Something with pumpkin is as natural as turkey for Thanksgiving.  Right?  But it isn’t all about the ubiquitous humble pumpkin pie.  Or is it?

This week, I’ve been experimenting with pumpkin recipes.  And honestly, I’m not impressed.  I’m actually more than just a little disappointed.

Disappointment #1.  I baked a batch of Pumpkin Crumb Muffins with a Maple Glaze.  Thinking these would be fabulous pumpkin-y deliciousness with coffee on Thanksgiving morning.  Sounds pretty good, right?  Well, they were, at best, fair to middling.  Nothing to write home about or blog about for that matter, and they certainly did not trip my pumpkin button.

Disappointment #2.   Thinking about switching up the side dishes for  this year’s Thanksgiving feast,  I tried a Pumpkin, Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese.   While it was good, the pumpkin was lost among all the cheese.  So, as the old adage goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”!  That said, if you’re looking for a way to sneak in some cauliflower, mac and cheese, as it turns out, is a darn good hiding place!

Disappointment #3, Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodles.  Snickerdoodles are one of my all time favorite cookies.  (In case you’re wondering, they sit right behind molasses cookies, my absolute favorite!)  So when I ran across the Pumpkin Chai version, I thought why not?   Well, while that recipe was good, it wasn’t great and they weren’t nearly as rich and delicious as my tried and true snickerdoodle recipe.  So not to give up on the concept, I tried again and adapted my tried and true recipe by adding some pumpkin and used chai spice vs the traditional cinnamon for rolling.  Yummy yes!!!   Pumpkin-y no!!!  These will, however, be one of the dessert offerings this Thanksgiving  accompanied by Pumpkin Ice Cream.

Hopefully, the pumpkin ice cream will be the perfect pumpkin fix for Thanksgiving 2016, because none of the recipes that I piloted will do it for me.  🙂

I wish you a blessed Thanksgiving, and however you decide to enjoy your pumpkin, embrace your gathering of family and friends, be thankful and enjoy your day.

My lesson for the week… perhaps it really is all about the ubiquitous humble pumpkin pie 🙂

Despite my week of disappointments in the kitchen, I’m thankful anyway… thanks for visiting Palatable Life.

Be inspired,
Diane