also add pinto beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, any beans you like.

Today I used Trader Joe's Spinach, Fontina & Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage in the mix, and it added some great flavor. And I added a bag of chopped frozen spinach, to give us some more veggie power.



Pasta e fagioli with shaved Parmesan.
Can you tell I like a lot of cheese?

We certainly didn't forget the crusty Italian bread to sop up the gravy. This one-pot meal is peasant food at its best and was enjoyed by all. How do I know? Family going back for a second dish is always a sure sign. 

At the end of the day I packed up some pasta e fagioli to send mom and pop on their way, so they could also enjoy the leftovers as we will this week. Did I just send them home with some leftovers? No, I sent them home with some love.


A new season. Good food. Warm family. A recipe for love. Enjoy.