The Pumpkin Gospel

A few weeks ago the girls in my missional community group (our church's home group/small group) were brainstorming ways we can love on our neighbors and ultimately share the gospel with them. Having kids makes it really easy to get an "in" with your neighbors so creating events for the kiddos is a huge win. We decided to do a pumpkin painting party where we would read The Pumpkin Gospel and teach our children about how God cleans out our insides of sin, gives us a new identity/face, and gives us the light of the Holy Spirit, just like a Jack O Lantern! I really love these sweet teachable moments with my kids, especially during the fun holiday season. It is so easy to use the holidays as a vehicle to point them to Jesus. We each invited a few families and it was so much fun! We pre carved the pumpkin to make it easier and let the kids touch the pumpkin guts and throw them in the trash, just like God throws our sin away. Ford is now at a really impressionable age and although he's not understanding the depth of the Gospel, he knows who Jesus is, learns about him all week at school and Sunday school, and gets excited about lots of things so I really look forward to doing similar stuff with him for Thanksgiving and of course Christmas! After we read the story we let the kids paint pumpkins and use Halloween stickers. Having kids really makes the holidays so much more fun!

I posted a few pictures on Instagram and people commented that the book The Pumpkin Gospel is almost impossible to find online. I did some searching and you can find it right now on Diapers.com for $10.99. We also have the book The Pumpkin Parable that I got on Half.com but it will be better for Ford when he is a bit older. 

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Because it's the first day of October, you will now experience my obsession with all things pumpkin. And today I present to you the most delicious thing you will put in your mouth this fall. We've coined it 'pump dump'....not to be confused with pumping and dumping (nursing mom humor). When my girlfriend Jen posted the recipe, I knew I was a goner. I immediately grabbed the ingredients from the store and made this cake for missional community and it was a hit. I can't even begin to tell you how good it is... pumpkin, sugar, chocolate, pretty much anything else you want. Each bite is so different and so delicious! I will warn you, you should probably make it for a group rather than just your family because you'll want to eat the whole thing.

Ingredients

1 15oz can of pumpkin 

1 can of evaporated milk

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 dashes cinnamon

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

Topping: 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 sleeve crushed cinnamon graham crackers (other options- cinnamon chips, toffee bits, peanut butter chips, almonds)

1. Mix pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon in a large bowl

2. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 in baking dish

3. Sprinkle the cake mix on top (don't stir it in)

4. Top with your toppings of choice

5. Melt butter and pour on top

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

7. Devour!

Original recipe

Sweet Berry Farm

Ever since finding out we were pregnant with Ford almost 2 years ago, Jon and I have been so excited to celebrate the holidays with our little family. Ford was still a squishy little newborn during last year's holiday season so I have been looking forward to this year SO much! Pumpkin patches, carving pumpkins, trick or treating. One of the things my sister and I have been dying to do with our babies is take them to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls, TX. It is about 45 minutes from Austin and has the most adorable pumpkin patch/hayrides/petting zoo/etc. in the fall and is open for berry picking in the spring. It is a hotspot for toddlers, preschool field trips, and parents. We headed out there on Friday and Ford had the time of his life. He would have spent hours running through the piles and piles of pumpkins if I let him. He is so sturdy on his feet and loves exploring on his own (which I love watching him do). We took lots of pictures in the beautiful pumpkin displays, took a fun hayride, and went on Ford's first train! He also got an absolute kick out of the goats at the farm. The baby goats instantly took to him and nibbled his fingers and licked his face (so sanitary huh?). He's funny because sometimes he'll get nervous around certain things (Halloween decorations, stingrays at the aquarium), but he was all about the goats and donkeys. I posted a video below.

If you live in the Austin area, Sweet Berry Farms is a must this fall! Jon had to work Friday but I wish he could have come with us, it is fun for the whole family. I can't wait to take Ford this spring for berry picking!

They planted the strawberries for the spring the day before we got there (they are the blue fields)

2 Ingredient Chocolate Brownies

Similar to the delicious Diet Coke brownies I posted, these brownies are just as yummy and just as easy! The secret ingredient? Pumpkin! I didn't want to put pumpkin in the title because people are weird about it but honestly, you can't taste anything more than ooey gooey chocolate in these! 

