Pumpkin Bliss

I'll admit, since graduating from college I've felt like your typical 20 something year old trying to go head on with the world and tackle its problems one by one. I really do pity action heroes; the need to save the world is a tough feeling. So most days I try and take joy in the simple things in my life that are making it so happy and meaningful; drinking coffee with Ben in the morning before we go off to work, waking up to a snoring puppy with his feet stretched in the air, the love pouring through from my family in things as simple as facebook posts or phone calls.

And lately, my own personal redemption against the chaos of the world; cooking. I've always loved it, but through college didn't get much time or have enough energy for it in such a get up and run out the door lifestyle. Since graduating I've learned to slow down and really immerse myself in the present moment in everything I do, especially cooking.

So yesterday, instead of tackling the world's problems, I tackled pumpkin butter :)

I bought three small pumpkins from the farmers market, and was excited to put them to use. I searched for recipes all over, until I came across this simple crock pot pumpkin butter recipe. Then I got to work. I’ve never done anything with a pumpkin before besides carve it (who knew it was edible?!).

The recipe calls for about two of these smaller pumpkins. I chopped them in half to get the seeds out, and then I peeled the skins off with a knife and cut the meat of the pumpkin into smaller inch long pieces. 

Then I dumped these into a crock pot, and added about a cup of sugar, ½ a cup of brown sugar, and a handful of cinnamon with a few pinches of nutmeg and allspice. I also added about a ½ cup of milk. 

Turn the crockpot on low, and cook for 8 hours. An hour into it I decided to help the process by blending the chunks together so it looked more pureed.

After this your work is done and the crockpot takes over cooking it while simultaneously filling your house with amazing autumn aromas. I made some fresh bread that was finished baking just as the pumpkin butter was ready to taste. A spread of the freshly cooked butter over a piece of homemade bread tasted like a perfect fall day melting in your mouth.  It turned out great and I look forward to making more of it maybe for Christmas gifts!

But of course, the pumpkin possibilities didn’t end there. I had saved the seeds, rinsed and dried them. 

But instead of salting and roasting them as usual, I incorporated them into my homemade granola. The result: pumpkin bliss.

Here is my granola recipe (Of course I change it everytime, so feel free to do with it what you want with whatever you have around)

About 3 cups of plain oats

1 cup of brown sugar

½ cup of honey

3 tbsp of melted butter

1 cup of crushed walnuts

1 cup of sliced almonds

1 cup of pumpkin seeds

Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or any other spice you can think of to taste.

Mix all together and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes at 250degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.

The smell alone of this baking in your oven will make your mouth water. Plus, homemade granola is a lot cheaper, tastier and fresher than store bought, so why not make it yourself!

Moral of the story: Cook a lot, eat well, and relish the sweet, simple things in life :)