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Recipe: Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins

I’m not going to make excuses for my blogging hiatus. Well, okay one. We had eighty days of pretty much straight sunshine here in Seattle. Really. Hardly any rain fell from mid-July through to the second week of October. Friends visited, trails were hiked, kayaks were paddled, day-trips were taken. And, I cooked of course – this year I really took my canning seriously – tomatoes, pickled peppers, creamed corn, and ketchup.

And I am, still delighted to be home. Delighted by everything I already take for granted in the is house, again, from the morning light, the 10 minute walk to Kerry Park, and the swing on the porch to the duel fuel stove.

So, for the last few months I haven’t spent much time at the computer. I’ve missed it – processing the photos, planning my posts, testing recipes, and most of all taking the time to write.  It’s good to be back – even if the sun is out this afternoon. It’s time that feels like an indulgence.

I came home from a farm buy pickup this weekend loaded down with squash, onions, beets and sugar pumpkins. Two of those pumpkins went into the oven to roast before I’d even taken my coat off.

My roasting process is pretty simple. Cut off the stem end – like opening up a jack-o-lantern, and leave the pumpkin in a 375°F degree oven, for an hour or so – depending on the size. Then turn off the heat, and leave the pumpkin in the oven till it is fully cooled. At that point, just scrape out the seeds, easily peel off the skins, and smash up the flesh with a fork. Use it, or freeze it into recipe-sized (can-sized) portions. It’s incredible to cook with fresh roasted pumpkin in January.

But it may be even better in October. While the pumpkins were roasting I started thinking of muffins – Pumpkin combined with apples, warm spices, and some frozen blueberries from the freezer stash. Early fall, with just a touch of late summer.  I made these muffins with a crumb topping, but you could easily leave it off, and with a swirl of cream cheese frosting, pass them off as cupcakes.

Roast a pumpkin. There’s really no better way to welcome autumn into your kitchen.