Ingredients
1 19.5oz box brownie mix (I used low fat to make them even healthier)
1 15oz can pumpkin 

1. Mix together
2. Pour into a greased baking dish (I have done both 9x13 and 8x8 and I like using the smaller pan for thicker brownies)
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Use your best judgement here...if they are still too gooey, cook longer.
4. Let cool and eat right away or top with icing and enjoy!

Chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes

Jon and I are all about pumpkin and I could eat pancakes every morning if I had the time. We've made these yummy pumpkin pancakes 3 times now and can't get enough!! Jon prefers honey over syrup and I have to say it's pretty darn good! This recipe made about 15 silver dollar pancakes for us...perfect to warm up for a quick breakfast on a cold fall day.
Ingredients 1.5 cups milk 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 egg 2 cups white flour 3 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice  1/2 tsp salt Semi sweet chocolate chips
1. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together to make a thick batter 2. Pour silver dollar sized pancakes in a greased pan over medium heat 3. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before flipping 4. Enjoy!

Pumpkin bread mini loaves

I will start this post with telling you I am NOT a pumpkin bandwagon-er. One of those people who posts a million statuses about pumpkin spice lattes then puts pumpkin on the back burner for the next 10 months. I am loyal to pumpkin and use it year round...it is just more fun to cook, eat, use, when we are surrounded by pumpkins, fall decor and cooler temps. Two of my favorite pumpkin recipes are these pumpkin enchiladas (sound weird but guys, some of the best enchiladas ever) and these 2 ingredient pumpkin cookies. Yep...2 ingredients folks!

Today I am sharing a delicious pumpkin loaf recipe with you and you'd be silly not to make it. Something about mini loaf pans during Fall makes me want to go all Desperate Housewives and deliver baskets of baked goods to friends and neighbors (I could do that if I didn't eat the baked goods so fast!).

Ingredients

3 1/3 cup white flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

2/3 cups water

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil

*yields 5-6 mini loaves or approximately 2 full sized loaves

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl

2. Add wet ingredients and mix until fully combined

3. Pour batter into greased loaf pans 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (35-40 minutes for mini loaves, use your best judgement, you know your oven best)

Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup

I bring you a delicious recipe from the random kitchen of Ruthie Hart. You know I love putting God knows what into a pot and calling it dinner. I was craving pumpkin on Sunday and feeling festive. This one was a keeper.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 can pumpkin (15oz)

2 cups milk

3 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (16 oz) bag gnocchi (we used pumpkin gnocchi from World Market)

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic salt

 

(note, these are not all of the ingredients...since I made this recipe up, I added things as I went. The picture is missing the milk, garlic salt and olive oil)

1. Pour the EVOO into the bottom of a big pot. 

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil

3. Let boil for 2-3 minutes or until gnocchi is soft

4. Let cool and enjoy!!

Easy enough right?

*the only thing I would change is the type of gnocchi we used. Next time I will use either whole wheat or sweet potato gnocchi

Pumpkin cookies

This recipe comes to you from Big Red Kitchen via Pinterest. 2 ingredient cookies, yes please. I kept seeing these pop up on Pinterest and finally made them! Not only was the batter delicious (and raw egg free so you could eat all you want) but the cookies were amazing. They were soft, almost muffin like. 

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix (or spice cake mix)

1 can pumpkin

Sugar to sprinkle on top (my addition)

1. Mix the cake mix and pumpkin thoroughly to form dough

2. Spoon onto a cookie sheet (mine was ungreased) and sprinkle with sugar

3. Bake for 12 min at 350 degrees

4. Enjoy! Warning, you won't be able to eat just 1!

Pumpkin enchiladas

I normally stick to posting recipes on Saturdays but the pumpkin enchiladas Jon and I made last night were SO good and I couldn't wait to share the recipe. Once again, thank you Pinterest for introducing me to so many kick butt recipes. This one comes from Meals and Moves.

Ingredients

12 tortillas

1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce

2 cups pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)

1 lb ground or shredded meat 

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tbsp cumin

Dash of chili powder

Small bunch of chopped cilantro

Shredded colby jack cheese 

Plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or cottage cheese

(yeah I forgot the cheese!)

