Acorn Squash Salad, Pumpkin Rigatoni and Spiked Cider

Lance went to Pittsburgh for a guys' weekend to see a Steelers game (they won!) So while he was out, I had a girls' pumpkin carving/decorating night.  

Most of us ended up painting our pumpkins rather than carving (in Florida, it's way too humid for a carved pumpkin to last the whole month...) Everyone came up with really creative designs - I think it's the best group of pumpkins I've ever seen.  You can scroll to the bottom to see the individual pumpkins, but here we are with our creations: 

I tried to get a pumpkin from the Hyde Park pumpkin patch, but it was insanely packed!  There was a huge line, so I ended up getting mine from the grocery store instead.  It wasn't the prettiest of pumpkins, but since it was painted anyways, it didn't matter.  Thao got hers from Hyde Park and it was the most stereotypical perfect pumpkin.  

For dinner, I tried out a few new Pinterest recipes and they all turned out amazing!  I love all fall ingredients - squash, pumpkin, figs, pears, pomegranates, apples, etc.  I go crazy buying everything at Trader Joe's this time of year since it's all pumpkin flavored.  

Hillary also brought over this amazing popcorn coated in marshmallows and drizzled with chocolate (it had candy corn for decoration which I'm not a fan of, but I just ate around them...)  It was seriously addicting - like Rice Krispie treats made of popcorn.  If I get the recipe I'll post it on here too.  

I would definitely make any of these recipes again: 

Acorn Squash Salad (adapted from How Sweet Eats)

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 T coconut oil (I was out so I used olive oil)
• 1 acorn squash, sliced in 1/2" rounds and seeds removed
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 t brown sugar
• 1/2 c Trader Joe's sweet & spicy pecans
• 6 c spinach (or arugula) 
• 1 avocado, sliced 
• 1 pomegranate, arils removed (if you need instructions, check out this post)  
• 1 cucumber, sliced

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 t freshly grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, freshly grated
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil 

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil.  Cover the squash slices with salt, pepper, and brown sugar and add to the skillet.  Cook until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes on each side.  

2. Add spinach/arugula to a large bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add the avocado, pomegranate arils, cucumber, pecans, and squash pieces.  

3. Combine all the dressing ingredients and toss with the salad. 

Pumpkin Rigatoni Pasta with Sage (adapted from Joanne Eats Well With Others)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb rigatoni
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1 T minced sage
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1-1/2 cups Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk (I completely forgot to add this since I was too busy chatting with friends - it turned out fine without it, but may be a bit creamier with it) 
• 1 bunch kale leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups ricotta
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 oz mozzarella, grated 
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. 

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Add the onion, sage red pepper flakes, and pinch of salt.  Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until onions become translucent.  

4. Stir in the pumpkin and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add in the cashew milk and bring to a simmer.  Stir in th ekale and simmer for 4-5 more minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in the ricotta and season to taste with salt & pepper.  

5. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Toss the pasta with the pumpkin mixture and spread half of it in the pan.  Sprinkle half the cheese, top with the other half of the pasta, then sprinkle with more cheese.  Top with bread crumbs. 

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and sauce is bubbling.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.   

Spiked Cider (a combination of several cider recipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 jug Trader Joe's spiced cider 
• 2 T lemon juice
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 4-5 whole star anise seeds
• 2 liters ginger ale
• 6-10 oz vodka, depending on how strong you want it

Directions:

1. Combine the cider, lemon juice, cinnamon, and anise and let them sit for a few hours so the spices soak in. 

2. When you are ready to serve, add in the ginger ale and vodka.  Stir to blend it together.  

I'm sure this drink would be great warm if it was cold outside (you could try it with rum as well).  

I had such a great time with this group of girls - check out the closeups of all the amazing pumpkins:  

Pumpkin 6-Layer Magic Bars

Looking for a unique pumpkin recipe instead of the traditional pie this Thanksgiving? (Or maybe in addition to the pie...)  Look no further!  These layered pumpkin bars are probably one of my all-time favorite desserts.  They combine pretty much everything delicious into one sweet, salty, gooey treat. 

I’ve made these a couple of times, but most recently I baked them for a Halloween party.  I expected to have a lot of leftovers, but they were pretty popular. 

The original recipe calls these “7-layer bars”.  I don’t really get their math unless they are counting butter as its own layer.  But in my mind, these are composed of 6 layers: (1) graham cracker crust, (2) pumpkin/milk/spices, (3) apples, (4) chocolate chips, (5) almonds, and (6) coconut.  But call them whatever you want. 

Pumpkin 6-Layer Magic Bars (adapted from Bakers Royale)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 whole crackers)
• 8 T butter
• 1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 t cinnamon
• ¼ t nutmeg
• ¼ t cloves (I didn’t have any so I used cardamom instead)
• 2 regular sized Granny Smith apples, peeled & shredded
• 1 cup chocolate chips  
• 1 cup salted almonds, chopped
• 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13” baking pan with foil with a 1” overhang and spray with oil to keep from sticking to the bars (I use Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray).  

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and stir until well blended.  Press into the bottom of the pan. 

