My New Motto: Pumpkins are made for Eating not Carving

This morning I posted on Facebook “Prayers needed for my sanity today, please! Darya is doing prep work for some medical procedures tomorrow and she is not cooperating. Yes, this too will pass, but right now it is very possible I may be wearing an orange suit soon! Whew,..okay I feel better. Wow, confessions really do work.” So since that confession felt great I thought I would open this blog with more confessions.

I love the fall.

I love the clothes that accompany cool weather, especially boots. Yes, I know I am an Indian wearing Cowboy boots, but I do stay away from cow-patties, all shapes and sizes!

I love the crisp, freshness of walking out in cool weather and inhaling deep allowing all that goodness deep in my lungs. Although I haven’t had that experience yet this season, it is just not that cool yet, but I am looking forward to that  moment.

I love comfort food! The kind that makes you want to crawl up on the couch with a good read! Are you with me?

To my last confession for this blog, I am not a pumpkin fan.

One evening this past week I was on a search for new recipe inspirations when I found a blog called SkinnyTaste, it was featuring Crock PotTurkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili, wow that is a mouthful for all the measurements be sure to check it out at SkinnyTaste at the link above. The picture looked yummy until I read the ingredients and reached "one can of pumpkin puree (not pie filling)". First off I am “Hamburger HelpMe Harjo” not Paula Deen, Rachael Ray or even the Pioneer Woman and for this reason I don’t know the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling. So when I don’t understand, I ask. A friend from WeightWatchers and the lady from the blog both answered, the pumpkin pie filling has spices in it, but pumpkin puree is 100% pumpkin. That was simple and painless.

I am pretty adventurous and because of that trait I am willing to try new things and it is the only reason that I have moved beyond the box. I posted the link on Facebook and come to find out my parents and sister both said, "it sounds yucky". Yes, they did, they said "yucky". So here is my pictorial, outcome and verdict. Hang on because it is a culinary powerhouse of comfort food!

Here is the line up...minus one ingredient that I later discovered missing.
Another reason you will want to visit SkinnyTaste to get all the ingredients right.

Brown the ground turkey in a cast iron skillet, it will make you feel like the Pioneer Woman.

In case you are visual like me, this is the ground turkey all browned up with no pink in it.
Now for the fun! Transfer the meat to your crockpot.
I love crockpots they make me feel like a Culinary Rockstar!

Then back to the laptop to see what's next. I love cooking with my laptop.
It's a relationship that I've been developing. Shhhhh...don't tell my can opener.

Next, saute the chopped onion and minced garlic in the oil for about 3 minutes.

Add the cumin and continue to cook. The onions started to caramelize, ohhh....what flavor!
Next, add this to the meat in the crockpot.

Time for Commercial Break...I love these silicone oven mitts!
They are some of the hitchhikers that came home with me from Dallas on Spring Break.

Like I said, I do not consider myself a great cook or a baker, but I have moved beyond the box. When Darryl and I first got married I did my shopping only on the boxed food isle and the end caps, if they weren’t there I didn’t get them. Now I supermarket sweep the place and now with coupons!

I have to diverge a bit to share a “green book story” – which is a green book I begin to keep in 1996 when I married Darryl and became an instant mom to Megan and Brandon. They were so funny I had to write things down and I am so glad I did! The green book holds funny stories and things our children have said or done. This is one of those green book stories.

 The day I became an instant Mom.

I still remember the first time when Darryl, Megan and Brandon came to my apartment the kids asked for something to eat. Sad to say my fridge and cabinets consisted only of ramen noodles, mustard and the most necessary condiment on earth…ketchup.

The Green Book

I was doing my boxed food and end isles shopping at the commissary when a meat lovin’ crazed woman was beckoning shoppers over to tell them that the ribs were .98 pound. I looked cluelessly

 Don't you love that artwork? Yes, I am related to Spongebob Squarepants.

BREAK over, back to the Crockpot Sensation!



See how confusing this can be? Doesn't it look like this should be pumpkin pie filling?
My can opener is still on the scene and a favorite of mine.

Then add all the remaining ingredients to the crockpot and mix together.
Set the crockpot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours and walk away!
Go to work, go shopping, just go and forget it. Speaking of forgetting it,
remember that one ingredient I mentioned that I forgot?

Well....it isn't these.
The missing ingredient was "Red Cayenne Pepper"

   

So what do you do when you are missing an ingredient? I Googled it and Yahoo! Answered.

Red Cayenne Pepper Substitute

1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder

However, this would make more than I needed, so instead of jumping in my bug, which we have named “Fashion” I improvised with ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon of ground red pepper, dash of favorite hot sauce, okay – maybe it wasn't in this substitute concoction but it was in another and I thought one dash wasn't sufficient so I added two or three dashes and 1/2 teaspoon of the most essential spice in an Okie's cabinet...Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.

See that Bay Leaf swimming in there? Bay Leaves are  odd. The look like
something you could just pick up out of your yard. Of course, I didn't have
Bay Leaves and I was telling a co-worker about it and she brought me some
of hers. I hope they weren't out of her yard.

I wish I could bottle up the aroma and post it here so you could smell it, like a Scratch and Sniff Monitor Screen. Wouldn't that be lovely?

The final product

So I may not be totally against pumpkin now. After all, God created pumpkins and all that He has made is good. In fact, pumpkin may just change my kitchen life especially when you get an entire cup of this stuff for a measly three points it will be easy not to grow weary in eating good. For three points you can either double up or if you prefer add some cheese or chips. Next recipe with pumpkin, the Super Moist Low Fat Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze.