Pumpkin Patch Delights

“I never met a pumpkin I didn’t like.” – Anonymous

This post starts with a Pinterest fail, and works toward my affinity for not following recipes.

I don’t think you should have to follow a list of things to do, when food is all about how you, personally, taste it. Not enough salt? Add more. Needs a kick? Reach for the chili powder. Everythimg I’ve ever cooked has been edible. Except that one time I opened the wrong end of crushed red peppers into an orange chicken recipe… let’s not speak of that to anyone, mmmkkkk? Cool.

Lets start with the Pumpkin Patch. Due to reasons (as if 2020 could use more stress) I stuck around Northern VA for some pumpkin action, and swung by Temple Hall Pumpkin Patch to grab a good looking gourd for my #toughpumpkin 5k through Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run.

This pumpkin had to be perfect. After all, it was going on a 3.2 mile run! It had to be sturdy, instagram worthy, and yield a handle (for carrying such a distance). Orange was a must, and I even asked a nice lady with twin boys which one was better. (Of course, the little guy with longer hair thought his was obviously superior, but I’m not about to argue with a 20 month old child… or tell you about anyway 🙃)

So, I picked out the beauties below and ran my 5k with that beautiful, 9 pound pum-king below.

After the horrible decision of running with this monstrosity, he and I made it back to the apartment for some #sundayfunday weekly dinner prep. Here’s the list of ingredients, rather than a recipe:

Ground turkey
Turkey sausage
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Rosemary (I have this on my patio! 🤗)
White onion
Celery
Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Minced garlic
Olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
Mushrooms
Wild rice mix

I threw all that in a deep sauce pan, cooked the meat thoroughly, softened the potatoes in some boiling water, and added it all to the pumpkin to roast.