It’s a chilly October morning here in Syracuse. And I’ve got pumpkin on my mind.
Our first pumpkin has been sitting on our front steps since our little ninja party last weekend. It has the face of a ninja painted on it. Ninja pumpkin will be joined by other pumpkins in the next few weeks and our kitchen will take on the sweet and fragrant aroma of some of our favorite pumpkin recipes…of that I am certain.
Focus on Technique – Pumpkin Puree
Preparing fresh pumpkin is a manageable process, which can be done in a number of ways. Small ‘pie’ pumpkins tend to produce the sweetest pumpkin flavor. Many people prefer to remove the skin, chop the pumpkin into chunks, boil the pieces until tender, then puree. My preferred strategy is to simply cut the pumpkin open, remove the seeds, roast the pumpkins until tender, then scoop out the smooth pumpkin and puree. It involves less tedious chopping than with the boiling method and produces a better end result, in my opinion. You can see my complete step-by-step photo guide HERE .
If you’re not up for preparing your own puree, canned pumpkin provides a convenient alternative. Most canned pumpkin puree is prepared without additional salt, sweeteners, or preservatives, but check the cans just in case.
Check out this round-up of previously posted pumpkin recipes and keep an eye out for a few new pumpkin recipes, coming up soon!
Roasted Pumpkin Caramel Bisque
Fettucine with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
The Gourmand Mom 
My mouth is watering! Thanks for sharing! When this nasty sickness leaves our casa, we will try one of these. /Louisa
Delicious! I especially love the Autumn harvest bread. Think I going to have to make that one. 🙂
wonderful round up! So many delicious things to make with pumpkin. This is a vegetable which can make you look forward to the autumn coming!!
Please post some pictures of your little NINJA party, and your painted pumpkin too if possible, my little guy wants a ninja party as well and have been searching for tips…..anything would be greatly appreciated. LOVE YOUR PHOTOS, THEY GET MY CULINARY JUICES FLOWING!
Hi Joan! We all had so much fun at our ninja party. Check out a few of my most recent posts, which are listed on the right side of the screen (orange chicken, veggie lo mein, and rice krispie treat sushi). There are some photos and details about the party in those posts. My little guy wanted a ‘ninjago’ party, so we combined elements specific to ninjago along with some more general ninja stuff and a broad Asian theme to the food and decor. I couldn’t find a lot of party supplies specific to ninjas or Ninjago, so I ended up buying a bunch of Chinese new year decorations from Oriental Trading…dragons, fans, little dragon picks, as well as chopsticks, little ninja guys, ninja ducks… The boys wore ninja costumes. (I got a couple of inexpensive ninja costumes from Party City.) Check out those recent posts for some photos and let me know if you have any questions!
I love it! Pumpkin is one of the best parts of fall!
Syracuse – what a fantastic name for a place to live. Especially when you live in ‘London’ surrounded by ‘Croydon’ and ‘Purley’….
Reblogged this on My Bell Jar and commented:
PUMPKIN SPICE EVERYTHING THANK YOU