Pumpkinitis

I no longer have to hoard the gourd. The pumpkin shortage is over. What? What's that you say? You didn't know there was a pumpkin shortage? Well, there was. And it was pretty tragic. The only place I could find real canned pumpkin was at Sprouts, and if you didn't get there fast enough, someone else would snatch them all up.

The reason I was so deeply affected by this shortage is because I have recently developed an obsession with canned pumpkin. I want to put it in everything. So far, this is what I've made:
* chocolate cake/cupcakes (cake mix, pumpkin, 2/3 cups water)
* enchiladas (add pumpkin to the sauce for fiber and moist, thick goodness)
* oatmeal (just stir a couple spoonfuls in for fiber and delicious taste)
* pancakes (add a half cup with cinnamon)
* cookies

I've read that pumpkin is considered a super food: high fiber and vitamins, low in calories. Plus it's delicious. And, luckily, now available in hordes. Hordes of gourdes.

The Audacious Cook

I don't usually have the patience to cook. I hate things with a million ingredients and hours of chopping. Our dinners usually consist of tortilla + filling + microwave. Anything that takes longer better include the crock pot.

But I kinda have the desire to bake. I like the idea of perfecting some wonderful dish, then making it for special occasions to the delight of all my sophisticated friends. Problem is, I don't have natural talent, and I am going to have to work for it. A recent attempt at cherry turnovers didn't end so great. It tasted OK, but looked pretty wimpy and a little soggy.

I'm tempted to buy the Julia Child book, since all of the NPR interviews with director Nora Ephron have said that taught her how to cook. And I do love things made with butter and cream. I'm not suggesting I try my own version of "Julie and Julia," where I blog my way through it, but I like the idea that maybe I could try some of the recipes and make something delicious.

One thing I have learned was that homemade whipped cream can cover up a lot of worries. And I know how to make that. So that's a start.