Yesterday I went swimming in Balboa Park’s outdoor pool. Two days ago, I went for a walk in shorts and a tank top. I still sleep in shorts and a tee. It’s safe to say that it’s nowhere near fall out here in San Diego, and I don’t totally hate it — the weather is, of course, why we moved here — but I’d be lying if I said a part of me wasn’t missing the ceremonious switchover from flip-flops to boots, the swapping of sunglasses for scarves.
And yesterday in Trader Joe’s, it was as though I were walking through a parade of fall’s most glorious bounty: pumpkin! Canned pumpkin, pumpkin latte mix, even decorative pumpkins on branches in the flower section, and then I saw the jar of TJ’s pumpkin butter and all my memories of baking in my crappy Manhattan kitchen came flooding back. (Fact: I had zero counter space in my last NYC abode.)
So even though temps are in the 70-80s (don’t hate me), I’m looking forward to ushering in my own fall within the confines of our apartment. Here are four pumpkin recipes I’m excited to try:
These pumpkin pancakes are a perfect way to mask dessert as breakfast. Maple syrup is totally just a garnish, right?
I first made magic bars in the aforementioned miniscule NYC kitchen, and it was an otherworldly experience. This recipe adds pumpkin to the mix. Gimme!
I don’t actually like peanut butter and jelly. Why can’t people say, “They go together like pumpkin and cream cheese”? That I believe in, which is why I’m nuts for this pumpkin dream cake. (Though I don’t know how I feel about the maple extract element.)
Sally knows her cookies. (Remember these?) And this is why I trust her complicity in her recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Simple, sweet and apparently they taste better a day or two after.
