I know I’m not standing all by myself when I say, ‘I LOVE FALL!’ It wasn’t even officially autumn yet when I bought a new wreath and hung it on my front door.
Yay! Welcome Fall!
I simply adore everything that comes with the changing of the season. Even though I don’t live in a part of the country that has leaves changing into beautiful colors on trees, I still love it. And here’s why….
I love waking up to cooler mornings when I can go out for a run and not feel like I’m going to fall over from heat exhaustion. I love the colors of all the decorations being put out and seeing my friends post pictures of their fall decor on social media, taking my thoughts to a happy place. I love the smell of a crisp, fall morning. And then there’s pumpkin. Pumpkin this. Pumpkin that.
With that, I’d love to share some of my favorite things to do with pumpkins!
Head to the Pumpkin Patch!
Heading to the pumpkin patch with my son and whichever grand babies are available at the time is a treat. It’s always fun to see their excitement and enthusiasm at the field of orange.
Carve a Pumpkin
I love picking out one of the bigger pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and letting my son go to town. 
I used to be a bit, hmmm, controlling, (sorry, just keeping it real here people) and would carve our pumpkin to semi-perfection each year.
Early on, I had four kids at home and a whole pile of pumpkins to carve. As each child got older though, they took the reigns and carved their own pumpkin. There was always another little one behind them who also wanted a pumpkin. This allowed me to unleash my inner child once again. But, then, a few years ago, there were no more littles and my youngest wanted to do it himself. And so now, he gets after it, and I am an on-the-side-lines as cheerleader. I couldn’t be happier. Watching him brings me great joy!
Then, what comes out of those yummy pumpkins? The SEEDS, of course! I love, love, making and snacking on pumpkin seeds. I always pull out my mom’s recipe because it has never failed me.
Roast Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 cups pumpkins seeds (roughly)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
Rinse seeds until clean. Boil in salt water for 10 minutes. Dry seeds on a paper towel. Combine worcestershire sauce, butter, and salt in a bowl. Add seeds. Bake 1-2 hours at 225 degrees. Stir occasionally. Seeds should be crisp.
Buy a Pumpkin Pie
Oh, my, it’s time for pumpkin pie! I made a pumpkin pie from scratch. Once in my life. I’m not a great pie maker, but my one attempt actually turned out ok. I have found that I am absolutely and completely happy picking up a pumpkin pie from my the local store. Last year I found one at the health food store that was absolutely delicious. (Ok, so, before I became so conscience of my food purchases, my pumpkin pies came from HEB and Wal-Mart. And I survived.)
Enjoy a Pumpkin Latte
I don’t drink coffee. Well, I can’t say I never drink coffee, because there is one time of year that I do. And that’s in the fall when Pumpkin Spice hits the shelves. Oh yes, I love me a pumpkin spice latte. But, honestly, I still may only have a few of them. But, I sure do enjoy them!
Bake Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes / Muffins
These are the very best. We’re a gluten free family this year, so I’m not sure what I’ll do about this one, but if you need a good pumpkin spice cupcake recipe, give this one a try. It’s so very easy!
- 1 pkg. 18.25 ounce spice cake mix
- 1 can Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup water
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Bake in a muffin pan filling cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes. Due to the pure pumpkin they may have to cook longer than a normal cupcake. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean. I love to top these with cream cheese icing, but they are absolutely delicious on their own.
Make Special Fall Memories
One of my favorite times was watching my daughter carve a pumpkin and put her 1 month old inside it. I stood by with my camera at the ready, waiting for the perfect picture. He gave us the cutest, quirkiest grin… exactly as we’d hoped! {LOVE}
