Pumpkin Mania

Let me be the first to say - I absolutely love all things pumpkin! I'm a huge fan of decorating with pumpkins of all kinds and I absolutely love carving (or decorating) at least one pumpkin each year. This year, I took things a step further and decided to cook something with pumpkin; and not something you'd normally think of making with pumpkin, no bread or muffin, nothing like that. I cooked pumpkin pasta! So - I decided to not only share my new found recipe, but also my annual pumpkin masterpiece! Ha-ha!

I really wanted to go all decorative this year with my pumpkin - I was thinking I'd paint my initial and black polka dots on the pumpkin, but then once I got down to business, I realized that I didn't have any black paint and to be honest - I had no desire to make a run to town for black craft paint. So, I googled pumpkin carving pictures, chose one that I thought I liked and pulled out the carving tools. Once I got down to carving, I realized that the face I'd chose to carve reminded me of "head" that the Headless Horseman throws across the bridge at Ichabod Crane on the old school The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

He was not happy about being gutted & carved...ha-ha!

The finished product - I thought it turned out pretty well!

As to the pumpkin pasta - I found it on this awesome website Someone Left the Cake out in the Rain and it has some really fascinating recipes, most of which look amazing but are at times a little bit daunting. I stumbled onto the recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Pasta and I decided I was going to just dive in headfirst and see what I could do! I had nothing to do on Saturday, so I figured I had all the time in the world to cook whatever I wanted and take my time. The funny thing is - this recipe only seems complicated; it's super easy and taste absolutely delicious! I won't lie, I was nervous at first because I wasn't sure if I'd like the taste - I mean, what if it was like having pumpkin spice latte poured on your pasta? Let me assure you - it isn't. It's delicious!

All the ingredients - there are a lot, but trust me - it's easy!

Onions diving into the vegetable oil...sizzle, sizzle!

Yep - this looks like pumpkin spice latte, I know! I promise though, SO GOOD!

Spicy...spicy...

Adding in the noodles!

A sprinkle of Parmesan tops it all off!

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

-1 can pumpkin puree

-2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil, your choice)

-1/2 onion, chopped in small pieces

-garlic (I used garlic powder, about 3/4 a tablespoon)

-salt & pepper to taste

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1 tsp. marjoram (or sage - I had marjoram on hand)

-2 cups vegetable broth

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-3 tbsp. cream cheese

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + some to garnish

-1 pound of pasta

Cook the pasta until tender, drain and set aside

Cook chopped onion with garlic in vegetable oil, about 5 minutes or until the onions are tender.

Add in pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, heavy cream and cream cheese, stirring together until well combined. The cream cheese will probably leave you with some pretty evident lumps, but that's okay - they will decrease in time.

Add in salt, pepper, cinnamon, marjoram and Parmesan cheese. Cook on medium heat, at a simmer until the sauce begins to thicken.

Combine pasta with the sauce, garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

The pumpkin preparing to be lit...

Happy Halloween to you!