Good mornin’
I’m a bit sad that I haven’t had much pumpkin lately! A huge pounder has been frozen in my freezer and I tried to use it in yesterday’s breakfast. Unfortunately I didn’t have the hack saw required to break off a half cup portion. But today, I did!
I whipped up some Coach’s oats made with milk, water, and chia, and added a 2/3 frozen hunk of pumpkin. Once it melted and stirred in, it was perfect. The next time I freeze pumpkin I will most definitely be doing the ice cube tray method! If I have enough ice cube trays…!
I topped this bowl with some crumbled Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chip scuffin from the bakery and a slug of sunflower buttah
Served with sweet potato pie tea
I used this new tea maker that OpenSky sent me to test out – it comes with its own snuggie!! It’s like a fresh press for tea (with a mesh basket instead of a mesh plunger) and it worked great for making a pot verses a cup.
Dear me, get a load of that giant spider I had to deal with this morning. He was in the very interior of the house and found just after I carried Matt’s laundry downstairs, so I’m guessing he fell out. The horror. At least he did not crawl on my hand!
I G-chatted Matt about it and he said the spider was his pet. Sorry Kanz, but no pet spiders in the house.
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
ha! love that response about the spider. we had one crawling around our laundry room and i freaked out… to which my husband responded “what’s the problem? he’s not hurting anyone!”. ummm…
that tea press is awesome! hope it makes it to your open sky store.
I really think [most] women’s somewhat irrational fear of spiders stems to our ancestors when we had to protect children from getting bitten by poisonous spiders. Men were out hunting and gathering and were de-sensitized to them seeing them all the time as they moved.
Or simply they’re just scary creatures to look at?!
I am the designated spider-killer in my house because of the cleaning-up-the-guts part. We also spray the exterior of our house (at the foundation) every summer and that helps a LOT.
I also let little brown spiders live as my “pets”. My bf hates it
I love that the tea maker has a snuggie! So cute
Your oats look yummy too. I haven’t had any pumpkin lately. I missing it.
I hate spiders!! Have a great Thursday!
Happy to hear that you love our Tea Maker’s insulating jacket. It really helps tea your tea hot or cold and protects your table from condensation.
Sweet potato pie tea? That sounds wonderful!
I love that tea maker! I’d use it to death
Have a great day Kath!
You could also scoop the pumpkin out onto a sheet pan with a 1/2 cup measure or ice cream scoop, freeze on the pan and then remove the scoops to a container or ziploc bag to freeze rather than using the ice cube tray method!
Wonderful idea!!
Silicone muffin pans also work really, really well since they pop out easily and are pretty good as a single serving. I use them a lot to freeze stock, leftover wine and whatnot.
Another great idea!
Leftover wine?
Yup. I’m a single girl, but like a glass after work on weeknights. I have a contraption that sucks the air out of my bottles so they last longer, but inevitably I still have a little bit left so I freeze it. My muffin tin has a little less than a 1/2 cup in each compartment so I’ll freeze it and then use the wine for cooking later. (Most of my recipes seem to call for 1/2 cup increments of wine.) It’s great because I HATE opening up a new bottle just to cook with.
Oooh, that’s even better than the ziploc method I just shared below
That’s how I freeze pumpkin. Works great!
holy HUGE spider!!! I’d totally die. Yikes.
Your b-fast looks awesome. I need to eat more sunflower butter…..it is just so good!
Another great alternative for freezing portions is the small “gladware” containers. They make a very small size that we used to Taylor’s baby food. It’s bigger than an ice cube tray, but small enough to be a perfect sized individual portion. Stack them or once they are frozen pop them out and store in zip lock bags!
They are also also what I freeze my berry compote for overnight oats in! It’s just the right amount! for a great stir in!
And spiders are no joke! I’ve been bitten twice by Brown Recluse, and both times landed in the hospital! No fun!
I have some of those little containers from IKEA too… bites! Yikes!
I have a clan of brown recluse spiders living in my basement (which is where my washer and dryer are). You are so right. Their bites are no fun.
Holy moly that spider is huge! I might have cried.
That tea maker is fantastic!! The tea flavor also sounds really tasty.
My youngest son is petrified of spiders! Big…small…even the teeny weeny ones! His eyes bulge…he screams with horror…and is rendered paralysed to the spot until someone ‘deals with the spider’ in question. I had hoped he would grow out of it by acting non-chalant about the whole spider thing…alas…no!
My teenage son is still afraid of spiders!
That spider is totally unacceptable. Pretty much an intruder. I think I’d call the police.
sweet potato pie… tea? That sounds delicious.
Hahaha – I don’t blame you for not allowing the spider-pet. I would have a hard time with that too even if it WERE in a cage.
I haven’t had hardly any pumpkin lately either. I need to fix it!
