Tag: pumpkin

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Pumpkin Pancakes

Sarah

So, it’s no secret that I love breakfast. Especially pancakes. I don’t know what it is, but I just love those things. Mmmm. I’ve posted 8 recipes for breakfast foods in the 5 or so months I’ve been blogging, and that doesn’t even come close to the all the breakfast recipes I’ve tried in that time span. Only the best of the best are posted here, folks. 🙂 And also, it should come as no shock that I love pumpkin. Another 8 recipes. *ahem, are we sensing a trend here?* However, what should come as a complete and UTTER shock is that I have never had a pumpkin pancake in my life. NEVER!

Ohmygoodness.

What kind of breakfast/pumpkin lover am I?

Fortunately though, I don’t have to ponder that anymore, because I recently made that previous statement false. I made and consumed pumpkin pancakes. I thoroughly enjoyed them… with their little fried and crispy edges, soft middles, and spicy pumpkin aroma and flavor… and when you make them [because you will], you will enjoy them too! [And then you will crave them while writing term papers and then you can go defrost the leftovers from your freezer and eat them for lunch and be happy. Really, really happy. Or, at least as happy as you can be while doing schoolwork.]

pumpkin pancakes - a classic recipe you'll use again & again!

On that note, I bring you the recipe… because that’s all you care about, right, not my sad term paper plight? 🙂

Pumpkin Pancakes

  • Servings: 3-4 depending on how hungry you are
  • Print

from The Brunette Foodie; originally AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • Mix-ins of your choice: pecans, chocolate chips, etc.

Directions:

Preheat a griddle pan over low to medium heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar. [Side note: yes, vingear in batter seems odd. But you can’t taste it, I promise! More info here.] Fold wet ingredients into the dry until just combined and add mix-ins if desired.

Add oil to the griddle, then scoop out onto hot griddle and cook as usual. The batter will be thick, so allow each pancake to cook for about 2 minutes before flipping. They shouldn’t burn if you keep the heat down. Repeat until batter is gone, then serve with butter and syrup if desired. They were so good I ate them plain!

Question of the Day: What do/did you snack on while doing schoolwork? In college, I was all about nachos–shredded cheese melted on tortilla chips in the microwave, or those big Kroger cinnamon rolls… mmm…

Cheesecakes, Desserts, Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce

Sarah
pumpkin cheesecake
Don't you wish I was on your table?

I know, I know. It’s probably not nice of me to post a pumpkin recipe the day before Thanksgiving when the menus are already planned and the shopping is already done… [right?]. But this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Topping is so fabulous I hope you’ll forgive me, just this once. I made it to take to our small group from church about a month ago and it was absolute devoured.
slice of cheesecake
This cheesecake is so light, so fluffy, so rich, so flavorful. Even if there is no room for cheesecake on Thanksgiving day, I bet there’d be room on Black Friday. Or Saturday. Or Sunday. Or Monday. Or… any day, really! The chocolate crust pairs really well with the spicy pumpkin filling, and the Pecan Praline Topping is to die for! [And leftovers serve really well as dip for apple slices or drizzle for ice cream…] All the work for this cheesecake is totally worth it… I promise. So, do you forgive me for being mean? 🙂

Pumpkin Cheesecake [from Brown Eyed Baker]

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs [use a food processor/blender or a rolling pin/ziploc to crush them]
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 32 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • about 2 cups [15 ounces] canned pumpkin
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use aluminum foil to double-wrap the bottom and outside of a 9 inch springform pan.

In a food processor or blender, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and butter. Press into the bottom of the springform pan and bake for about 7 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool completely before filling. Adjust the oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese and sugars and mix on medium speed until creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add pumpkin and mix on low until fully combined, scraping the sides as needed. Beat in eggs one by one, mixing long enough to ensure each is fully incorporated. In a small bowl, whisk together cream and vanilla, then pour in the batter and mix until combined. Stir together the spices and add, mixing on low until all is combined.

Boil a pot or teakettle of water for a water bath.

Pour batter onto crust. Place the cheesecake pan into a larger dish [I use a roaster] and pour the boiling water into the larger dish, about halfway [2-3 inches] up the sides of the cheesecake.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until edges are set and middle is slightly underbaked [it should not be firm yet]. Turn off the oven and let cheesecake sit in the water bath for about 60 minutes, leaving the oven door shut. Then, take cheesecake out of water bath and oven, remove the foil, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. [Do not refrigerate until cheesecake is cooled; this causes condensation.] About 2-3 hours is necessary for the cheesecake to cool completely, so take that into consideration when you’re planning!

