Pumpkin Paradise

Pumpkins are so versatile and delicious. This November we ended up with 6 large pumpkins. I knew they were cookable, but I had no idea the undertaking of processing 6 pumpkins. For two days my kitchen was covered from top to bottom in pumpkin (if you've ever gutted a pumpkin before you know what I mean. It's slimy and it sticks to everything). But the results were soooooo worth it.

After de-seeding, baking, scooping out and pureeing these guys, I ended up with almost 40 cups of pureed pumpkin. Check out the recipes I've used so far.

Pumpkin Pancakes : These will be a staple in our house as long as we have pumpkin puree in the freezer. Delish. (That's pumpkin butter on top.)

Pumpkin Soup : Always a winner, especially with roasted pumpkin seeds stirred in when serving.

Pumpkin Souffle : This turned out too watery, probably because it's actually a sweet potato recipe. If I do it again, I'll tweak the recipe. Flavor was good.

Pumpkin Seeds : If you do nothing else with your Halloween pumpkin, at least save the seeds. They are amazing roasted and have a lot of health benefits. I use garlic salt instead of regular salt on mine. I've also made a spicy version with hot sauce.

Pumpkin Bread : This recipe uses less sugar and more pumpkin than most. My first loaf I forgot to put the sugar in! It actually wasn't even bad, but I made a second one anyway and added raisins to it (anyone know how to keep them from falling to the bottom?).

Pumpkin Butter : Very simple and it made great Christmas gifts for friends.

And I still have 14 cups of puree in my freezer. Aaagghh!

So next November, when you're tempted to throw out your pumpkins, try a few of these recipes, or send your pumpkins my way.

(And please excuse my photos. I'm definitely not a food photographer.)