Pumpkin Fest!

 I do not even know how to capture this past weekend in a blog post, but I will give it my best shot.  Saturday marked the first annual Pumpkin Fest at 508 and I was privileged to attend.  Some friends and I decided to center our entire day around the pumpkin and it was epic. We began the day by making pumpkin waffles and pumpkin cornmeal muffins.   As the day progressed, we carved pumpkins, drank a variety of pumpkin beer, made pumpkin spice cookies, and roasted pumpkin seeds.  For dinner, Jake made a pumpkin soup that was OUT OF THIS WORLD.  It was hands down one of the best soups I have ever tasted.
It was Halloween weekend, so of course there were costumes involved.  I'll let the pictures below do the talking.

Here is the recipe for the pumpkin spice cookies I baked.  This recipe has only 3 ingredients and is incredibly easy.  I have to give credit to Miss Marie for this recipe, she made these cookies for me on my birthday last year and I have been addicted to them ever since.  You really can't mess them up!

• 1 box pumpkin spice cake mix
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 bag semi sweet chocoate chips

In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin into the cake mix.  Add the chocolate chips and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. (the cookies are a bit like cake, so don't expect them to be the consistency of typical cookies)


For those of you who are looking for a new soup recipe, here is what Jake made:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:

• 1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon.

Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish.