a beertastic pumpkin dinner!

The month of pumpkin has been so much fun to host throughout October! My love for pumpkin is severe, but it is well deserved. Pumpkin adds flavor, nutrients and should be used as often as possible, in my opinion! 

My last recipe for the month of October  (I am in no way saying this is my last pumpkin recipe for Fall) is Pumpkin Ale Chicken Chili. It is spicy and earthy, and the perfect addition to a cold Fall night! I know I am bias, but this dinner was pretty darn good. Make sure to read all the way to the bottom for my beer bread recipe!

Pumpkin Ale Chicken Chili 

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts cut up into bite size pieces (or hamburger meat)

2 T of coconut oil  

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash of chili powder (or ¼ teaspoon, if you want spicy)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup pumpkin ale (I used Shipyard Pumpkin Ale)

1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree

1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained 

1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained

½ cup chicken broth 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine beans, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, and spices into a crockpot. 

In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil and brown and cook the chicken. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of pumpkin ale, let simmer for 5 minutes. Dump into the slow cooker. 

In the same saucepan, cook the chopped vegetables (onion, carrots, and bell pepper). Once they are cooked through, add in the chopped garlic, cook until you smell the fragrance. Deglaze pan with remaining beer, let simmer for 5 minutes. Dump into slow cooker.

Mix everything in the crockpot and let cook on low for 2 hours. 

Served warm, topped with cheese and add pepper and salt to taste!

Enjoy!  

I served this chili with Beer Bread, as I am sure you have noticed in the pictures! I had made some in the past, but had neglected to sift the flour. Let me tell you, IT MATTERS! This bread is moist and SO easy to make. I used the same beer as the chili, Shipyard Pumpkin Ale, and thought it turned out perfectly. It was not pumpkiny, at all.

Beer Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups of whole wheat flour, sifted (trust me, do this step!)

½ cup of sugar

3 t baking powder (do not use if using self rising flour)  

1 t salt (do not use if using self rising flour)  

1 12 oz bottle of beer (I used Shipyard Pumpkin Ale)

½ cup melted butter

¼ t of cinnamon 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Grease a bread pan, I use coconut oil, making sure to completely cover. 

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well. Pour into well greased pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon. 

Cook for 45 min, and let sit for 15 min, before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Happy cooking,

Perfectly Edible Stuffed Pumpkins

We have grown up in a house that completely embraces pumpkins. My love for pumpkins and Fall, comes from my mother, who is always so creative in the kitchen. A few years back she made stuffed pumpkins. Initially I was hesitant, stuffed pumpkin does not sound super enticing, but when I took my first bite I knew I was hooked. These are so fun to make, and you can even eat the rind of the pumpkin! 

We recently made these for a family party. We have a few vegetarians in our extended family, so we opted to do one sausage stuffed pumpkin and one tofu pumpkin. They both turned out so good and were a huge hit at the party! This recipe is for 1 stuffed pumpkin, so if you are wanting to make two, make sure you double the recipe. 

Stuffed Pumpkins

Ingredients:

1 3-4 lb pie pumpkin (they are the short, squat pumpkins)

1 onion, chopped

1 lb sausage, ground beef or tofu

3 eggs

1 cup cooked multi grain rice or quinoa

¾ t pepper 

½ dry mustard

1 ½ t pumpkin pie spice

1 ½ cinnamon 

Directions:

Cut off the top of the pumpkin, clean out the inside and save the top. 

Prepare rice/quinoa according to box and set aside

Brown the meat (or tofu) in a saucepan. Add in onions and cook until clear. Drain liquid and combine the meat with the rice.

Combine eggs, pepper and dry mustard.

Mix remaining spices in a bowl, divide in half. Stir half of the spices into the egg mixture, and set the remaining in half. 

Using a knife, poke holes throughout the inside of the pumpkin, make sure not to go through the pumpkin, just to the outside. 

Rub the remaining spices onto the inside of the pumpkin. 

Combine the rice, meat, and egg mixture. Pour into the pumpkin, filling to the top. 

Place the pumpkin into an oven safe pan, with tall sides. Add in ½ cup of water and place the pumpkin top back on. 

Bake at 350° for 2 hours, pumpkin should be soft to the touch, similar to a cooked pepper. Make sure there is at least ½ cup of water in the pan at all times. 

Lift pumpkin out of oven, and serve on a platter. Cut the pumpkin into halves or wedges and add butter/salt to taste. 

Remember you can eat the pumpkin, as well!

Enjoy!!