Very cute tea pot!! I agree with you on the spider… dog – fine. But anything with more than 4 legs is a no in my house!
Now I have two things I have to try…sweet potato tea and biscoff.
Your teas always sound sooo good! I’ve never heard of a sweetpotato pie one before!
I don’t do well with spiders. They seem to be everywhere in San Diego.
In our house my husband is the one deathly afraid of spiders. I don’t like them of course, but his fears are so out of control I end up being the one who has to catch them all. Not a fun job!
Hi Kath, I have a question about the Golden Moon Dessert Tea Trio you have on OpenSky- are those loose leaf or tea bags? Also, do you like Golden Moon or Adagio better? I have some Adagio now but I was thinking of ordering the Golden Moon set. Thanks!
They are loose leaf. For the longest time I avoided LL teas but then I got that great Adagio brew pot and life has changed. I really liked the 3 flavors in the OpenSky bundle. They are a bit milder than the Adagio because they’re not black teas (green, oolong) (I’m into all the pumpkin/dessert ones there too) but they are great on aroma
What brand is the tea maker?..didn’t see on Open Sky.
Saw on Twitter that some are displaying some “snarky-ness”…my little mother used to tell me, “Let your good manners ignore their bad ones”. Keep smiling girl!
Tea maker is coming soon – not up yet!
can’t wait to hear your thoughts about our tea maker!
Spiders don’t scare me as much a roaches. I have nightmares if I see one before bed!! Thankfully I’ve only had 1 in 2 years living in my condo.
Sweet potato pie tea?! You keep surprising us with more amazing tea flavors!
One thing I have done with extra pumpkin is to freeze it in a ziploc, but so that the layer of pumpkin is pretty flat and distributed throughout the baggie. That way you can easily break off a portion. I usually can get 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin into a quart sized ziploc nice and flat, which I know is 3 portions for oatmeal/smoothie/chia pudding purposes. That way you don’t need to find more ice cube trays
Oh I hate spiders! I usually run away when I see them!
Do you keep all the samples/test products? You seem to have clutter under control, I can’t imagine you hanging onto to every.single.piece!
I give some of it (the ones I’m not crazy about ) to Goodwill
I cringe at the thought of pet spiders! Or my biggest fear is pet snakes!
I think we are going to Great Harvest this weekend, which is only about my second or third time to one — it is not close in proximity to where we live, unfornately
You have instilled in me a love for GH bread 
What GH breads are on the top of your favorite list — I am sure you like them all? 
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Dakota, Cville Crunch (aka Flax Oat Bran), High Five
I would definitely draw the line at having a spider as a pet! I could probably handle a snake but a spider, um no.
That is a HUGE spider! I’m terrified of them and really wish I wasn’t.
The teapot looks like a handy tool!
For freezing pumpkin, you can also put a couple of cups in a gallon size freezer bag, seal it, then smoosh the pumpkin into a flat sheet inside the bag. That way, you can stack multiple bags flat in the freezer, then easy break off frozen pieces to use without thawing the whole thing. So glad it’s pumpkin season!
i would have crapped my pants over that spider. or cried. i seriously get so worked up i start crying and panicking, its really cute.
i love coaches oats except when i try to be fast and microwave them. dont do this. it just makes crunchy oatmeal. and not in a good way.
A spider you can see from the top of the stairs is just not right. If he wants it as a pet, it needs to be caged and leashed and muzzled at all times.
What’s your all-time favorite tea? Where can I order all of your fun teas that you feature on the blog?
Favorite thus far: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=17696&SID=e65fbac42d8b680468d58b13665900fb
Is that a Teavana tea maker? We have one that looks just like that and it rocks!
My mom and I drink tons of herbal tea in the evenings and we use it to make a big batch in one go!
I ordered the Coach’s oats off of your Open Sky last night! I really can’t wait for it to get here!!
Eek – no pet spiders for sure!! I have been using the tea maker a lot these days too – can’t help but end a colder night with a warm smooth cup of tea!
Kath, I have been crumbling muffins in my yogurt after reading your breakfast posts. But I have to ask – do you just use the muffin tops? I just can’t justify eating a whole muffin along with yogurt + crunchy topping, which for me is a must.
Yes, I only use about 1/4 to 1/3 at a time
Haha…unexpected “pets” are so fun, aren’t they? We had a “pet” mouse in our last house…eek!
No one likes unwelcomed guests!
Sweet potato pie tea?! I’m intrigued. Does it really taste like sweet potatoes, or more like cinnamon and stuff? I love trying new teas!
It’s more like a black tea with hints of vanilla and spice
Just got the e-mail about the new breathe magazine with you on the cover!!! Such a great article about getting a handle on the clutter! I loved the pics of your house too
I think it’s worse to know that it may have been in the laundry you were carrying vs just on the floor. Eek!!!!!
