Whether as part of a main dish, in a dessert or as a snack, the abundance of pumpkins is one of the many reasons this is a favorite time of year for many of us.

Sausage Pumpkin Pinwheels

Ruby Christian likes to experiment a lot with different recipes, and even though she doesn’t care for pumpkin all that much, she used a bit of pumpkin puree to flavor her Sausage Pumpkin Pinwheels recipe.  By the time she’d perfected the bite-sized pastries, “I forgot it was pumpkin,” she said, laughing.  The biscuit-like treats are great for breakfast or for any get-together, says Christian, who retired after 25 years as an engineering assistant with the Alabama Department of Transportation. She also recommends dipping the pinwheels into a bit of ranch dressing for some extra zest.

Ingredients

• 2 2-ounce links mild Italian sausage
• 1 17.3-ounce box of 2 frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed but cold
• 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided in half
• 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped and divided in half

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 9-by-13-inch pans with parchment paper. Remove casing from sausage. In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring until brown and crumbly. Drain on paper towels. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets and spread each sheet with 3 tablespoons pumpkin. Sprinkle each sheet with half the onions, cheese and sausage and gently press into pastry. Roll each sheet into a log, pinching seams together to seal. Cut each log into 12 slices. Place flat in pans. Bake about 10 minutes, turn over and bake 7 more minutes. Cool 20 minutes before serving. Yield: 24 servings.

Ruby Christian

Ruby Christian is not normally a big fan of pumpkin, but she found a way to make it sing in her Sausage Pumpkin Pinwheels. (contributed)

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 24 gingersnaps, 2-inch
• 1/4 cup pecan halves or pieces

Filling:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pie filling)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Topping:

• 1½ tablespoons honey
• ½ cup pecans

Instructions

Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use pulsing action of food processor to process gingersnaps and ¼ cup of pecans until finely crushed. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add pumpkin, pie spice and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each one until just blended. Pour over the crust. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim. Cool before removing rim. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Topping: Cook honey and remaining pecans in skillet on medium heat 5 minutes or just until honey is foaming and mixture is heated through, stirring frequently.  Spread on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, using fork to separate nuts. Cool completely. Top cheesecake with glazed pecans before serving. Makes 16 servings.

Nancy Sites Sizemore

Nancy Sites Sizemore’s Pumpkin Cheesecake. (contributed)

Pumpkin, Date and Nut Bread

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• 2/3 cup nuts, chopped
• 2/3 cup dates, chopped

Instructions

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, then pumpkin and water. Sift dry ingredients and add to above mixture. Mix well and add dates and nuts. Spray two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide mixture between pans. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Wanda H. Stinson

Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups flour, sifted
• ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugars, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Create a well in the middle of the mixture and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin and butter. Stir butterscotch chips and pecans into wet mixture. Pour wet mixture into the well of dry ingredients. Fold together just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Spoon batter evenly into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Place on rack to cool. Makes 18 muffins. Cook’s note: 1 cup of canned pumpkin pie filling can be used in place of the canned pumpkin; omit pumpkin pie spice if substituting.

Jennifer Smith

Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana (fresh if using frozen pumpkin)
• 1 vanilla Oikos triple zero Greek yogurt
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash each of nutmeg, ginger and cloves

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy.

Autumn Enoch

Pumpkin Mousse Dip

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 2 3-ounce packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1 cup whipped topping

Instructions

Combine milk, pumpkin, pudding mix and spice. Stir in whipped topping. Serve with gingersnaps.

Martha Black Handschumacher

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• ¼ cup green pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes or fresh minced parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin, mashed
• 2 cups water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Sauté pepper, onion, parsley, thyme and bay leaf in butter until tender. Do not brown. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. In small bowl, combine flour and milk, blend well. Stir in soup mixture, add salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture boils.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Laurie Myer

The Best Slow Cooker Pumpkin Beef Stew from Brooke Burks at The Buttered Home reduces carbs without sacrificing flavor. (The Buttered Home)

The Best Slow Cooker Pumpkin Beef Stew

This delicious recipe celebrates the thrill of fall and allows you to enjoy the simple pleasure of comfort food shared with the ones you love. By substituting the pumpkin and radishes for the potatoes and carrots, you also get the added health benefits of lower-carb vegetables. It’s a healthy option that still has all of the beef stew flavor you love. For more recipes like this one, visit thebutteredhome.com.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups radishes
• 4 cups pumpkin, cubed
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 4 cups beef broth
• ½ cup onion
• Parsley
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Wash pumpkin and radishes. Peel and cube the pumpkin. Trim and cut the radishes into pieces about the same size as the pumpkin.

Season 2 pounds of stew beef with ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Sear the seasoned beef in a skillet for two to five minutes until slightly browned on all sides. Add to the bottom of your slow cooker liner, pan drippings and all.

Add 2 to 4 cups cleaned and trimmed radishes and four cups cubed pumpkin to the beef in the crock pot. Add in 8 ounces mushrooms, ½ cup onion and mix to combine. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme and 2 tablespoons minced garlic and mix well to season. Pour in 4 cups beef broth and add the bay leaf. Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours, until beef is tender and almost falling apart. Garnish with parsley, more thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

Brooke Burks, The Buttered Home

This story originally appeared in Alabama Living magazine.