Refrigerate at least 6-8 hours or overnight before serving

For more info on cheesecakes and water baths, check out this site.

Pecan Praline Sauce [from Food & Wine]

Ingredients:

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups pecans, roughly chopped and toasted in a 350 degree oven for 4-5 minutes if desired

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in sugar. Cook over medium heat, always stirring, until smooth. Whisk in heavy cream and salt, then bring to a boil and simmer until thick. Cool, and stir in pecans.

Click here for the printable: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce

designQuestion of the Day: Favorite flavor of cheesecake. Ready, go!

Breakfast, French Toast, Recipes

Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich

Sarah

Welcome to Day Five of Pumpkin Week on The Pajama Chef! So, I think I should buy stock in Pumpkin Pie Spice. I certainly have been using it a lot lately, and it’s almost time to introduce the new bottle to my spice drawer. [By the way… if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, check out their Pumpkin Pie Spice. I think it’s the best! They didn’t pay me to say that, but I wouldn’t object if they wanted to…]

So, today’s installment brings you another pumpkin masterpiece. This “recipe” is really a compilation of other recipes. While it may look long and complicated because of the number of ingredients, it’s simple really. All ya gotta do is make some French toast, grill some bananas, whip up some pumpkin goodness, boil down some sugar, assemble your sammie and eat up! Easy easy, right? 🙂

French toast sandwich
The End Result

I mean, who wouldn’t want to bite into this mess of hearty flavors–pumpkin, spices, banana, bread. Ah-mazing! I really enjoyed how the power of the pumpkin permeated through each and every delicious bite. This is a great, easy dinner, or a breakfast for a leisurely morning. If you don’t like pumpkin very much, scale back on the pumpkin pie spice or substitute in another sweet spice [cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.] that you prefer better. But if you don’t like pumpkin very much, this week might have been not-so-appealing to you anyways. Regularly scheduled programming begins next week again. But pumpkin will be back, I’m sure… don’t you fret!

Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich [inspired by Healthy Tipping Point]

Ingredients:

For the French Toast:

  • 1 loaf multigrain French bread, preferably a day old or so, cut into appropriate size pieces for french toast [cut longways or shortways depending on what size loaf you have… or if your bread is presliced, great! I just like to use bakery bread for french toast–I think it tastes better.]
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • butter/oil for greasing the pan

For the Filling:

  • 2 bananas, sliced in half longways and then into thirds [you want 6 pieces from each banana that can be laid flat on the griddle]
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • ginger

For the syrup: [adapted from The Chic Life]

  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Suggested Toppings, if desired:

  • butter
  • pecans
  • mini chocolate chips
  • fruit
  • anything else your little heart desires!

Directions:

Preheat a skillet over medium heat and prep with some butter/oil for frying.  In a medium size bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Meanwhile, begin making the syrup. In a small saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup sugar, water, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, then cover the pan and allow to simmer until liquid has thickend up to desired consistency. Let cool a bit before serving, as this syrup is basically a caramel sauce and is very very hot at first!

While the syrup is simmering, make the French toast. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture and turn several times to coat, but do not leave submurged more than a few seconds or the bread will get soggy. Place bread on skillet and cook until each side is a crispy, golden brown. While bread is cooking, add banana pieces to griddle to grill too.

At the same time, mix pumpkin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and a sprinkle of ginger in a small bowl [my cereal bowl was just the right size for the job]. If you want, you could put this in another saucepan or even the microwave to warm it up a tad, but I didn’t do this so it’s optional.

When all ingredients are finished, assemble sandwiches. Here is my order, from plate upwards, but feel free to be innovative and unique:

  1. 1 piece of French toast
  2. heaping spoonful of pumpkin
  3. 2 slices of grilled banana
  4. sprinkle pecans
  5. sprinkle pumpkin pie spice
  6. repeat steps 1-5 and then drizzle syrup overtop it all!

As for number of servings, it really will depend on you and your needs. This was really filling so I only ate one sandwich with some fruit for dinner. Ben ate several pieces of French toast with butter and syrup, and then let me make him a mini sandwich too. We finished an entire mini loaf of thin French bread between the two of us. For the syrup, Diana suggests a serving size of 2-4, with 2 servings of heavy-syrup usage and 4 of light. I would agree with that, as we had a little syrup leftover, but not much.

Click here for the printable version:  Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich

In unrelated news, I saw this on Facebook tonight and it cracked me up. Maybe you’ve seen this before and I’m just behind the times, but it is hilarious!

