Wonderful ideas and recipes have been posted for apples. How about some for the humble pumpkin? Pumpkins show up everywhere in the northeast this time of year. Our nearby town has a Pumpkin Fest the end of October each year. They also look so nice as an applique on quilted goodies.

We have one in the area as well. Called the Circleville Pumpkin festival. They have these hot pumpkin donuts that are to die for! Always get a bag on the way home and eat them all before leaving the lot. YUMMY!

Check out the recipe section here I know there have been some posted which sound really yummy! And welcome.

I love this time of year. I make pumpkin ravioli.... it is to die for. Actually, I just made a batch for dinner on Saturday.

I also make pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins, chicken pot pie inside the cleaned out pumpkin ( I could eat that every week) and pumpkin beer.

:)

I will be baking 2 pumpkin pies for Oct.10 (Canada's Thanksgiving). Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie is just wrong. I did several of the little "sewn pumpkin pincushions" from the www2.fiskars.com to decorate my table. We will be together on Monday and will sing as our blessing...We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing, He chastens and hastens His will to make known. The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, Sing prise to His name, He forgets not His own.

I posted the Weight Watcher's Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe in the recipe forum. It's a good one.

Here's the link to the recipe.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-153839-1.htm

Here's one of my seasonal PUMPKIN favourites!!

Whether you use one large, or several small pumpkins, this can be such a showy and admired company dish or take-to for a potluck. And guess what? people like it!!

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Meatloaf Pumpkin
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Cut lid from top of pumpkin and remove gunk and seeds.

Put pumpkin into baking dish with an inch of water. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or til flesh has started to soften (not till totally soft and eatable).

Meanwhile make meatloaf in usual way ..... ground beef, onion, egg, oatmeal, seasonings or whatever you would normally mix in!

In small bowl, make paste of 2 tbsp. brown sugar and 2 tbsp. dijon mustard.

Remove pumpkin from oven. With spatula lift pumpkin to plate and pour out water. Let pumpkin cool til able to handle. With back of spoon, spread sugar/mustard inside pumpkin.

Pack pumpkin with meatloaf. Top with pumpkin lid. Return to baking dish (no water this time) and bake an additional 45-60 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let rest about 20 minutes. Transfer to serving plate. Slice into wedges and serve!

Notes:
**A wee pumpkin, about 2 lbs, takes less than a pound of ground beef to fill.
**Could par-cook pumpkin earlier in the day
**A larger pumpkin and more meat, might require more time to cook for both parts

**I add some cinnamon and/or allspice to the sugar/mustard mix and/or to the meatloaf
**Slices easily AND stays together in the wedge as you serve!! (be sure it has it's rest period when you remove it from the overn)

I make a Pumpkin Butter that I sell out of every year at the local farmer's markets. My daughter swears I shoved a pumpkin pie in a jar. ;)