Pumpkin Yumminess

Fall decorating has been a major fail at our house this season.  Other than the wreath I busted out of the basement to stick on the front door, fall has stayed in the box.

Is is not that I don’t love fall or am not inspired this year.  Because I do and I am.

I think it has more to do with working on other projects ( like the should be done in a single night and yet never ending dining room ceiling project) and the flu getting the best of me. 

But my fall decorating difficulties have not banished pumpkin from the kitchen (before I got sick of course….no germ infested baked goods here).

First up was a pumpkin gingerbread quick bread.

It was super easy and oh so good.  And double bonus….it froze incredibly well.  So a couple of weeks later we were able to enjoy it all over again.

Here is the recipe (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice cinnamon, and clove.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.

And the pumpkin did not stop there.

I also whipped up a pumpkin cream cheese dip. 

Again more yumminess.  And by whipped up I threw it together in 7 minutes as I was running out the door to an work thing I had to bring something to.  And I forgot about it until that evening. 

But I don’t think it was obvious I threw it together.  And it was the perfect fall appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice until smooth and well blended. Chill until serving.

Again from allrecipes.com.

Any other great pumpkin recipes out there?  Something has to feel like fall around here.