Pumpkin, The Wonder Ingredient

Red Beans & Advice for Monday, October 16

When I was living in Arizona, I liked to bring in treats for my colleagues at the Cronkite School of Journalism. Shopping in the fall, I discovered Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix. I thought it might be a good option to bring to the office, so I picked up a box and since I was in a pumpkin mood, I also bought a couple of cans of pumpkin to use when a recipe struck my fancy.

When I got home, I read the ingredients on the box. In retrospect, I should have done this in the store, but my mistake led to a discovery.

The mix called for eggs and water, which I had, and vegetable oil, which I had forgotten to put on my shopping list. I wasn’t sure if swapping in butter would work as well, and I knew doubling the water might make the batter too thin.

What could work and save me a trip back to the store, I wondered? Then, my eye landed on the cans of pumpkin. Hmmm. It was worth a try.