PUMPKIN SEASON

 Today is Pumpkin Day.  How many ways can you think of to use Pumpkin other than Pie?

There are many and I am going to give you recipes for just a few.  They certainly don’t have to be used today, but remember that Fall and October and November especially are just the right times for the use of Pumpkin.  You can use canned Pumpkin but if you can get hold of ‘Sugar Pie Pumpkins’. they are definitely the best to use for any of your baked goods or savory dishes.

Pumpkin Cornbread is a different and delicious way to make almost everybody’s favorite – try the recipe at     bakrnbread/ed-goods/breads/pumpkin-co

Biscuits are another family favorite and my Pumpkin Yeast Biscuits are just different enough to spark your Thanksgiving Table.  They do take a little longer to make as the Yeast Dough has to raise up but of course you can be doing other things while the dough is raising.  Try them and see how you like them.  Serve them with Honey Butter.  Recipe is at breads/pumpkin-yeast-biscuits/

Pumpkin Ravioli is a tradition in Italy and the first time I heard of it was when my eldest son came back from Italy and told me about the Pumpkin Ravioli that he had when visiting there. If you look for it in Italy you are going to find Ravioli de Zucca. Zucca means squash and since Pumpkin is a form of squash that is what you will look for, hence the name of the recipe. Ravioli de Zucca. Find the recipe at  www.sylveeeskitchen.com/recipes/pasta/ravioli-de-zucca/

Pumpkin Cheesecake makes a delicious dessert for Thanksgiving.  It takes care of the Pumpkin Pie tradition and gives those people who like Cheesecake a little different taste treat.  Easy to make and delicious to eat.  Recipe at /ed-goods/breads/pumpkin-co

Haunted Pumpkin Pasta Salad does not have any Pumpkin in it but it is a fun dish for your kids to help make and to eat.  It makes a great Halloween Supper or Party Dish.  Try it and be sure to use orange Pumpkin Pasta which can usually be found at this time of the year at Cost Plus Stores or other specialty stores. If you can’t find Pumpkin shaped Pasta just follow the directions in the recipe for coloring Wagon Wheel Pasta Orange to represent Jack O’Lanterns. Here is the recipe  /halloween-recipes/haunted-pumpkin-pasta-salad/

Another dish that can be made with Pumpkin is Pumpkin Soup.  As unlikely as it sounds, it is really delicious.  I also love making Pumpkin Bread and Muffins, Pumpkin Cookies and don’t forget that Pumpkin can be cooked as a vegetable as any other squash can be and even cooked in Stews.

Try your hand at Pumpkin Recipes and see what you can come up with.

THOUSAND OAKS FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL

Today, Sunday, October 12th,  my Son David and I went to the Thousand Oaks Food Festival.  This was put on by the ‘Music Dept. Booster Club of Westlake High School.  It was held at the North End of Conejo Creek Park adjacent to the Library, Teen and Senior Centers.  This was the first Food Truck Festival that we had ever attended even though we have purchased and eaten food from numerous Food Trucks that frequent the Southern California area.

 As festivals go, this was not really a large gathering of trucks but there was a decent variety.  Among the trucks that participated were two Asian/Fusion, one Italian, one Hamburger, one Lobster Roll, a Grilled Cheese Truck (which had some really interesting sandwiches) and one Barbecue.  There was also Ice Cream, Gelato, Italian Ice and Beverage Vendors.  We tried the Lobster Quesadilla from one of the Asian Vendors and from the second one we had Deep Fried Shrimp Balls (these were chopped Shrimp which were Breaded and then Deep Fried) and a Breakfast Bao which contained Sausage and an Egg among other things.  Of the two trucks we enjoyed the Lobster Quesadilla more than the Shrimp Balls and Bao.  The Quesadill was a little on the spicy side but not too much so.

We had bottled Raspberry Lemonade from the first Vendor and Vietnamese Coffee from the second Vendor.  Finally at the end we had Gelato to cool down the spice from the food.  The Gelato that we tried was Salty Caramel which was actually Salty Caramel ribbons in Vanilla Gelato.

One of the drawbacks was that there was no planned seating area for people to sit down and eat – whether this was an omission on the part of the planning committee or a ruling of the park we don’t know.  Some people sat on the grass, some were smart enough to bring their own chairs and tables but we ended up sitting on a couple of the large rocks (cave-man style) that were part of the landscape.

In the Park Area there were plenty of table and benches but these were not convenient to the Food Trucks.  The Westlake High Band was performing throughout the day and there free massages, Pet Adoption, and other booths that rouonded out the event.

It was fun and interesting and worth at least one try.  We don’t think we would go to another Food Festival though unless the trucks changed their format and sold small bites so that one could taste more variety.  That being said we do like most of the food from the Food Trucks in that the food is not ordinary and really whets the taste buds.