Two More Uses for a Jack-o-Lantern: Pumpkin Pancakes and Yeasted Pumpkin Chocolate Bread

Much to my children's chigrin, the day after Halloween, their pumpkins became our next meal. I cut the pumpkins in half, seeded them and roasted the halves skin side down for about 45 minutes for 450 minutes with about one inch of water. I then took the pumpkin and froze it in bags each filled with one cup each.

When we were hungry, I quickly defrosted the pumpkin in hot water. I then mixed it into some homemade pancake batter along with freshly grated nutmeg.

Then, inspired by the yeasted pumpkin bread at When Pigs Fly and a recipe on the King Arthur site for "Cinnamon-Swirl Pumpkin Rolls," I tried a new twist.

I used the King Arthur recipe for "Yeasted Pumpkin Bread" but made 3 significant changes. First, I substituted King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour for half of the white flour to make it a bit healthier. Next, once the dough was ready, I put it in a bowl for an overnight rise in the refrigerator. The next morning, I took it out and rolled it on a floured countertop. I spread a mixture of cinnamon and sugar on top, rolled it up and cut it into rolls. I then let this rise for another hour. I popped it in the oven and cooked them at 375 for about 30 minutes. When I took them out, I spread them with a powdered sugar-milk glaze.

The verdict: my friend thought they were a bit dense, but the kids loved them spread with thick layers of cream cheese. I enjoyed them topped with sharp cheddar, though the cream cheese was deliciously decadent. I appreciated that they were relatively healthy and easy. While I am not of the "hide the vegetables" in the food sort, my kids were gobbling up squash and whole wheat flour. Yay.