All Pumpkin Weekend

I have recently gotten in the habit of trying new recipes on the weekends.

First was the casseroles, Chicken Tetrazzini and Mediterranean Tuna Noodle. Those were both successes!

Next I tried an Asian Hot and Sour Soup. It was delicious!

Last weekend I tried Ricotta Gnocchi. I was not impressed with the results. Yech.

But this weekend... Well, this weekend turned into an ALL PUMPKIN WEEKEND.

Initially, all I wanted to make was some pumpkin loaf.

But after scouring the shelves of the grocery store, I determined that the World's Largest Can of Pumpkin was the only can of plain pumpkin puree at the grocery store! The smaller cans were pumpkin pie filling, and already had spices in them.

World's Largest Can of Pumpkin

With this gigantic can of pumpkin, I made the most beautiful loaf of Pumpkin Coconut bread. It might sound like an odd combination, but it was absolutely delicious! The loaf had the perfect amount of rise, the most tantalizing aroma, and a pleasant browned colour.

See for yourself!

Amanda's Pumpkin Coconut Loaf

With nearly three quarters of the pumpkin puree remaining, I tried my next creation: Pumpkin Soup!

I have never tried pumpkin soup, so I searched out a recipe that had good reviews. This gave me the opportunity to use our hand mixer (which sprayed soup everywhere).

Be warned! It is important to read your soup recipe thoroughly... I didn't know it was going to take an hour of simmering to whip this soup up! We ended up eating much later than I had hoped.

Amanda's Pumpkin Soup

A deviation from my pumpkin theme, I also tried to make Crab Cakes this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. They are actually coated in crushed Ritz cracker! But they were very tasty and moist. There is lots of green onion in them, a bit of mayo and mustard, and good dose of cayenne pepper.

Amanda's Scrumptious Crab Cakes

And to finish off my pumpkin, I made a batch of pumpin muffins.

I guess I never took a picture of the muffins baked...

It's amazing how exhausting cooking and baking can be. But it was nice to have so many treats for the week. The pumpkin was a success...

But it'll probably be another 10 months before I touch pumpkin again.