Pumpkin Brie Quesadilla

Pumpkin. Brie. Pumpkin. Brie. Okay, I was going to try out this recipe. I knew there was a chance that it might end up in the trash. I also knew it could turn out amazing. Fortunately, it was so delicious! I might need to pick up some more brie.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
5 ounces brie, sliced thinly
8 6-inch tortillas

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in the pan, spread 1/4 of pumpkin mixture over it then top with 1/4 of the brie. Lay a second tortilla on top. Cook each side until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Cut quesadillas into quarters. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Savory Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Soup with Sage Croutons and Bacon  

Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

Pumpkin and French toast, a match made in heaven! Not to mention perfect for a crisp, fall morning. This bake doesn't require maple syrup, but I will admit, a small drizzling of syrup does add a nice finishing touch to this dish. Besides, can you really have French toast without syrup?

Oh, and this pumpkin bake is amazing (dare I say, even a little better) as leftovers!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin French Toast
6 slices of sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes

Directions:
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese filling ingredients on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy--about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, egg, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.

Lightly grease an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of bread cubes in the dish. Pour half of the pumpkin mixure evenly over the bread. Then spread cream cheese mixture on top of that. Create another layer of bread cubes and pour the remaining pumpkin mixture of the bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for a least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter and toss together. Use your finger to work the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly ontop of the French toast bake.

Bake for 35  to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats  
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Soup with Sage Croutons and Bacon

It's pumpkin season again! First up, pumpkin soup! I've been longing to make pumpkin soup for years. I've read through a lot of recipes, and even tried a few--none very good, the one I made last year ended up in the trash. This year I decided to make my own based off a delicious butternut squash soup I made a couple of years ago. It was love at first taste.

Since Eric isn't a big pumpkin fan--at least when it's used in savory dishes--I made him a little tasting bowl. His reaction: If I liked pumpkin, it'd be really good. He did absolutely love the sage croutons though.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Soup
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
2-3 cups chicken stock (I used low sodium)
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
4 bacon slices, cooked
Dried parsley, garnish, optional

Sage Croutons
3 slices of sandwich bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:
Sage Croutons
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cut bread into 1-inch squares. Toss bread with olive oil and spices. Spread the bread into a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until croutons are brown and crisp. Flip half way through baking.

Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Soup
In a saucepan, saute garlic and onions in the butter until they are translucent.  Remove from heat.

Place pumpkin and cream cheese into a food processor. Pour in sauteed garlic and onions. Blend until well combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer back into saucepan. (If you don't mind little pieces of garlic and onion floating in your soup, you can skip this step). Add 2 cups chicken stock, sage, and pumpkin pie spice to saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Whisk ingredients together until well combined. If soup is thicker than you desire, add more chicken stock (I like my soup a little on the thick side). Season with salt and pepper but remember, you are going to add bacon so that will add a lot of sodium to your soup.

Once soup is thoroughly heated, remove from heat. Divide soup between four bowls. Garnish with parsley if desired. Add croutons and crumble 1 slice of bacon over each bowl.

Eric's tasting bowl

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries

So I've been trying to not go too crazy with pumpkin recipes this year. Eric loves pumpkin, but I wear him out on it every fall. So this year I'm trying to be good. How good, we'll see. But I have been wanting to make pumpkin oatmeal cookies for some time now. Threw in some white chocolate chips and dried cranberries (I love dried cranberries) for good measure and came up with a pumpkin cookie that even Eric couldn't say no to (he also did not want to share them).

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 15-ounce canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups flour
2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Add in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Combine well and set aside.

In another large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Drop a rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn a light brown.

Meet Arya, my little helper and crumb catcher and new member of our family.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

Eric's coworkers surprised us with wedding gifts--money for our honeymoon and a gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond. It was incredibly unexpected and thoughtful of them. As a thank you I baked 6 dozen mini pumpkin cupcakes and had Eric take them to work. Eric said everyone loved them--and they must have because not a single one came back home with him!

I used to make this recipe all the time as a cake with my pumpkin dip as a filling. It was my signature dessert, if you will. I always got compliments on it, and everyone wanted the recipe. Well, I ended up making this cake so much that I got sick of it and haven't made it in years. But when I was trying to decide what goodies I should send Eric to work with, my mind immediately went to the pumpkin cake. As a cupcake, I made it with buttercream and chocolate buttercream frosting. While delicious, it really is so much better with the pumpkin filling. So I will give you directions to both the mini cupcakes with buttercream and the cake.

I think this recipe originally comes from Kraft, but I've had it for so long that I no longer remember. 

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Cake
Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Either line mini muffin pan with mini cupcake papers or grease and flour them (this is what I did).

