pumpkin

10 Spiced-Out Holiday Beers

Show of hands please. Who can’t find something to love about the late autumn, winter transition? One week you’re admiring leaves bathed in colors of golds, butterscotch, ochre, and bronze–the next–you have the austerity of empty branches decorated with snow. Ocean dwellers admire the change of light over the Pacific, and the desert offers up its own magic. It’s [...]

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10 Uses for Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend

Wouldn’t you say that pumpkins are the poster child for autumn? The cheerful pumpkin is just so agreeable. Oh, those warm autumn spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, ginger, chili peppers. Pumpkins love ‘em all. The grande finalé comes near the end of November when a pumpkin pie punctuates the end of nearly every Thanksgiving dinner. Which brings me [...]

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Happy Halloween from Spice Sherpa

Boo! I’m going to deviate from the typical spicy format to wish you Happy Halloween and autumn wishes. This time of year never fails to leave me speechless and completely fulfilled on the natural beauty and seasonal excitement. I’ve lived in Central, Southern and Northern California. Spent a year in Grenoble, France. Now I’m in Upstate [...]

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Pumpkin Pie Spice Blends

Malaysia has curries, India; garam masala, and Morocco; ras al hanout. Here in the United States we claim ownership to that shining star of holiday cooking blends: pumpkin pie spice. You can purchase pumpkin pie spice off-the-shelf but consider making your own. Why? Not only is it ridiculously SIMPLE, it will be fresher and less [...]

The Unofficial, Extra-Relaxed, Shortcut to Making Gourmet Pumpkin Seeds

It’s Halloween. Then Thanksgiving. That means it’s officially the middle of pumpkin season. If you’re carving pumpkins, cooking pumpkins or just have some for decoration it means you’re swimming in pumpkin seeds along with the potential for an unbelievably tasty and healthy snack food. But here’s the problem. Recipes for roasting pumpkin seeds can be [...]