The Great Pumpkin

My pumpkin obsession goes way back. When I was about eight or ten years old, I remember a night one fall when my Aunt Bibby rang our doorbell. When we opened the door, she was standing there with a freshly baked pumpkin pie and she handed it to me. She said she had made the pumpkin pie for me because she knew it was my favorite.

I carried the pie back to the kitchen. While the grown-ups visited for a while, I ate the pie. Yep. The whole pie. When Aunt Bibby left, Mother and Daddy came back to the kitchen for dessert, but I had eaten it. They were not happy parents. I remember saying, "But she SAID she brought it to me!" I thought she meant it literally.

I still love pumpkin. Today I tried another pumpkin recipe. Daddy-O said, "This is a keeper!" I'll admit he was not a fan of the pumpkin soup. I liked it. There is one more pumpkin soup recipe I was to try, so maybe there's hope for him.

But I'm happy that he did like the chili I made for supper. He said he couldn't taste the pumpkin. (I didn't tell him it was in there until after he ate.) But it is such a healthy addition. Cheese toast made with sandwich thins were just right to serve along side the chili. 

 PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

1 onion, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin
2 (15-oz) cans black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken

Put everything in the slow cooker. (I used a 5-1/2 qt. Crockpot.)  Cook on LOW for 5-7 hours.
--Recipe from Eat At Home.

I had cooked chicken in the freezer so the chili was super easy. Now I have two quarts of chili ready to put in the freezer for supper on crazy nights. We have those every now and then. Don't you?

One reason I wanted to get cooking out of the way early was so that I could spend extra time this afternoon knitting. I am famous for gifting things out of season--like the knitted hood I gave at Easter. My intentions are good but my timing is off. I just knit and finish when I finish. Jessica finally got to wear the shawl I made for her in May. At least there is no expiration date on handknits!

I am three-fourths of the way through a new shawl. It would be remarkable to get to wear it soon after it's done. I will see how much more knitting time I can squeeze in the next few days. If I would just finish this blog and pick up the needles.....