3. Mix sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin puree, and spices.  Pour mixture over the graham cracker crust. 

4. Peel apples and used a grater to shred them into small pieces.  Squeeze out some juice from the grated apples before sprinkling the shreds on top of the pumpkin mixture. 

5.  Add a layer of chocolate chips, followed by almonds, then coconut. 

6.  Bake for 35-45 minutes.  Keep in mind, ovens vary, so test yours to make sure they set.  I actually baked mine closer to an hour (covering them with a layer of foil for the last 15 minutes to keep the coconut from burning). 

7.  Let cool in pan, then let chill in the refrigerator before cutting.  Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

 

I bought just about every pumpkin food at Trader Joe’s the other day, including Pumpkin Ravioli.  I can’t stress how quick and easy this was to make – it literally just needs to cook in boiling water for 2 minutes.  I topped mine with a brown butter sage sauce (recipe below).  The container says it serves 2, but I would serve it with a side salad if you’re sharing it – one serving is only 5 pieces of ravioli.  

I got to try out my new garlic press Lance bought me!  (He's been awesome to let me spend some of his Macy's rewards money & use his discount towards a few kitchen gadgets).  No more hand-mincing garlic anymore!   

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 package Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli from Trader Joe’s
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried sage
• ¼ tsp salt (plus more if you want your water to boil quicker)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

1. Boil 4 quarts of water on the stovetop. 

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and continue cooking until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes. 

 

 

2. When your water comes to a boil, add your ravioli and cook for 2 minutes. 

 

3. Stir sage, salt, and pepper in to the brown butter mixture.  Add your pasta, and then toss with parmesan cheese.   That’s all! 

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Everything!

 

Last week we got the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer in the mail outlining their October specials.  This month they have literally everything pumpkin you could possibly imagine!  Pumpkin bread, coffee, cereal, pancakes, waffles, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, seeds, pies, yogurt, cream cheese, soup, chai tea, beer, ravioli, croutons…and that’s only half the list!

 

 

Since I’m a big fan of everything pumpkin (see these recipes I shared in a previous post) I had to restrain myself from buying out the whole store.  Most of the times I try to visit Trader Joe’s in the middle of the days on weekdays to ensure easy parking.  Since I went on a Sunday afternoon, it was crazy!  Cars were lined up waiting for spots to open up in their small lot.  I’ve never had a problem the other dozen or so times I’ve visited though...just maybe avoid going at peak times if possible. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Thu had sent me a photo of her cooking their Pumpkin Ravioli last week, so I added that to my shopping cart, along with a variety of other fall goodies.  About half my cart ended up with pumpkin flavored foods, but they have a ton of other fall flavors that I’m excited to try – Carrot Ginger Soup, Organic Tricolor Quinoa, Toasted Coconut Pancake Mix, and Creamy Toscano Cheese with Cinnamon. 

 

When I got home, I snacked on the cinnamon cheese with Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps.  I loved the flavor, but I still prefer their Raisin Rosemary Crisps.  The Toscano with Cinnamon would be nice to pair with fruit, but I really like their Toscano with black pepper and the one soaked in Syrah wine – both have bolder flavor than the cinnamon kind. 

 

 

I splurged and bought their Dark Chocolate Speculoos Cookie Butter Cups – had they been milk chocolate I may have been able to resist, but I love dark chocolate.  They are like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but filled with cookie butter instead!  I think this may be my new favorite candy.  It’s probably a good thing that they’re individually wrapped; otherwise it would be too easy to grab a handful of them. 

 

 

Our friends Tony & Katie hosted a BBQ party at their home last night for the season premiere of The Walking Dead.  I’m not a fan of the show since I’m scared of blood and zombies, but I got to spend some time with all our friends which was fun.  Our friends Pate & Katie work at Pane Rustica, so they brought by some spooky treats from their bakery. 

 

 

I threw together a salad I had bought that afternoon from Trader Joe’s.  The Harvest Blend comes with baby spinach, kale, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower.  It also includes roasted pumpkin seeds, dates, raisins, pumpkin cornbread croutons, and pumpkin vinaigrette.  It wasn’t an overload of pumpkin, but it was a nice hearty and crunchy salad.  I may buy some of the Pumpkin Cornbread Croutons on their own since they sell them separately. 

 

 

I also brought the Kennebunkport Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale – and both Katies had other pumpkin beers as well!  We made a sugar rim for our glasses with 3 T brown sugar, 1 T white sugar, 1 T cinnamon, and 1 tsp nutmeg.  The sweet rim made it taste like we were drinking pumpkin pie!  Although all our drinks were pumpkin, they were 3 different shades.  The Kennebunkport ale was actually a very light pumpkin beer, while the Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale was the darkest.  The Southern Tier Brewing Company Pumking was rated #3 best pumpkin beer recently on Thrillest.com (#1 was made by our local Cigar City Brewing).  According to this article, sales of pumpkin beers have gone up 1500% in the past 10 years!!! So I'm sure many of you out there are enjoying pumpkin beers this fall as well. 

 

Looking forward to trying all the other things I bought yesterday! 

Trader Joe's is located at 3808 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33609 and is open 8am – 9pm every day.