Pumpkin Day

You can tell that we here at Slashfood are knee-deep in autumn: some of us are swilling pumpkin beer and mixing pumpkin cocktails; some of us are making comfort food from soup to pot pie; and no few of us are stuffing Halloween candy into our mouths. So what better time to share a slim, marvelous volume devoted to recipes and techniques for autumn's centerpiece ingredient?

Yes, a pumpkin is a squash (and squashes, by the way, are gourds), and so are crooknecks, acorns, butternuts, zucchinis, chayotes, pattypans, carnivals and all of the summer and winter squashes that take center stage in A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash. The book begins with cookbook author Lou Seibert Pappas' thoughts on squash, from their history to their purchase and preparation, followed by a wonderful and useful squash glossary (squashary?). From there we proceed to squash recipes (squashipes?).

As pumpkin season lands upon us with a slightly squishy thud, allow me to share this recipe for pumpkin cocktails. These are always a huge hit at Thanksgiving, but also enjoyably appropriate for Halloween. Be aware that you need to prepare in advance to give the vodka time to infuse....

Pumpkin season is coming up and without getting in to GMO pumpkins and the nutritional value of ice cream, let's get imaginative and make some pumpkin ice cream, served in a creative way.

• You'll need an ice cream maker (there are even ball shaped models that can be kicked around at partie, though I have never tried one) and a good pumpkin grown for its meat, rather than just its appearance.

• This can be a family endeavor-- messy. In this typical ice cream recipe I would add two cups of good and mashed pumpkin meat. Not too stringy. Make the ice cream and then serve it the carved out pumpkin, lid and all.

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This is a banner year in Millsboro, Del. - it's the 20th anniversary of the famed Punkin Chunkin contest. Inventors and miscreants from all over seek to toss a pumpkin the farthest (up to 4,000 feet for the superstars). It may not be culinary, but it uses up those leftover pumpkins (with their stringy flesh so inferior to butternut squash), and it legitimizes the pastimes of those who spend Halloween surreptitiously hurling pumpkins stolen from their neighbors' porches. Piece of useless trivia: it's called "pie" when your pumpkin releases from the cannon already in pieces. Fire in the hole.

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Yesterday, slashfood was pulling a Charlie Brown, waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Lots of pumpkins all over the place, but here are a few we missed during the first course:

The most important thing in Nic's kitchen is the Baking Sheet, which turns out Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Also baking, but Baking Lowfat, Arienna makes Pumpkin Walnut Muffins, with a nutty, crunchy topping.

Joe, who gets Culinary in the Desert, also bakes with pumpkins and walnuts, but his focaccia bread is savory, not sweet!

Pumpkin Soup with Goat Cheese is Glorious Farm Food from Tana.

Becky might be working in Two Foot Kitchen, but she turns out amazing Sage Scented Pumpkin Bleu Cheese Custards.

That's the entire buffet for now!