Perfectly Delicious Pumpkin Dishes to Celebrate National Pumpkin Month!

It’s National Pumpkin Month and what a great way to celebrate a new season than with healthy, delicious and festive pumpkin dishes! Did you know that pumpkin is a highly nutritious super food, rich in Vitamins A, B (folate), C and E, antioxidants (alpha and beta-carotene) making it heart healthy, lowering cancer risk and helping to protect your cells and your vision. In addition to all of these immune system boosters, pumpkin also has a super low calorie content! In fact, one cup of pumpkin packs only 49 calories and offers 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and is full of minerals like, potassium, copper, manganese and iron. Pumpkin is also a super great hydrator with its 94% water content. And it’s delicious! What’s not to love!

October has to be one of my favorite months in the kitchen. Besides being National Pumpkin Month, pumpkin dishes are just a great way to celebrate the change of season with food! I love creating fun new pumpkin recipes and enjoying preparing and updating some of my old ones. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, I've selected a few of my favorite pumpkin delights to share with you to enjoy!

Simply click on the photos for the recipes.

Gingered Pumpkin Muffins with Dark Chocolate Glaze

Pumpkin Risotto with Fried Sage, Toasted Hazelnuts and lots of Parmigiana!

Creamy Pumpkin Parmigiana Zita with a hint of Amaretti

Pumpkin Ravioli with brown butter, sage and toasted walnuts

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, with a ginger snap and pecan crust!

I hope you enjoy preparing these Fun & Simple pumpkin recipes as much as I enjoyed putting them together for you! Don’t forget to share and please reach out with your comments, photos and Pumpkin Month experiences! Did you know that October is also National Apple Month? Stay tuned for lots of absolutely amazing apple dishes coming out in next week’s post! In the meantime…

Perfectly Delicious Pumpkin Dishes to Celebrate National Pumpkin Month!

It’s National Pumpkin Month and what a great way to celebrate a new season than with healthy, delicious and festive pumpkin dishes! Did you know that pumpkin is a highly nutritious super food, rich in Vitamins A, B (folate), C and E, antioxidants (alpha and beta-carotene) making it heart healthy, lowering cancer risk and helping to protect your cells and your vision. In addition to all of these immune system boosters, pumpkin also has a super low calorie content! In fact, one cup of pumpkin packs only 49 calories and offers 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and is full of minerals like, potassium, copper, manganese and iron. Pumpkin is also a super great hydrator with its 94% water content. And it’s delicious! What’s not to love!

October has to be one of my favorite months in the kitchen. Besides being National Pumpkin Month, pumpkin dishes are just a great way to celebrate the change of season with food! I love creating fun new pumpkin recipes and enjoying preparing and updating some of my old ones. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, I've selected a few of my favorite pumpkin delights to share with you to enjoy!

Simply click on the photos for the recipes.

Gingered Pumpkin Muffins with Dark Chocolate Glaze

Pumpkin Risotto with Fried Sage, Toasted Hazelnuts and lots of Parmigiana!

Creamy Pumpkin Parmigiana Zita with a hint of Amaretti

Pumpkin Ravioli with brown butter, sage and toasted walnuts

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, with a ginger snap and pecan crust!

I hope you enjoy preparing these Fun & Simple pumpkin recipes as much as I enjoyed putting them together for you! Don’t forget to share and please reach out with your comments, photos and Pumpkin Month experiences! Did you know that October is also National Apple Month? Stay tuned for lots of absolutely amazing apple dishes coming out in next week’s post! In the meantime…

Festive Fun & Simple Ideas for Holiday Entertaining

Festive Holiday Pumpkin-Cranberry Cake

Tis’ the season for holiday entertaining, and there’s nothing like being prepared! Holiday entertaining can be stressful, but don’t let the idea of it interfere with your holiday joy! This week I’ve included a few fun & simple holiday dishes that can be prepared in advance, taking all the stress out of last minute entertaining and holiday gatherings. They are all super great appetizers and desserts to take to the party as well!

It’s all about the prep, and by doing things in advance and keeping a few simple things on hand for the holidays, entertaining can be fun…and simple!

