Pumpkin Bacon Sauce

If you are looking for more of a "grown-up" Halloween dinner, this recipe for pumpkin bacon sauce will not disappoint!

Fall=pumpkin everything. That’s a fact. However pumpkin doesn’t always mean sweets like cookies, cakes, and breads (although I love those too!). Pumpkin works just as well in savory dishes! I always make it a point to make a new savory pumpkin recipe every year, and so far, I’ve never been disappointed. So grab some pumpkin and local bacon and head to the kitchen!

 {Pumpkin Bacon Sauce}

 {Serve the sauce over whatever you prefer be it pasta, rice or steamed veggies like cauliflower!}

 {Want a bite?  Head to the kitchen and get cooking!  This was done in under 30 minutes!}

Two years ago:  Lazy Pizza Dough

Pumpkin Bacon Sauce
adapted from Created by Diane

1/2 pound bacon (local), diced
1/2 medium onion (local), diced
4 cloves garlic (local), minced
12 oz tomato sauce
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup broth
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup Greek plain yogurt
Pasta, cooked (rice, steamed cauliflower, etc)

1. Fry bacon until crispy.
2. Turn heat down, and add onions and garlic. 
3. Cook onions and garlic until transparent and fragrant. 
4. Add tomato sauce, pumpkin, broth, nutmeg, and pepper flakes, stirring to combine. 
5. Allow to simmer 10-5 minutes or until thickened. 
6. Turn off heat and add yogurt. 
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
8. Serve over cooked pasta. 

The Hubby loved this! Several co-workers were lucky that I was able to sneak some out of the house! Not a bad word to say about this recipe, and I even brought steamed cauliflower to serve it with at work instead of pasta. Everyone was surprised at how delicious a savory pumpkin recipe can be! Won’t they be even more surprised when I bring a Pumpkin and White Bean Stew for our potluck on Halloween? It’s just as delicious!

Do you use pumpkin for more than just sweets? Comment below with some of your favorite recipes because I am always looking for more ideas (and I don’t think I have all of my pumpkin-eating out of my system)!

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Pumpkin Juice

I'll let you in on a little secret--I am slightly obsessed with Harry Potter!  I've always been intrigued by the pumpkin juice the author mentions several times, and I have been looking around on the internet for a recipe that sounded decent.  In the end, I just winged it, and it was delicious!

 {Pumpkin Juice}

 {So delicious!  I couldn't keep it in the house!}

Pumpkin Juice

Makes 12 cups

2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground  nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2-3 cups apple juice (local), depending on how thin you want the juice (I used 3 cups)
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

1. Mix pumpkin and spices together until combined.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together in a large pitcher.
3. Chill overnight.
4. Serve (stir before serving as the pumpkin will settle and separate a bit). 

This was incredibly delicious!  I made at least three pitchers over the last few weeks.  I gave some to my mom, and she immediately asked for the recipe!  This would be great for Halloween parties because it can be made a day or two ahead of time!

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Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me be very honest with you--I wasn't too sure about pumpkin and chocolate together.  I really wasn't.  However, I've seen pumpkin-chocolate THIS and pumpkin-chocolate THAT so I decided that since many others seemed to like it, I'd give it a try.  Then lo and behold, this recipe popped up on one of the fellow food bloggers that I follow.  Fate was practically begging me to try this combination!

 {Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies}

 {Leaning tower of cookie goodness!}

 {To get the pretty chocolate chips on the outside, just press some in the dough before baking}

This cookie practically changed my fall recipe line-up; it's getting added every year from now on!  Even The Hubby said that he wasn't too sure about how they would turn out because he said it was a weird combination; for the record, he ate about a dozen cookies.  Like most oatmeal cookies, letting them sit for about 24 hours (if you can manage it!) really deepens the flavors.

Two years ago:  Beef and Cabbage
Three years ago:  Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Cooking Classy

Makes 4 dozen cookies (yield will vary according to the size of the cookie)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups packed light-brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg (local), room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for 30 seconds, set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. 
4. Blend in egg, and then blend in vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. 
5. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. 
6. Mix in chocolate chips and pecans (if you want some chocolate to show through set some aside to press into tops before baking). 
7. Let batter rest 5 - 10 minutes (this just gives the oats some time to absorb the liquids so batter isn't so sticky and cookies don't spread so much). 
8. Scoop dough out 2 tablespoons at a time (I used a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop, which I recommend using for evenly shaped cookies and fill it heaping), and drop onto baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart. 
9. Bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden. 
10. Allow to cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
11. Store in an airtight container. 

Since this recipe made quite a large amount of cookies, I took about 2 dozen to work.  Three hours--that's how long they lasted.  I set them out about 10 AM, and when I walked by about 12:45 PM (to grab one for a mid-afternoon snack) they were GONE!  Everyone who had one sent me an email that they were fantastic, and they really really were!

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Pumpkin Sage Rice

I've seen a few recipes on Pinterest with pumpkin and sage so I thought that I would give it a try with some Parmesan cheese and rice.  This was so delicious that I couldn't stop taking little bites even after I had eat dinner.  I was so excited to take this to work as lunch for a few days, but The Hubby ate it all!  I was so mad at him!  I'm really glad he loved it, but he could have left me a little!  Lesson learned---I need to squirrel away my favorite recipes so I have some for the next day (mainly to see how it tastes, reheats etc. plus I like it).

 {Pumpkin Sage Rice}

 {Closer view of the pumpkiny goodness!}

One year ago:  Annie's Apple Cake

Two years ago:  Baked Egg in Roasted Tomato Cups

Pumpkin Sage Rice

Makes 4 servings

1 cup brown rice, soaked to speed up cooking
2 cups broth
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 to 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it, but the more you put in the less you will taste the pumpkin)
1 tablespoon fresh sage (local), chopped (1 1/2 teaspoons dried)

1. Combine rice and broth in a pan and cook until rice is done adding more broth as necessary.
2. Add butter and stir until melted.
3. Add milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin and stir until melted (if using dried sage, add here).
4. Add cheese and stir until combined.
5. Turn off heat and add sage, stirring to combined.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve.

The pumpkin and sage were not overwhelming so I can imagine serving this to kids because it does taste creamy and cheesy.  This is also the perfect fall recipe if you don't really care for sweets.  Plus, I feel that pumpkin is very under-utilized for its savory qualities.  Speaking of which, you can also try this Pumpkin and White Bean Stew for another delicious and savory recipe.

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Pleasing Your Palate | Fall

Since today is the first official day of fall (I am almost jumping out of my skin!), I thought that I would share some of my favorite fall recipes.  Yes, that includes pumpkin recipes!  I have so many more fall recipes to share with you in October, but these should hold you over until then!

 {Annie's Apple Cake}

 {Apple-Cranberry Bars}

 {Argentine Beef Stew}

 {Italian Stewed Chicken with Fennel and Cannellini}

 {Pumpkin and White Bean Stew}

 {Pumpkin Bars}

 {Pumpkin Bread}

 {Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting}

 {Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter Crumbs}

 {Roasted Sweet Potato Salad}

 {Spiced Cider}

{White Bean and Ham Bone Soup}

How about you?  Are you dreaming of fall and all of those recipes that you only eat during the fall?

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