all things pumpkin

It has  been a busy month for me. My part time job has me averaging about 30 hours per week. The first and third week of this month I've been working the last shift of the day. It doesn't leave me a whole lot of time for doing things around the house, squeezing in the gym and preparing supper for my husband and I before I leave for work. However, I have been cooking. 

Recently I heard that Bagels International in Bradley Beach makes a pumpkin bagel and pumpkin cream cheese. I rarely eat bagels, but this sounded too delicious not to try. They only started making this seasonal bagel about a week or so ago. One of my co-workers works here part time and alerted me as to when they were available. Last Saturday I went into the store and ordered my bagel. Oh my gosh it was delicious; it was so good I went back Sunday for another (I had forgotten to snap a photo of the first bagel!).

Yesterday morning, feeling ambitious before I went to work and neglecting my "to do list," I made a cake batter called Autumn Loaf. My sister gave me this recipe years ago. I don't know where she got it, but I make each fall. It's made with solid pumpkin and wonderful spices reminiscent of the fall. At five o'clock this morning, after our dog woke me up, I put the prepared cake into the oven. It filled the house with the such a delightful aroma. I couldn't resist a piece with my second cup of coffee this morning. 

While working out at the gym last Saturday morning, I was watching the Food Network show "The Kitchen." One of the hosts prepared pumpkin spice latte base. After preparing my Autumn Loaf, I had about a cup of solid pumpkin leftover. I thought I would give the pumpkin spice latte base a try. I halved the ingredients and whipped up a batch. I tried it this morning in my oatmeal and it was very good. Since it came out of the refrigerator, I think I would heat it up a bit in the microwave before adding to my oatmeal. Perhaps I would also top off with some chopped walnuts to make a decadent breakfast. 

Still to come is a recipe for pumpkin-walnut flapjacks and pumpkin cheesecake crumble squares.