Pumpkin bars remind some of pumpkin bread but they are denser than the bread. Pumpkin bars are topped with icing. They make sweet treats for kids after supper instead of cake and ice cream.

Any recipe that calls for sweet potatoes can be readjusted to accommodate pumpkin. Cookies, cakes, bars, pies, and muffins are a hint sweeter when pumpkin is added. Pumpkin fans can go all out for the holidays with a pinch of pumpkin added to the recipe.

Pumpkin can also be sliced up and used in stir fry recipes with other gourds like zucchini and squash. Served over rice or as a side dish for meats, guests will be eating pumpkin and won’t even know it.

The pumpkin in your recipe doesn’t have to be the main ingredient. A hollowed out pumpkin can be used much like a bread bowl. It can hold stews, soups, and chili that contain pumpkin, or not. The outer rind will stand up to the temperature and may even cook any remnants of pumpkin inside and add to the flavor.

What are you doing with those pumpkins this year? Add them to your favorite recipe and taste the difference.