Tag: Pumpkin

Pumpkin Part 2: French Toast Style

The promise for this post is two-fold: on my first Pumpkin post, I promised to document each of my experiences with all things involving pumpkin throughout the fall. In my most recent post, I vowed to share my own kitchen cooking experiences with you, the lucky reader.

That being said, I tackled both this fine Sunday morning.

The recipe for the Pumpkin French Toast fell deliciously in my lap. Well, it was shared by one of my boyfriend’s friends on Google Reader, which he immediately forwarded to me, in which I quickly replied that would be our Sunday morning. The recipe comes from Recipe Girl, who actually has quite a few other tasty looking recipes I’ll probably sample at one point or another.

But back to the task at hand, my Pumpkin French Toast.

ingredients

It was a pretty simple recipe, just time consuming in terms of preparing all of the ingredients and then cooking them; as my pan only fit about 3 pieces of the bread at a time. I forgot to grab some cinnamon, so that was missing from the recipe, but the Cinnamon Toast Crunch coating easily made up for it.

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My only qualms with the recipe were it’s bread size suggestion, and amount of pumpkin. It calls for 3/4 to 1 inch thick slices of French bread. I have to say, that was a little too thick for my liking – the pumpkin coating didn’t really soak through, and made it a little more difficult to cook quickly. Surprisingly for both my boyfriend and I, we thought the pumpkin flavor could have been a little more subtle. I was surprised that only 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin puree could be so strong. But it was!!

After all of the pieces were made, we threw it together with some turkey bacon and smothered it in maple syrup. I can honestly say that for someone who up until recently despised pumpkin, never really liked breakfast food, and never would have chosen French toast when given the option, I was impressed with myself. I quickly noted during the whole process that one of the best parts of cooking with pumpkin is the color. It’s such a rich combination of yellow and orange, an when mixed with different ingredients (such as eggs and whipping cream), it is truly a beautiful color. Now that I come to think if it, it’s shade is quite close to that of my living room. No wonder I enjoy that room so much…

This is definitely a recipe I’ll be revisiting in the future. I think it would also be delicious as a dessert with some ice cream and maybe whipped cream as well.

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Fall Foods – Pumpkin Part 1

pumpkinnnnI can honestly say I rarely look forward to the fall.  It means I have to retire my flip flops, sun dresses, and bathing suits. In the food realm, I give up things like cook-outs and outdoor food festivals.

This fall, however, I’m ready to embrace something absolutely delicious; pumpkin. Previously I’ve adapted pumpkin to only a few things in my diet- pie and the occasional Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I’ve come to realize, however, there is a whole world of pumpkin goodness; Kashi TLC bars have a Pumpkin Granola, Magnolia’s bakery has a Pumpkin Cupcake, and there are A LOT of beers that have a Pumpkin Ale.

That being said, now that we’ve passed labor day, I’ve started my pumpkin excursion. I’m starting slowly, as it’s only the beginning of September. I’ve decided to gulp down some Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, and it is deeeeelish. I know there are multiple pumpkin flavored brews on my list, so I’ll certainly keep you up to speed with each sip. I’ve also indulged in the TLC Pumpkin Spice bars, which are truly a treat – they have the goodness of granola, with a little decadence of pumpkin glaze. And of course, I’ve already devoured two Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks. I’ll continue enjoying those until it becomes time for their winter flavors.

Needless to say, I’ve never been big on fall flavors – I’ve always been too depressed to see summer go, while also dreading the cold winter. This year, I’ve turned a new beautifully golden red leaf. I’m learning to embrace not only fall, but also winter. There is goodness in fall; pumpkin, apple, nut, and smoky flavors, more hearty dishes, and also Halloween, something I would find difficult not to love.

That being said, I’m embracing fall and all it has to offer. I’ve broken out my light jackets and starting racking my brain for costume ideas. I promise to keep you up to date with all of my fall food endeavors; I know they will be absolutely delightful.