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients together with an electric mixer until well combined. Fill the mini muffin pan 3/4 of the way full with the batter. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes come out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 6 tablespoons milk
(if you want chocolate buttercream frosting, add 1/2 to 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted)


Directions:
Place the the butter into a large bowl and cream with a hand mixer or standing mixer.  Add vanilla and mix. Add 1 cup of sugar and blend on low speed until well incorporated. Then add another cup of sugar and beat until well blended. By now your buttercream is getting thick. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk and mix. Blend in the the final cup of sugar. Add a couple more tablespoon of milk if desired. (Beat in the cocoa powder, if desired). To get light, smooth buttercream you need to blend the buttercream for 15 to 20 minutes on low.

Frost your mini cupcakes. Store in an airtight container.

We got a standing mixer as a wedding gift and I am in love with it! Making buttercream has never been so easy!

The stackable wire racks were also a wedding gift that I love!

Four Layer Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients:
Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Filling
1 8-ouce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8-ounce tub cool whip, thawed
1/4 cup caramel topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine all the cake ingredients together with an electric mixer until well combined. Evenly divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until creamy. Add powdered sugar, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice. Combine well. Gently fold in the cool whip.

Once the cakes have cooled, cut each horizontally in half with a serrated knife so you now have four layers. Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the filling on top of the cake. Continue to stack with remaining cake layers and filling. Drizzle the caramel topping over the top of the cake.

Store in the refrigerator.

Just typing out the directions to the pumpkin cake kind of makes me want to make it again. Maybe for Thanksgiving?

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes!
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas

For our honeymoon, Eric and I went up north to my parents' cabin. It's our favorite spot on earth--plus it's affordable (especially after paying for a wedding). I know many people wouldn't want to cook on their honeymoon, but I couldn't wait to make some our favorites (Parmesan seared chicken, pumpkin dip with cinnamon sugar pastries) and test out some new recipes. These roasted pumpkin chickpea were something I had bookmarked, but hadn't planned on making up north until I saw pumpkin butter in the fridge. I love roasted chickpeas and I love pumpkin so I knew I'd loved these--and I wasn't disappointed.

Normally roasted chickpeas are best right out of the oven. Hot and crispy. However, I like these better after they've sat for a bit and cooled. Yes, they are not crispy, but the flavor . . . the flavor is much more pumpkin-y and sweet the next day.

Now Eric is not a fan of the chickpea period (well, unless they're in hummus). But my mom is and I can't wait for her to try these!

Recipe adapted from here. 

Ingredients:
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin butter (store-bought or homemade)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas then using paper towel, dry them. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin pie spice and olive oil. Add chickpeas and toss to coat.

Spread the chickpeas on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes.

Place the chickpeas back into a bowl and coat them with the pumpkin butter and sugar. Spread the chickpeas back out on the cookie sheet and bake for another 15 minutes.

Allow to cool.

These roasted pumpkin chickpeas really are the perfect fall snack!

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes!
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Hot Cocoa

Come fall, everyone is all about Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte. I'm allergic to caffeine so I don't know don't know what all the fuss is about, but I long to have something pumpkin-y and warm to drink this time of year. Well, while up north I decided to add some pumpkin puree to my hot chocolate. Heaven. Pure autumnly heaven.

Now I make my own hot chocolate mix. My hot cocoa comes out thick and chocolaty. Store-bought hot cocoa mix is just sweet watery-ness in comparison. So if you love hot chocolate, treat yourself and make homemade hot cocoa mix. You don't even have to click on the link. I will put my recipe at the end of this post. However, I'm sure you could make this with the store-bought stuff. I'd just suggest starting out with less pumpkin puree (1/4 tablespoon) and slowly add more to taste.

Pumpkin Hot Cocoa Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup water or milk
1/3 cup homemade hot cocoa mix
1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
1 pinch of pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Heat up 1 cup milk, pour in 1/3 cup hot cocoa mix, and stir. Stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice until dissolved. Add marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.

Okay, this is my recipe for regular hot chocolate mix. I also have a dark chocolate hot cocoa mix (haven't tried it with the pumpkin, but I bet it's delicious), but I'm going to make you click on the link for that one.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients:

3 cups nonfat dry milk powder

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Pour about half of the mix into a good processor and pulse until the chocolate chips become finely ground. Pour into an airtight container. Repeat with the other half of the mix.

To make a cup of hot chocolate: heat up 1 cup milk or water, pour in 1/3 cup hot cocoa mix, and stir.








Also try a roasted Peep or marshmallow in your hot cocoa!

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes!
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas

Pumpkin Fudge

It's autumn and that means it's time for everything pumpkin! Since we had an autumn wedding, I had to have pumpkin something--other than the centerpieces. So along with puppy chow and homemade sea salt caramels, I made pumpkin fudge for our Treat or Trick favor bags. This fudge is super pumpkin-y but not super sweet and that's exactly what I loved about it.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
7-ounce jar marshmallow fluff
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Line an 8x8-inch pan with waxed paper and grease with cooking spray.

