Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

  This recipe was pretty good. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn't that it didn't taste good, it just didn't have really strong flavors. I thought that the goat cheese would have had a tart/salty flavor, but I think it was washed out by the cream and the pumpkin. I had to add a lot of Parmesan cheese to bring up the flavor level. 

  I forgot to buy sage so that was not in my dish. I also spilled my heavy cream, so it ended up being 1/8 of heavy cream and  3/8 of half and half.  Try this recipe if you love pumpkin. Otherwise skip this recipe and save your pumpkin for the pancakes I made a couple of weeks ago or for one of my other up coming pumpkin recipes.

1 pound campanelle or penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 oz goat cheese
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh cracked pepper (or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoon of chopped fresh sage
 

Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots, crushed red pepper (if using), and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the  broth, pumpkin, salt, pepper and cream. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk in the goat cheese and 1 tablespoon of the fresh sage.  Lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Can add a little of the Parmesan cheese here if you like.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, cover and let sit off the heat for 5 minutes or so.  Place in a serving bowl and top with the remaining fresh sage and a good dusting of the Parmesan cheese.  Serve with additional Parmesan cheese at the table.

Original recipe from Circle B Kitchen

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes {Annah}

 The cool winds have blown in and it feels like fall here. I don't think the weather could be any nicer. If only I had a fire pit to enjoy these chilly evenings. What is next best thing. Pumpkin anything! This is the first of at least 3 pumpkin recipes, but expect many more!
  These pancakes had a really good flavor. I thought that the pumpkin taste was a little hidden with all the spices. However, Tyler thought that they had a very strong pumpkin flavor. I definitely recommend putting the cinnamon sugar on top, it gave it a wonderful flavor. I have never thought to do this before, I have only seen it with powdered sugar. If you are in the mood for a fall recipe and like pumpkin make these this weekend for your family, what a treat!

Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
1 cup milk
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices and stir with a fork to combine.  Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, egg and oil or butter in a liquid measuring cup.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together just until combine.  (The batter may still have a few lumps – that is okay.)
Preheat the oven to 200° F.  Have an oven safe plate or serving dish ready.  Heat a greased skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Once the skillet is hot, add a 1/3 cup scoop of batter to the pan.  Let cool until bubbles begin to form on the top surface.  Carefully flip with a spatula and cook the second side until golden brown, a couple minutes more.  Transfer the cooked pancake to the oven safe dish, and place in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat with the rest of the batter until it has all been cooked, regreasing the pan as needed.  Serve with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, and/or whipped cream.

Original recipe from Annie's Eats 
Source: adapted from Joy the Baker, originally from Martha Stewart