These great pumpkin facts and picture are from one of my favourite sites Homesteading / Survivalism (Facebook).
As everyone knows October is my Birthday month and I love it. It’s a fun and festive month and there are so many really great recipes that just scream out to be tried for entertaining family and friends. I have found some of my all time favourites and some new ones that look fun and easy to do. Hope you love them.
Just love these Mummy cupcakes from one of my favourite sites Laugh it’s Free (Facebook). They look yummy and cool!
Spicy Pumpkin Seed Recipe
This terrific recipe comes from my friend Eric. I love this recipe it tastes so good. You can use pumpkin seeds with or without the shell doesn’t matter. However, I love it more without the shells as the seeds pop while you cook them and those are the yummy ones. This is sure to become one of your holiday favourites as it is mine.
Ingredients:
1 medium pumpkin (5 to 7 pound size), reserve seeds
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil
Directions:
Heat oven to 250F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pumpkin open from the bottom, removing seeds with a long-handled spoon. Separate flesh from seeds and discard. Spread seeds on parchment in an even layer. Bake until dry,stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let cool.
In a medium bowl combine 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and the pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds.
Transfer to bowl with spices and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Took these yummy bugs to the Halloween party tonight…although mine were definitely not as pretty as the ones in this picture.
(Bread, olive oil, mozzarella, basil leaf instead of what is shown here, cherry tomatoes, and olives.)
Wow what a great party idea from another really great site LymphWorks, LLC- The BodyWork Experts (Facebook)!
Quick, easy and sure to be the favourite at any gathering.
Here is another great party favourite for the complete newbie entertainer from Laugh it’s Free (Facebook).
Recipe can be found at http://www.justapinch.com
Ingredients
1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 c pecan, chopped
1 Tbsp lowery’s seasoned salt
1/2 tsp granulated onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic with parsley
whole pecans for garnish
Pineapple top for garnish
Directions
1 To softened cream cheese add all ingredients except those for garnish. Mix well. Refrigerate until firm.
2 Form into a slightly elongated ball and garnish with whole pecans and pineapple top. Serve with crackers.
Thank you Extreme Canadian Coupons, Deals, Freebies (Facebook) for this awesome easy to make drink!
Easy Homemade Pumpkin Frappuccino
Ingredients:
1 c cold brew coffee
1 c milk (any kind)
1/4 c pumpkin butter
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
To prepare cold brew coffee, place 2 cup ground coffee – the bolder the better – into a bowl, top it with 4 cups of water and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Strain in the morning and reserve the leftover in the fridge. Prepare milk ice cubes in advance by pouring your milk of choice into a bowl and mixing in pumpkin butter, agave nectar and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to ensure even distribution. Pour mixture into an ice cube tray, covering lightly with saran wrap, and freezing overnight. Choose non-dairy milk to make this vegan friendly. I went with 2% for an extra creamy texture. In the morning, place 1 cup coffee and 8-10 pumpkin ice cubes in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add a packet of stevia or extra agave if you prefer a sweeter beverage. Additionally, add more pumpkin pie spice or pumpkin butter if you prefer a spicier flavor.
Optional but recommended:
Top with whipped cream and cinnamon for serving.
Notes * Sub chilled coffee or espresso * If you are using pumpkin puree, still use 1/4 c but compensate flavor by adding extra agave and pumpkin pie spice.
Another terrific recipe from Extreme Canadian Coupons, Deals, Freebies (Facebook).
Two Minute Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
3 tbs of almond meal
2 tbs of coconut oil
1 egg
1/2 cup of organic pumpkin puree
1 tsp of pumpkin spice
1 tbs of honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
a dash of salt
1/2 tsp of baking powder
*If you are allergic to almond meal you can substitute coconut flour. The consistency will change a bit though.
Directions:
Mix everything together really well. Place in a mug or a small microwave safe dish and microwave for 2 minutes. Enjoy.
My last recipe for today is Pumpkin Bread from again my favourite site Extreme Canadian Coupons, Deals, Freebies (Facebook).
This is a must check out site full of coupons, recipes and contests. I love it.
Easy Homemade Pumpkin Bread
Makes 2 loafs
Batter:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 15-oz can pumpkin
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
½ cup golden raisins (optional)
Topping:
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare two 9x5x2¾ inch loaf pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening.
Tip: to make baked bread easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper.
Batter: In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil; whisk together until well blended. Add flour mixture; stir just until blended. Add nuts and raisins; lightly stir to mix in.
Pour batter into the loaf pans, dividing the batter evenly between the 2 pans.
Topping: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle tops of batter with sugar cinnamon mixture.
Bake: Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove pans from oven and let cool about 15 minutes. Grabbing the top edges of the parchment paper, lift bread from loaf pans and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Remove parchment paper and discard.
These recipes are great for when you are entertaining family and friends or just want to make yourself a small indulgence. I hope you love them all.
Have a Fabulously yummy day!
