Seasonal Treats: Pumpkin

A friend overseas has commented that we, Americans, seem to be more than a little obsessed with our pumpkins this time of the year. I guess it's true. We have our Pumpkin Spice latte at Starbucks, pumpkin cheesecake at many restaurants (I confess a fondness for the one from California Pizza Kitchen), and I've been getting emails from various spas in the area offering a seasonal pumpkin mani-pedi. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it must be good for you, right? I do like my pumpkin in various forms, so here three pumpkiny treats:

1. Perfume Etat Libre d'Orange- Like This/Tilda Swinton. I admit that pumpkin is not necessarily the first things that comes to mind when you think of Tilda, but her collaboration with the often-edgy perfume house ELdO resulted in a cozy and beautiful fragrance with a pumpkin pie accord. Even if you don't necessarily read this blog for my perfume review, this is one worth trying.

2. Skincare MyChelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel ($28, currently on sale for about $20 on drugstore.com). The ingredient list (see below*) is convincing enough to give this very gentle peel a chance. If you can deal with the very natural smell of pumpkin pie filling on your face, that is. The peel is probably best for those new to these kind of products that don't already use mega doses of glycolic, mandelic, or lactic acids on a regular basis and want to start with a very mild and kind product that give a visible glow without making you molt. I used it before I got sick and returned to it now to get my face gently back in shape.[press sample]

3. A quick recipe
Honestly, this little suggestion barely qualifies as a recipe and you'll have to adjust the preparation for your favorite pumpkin type and the level of water it holds (or not) pre-cooking. But it's tasty and quite versatile, so here's how to give a Moroccan flavor to the pumpkiny goodness: heat olive oil in a skillet with or without red chilly flecks and some Ras El Hanout or tagine seasoning. Add diced and peeled pumpkin (if it's very dry and fleshy you might want to steam it a little first), add about 1/2 cup honey (I really like buckwheat but any will do). Lower the heat once the pumpkin starts to soften and cover for about 5 minutes (again, depends on your pumpkin, and some varieties might need adding a little water). Remove from heat when soft and slightly glazed, serve with rice.



*MyChelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel ingredient list:
Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin/NOP Certified Organic), Aqua/Water/Eau (Water), Lactobaccillus (7% Cucurbita Pepo Ferment Extract), Glycerin (Vegetable/NOP Certified Organic), Cucurbita Pepo Wine (Pumpkin), Honey (NOP Certified Organic), Gluconic Acid (Glucose), Aminoguanidine HCl, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) (Ginger Root Oil/NOP Certified Organic), Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) (Pineapple Stem Powder), Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) (Clove Leaf Oil**), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange Peel Oil*/NOP Certified Organic), Fragrance (Myristica Parfum Nutmeg Kernel Oil), Cinnamomum Cassia (Cinnamon Leaf Oil/NOP Certified Organic), Vanilla Planifolia (Fruit Oil), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel Water), Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) (Honeysuckle Flower Water), Lonicera Japonica (HoneySuckle) (Honeysuckle Flower Water), Alcohol Denatured (Grain), Potassium Sorbate, Hydroxypropyl Methycellulose (Plant)


Photo: I took the picture somewhere outside Frenchtown NJ a couple of weekends ago. A bunch of very pretty hens were roaming the pumpkin patch.