Hot Pumpkin

Y’all yesterday was dang hot.  And I mean, sitting around needing to air yourself out kinda HOT.  The humidity was outta control and the heat index was just below Swamp.  Nobody really wanted to do anything and after I was done with my long run, I most especially didn’t want to do anything.

Rocky thought we were purposely keeping the air off and making him hot.  There was lots of stink eye being spread around and I may do a lot of things in the name of being green, but forcing folks or animals to be hot when they don’t have to be is not one of them.  Trust me, the air was on.

So you may be wondering then, if it was so hot why in the world am I suddenly obsessed with pumpkin?

Because I couldn’t hold out any longer friends and I had to bust open a can of that glorious squash.  See last fall all around the states, we were in the middle of Pumpkin Crisis ’09.  The pumpkin crop was bad last year and come fall canned pumpkin was slim pickings.  Grocery stores were out of canned pumpkin and when some would trickle in, they didn’t stay on the shelves long.

You can bet your veggie lovin’ butt that whenever I saw pumpkin I stocked up.  And if you think I didn’t fill my Sam’s cart to the tippy top when I found the HUGE 28 ounce cans of pumpkin in a Three Pack, you probably don’t know me as well as you think.  I love pumpkin and I will snatch it outta your hands when you aren’t looking, just so you know.

When spring hit, I pushed aside my multiple cans of pumpkin assuring them that I would see them in the fall.  I didn’t forget about them but I didn’t waste energy dwelling on them either, ya dig?

But this past weekend, I couldn’t hold out any longer and I felt the need to be reunited with my orange beauty.

First pumpkin sighting of the day was with a lovely yogurt mess post run.

  • 2% Fage (Greek Yogurt)
  • Homemade Granola
  • Huge scoop of pumpkin
  • Dash Maple Syrup
  • Chocolate Chips

Delish!

Second sighting of pumpkin followed not long after.

Oh you know it, pumpkin pancakes for Sunday Breakfast!

Yumtastic!  I also loaded those bad johnnies up with some butter and dipped them in maple syrup which was fab.  Sliced apple in the back for some fruit.  Also an indicator that the fruit situation at the HQ is in need of replenishing.

I would love to give you a description of my day but really there was nothing to it.  I did a lot of prep work for dinner and then barely had time to sit down for a second before it was actually time to eat dinner.  Yesterday was one of those days that just got away from us and that’s kinda stinky.  Sundays are our days to catch up so when we don’t get that chance I feel a little bit off kilter.

Dinner was pulled pork tacos!  I had a pork roast that I put in the crock pot with a few other things and let simmer for a few hours.  I shredded it and then put the pork back in the crock pot for about another 1/2 hour or so.

We had lots of fixin’s to go with the tacos.  I made salsa, there was also homemade guacamole, and sour cream (more 2% Fage).

Since it was so hot yesterday and it seemed like it was going to rain, I figured grilling was out.  That made it the perfect time to get something going in the crock and Scott has been asking for this meal for a while now.  On the side we had some very basic roasted cauliflower.  I kept that simple since the main star was the tacos!

No Holmes on Homes last night, it was one we already saw.  We watched a movie instead and I started crashing hard around 9:30.  Yikes!  I made quick work of dessert.

Vegan chocolate chip cookies which look shiny because I popped them in the microwave for a sec to get all warm and gooey. :D

Accompanied with some Pinot Grigio.  This winery makes a really decent merlot but I wasn’t very impressed with the Pinot Grigio.  It is drinkable for sure!  Just not the best I’ve had.  A little on the plain side, no real kick or depth to it.

After dessert I hit the hay for some serious rest!

I have a guest post up over at Brandi’s! I am missing my Holmes on Homes Sister!  I can’t wait till she gets back from her trip. :D

How was your weekend?  Are you anxious for fall to arrive too?

This post was part of my Homespun Sunday series.  If you’d like to join in, just let me know!

11 thoughts on “Hot Pumpkin

  1. The food looks really yummy! Thanks for the tip on the Blackstone Pinot. I’ve always liked their Merlots, but won’t bother trying the Pinot. Hope that the weather breaks soon – don’t want your doggy continuing to give you the stink eye :)

    • Ginny, Love the merlot! Plus you can’t beat the price of it either, not expensive at all and pretty easy to come by.
      Tyler, Isn’t pumpkin the best! So versatile! Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. I don’t like the bitter cold of winter but snow can be pretty.
      Kim, I had Scott in on the search too! And he would come back and help fill the cart. :p
      Heather, girl get on it! I just had some today and it was so fine. :D
      Ali, I like the slow cooker on really hot days because it doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen. Meeting up for yogurt sounds like a plan!
      Amanda, Emailed you! Also yes the humidity is pretty painful to deal with. Most women complain about their hair getting frizzy, mine is the opposite. It goes limp and flat against my face causing me to look like I just walked out of the 70s.
      Angela, I mean that I’m using 2% Fage in place of sour cream. Fage can be either savory or sweet and using it as sour cream is amazing! I bet if you didn’t tell someone it was yogurt, they would never know the difference.
      Heidi, your chicken dish sounds amazing! I love the idea of a peanut sauce with noodles and chicken!

  2. I love that food bloggers seem to eat pumpkin all year long. It’s such a happy flavor. So smart of you to stock up in the fall!

    I really don’t mind the summer heat like most people do. I would rather it be hot than cold any day. Fall does have the best running weather though, and I am looking forward to those gorgeous leaves!

  3. I haven’t pulled out my pumpkin yet, but you better believe I have 2 of the big 28 ouncers in cupboard! It’s been too long since I last had pumpkin oatmeal!

  4. I haven’t used pumpkin yet this year but it looks delish! You also reminded me of my slow cooker. I haven’t had it out since last winter but it will be perfect for a day when I am busy with Anna and not in the mood to cook! Looks great! I went to Cuzzins for fro yo the other day – we need to meet there!

  5. So much to comment on!

    1. The humidity would kill me. I would literally do nothing. I hate humidity!!!

    2. I cannot find pumpkin anywhere :( I am living vicariously through you and your delicious pumpkin pancakes. YUM!

    3. Do you think I could make pulled pork tacos using a pork loin? I bought one but really do not know what to do with it. Those tacos look fabulous! The homemade guacamole…oh man.

  6. Heidi says:

    Mmm, I love making pumpkin pancakes! I got out the pumpkin this week also — I’ve been making pumpkin overnight oats.

    For Homespun Sunday this week, I made banana oatmeal post-run, and a chicken pasta dish in a spicy peanut sauce for dinner. Yum! My husband is now eating all the leftovers.

  7. I love pumpkin, but for some reason I just can’t do the scoop in my oatmeal. However the pumpkin pancakes are an entirely different story. Love those!

    Have you tried roasting your own pumpkin? I can’t seem to go back to the canned stuff after doing that. It is so easy and freezes well, but it does have a different texture. The tacos look awesome!

  8. Rebecca says:

    I love pumpkin, but haven’t pulled it out just yet – holding out till September. BUT I love Rocky!! My boxer baby does the same thing!! Stink eye included!

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