In a saucepan, heat evaporated milk and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and bring mixture back to a boil. Stir in butter and marshmallow fluff and once again bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, mixture to 232 degrees F on the candy thermometer.

Once the mixture reaches 232 degrees, remove from heat. Add the chips and vanilla extract. Stir until all the chips are melted and the mixture is creamy. Pour into prepared pan. Allow the fudge to cool, remove it from the pan, and cut. Store fudge in a cool, dry place.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes!
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage

Source

October is my favorite month. It has Halloween in it. To start this month out right, I'm going to share this hearty, spicy pumpkin stew. The original recipes comes from here. I made a number of changes though. Next time, I may make even more changes, like adding more vegetables--potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and so on. But as is, this soup is quite filling. One little bowl and I'm stuffed. Eric wasn't a big fan, but considering he prefers pumpkin in his desserts, not his entree, and doesn't like black beans, I wasn't expecting him to get excited about this dish. However, everyone else loved it!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
1 package Echrich Jalapeno and Cheddar sausages
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
29-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 tablespoon thyme
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
sugar, to taste

Directions:
In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high and saute the onions until they're translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and brown. Pour in chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes, corn, and pumpkin. Stir and bring to a boil. Add milk, curry, cumin, sage, and thyme. Stir. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Season to taste with cayenne, salt, black pepper, and sugar.

P.S. It's even better the next day!

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check These Fall Recipes:  
Acorn Donuts
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Caramels
Pumpkin Penn Casserole
Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Brownies

Pumpkin Penne Casserole

If it's not apparent by now, I've been on a major pumpkin kick lately. I've made cheese tortellini in a pumpkin sauce (my personal favorite), pumpkin lasagna rolls, pumpkin bread, pumpkin swirl brownies, pumpkin dip (Eric's favorite), and even a mini pumpkin pie (Eric's second favorite). To say the least, I've pumpkin'ed poor Eric out--except for the pumpkin dip, he's already asked me to make more. So when I made this casserole, I didn't tell him there was pumpkin in it (Bad, girlfriend, bad). He came home from work and I told him dinner was on the stove if he was hungry. He mentioned that it smelled good and asked what was in it. I started off with the magical word: sausage, then listed off some other ingredients. Eric took a few bites and loved it. After he cleared half his plate, he asked again what was in it, there was something he couldn't identify. That's when I let the bomb drop: pumpkin. The pumpkin in this dish is mild and takes a backseat to the spiciness of the dish. Even though it was pumpkin, Eric continued to finish what was on his plate.

Ingredients:
2 spicy sausages (I used Hillshire Farms jalapeno and cheddar smoked sausage), chopped
2 cups penne pasta
3 tablespoons onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tablespoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook sausage until golden brown. Remove from pan. Saute onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes for about 3 minutes or until soft. Add pumpkin, chicken stock, salt, and sage and stir. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, cream cheese, and sausage. Simmer until the sauce slightly thickens. Add pasta and parsley and toss. Spray a 8x8 inch glass casserole dish with cooking spray and pour in sausage and pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip

Pumpkin dip with cinnamon-sugar pastries

Eric's all-time favorite pie is pumpkin pie. This year he asked if I could make my pumpkin dip instead of pumpkin pie. That's how good this dip is.

I serve the dip on cinnamon-sugar pastry or ro-ro's as my maternal grandmother would say. She died when my mom was still growing up, but whenever my mom baked a pie from scratch, she would turn the dough scraps into what my grandmother coined as ro-ro's. For ro-ro's, cut the dough in strips, roll them into a log then dip them in a mix of cinnamon and sugar, and bake them. Instead of rolling the dough into bit-size logs, I use cookie cutters on the dough.

The pumpkin dip and sugar-cinnamon pastry make a great appetizer for an autumn dinner party or even Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Dip

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:
8 ounce brick of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 8-ounce tub cool whip, thawed

Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until it's creamy. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice and mix well. Gently fold in cool whip. Serve or cover and store in the refrigerator.

Cinnamon-sugar pastries

Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
5 to 7 tablespoon cold water
cinnamon-sugar mix (recipe to follow)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening using two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture is moist and can be pressed into a ball. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.

On a lightly floured board or work surface, roll the dough out so it has a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using small cookie cutters (I used leaf and acorn cookie cutters). Dredge the pastry shapes in cinnamon-sugar mix, shake off extra spices, and place on a cookie sheet. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden. Serve warm with pumpkin dip.

Cinnamon-Sugar Recipe

Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Autumn Recipes:
Acorn Donuts 
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies 
Pumpkin Bread 
Pumpkin Penne Casserole 
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip 

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Chocolaty, pumpkin-y, spicy, moist . . . this brownies recipe is not exactly simple, and it dirties an awful lot of dishes, but the end result makes the time and mess it makes is so worth it. The cayenne pepper adds an unexpected heat to the dessert, making it perfect for a chilly autumn day.

Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch glass pan with butter or cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave. To ensure you don't burn the chocolate, only microwave the chocolate for 20-30 seconds at a time, stir, then microwave again. Set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. In another large bowl, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on medium until well mixed and fluffy, about three minutes. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well combined.  Pour half of the batter into another bowl.

Stir in chocolate-butter mixture into one of the bowls. Add the pumpkin, vegetable oil, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice into the second bowl of batter and stir.

Pour the chocolate batter into the greased pan and then pour the pumpkin batter on top of the chocolate layer. With a small spatula swirl the two batters together to create a marble effect, but don't swirl too much; you don't want to blend the chocolate and pumpkin batter together.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of the brownies. When it comes out clean, the dessert is done. Allow to cool and serve.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Autumn Recipes:
Acorn Donuts 
Mini Pies 
Pumpkin Bread 
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip 
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce 

Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls

Add a hint of autumn to lasagna by adding a little pumpkin puree into the filling. These pumpkin lasagna rolls have a mild pumpkin flavor, unlike my cheese tortellini with pumpkin sauce recipe, which make them perfect for those who like pumpkin but are a little afraid of its unconventional uses.

Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls garnish with Parmesan

Ingredients: 
1 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
salt, to taste
8 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 cup of a robust tomato sauce (recommendation: Prego--Roasted Red Pepper)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Thinly coat the bottom of a shallow casserole dish with tomato sauce. Set aside.

Mix ricotta, pumpkin, Parmesan, mozzarella, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Divide the ricotta-pumpkin mixture between the 8 lasagna noodles and roll the noodles. Place the rolls in the casserole dish seam-side down. Spoon sauce of the top of the rolls. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Note: Since the pumpkin flavor is rather mild, the key to making this dish really pop with flavor is using a good tomato sauce full of seasonings and herbs. I prefer anything by Prego, particularly the Roasted Red Pepper tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce

Once those temperatures begin to drop, the leaves begin to turn, and fall produce ripens, I get inspired to cook. Every time we walk into the produce section, I turn into kid in a candy store. I gasp (literally, I'm surprised I haven't hyperventilated or fainted yet) over the pumpkins, apples, cranberries and all the winter squash--butternut, acorn, blue hubbard, carnival, turban . . . I just love their colors and shapes, tastes and textures. Oh and we can't forget the gourds, Indian corn, and baby boo pumpkins.

So I've been spending way too much time lately looking up autumn recipes and have been coming across a lot of pumpkin sauce recipes for cheese ravioli. My mind doesn't automatically put pumpkin and cheese together (unless it's pumpkin cheesecake), but like Eric told me, everything goes with cheese. So I concocted my own sauce and was absolutely blown away by how magnificently it paired with the cheese tortellini. Pumpkin and cheese definitely go together! What makes this sauce even better, it only takes about 10 minutes to make.

Spinach and cheese tortellini with pumpkin sauce, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Spinach and cheese tortellini with pumpkin sauce, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients: 
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 cup low fat cream cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese, garnish

9-10 ounce package of cheese ravioli or tortellini. We used Buitoni spinach and cheese tortellini because a.) it was on sale and b.) it was green and would look cool with the sauce. Yes, I'm that much of a dork.

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package directions.

In a saucepan add pumpkin, broth, brown sugar, butter, garlic powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix together and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cream cheese and mix until the cheese is melted and dispersed. Pour over pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Trust me, you want to add the Parmesan, it really completes the dish.

Variations:
Sour Cream:
While coming up with this sauce, I played with some variations. All the recipes for pumpkin sauce I found called for sour cream instead of cream cheese. I'm not a huge fan of sour cream. I do cook with it, but only when it's final taste is subtle. I tried a batched with the sour cream, however, and it wasn't bad at all. It gave the sauce a tangy-ness I liked but was a little too sour creamy for me. Eric liked the sour cream version (he was my test dummy and a sour cream lover.) The cream cheese gives the sauce a milder, creamier taste, which I personally prefer. But if you like sour cream, you'll probably like the sauce made with sour cream.

Brown Sugar:
I also played with the sugar content. To be honest, this sauce is a little on the sweet side. You can reduce the sugar in the sauce down to 1 tablespoon. It cuts the overall sweetness and still leaves the sauce with a pleasant taste. However, I felt it was missing something. To find that missing element, I experimented by adding more cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. I tried tossing in sage and all spice. In the end what it needed was that little bit more sugar. For some reason the sweetness adds to the complexity of the taste and contrasts just so perfectly with creaminess of the cheese in the pasta and especially the Parmesan.

Look forward to a lot more pumpkin and autumn recipes in the coming months!

Enjoy!

~Krissy