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a deep pan over medium heat while browning the meat in a separate pan

2. Add the enchilada sauce and pumpkin to the onion/garlic pan and stir to combine
3. Add your cumin and chili powder (the more chili powder, the spicier! I just did a little dash)

4. Meanwhile, chop the cilantro (about 1/4 cup) then add to the sauce mixture

5. Pour 75% of the pumpkin sauce over the meat and stir to combine

6. Fill each of the 12 tortillas with the meat/sauce mixture and roll up and line in a baking dish

7. Pour the non meat sauce (the remaining 25%) over the enchiladas and top with shredded cheese

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and enchiladas look crispy

8. Top with Greek yogurt, sour cream or cottage cheese and enjoy! 

(update I've made these twice since posting the original a month ago haha!)

Please share any yummy pumpkin recipes you have!

 

Whole wheat pumpkin muffins

Since fall is right around the corner, I wanted to share one of my favorite pumpkin recipes, whole wheat pumpkin muffins. Oh and be sure to check out Saturday's recipe for firecrackers in case you missed it.

This recipe was given to me by one of my mom's "bunco babes" Marilyn! She made whole wheat chocolate chip muffins a couple years ago at my parent's lakehouse and I have been making them ever since (experimenting with flavors and mix ins). These are easy, healthy and great snacks for on the go.

Ingredients 

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour 

3 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

3/4 cup sugar 

1 egg 

1/2 cup milk 

3/4 cup applesauce 

1 can of pumpkin

1. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside

2. Mix all wet ingredients together and add to dry

3. Scoop into lined muffin tin and bake for 23-25 minutes at 400 degrees

Thanks to my new best-money-ever-spent cookie scoop, my hands stayed clean and my muffins looked pretty darn perfect (except for the last 2 invalid ones I made from scraping the bowl with a spatula)

I like these muffins warm with butter and Jon likes his frosted with peanut butter...mmm mmm.

Pumpkin pasta with roasted veggies and chicken

Who says that pumpkin can only be used in the months of October and November? A couple of weeks ago I made pumpkin butter and it completely changed my life! Check out the recipe here, I swear you will love it even if you aren't too keen on pumpkin. I've been on a pumpkin kick and made a delicious dinner that included what else...pumpkin! I modified this recipe from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life, enjoy!

Ingredients

8-10 oz. bowtie pasta (original recipe calls for Carba Nada pasta which is a specialty low carb option)

1 tbsp EVOO

2 large chicken breasts (we love the bone in breasts from HEB, they have SO much meat and go on sale about once a month for $1/lb)

1/2 onion, chopped

Garlic salt (original recipe calls for garlic cloves but I improvised and used garlic salt for seasoning)

2 cups vegetables (I used zucchini and yellow squash, you can also use broccoli or carrots)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook pasta on stove top, drain and set aside
3. Bake chicken breasts in oven (original recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts to be cooked and added to the pasta but we chose to serve the pasta over the chicken breasts)
4. Saute onions in the EVOO and add garlic salt for seasoning
5. Saute the vegetables in the EVOO and add garlic salt for seasoning (cook separate from onions)
6. In a large bowl, mix the pasta, onion, vegetables, marinara sauce, pumpkin and basil. 
7. Pour the pasta mix into a greased 11x7 pan and top with cheeses
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese melts
9. Serve hot over cooked chicken breasts

Enjoy!

Pumpkin butter

Since becoming a wife and moving into a home with a much bigger kitchen, I have been on the quest to try new recipes. I do 100% of the grocery shopping and probably 75% of the cooking at home (what can I say, I am traditional and love takin' care of my hubby) and my husband will eat anything so hey, why not try something new!  Jon loves cooking for me and is a huge help around the house with cleanup, dishes and laundry, we definitely do share other chores. Some of his specialties include Swedish pancakes (his grandma is 100% Swedish and taught him the secret to perfection) and homemade Italian pasta sauce (he's 75% Italian). We've been on a friend egg sandwich kick lately and he is the master at those babies!

I snagged this UH-mazing recipe from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life and I just had to share. Jon said it reminded him of apple butter and I think we are officially obsessed! I LOVE pumpkin during the holidays (pies, seeds, muffins) but who says you can't eat it year round.

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes or until thickened.

I cannot recommend this recipe enough!