Funghi Brie Appetizer

Shrimp or Lobster Wontons

Corn Chowder with Lobster

Holiday Shrimp Cocktail

Now, let’s get to that cake! This beautifully delicious Festive Pumpkin Cranberry Cake can easily be made in advance and kept in the freezer up to one month. Then, when it’s time to serve just dust with a little powdered sugar and a dollop of mascarpone whipped cream! Fun & Simple holiday entertaining at its best! Pumpkin is my favorite holiday ingredient and combined with fresh cranberries, a dynamic duo.  Add the soothing aroma of warm spices, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, and you have a holiday cake that soothes the soul, not to mention makes the kitchen smell amazing while its baking! Here’s the recipe:

Start with these ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease pan with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.  Mix dry ingredients well, with paddle attachment of electric stand mixer or whisk together in a large bowl, then add:

Stir until combined on low speed of electric or stand mixer, then mix no longer than one minute on medium speed.  Remove from mixer and gently fold in cranberries. Pour batter into pumpkin baking pan until ¾ full. Smooth with spatula and allow to rest for 10 minutes before placing in the oven. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool slightly on wire rack, 3-5 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan.  Using a smooth bladed knife, carefully loosen the edges and place the wire rack on top of the baking pan.  Invert and carefully lift the baking pan up and away from the cake.  Serve warm or room temperature.

The cake freezes beautifully for up to a month.  Cool completely and store in sealed freezer bags.  When ready to serve, the cake can be heated directly from the freezer to the microwave.  It will taste as if it came fresh from the oven! Then just dust with a little powdered sugar, giving it a fresh fallen snow affect!

I like to serve each slice with a dollop of mascarpone whipped cream! Super simple…In a cold bowl, add

Whip with the whisk attachment of your stand mixer (or regular mixer) until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you like nuts, ½ cup of toasted chopped walnuts is an excellent addition to the cake and can be added with the cranberries. You will want to toss them in a little flour also before adding to the batter.

That’s it! Fun & Simple, Gigi Style. I hope you enjoy these hassle free dishes during your holiday seasoning! If you still need a little something for the Foodie on your holiday gift list, there’s still time to have a signed copy of Fun & Simple Gourmet shipped in time for Christmas! You can also download on your devices (iPhone & iPad) at iTunes! In the meantime, enjoy this most wonderful time of year! Wishing you and your family a most fabulous holiday, and remember…

RELATED PRODUCTS

Leave it to Amazon to have everything you need for holiday entertaining preparation! My favorite organic pumpkin and this great little pumpkin loaf pan, perfect for this Festive Cake. This Kitchen Aide Stand Mixer is a great starter and on sale now at over 40% off. Tell Santa to add it to your Christmas List! I’ve had mine over 20 years and can’t live without it

5 Perfect Pumpkin Dishes for Thanksgiving!

Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving…right? Of course it’s one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about two of the my most important things in life…Gratitude and Food! I like celebrating and preparing for Thanksgiving all month long, creating fun new recipes and enjoying preparing and updating some of my old ones.

Pumpkin is one of my favorite foods and can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, not to mention the many health benefits of pumpkin!

Vitamin A rich and only 49 calories per cup, pumpkin has little or no fat content, and is high in antioxidants, like beta carotene which protects your cells against free radicals. Pumpkin also has fiber, Vitamins C, B2 and E, Iron, Copper and Potassium. I love pumpkin in lots of dishes over the holidays, but I eat pumpkin all year long.

I've selected five of my favorite pumpkin delights for you to share with your friends and family this holiday season and all year long...enjoy!

Simply click for the recipes.

Gingered Pumpkin Muffins with Dark Chocolate

Pumpkin Risotto with Fried Sage, Toasted Hazelnuts and lots of Parmigiana!

Creamy Parmigiana Pumpkin Zita with a hint of Amaretti

Pumpkin Ravioli with brown butter, sage and toasted walnuts

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, my go to Thanksgiving dessert

What’s better than preparing a holiday feast with those closest to you and sharing a day of food, love and gratitude! I can’t think of a single thing! I hope you enjoy preparing these fun & simple pumpkin recipes as much as I enjoyed preparing for you! Please feel free to share and don't hesitate to reach out with your comments and send me your photos! I would love to hear from you! You will find many of my favorite holiday dishes in my new cookbook, Fun & Simple Gourmet! And…it makes a super great holiday gift!

Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving! In the meantime,