If you’re looking for the perfect meal for a chilly autumn evening, this pumpkin chili will hit the spot. Full of warm spices and protein, the ground beef pairs perfectly and unexpectedly with pumpkin and cinnamon to make a dish that will satisfy your fall food cravings! 

And if you want to elevate the autumn vibes experience, serve the soup in a big pumpkin! So much fun and the kids and adults alike love it. Scrape off bits of the cooked pumpkin from the inside and add it to the soup for extra flavor.

Reasons to make this pumpkin chili:

• Because its’s the perfect fall dish! Warm and cozy and full of protein. 
• It’s fast to throw together. A quick delicious homemade meal. Make a pan of skillet cornbread to go with it and you’ll make everybody happy. 
• If you decide to serve it in a pumpkin, you’ll make the best fall memories for your kiddos. They’ll never forget when mom served the chili in a pumpkin. 

How to Prepare the Pumpkin for Chili:

Step One:

Pick a nice round pumpkin. Wash it and dry it off. 

Step Two: 

Using a large, sharp knife, cut the top off in a circle around the stem. Remove the seeds and strings from the inside of the pumpkin. Save them to roast for a snack or feed them to your chickens!

Step Three:

Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. 

Step Four:

Place on a baking pan or large cast iron skillet and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour or until soft. You don’t want it falling apart and sagging, it needs to held its shape still. You can prick it with a fork along the top or in the inside to see if it’s soft. 

Step Five :

Ladle your prepared soup into the pumpkin and place the lid on it until ready to serve. If your husband is nearby, have him pour the chili into the pumpkin for you. Much faster!
I like to set the filled pumpkin in the middle of the table. It makes a beautiful centerpiece! 

I doubled the recipe for the amount of chili shown in the pictures. I got the inspiration for this pumpkin chili from The Pioneer Woman. She’s amazing and her food is always delicious. Here’s the link to her recipe: Pumpkin Chili.

So just prepare your pumpkin and while it’s baking in the oven, make the chili and cornbread. Set the table, gather the family, and make some beautiful autumn memories together. 🍂

Lots of Love, 

~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕

”A lot of living happens in the kitchen.”   ~Rachel 

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Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin chili is perfect for chilly autumn evenings! Full of all the classic chili flavors with a hint of cinnamon and pumpkin.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Chili, dinner, Ground Beef, Pumpkin, soup

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Servings

Author Rachel Ballinger

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 15-oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes, not drained
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Cornbread shredded cheddar cheese for garnish, sour cream, and roasted pumpkin seeds if desired

Instructions

• In a large pot or dutch oven, brown the ground beef and season with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder.
• After cooking a couple minutes, add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Keep sautéing until beef is cooked and veggies are softened.
• Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cinnamon.
• Stir in the tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, pumpkin puree, and chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 20 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve with cornbread, cheese, sour cream, and roasted pumpkin seeds if desired.

The post Pumpkin Chili appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.

One bite of these moist pumpkin chocolate chip muffins will sweep you straight into fall! Full of chocolate chips and authentic pumpkin goodness, it’s hard to eat only one. 

Ingredients needed to make these:

• white sugar 
• brown sugar
• pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
• olive oil, this is what helps them be so moist 
• eggs
• milk
• baking soda
• salt
• ground cinnamon
• pumpkin pie spice 
• ginger
• all purpose flour 
• semisweet chocolate chips 

You can make these in your stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer or you can just stir them up by hand. 
First you combine the sugars and the liquids until nicely combined. Then you add the dry ingredients. And then you fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon into your prepared muffins tins and bake. 

Baking them at 425 for 5 minutes and then turning down the heat to 350 degrees for 17 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. The high heat at the beginning is the way to get beautifully smooth muffin tops. 
Cool and enjoy! These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are so moist and delicious, you’ll think you’re eating cake. So good!

~Rachel Ballinger 💕☕️

”A lot of living happens in the kitchen.”   ~Rachel 

 

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

One bite of these moist pumpkin chocolate chip muffins will sweep you straight into fall! Full of chocolate chips and authentic pumpkin goodness, it’s hard to eat only one. 

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Chip, dessert, Muffin, Pumpkin

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Author Rachel Ballinger

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12 count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners.
• In a mixing bowl beat together the white sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, olive oil, eggs, and milk.
• Add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and flour and mix on medium speed until well combined.
• Mix in the chocolate chips just until combined.
• Spoon the batter into liners, filling all the way to the top.
• Bake in 425 degree oven for 5 minutes. Then turn down heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before eating.

The post Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.

This soup is delicious served with some warm skillet cornbread. But if you want a fun fall meal that makes the best memories with your kids and loved ones try serving this soup in a pumpkin! It’s such a beautiful presentation and centerpiece for your table.  

To serve this soup in a pumpkin: 

Get a nice medium to large pumpkin. Wash your pumpkin, cut the top off, and clean the inside out. Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a pan and bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until soft where you can poke it with a fork but not too soft that it’s falling apart.

Meanwhile make your soup. Once the pumpkin is cooked, ladle the soup into the pumpkin and serve, scraping off bits of pumpkin on the inside of the pumpkin to add to the soup. So yummy and the perfect warm and cozy meal!

Happy fall y’all,

~Rachel Ballinger ☕️

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Autumn Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

This warm and savory soup made with pork sausage and sweet potatoes and rice is a comforting fall dish.

Course Main Course, Soup

Keyword Pork, Pumpkin, Sausage, soup, Sweet Potato

Servings 12 Servings

Author Rachel Ballinger

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground pork sausage
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 4 carrots chopped
• 4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
• 8 cups chicken broth and more as needed
• 1 cup rice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp parsley
• Salt pepper, garlic powder to taste

Instructions

• Brown sausage in a skillet.
• Meanwhile in a large pot sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and sweet potato in the butter.
• Add the broth, rice, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Once the veggies are mostly soft add the browned sausage and let it simmer for a couple minutes.
• Serve with cornbread.

Notes

Adding some chopped kale right at the end with the sausage would be delicious twist.

To Serve in a Pumpkin:
Wash a large pumpkin, cut the top off, and clean the inside out. Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a pan and bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until soft where you can poke it with a fork but not too soft that it’s falling apart. Meanwhile make your soup. Once the pumpkin is cooked, ladle the soup into the pumpkin and serve, scraping off bits of pumpkin on the inside of the pumpkin to add to the soup. So yummy and the perfect warm and cozy meal!

The post Autumn Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup appeared first on My Everyday Ordinary Life.

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These soft little pumpkin cookies are the perfect fall treat.

Course Dessert

Keyword Cookie, Pumpkin

Prep Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 36 Cookies

Author Rachel Ballinger

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• Sugar Spice for rolling:

Sugar Spice for Rolling:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. Add sugar, canned pumpkin, egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
• Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Pause to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
• Add flour and mix well, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• Cover dough and refrigerate for two hours or so, until dough is a scoopable consistency.
• After two hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl.
• Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough into balls. Roll dough balls in the sugar spice mixture and place on baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

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