When I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago, I spent a lot of time confused. I hate feeling like an idiot American when I don't speak the language. And, to be frank, I couldn't even understand French. The only familiarity I have with French is Beauty and the Beast (yes, I'm talking about the Bonjour song) and cooking terms. While bonjour got me pretty far, I don't think mise en place would carry me quite the same way. Therefore, when we walked around to find a restaurant, we would look for English menus. It was much less painful than pulling out my yellow French dictionary to try and figure out what I was about to order.
 
While we did all this walking around to find restaurant, we kept passing one that had a sign for tomato pumpkin soup. While we never stopped in and had a bowl, I was definitely intrigued. Enough that it meant I wanted to make some at home. I have absolutely no idea if this tastes anything like theirs, but I think it's pretty dang good. Plus, after I made it, I realized that it's vegan. I don't really intend for anything to be vegan, but I feel like this opens some options to those on restricted diets, which is pretty cool. Even though there is no cream in it, it's pretty creamy due to the pumpkin. It mainly tastes like tomato soup but has a hint of pumpkin. It's a great fall soup and perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich or some crackers.

Tomato Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Serves 6-8
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Note: I used cooking stock because that's what I had, but feel free to use vegetable stock or chicken stock/broth. Puree your soup to the consistency you like and if you like thinner soup, you may want to add more stock/broth.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 while onion, diced
2 (28 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh sage, diced
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup cooking stock or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch cayenne

In a large pot, heat the tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Drain one can of tomatoes and keep the juice. Add the drained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, and sage and cook for 10 minutes. This will help to concentrate the tomato flavor before you add in everything else. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute. Add in the reserved tomato juice, the other can of diced tomatoes with the juice, the can of pumpkin, and the stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. Puree in batches in a food processor or a blender until smooth or is the consistency you prefer. Add in salt and pepper to taste and the pinch of cayenne. If you like thinner soup, add in more cooking stock. 

Source: Greatly adapted from America's Test Kitchen  

I have a confession to make...I've never had granola. The thing is, I don't like yogurt. At all. And since most people (I think) put their granola on top of yogurt, it's not something I've ever really been interested in. Until, that is, I saw it on this website. I love pumpkin, and I love pumpkin/fall spices. So you pair that with some oatmeal and other mix-ins and then bake it, I can get behind that.

When I read the recipe, it looked like a lot of sugar to me. While I like sugar, if I'm really going to be eating my calories at breakfast, I want a croissant or a cinnamon roll. Granola is supposed to be healthy, right? So I cut down the sugar. This (obviously) makes it less sweet, but I think it's great. I went light on the mix-ins and only added in larger amounts of raisins, pumpkin seeds, and pecans. Most people are more adventurous than me, so I'm going to include the recipe for all the mix-ins below. Feel free to add/subtract whatever you want. You can definitely make this recipe what you want. And certainly serve it over a container of yogurt, or if you're like me, in a bowl of milk.

Pumpkin Granola Recipe
Makes 4-5 cups
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3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add in the oats and other mix-ins and stir until everything is coated and combined.

Spread onto the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes. Stir and then bake for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely; it will harden/crisp as it cools. Store in an airtight container or bag.
 
Source: Barely adapted from A Bitchin' Kitchen who adapted it from Pastry Affair

After 20 hours of traveling, I'm back home in Denver from France. However, I still am crazy jetlagged, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Definitely sweet.

Last week I told you that I would show you a great variation on the pumpkin muffins. Well, here you go. Pumpkin cupcakes with caramel frosting or a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. I really couldn't decide which was my favorite, so I highly recommend that you do whatever sounds best and then try the other one with your next batch. Decisive, right? Sorry, like I said, I'm jetlagged. The caramel buttercream tastes very fall-like and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting provides a nice tang. I had some leftover cream cheese frosting in my freezer, so I dusted cinnamon on top of the frosting, but you can mix it in  the frosting. That's probably what I'd do next time, even though the dusting is pretty. Either way, these cupcakes will be a big hit!   

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese or Caramel Frosting Recipe
Makes 36 cupcakes
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Note: This provides recipes for a cinnamon cream cheese frosting and a caramel frosting. Both are wonderful paired with the pumpkin cake, so I recommend you choose which one sounds best to you. You don't need to make both.

