Pumpkin Palooza

We have had a wonderful week with our hipp-O, and in light of it being his first Halloween, John and I had a good discussion about what Halloween means to our family. We don't want to blindly let our kids participate in all that is Halloween, yet we want them to enjoy special days with friends and family. So I think we can focus on the positives: costumes, candy and time together and leave the darker themes behind. I always want to come back to the question of how can we serve others and glorify God as we enjoy the gifts of candy and fun. One solution? Pumpkins! I realized this week that for me, this time of year has been a pumpkin palooza. For Owen's first trick-or-treating time we decided to make some pumpkin butter to take to our neighbors. So one thing I have learned this week: making pumpkin goodies for people is a great way to spread the autumn cheer and focus on some of the sweeter spots of the holiday.

QUICK RECIPE: Bust out your crock pot and all you need is a couple cups of fresh or canned pumpin, a freshly squeezed lemon, a cup of brown sugar, some nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and ground cloves. Instead of lemon you can try apple cider or juice. Just let it cook on low for a few hours. I like eating it cold with some Kashi honey sesame crackers.

Because I am a pumpkin freak, I also roasted pumpkin seeds in a little salt and butter. They go great on a salad.

QUICK RECIPE: Try my spinach salad with avacado, pumpkin seeds, different color mini cherry tomatoes, rotisserie chicken & feta cheese. I like it with green goddess or a light ginger dressing. So good.

And my best pumpkin trick (and treat) of the week?!?! HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE FRAPPUCCINOS!!! I am such a nerd because I even poured it into a saved Starbucks cup.

Guess which one is my homemade one and which one is a purchased Starbucks drink?

(Yes, I realize that the Boogie Wipes in one picture and Starbucks napkins in the other are pretty much a dead giveaway, but look how close mine looks to the real deal!!). I am still perfecting the taste but they really taste almost exactly the same. They are a lot cheaper, too. I will tell you how I make them after I finish tweaking the recipe.

Even Owen has been indulging in some pumpkin yum. He has been rocking my baby puree pumpkin-chicken-butternut squash combo almost every day this week.

We love pumpkins!

Have no fear, the punkin' lovin' will not stop anytime soon, but because it is November in The Year of the Nest we are venturing into different flavors and spices for the holiday season. To kick off November, I made some sugar ginger cookies last night.