  1. Go to Google Maps.
  2. Click on “Get Directions.”
  3. Type Japan as the start location and China as the end location.
  4. Go to direction #43.
  5. Laugh. HARD. Preferably at work. 🙂

Question of the Day: TGIF! I am so glad it’s the weekend. Schoolwork has been killer lately. What are your weekend plans? I’ll be doing some homework 😦 but also heading to Indianapolis to see some friends from home for the day!

Breads, Breakfast, Recipes

Pumpkin Ginger Bread

Sarah
pumpkin & bread
A taste of fall goodness

Welcome to Day Four of Pumpkin Week on The Pajama Chef! Hope you’re not tired of pumpkin yet. 🙂

This is pumpkin that even the apathetic pumpkin-eaters in your life can enjoy. It is soft and sweet, nothing fancy–just pure pumpkin goodness with a touch of ginger to spice things up. A slice of pumpkin bread with a hot beverage of your choice makes a magnificent breakfast. This bread is even better the next day. Once the pumpkin melds with the ginger… oh my goodness you will not be able to keep your hands out of it! Mmmm.

view from above
beautiful, beautiful bread....

Pumpkin Ginger Bread [base recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything]

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons cold butter
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • sprinkle salt
  • 3/4 cup apple cider
  • 1 egg
  • 1 heaping cup pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • cooking spray

Directions:

Grease a 9 by 5 inch bread pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and apple cider, and then pour into dry ingredients. Fold in pumpkin and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. [Be sure to check the bread at 45 minutes or sooner, because my bread was definitely done at 45 minutes but ovens do vary.]

Click here for the printable version:Pumpkin Ginger Bread

cat on tablecloth
"Uhh, did you put the tablecloth on the floor?"

So funny story: the other morning, I was getting ready in the bedroom, and my husband walked out in the dining room. All of a sudden, he cried out: “uhh, did you put the tablecloth on the floor?”

No, no, I didn’t… I guess Sheba Genevieve decided it would make a good bed for her, so she pulled it off the table and decided to take a nap on her conquest! Silly kitty!

Question of the Day: What do your pets do to make you laugh?

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce aka "Pumpfredo" | thepajamachef.com
Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, aka “Pumpfredo”

Sarah

Welcome to Day Three of Pumpkin Week on The Pajama Chef!

Let me begin by providing a theoretical scenario of what might happen when someone loves a certain seasonal ingredient a little too much. Please remember that the following text is completely theoretical.

Sometimes, to satisfy a love for a seasonal ingredient, it is necessary to become inventive in the use of it. Consequently, said ingredient can be used in a plethora of ways… some of which are a little, shall we say, nontraditional. For those who are not as obsessed in love with delighted by that ingredient, these “nontraditional” uses may be borderline weird, disgusting, or nasty, at an extreme level, or just odd and unappealing at a more tolerant level. And then the ingredient lover winds up having to make not just one, but two dinners in order to satisfy both parties.

Okay. Don’t forget that the above was all theoretical, not at all based in reality. Got it? Good. Because that two-dinner thing didn’t happen in our household on Saturday. No siree Bob. Not at all. *ahem… The following Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, aptly named “Pumpfredo” by the husband during his bite off my plate for its similarity in texture and consistency to Alfredo sauce. But let me tell you… this is one heck of a substitution for high fat and calorie laden Alfredo sauce. [For the record, I’m not into calorie counting or dieting or any of that, but I do try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and I’m well aware that Alfredo sauce is not the healthiest Italian dish on the planet.] Continuing on…

This Pumpkin Pasta Sauce is one of the tastiest nontraditional pasta toppings I’ve had of late. It is creamy, tangy, and light, while still being rich in flavor and high in taste. The pumpkin adds a savory depth of flavor, while the dijon mustard and sage add tang and spice to the mix. Served atop a bed of baby spinach, whole wheat penne, and a chopped turkey Italian sausage, this is a great, filling meal for any pumpkin lover. If there are any apathetic pumpkin-eaters at your table, then that’s okay… more for you; more for me! 🙂

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce aka "Pumpfredo" | thepajamachef.com
Just look at the color of that sauce! That screams pumpkin to me alright!!

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, aka 'Pumpfredo'

  • Servings: 4
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream, or a combination of both
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • a few dashes of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk together to combine. Cover and heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for at least 20 minutes or until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Serve as desired.

Question of the Day: What do you say to those who don’t love pumpkin [or any other seasonal food] as much as you do? Your answers can give me ammo rationale for dealing with those in my life who do not share my sentiments… 🙂 so they are much appreciated and enjoyed!