For the cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs
15 ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
1 1/2 packages cream cheese (12 ounces)
12 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the caramel  frosting:
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces brown sugar (about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons packed)
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 cups powdered sugar

To make the cupcakes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the first nine ingredients. Form a well in the dry ingredients, and add the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, applesauce, and oil into the middle. Mix those ingredients together, and then stir everything together until just incorporated. Line 36 muffin tins with liners. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the liners or until they're about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in your mixing bowl fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth. It's best to weigh your powdered sugar because your amount in cups will depend on your humidity. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and taste. If you like a stronger cinnamon flavor, add more. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. 

To make the caramel frosting, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the brown sugar and bring to a boil while stirring. Stir in the milk, baking soda, and corn syrup and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and cool completely (about an hour). Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, and mix on medium speed until it's creamy and smooth. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.
 
Sources: Cupcakes from Taste of Home, cream cheese frosting from The Pioneer Woman cookbook, caramel frosting from Big Book of Cupcakes 

I love pumpkin, but I never really started using it for more than pumpkin pie until a few years ago. In fact, I never really knew the amazing-ness that is pumpkin bread until I went to a work meeting in Chicago about five years ago in the month of October. There was a Starbucks in the hotel, and I needed some breakfast. I had never really gone to Starbucks before because I am not a lover of coffee, so I checked out their pastry case and chose a piece of pumpkin bread. And then I fell in love. In a big way. When I got home from my meeting, I researched recipes for pumpkin spice bread and haven't turned back since. Let's face it, I cannot pay $4 for a piece of the bread. So now I can get my fix whenever I want it.

Another beauty of this recipe is that it's a one bowl, mix by hand recipe. It's so easy...maybe a little too easy.

This is a recipe that I do not adjust for high altitude. It works great as is. This recipe makes two loaves so you can make two and eat both or freeze one (they do freeze well), or you could make a loaf and muffins or cupcakes. I'll show you the cupcake variation next week. Because really, what could go wrong when you add some frosting?

Pumpkin Spice Bread and Muffins Recipe
Makes two loaves or 36 muffins or a combination
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2 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs
15 ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the first nine ingredients. Form a well in the dry ingredients, and add the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, applesauce, and oil into the middle. Mix those ingredients together, and then stir everything together until just incorporated. If you're making loaves of bread, divide the batter between two greased 9-inch loaf pans. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

If you're making muffins, line 36 muffin tins with liners. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the liners or until they're about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before eating.
 
Source: Taste of Home 

I first saw this recipe two years ago and ripped it out of my Taste of Home magazine and placed it in my recipe binder. And then I kept coming across it but never actually made it. I've said before that I'm not really a big fancy pancake eater. I like the simple classics. But I finally tried these, and now I'm kicking myself. Why oh why didn't I do this sooner?? The pancakes, as you would expect with any good pumpkin recipe, are very moist and flavorful. The cinnamon brown butter? Oh my. I halved the entire recipe since the hubs doesn't like pancakes, and I poured half of the butter over the stack. Clearly I was watching my diet that morning! It was worth it though...it's such a great fall morning breakfast that I definitely will be making often. 

By the way, this recipe calls for ricotta cheese. I wasn't expecting that, and since I didn't read the recipe ahead of time, I did not have any ricotta. After scouring my fridge, I did see cottage cheese. Normally I would pulse the cottage cheese in my food processor to get rid of the clumps, but I was lazy and didn't want to pull it out. So I mashed it with a fork. There were still small clumps in my pancake batter, but it tasted just fine to me. I wouldn't really recommend using cottage cheese as is though. Next time I'm planning on buying some ricotta so I can try them with that. 

I wasn't planning on sharing this recipe for a few more weeks, but it's supposed to snow in Denver Saturday morning so I'm busting them out. And if I'm enjoying them, you should too!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Brown Butter Recipe
Makes about 16 pancakes
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For the butter:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

For the pancakes:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and keep it on the stove until it foams and then starts to turn brown. Scrape up the brown bits, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup, and remove from heat. Stir in the pecans if using (or you can place them on top of your finished pancakes). 

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, pumpkin, and ricotta cheese. Stir in the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add in the flour and stir until just incorporated. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or melted butter. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the skillet and cook until bubbles form on the top (about a few minutes). Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown. Serve with the butter. 

Source: Taste of Home