Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes. I love the way the house smells when you make any of them. You know fall is here!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

3 1/2 cups pumpkin
2 cups Sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups oil

1 t salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda

Combine first four ingredients, then sift dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry. Bake in 2 9 by 13 pans for 20 minutes at 350.

Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese

Pumpkin Doughnuts

4 1/2 cups flour
4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup sugar
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 T melted butter
1/2 t vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin

mix the dry ingredients. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the dry ingredients, stirring only until just blended. Roll onto a well floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Fry in oil until brown. Put granulated sugar in a paper sack. Shake warm doughnuts in the sugar sack. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

3 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chip (I don't mess around with the semisweet chips, yuck)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake for about an hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean

Fall Festivities

Two weekends ago, my parents came out for a visit from Boise. On Saturday, we spent the day at Longwood gardens. We were all really impressed by the giant lilly pads. Apparently, they can support up to 100 pounds.
It was a perfect fall day to walk around longwood.

It was fun to see all of their fall displays. They had a bunch of huge pumpkins. I think the one above weighed over 600 pounds! We had such a great time with mom and dad. We think you guys should just move out here.

Last weekend Jeremy and I drove up to Vermont to see the foliage. This has been something I have wanted to do for a long time, so Jer decided to take me there for my birthday. It really was as pretty as I had hoped it would be. We stayed in a bed and breakfast in Manchester, Vermont. All of the residents were very proud that it was voted the "foliage capital" of Vermont this year. It was a really cute little town

That night we went to a restaurant in town called the "Reluctant Panther." I was a little bit sleepy on our drive into Manchester because I had worked the night before, and I kept accidentally referring to it as the, "Awkward Panther." Despite the name, the food there was amazing. We stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Wilburton Inn, just outside of town.
It was built in 1903 and is owned now by a psychologist with a real passion for unique art.

At night, it actually got a little bit creepy. Definitely the most interesting place we've ever stayed. This was the view outside our window when we woke up in the morning. It was a little bit overcast all day, so you can't really see how bright the colors were.



That morning we went on a five mile hike to lye brook falls. It was just gorgeous



That afternoon we browsed through some of the shops in town and went to Manchester's annual pumpkin festival. It was great, they had a public judging of a pumpkin dessert contest, and hot apple cider and apple cider doughnuts. Thanks Jer, for a really fun weekend!