Happy cooking, 

pumpkin pasta

Are we sick of pumpkin yet? Over here we are definitely still going pumpkin strong. I am averaging about two pumpkin recipes a week, which I think is the perfect amount! Talk to me after Thanksgiving and see how I am feeling, but for now we are pumpkin strong! 

This next recipe is one of Mix and Match Mama's, you all know the love affair I have with her blog! This year was the first time I have tried it, and I was so happy with how it turned out. My recipe is slightly different, with a few veggies and spices mixed in, but the main ingredient is still the magnificent pumpkin! 

Pumpkin Pasta 

Ingredients:

1 box whole wheat penne 

1 turkey kielbasa (or ground sausage)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

2 cup chicken broth

2 cup of pure pumpkin 

½ t cinnamon

1 t salt (add more or less depending on taste)

Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook your pasta per the box directions to al dente. Drain and set aside once finished. 

In a saucepan add EVOO and brown the turkey. Add in the cut onion, squash and garlic, cook through (about 4-5 minutes). 

Add the chicken broth into the pan, de-glaze for about 2 minutes. Add in the pumpkin and cook until smooth and creamy. 

Stir in the pasta until well incorporated and let simmer a few minutes. 

Serve topped with Parmesan Cheese. 

Enjoy! 

Luke and my parents were HUGE fans of this. It was just the right amount of pumpkin, and was so hearty and filling. You will love this edition of Pumpkin Pasta. 

Happy cooking, 

pumpkin zucchini bread

I love the smell of pumpkin bread cooking in the oven. A good Yankee candle is close, but there is nothing like the real smell, and the complete contentment of a good loaf.  

 I have had a go to pumpkin break recipe that I have used for a very long time, but I wanted to try a new recipe this season. No worries, I will be bringing you my infamous Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, but until then, here is my new recipe, warm and delicious Pumpkin Zucchini Bread. 

Ingredients:

3 eggs 

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup coconut oil (or 1 cup butter)

1 tbsp of vanilla extract

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking soda 

1 tbsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

1 ½ cup of shredded zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Beat the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until well incorporated. 

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the mixture in the beater. 

Meanwhile, shred the zucchini. And mix into the bread batter. 

I used a potato peeler and it worked out perfectly. It ended up being about 1 whole zucchini - here is a picture of my shredded zucchini. 

Pour into well greased bread pans. I like to use coconut oil or flour based Pam. 

Cook 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Let cool for 5 minutes and flip over the pan onto a wire rack, to complete the cooling process. 

This recipe will fill two large bread pans, I ended up using one large and three small pans. I was really happy with how this recipe turned out. I didn't feel like you could taste the zucchini, and I felt the pumpkin was just perfect. We ate it with a nice white chili, making it the perfect dinner. 

Happy baking, 

very spidey pumpkins!

I love making Halloween decorations. Particularly ones that I can redecorate after October 31st, and make them more Fall looking to last through Thanksgiving. Usually, when I get the Michael's emails, I look for good coupons and keep scrolling, but recently this craft came along and I knew that Luke and I had to give it a try. 

What you will need:

Hot glue gun

Pumpkin (faux or real)

Little spiders, big spiders, any kind of crawly spiders you want!

Directions:

Hot glue the spiders on the pumpkin. You can do them crawling up the pumpkin or placed all around the pumpkin. We opted for a real pumpkin, the glue stuck, but it definitely was not permanent. This was OK for me, since I want to use the pumpkin after Halloween, but if you want a more durable pumpkin or if you want to place it outside for more than one night, use a faux pumpkin, they will stick better!

Remember, hot glue is very HOT. I had Luke hand me the spiders, I applied the glue and than placed on the pumpkin. This was perfect for him, since he wanted to play with the spiders anyway!

This is the perfect decoration for a front hall or to place on the porch. Super simple and super cute! 

Happy DIY'ing,

october=pumpkin

How in the world is it already October? I feel like my mom when I say, "time moves so fast when you are grown up." But, wow it really does!

October is a HUGE month for me. It is the month of my wedding anniversary (7 years for those wondering), the month of my birthday and most importantly the month that I subject my loved ones to EVERYTHING pumpkin! So, I thought "hey why not subject my readers to the same?" This month I will highlight all of my favorite pumpkin recipes, pumpkin traditions and new pumpkin ideas. 

Some of you may love this and some of you may not be so keen on the whole pumpkin thing. Pumpkin can be an acquired taste, but I promise if you try just one recipe, you will be pleasantly surprised (and no a pumpkin spice latte does not count as trying a recipe). Pumpkin is loaded with vitamin C and potassium and is even said to help with fertility! Nope, there is not hint in that last sentence.

Let the pumpkin madness commence! 

Happily addicted,