7 Pumpkin Recipes to Fall in Love With… | What's Cookin' Chicago (2024)

Check, 1..2..3..4… Is this mic on? {Crickets…} Well it’s confirmed. This is the longest I’ve gone without posting in all the 5+ years I’ve had this blog. Life has definitely been chaotic to say the least and I’ve never felt so busy at one time. From the trip to Portland, to Israel, to moving in our a new home while dealing with jetlag, I’m surprised I’m still standing. The good thing is normalcy and your regularly scheduled programming will resume once again. But before then, here’s a brief update on things since my recent trip to Israel…

Israel – This was quite an opportunity of a lifetime. I have several posts in the making about various things I’ve seen, places I’ve been, foods I’ve eaten, drinks I’ve drank, people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had. I have hundreds of pictures from my trip that have yet to be sorted out and made in collages. There are recipes I’m planning on recreating and trying here at home to bring a taste of Israel for friends and family. If you’ve followed my updates over the past week via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare, it’s evident that the trip was so full of delicious memories. So stay tuned. I’ll be sharing the highlights of my trip in the coming weeks as I get through all the pictures, culinary information and memories.

After a 31+ hour commute between Tel-Aviv Israel and Chicago, IL, I was thrilled to be home. Even better was having a special someone come pick me up from the airport. It was such a nice surprise to be welcomed back by a familiar face. But despite the jetlag, I couldn’t rest quite yet. Waiting for me were boxes that needed to be unpacked at my new place. I ended up unpacking boxes before I even unpacked my suitcase! The following day I had a moving truck to begin the bulk of our stuff to move. Thankfully, a majority of everything is moved and I’ve settled into our new place. There are a few more miscellaneous things that need to be moved, which I’ve been doing this whole week after work. Joel is staying with his dad for the week until everything is all moved and settled in… and I couldn’t be more excited to bring him to our new home. He’s going to love his new bedroom, which is decked out with Thomas the Train, of course!

One of the things I’ve been anxious to do is settle into my new kitchen. It isn’t as big orglamorous as previous kitchens I’ve had, but I love that it’s mine. All mine. Last night I was able to do some grocery shopping and stock up the kitchen with basic essentials. Seriously… a well-stocked kitchen completes me. Anybody else or am I the only one that feels this way?

Now that my fridge/freezer and pantry are stocked, the only thing left to do is cook! Tonight I’m breaking in my kitchen with a special dinner. I’ve even had some spare time to come up with a menu for the coming week. Ah… my normal routine is beginning and I’m loving it. No travel plans or camera time anytime soon and it’ll be back to my quiet, calm and fun life with Joel.

Being that we are now in the fall season {yay!} I’m starting to think about all the wonderful fall ingredients I’m anxious to start playing with in the kitchen. One of them is pumpkin. So in honor of the cooler temperatures and the beauty of fall, here are 7 Pumpkin Recipes to Fall in Love With! And if you have a sweet tooth, here are 10 Sweet Ways to Use Pumpkin!