I keep wondering if it’s just the cooler weather driving them away but I so want to believe it’s the Pledge. 
You might want to try it. Although, if they already live inside that might keep them inside. (haha)
I have to tell you, though, that someone mentioned spraying lemon scented Pledge around the doors/windows. I did that two weeks ago and have not seen one spider in the house! That is highly unusual, too. I spray it once a week and so far it has worked.
I bought lemon essential oils but just never sprayed them – better get to it!
Uhhh that’s one heck-of-a spider!! EEEEK!
But at least breakfast was delicious!
Ack! Spiders creep me out!!!!!
Holy yum, I need my pumpkin dose, like now
I started my day with a batch of GF pumpkin pancakes. On a workday, too. I feel so self-indulgent
Why is it that the bugs always seem to make an appearance when no one else is home? I’ve found a couple of those house centipedes (just typing that makes me shudder!) in my bathroom recently when my husband was at work, and I debated going upstairs to get my landlord to get rid of them! I know this is crazy, but they’re so disgusting and so fast! I ended up trying to spray one with shaving cream (it was the closest thing I thought to grab), but instead I just made a giant mess. #fail
The tea maker looks great! I’d love to get one. Do you know what brand it is?
It’s Takeya brand
Beautiful bowl!
I’m very curious to hear your review on the Dandy blend whenever you crack one open.
And hey- the K & M letters are too cute!(and the two of you are just too cute)
I know! I need to try those. Maybe after lunch today!
SWEET POTATO PIE TEA. I’m moving in, hope you don’t mind
Where can I get this amazing tea in the UK?! I would love to try a cup, sounds delicious!
If you can see him from that afar in that size.. you know he is big up close. Eeek
Loving the tea maker & snuggie. Need to check that out.
I am totally making pumpkin oatmeal tomorrow! I just baked up a little one yesterday and only used half on some pumpkin muffins. Thought about freezing the rest but decided I’d just use it first. I’ve never tried it in oatmeal!! Much healthier option than muffins or pie.
Mmm, sweet potato pie tea to go with your pumpkin oats. What a lovely pairing
I’ve never thought to freeze pumpkin, although the idea to freeze up a bunch of kabocha squash has crossed my mind lately as I’ve noticed there are fewer and fewer of them in the grocery stores lately. Gotta stock up. Have you ever had luck freezing kabocha? Would you cut it in slices or puree it and freeze it in ice cube trays like you mentioned? Just curious
I haven’t frozen squash before, no
I have frozen squash – you need to cook it first, then it’s just like pumpkin. It separates when it’s thawed, butjust heat it up and stirwell.
I would second this. Generally I’ve found it freezes well as a puree, but I’ve also cut up chunks and frozen those (uncooked) which has worked fine.
I roast kabocha, chop in cubes, then freeze on a cookie sheet before transferring to a ziploc bag. It makes a great smoothie or puree for other uses. I’ve never tried to eat it without pureeing after freezing though.
Wow, thanks everyone for the great suggestions! Tracy, what all do you put in a kabocha squash smoothie? I’m intrigued
I make it just like a pumpkin pie smoothie: almond milk, kabocha, pumpkin pie spices, vanilla, pinch of salt and sometimes a little brown rice protein powder.
Another question for you Kath… what kind of pumpkin do you prefer to use and what differences have you noticed? Right now I have a can of Libby’s and a can of TJs organic both open in the fridge. The TJs is thicker, duller orange, earthier smelling than the Libby’s which is creamier/moister, brighter orange, sweeter smelling. I definitely noticed a difference when using the TJs in oatmeal and have used half Libby’s and half TJs the past few mornings. I haven’t baked with the TJs yet. Just wondering your opinions, thanks!
I think it’s more important for you to just eat what YOU prefer. You’ve tried both – so do you like a sweeter pumpkin or no? Just change it up and use both!
I read somewhere that the stuff they put in Libby’s is actually not pumpkin but some other orange winter squash like buttercup. That might be why the texture and flavor is different from TJ”s or Whole Foods. They probably use the real stuff which, in my opinion, is kinda flavorless and watery. I personally prefer Libby’s but that’s probably also because I’ve grown up on it.
I actually prefer Libby’s or the moister orange kind to the organic browner ones
I’m going to a Great Harvest bakery for the first time later today! There are two near my college and my roommate & I have been meaning to go for a month…today’s the day! Can’t wait to try out all the bread that I read about on here
Have fun tasting!
Gadzooks! That’s a big ass spider! Tell that husband of your’s that spiders are NOT allowed because you’re allergic!
Ok…that IS huge! Too bad there are no spider traps like there are for mice, which we are currently dealing with. Whee!