Pumpkin Overload: Soup, Muffins & Fluff

Once DC got its first crisp Fall day, all I kept thinking about was all the wonderful Fall recipes I have been dying to make. Whole Foods has on display their beautiful pumpkins so my theme last week was ---Pumpkins!  I made 3 recipes last week (overload).

One was healthy (soup); one was fattening (fluff); and one was quick (muffins).

I found a delicious recipe on the Washingtonian for a Butternut Squash and Apple soup. However, I felt like it needed to be sweeter so I added in half a can of pumpkin filling + sprinkled cinnamon on top. And it was delicious! I definitely cut time off by buying pre-cut butternut squash.

For dessert, I made Pumpkin Fluff (some may refer to it as Pumpkin fat)

• 16 ounces of cool whip
• 1 can of pumpkin filling
• 2 tsps of pumpkin pie spice
• 1 small box of vanilla instant pudding

Directions: Add all the above ingredients then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Notes: I only used 8 ounces of cool whip. You can add more we just wanted more of the pumpkin taste than cool whip. I made this while the soup was boiling and then chilled in the fridge for 2 hours, although you could most certainly start eating it right away.


Lastly, on Saturday morning, I made Pumpkin Muffins...and get this, I only used 2 ingredients!

• 1 box of Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 can of Pumpkin Filling

Mix the two, then fill in muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Notes: I totally messed up and wasn't thinking, and put the mixture into a bread pan. I do not recommend this ---it took 2 hours to cook all the way through. Again, I wasn't thinking. But the end result was still delicious. I also added a little of the fluff from the night before as an icing to the muffins (ok, I know, not healthy).