I found myself unexpectedly flush with pumpkins recently after a trip to Ganyard Hill Farm where a free pumpkin came with the price of admission.

I'd already been on strict orders from my husband, who couldn't go, not to pick THE pumpkin - the one we'll carve up and put out Halloween. That's become a little family ritual that he didn't want to miss out on.

So, I had three pumpkins (one each for my daughter, myself and my mom) and no real plans for them. Then I opened up the latest Williams-Sonoma catalogue and was inspired. There, I found a recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Cider Cream that looks incredibly easy (once you've done the pumpkins) and really delicious. So I roasted the pumpkins.

You can cook a pumpkin like acorn or butternut squash. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and bake it until tender on 425 degrees. My pumpkins were about four pounds each and they took about 45 minutes or so to bake. Once they cooled down, we scooped out the meat and mashed it up.

My daughter helped me separate out the seeds from the stringy stuff and we roasted those too. Just wash them off, put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with a little salt and bake for about 10 minutes or so on 350 degrees. I love the nutty flavor and the fact that they're packed with protein and fiber. Great for snacking or on salads.  

We went to New York late last week, so I didn't have any time to do anything with the pumpkin mash. I stuck it in some freezer bags and froze it. I plan on making the soup this week. And I felt incredibly trendy when a couple of the menus that I perused while in NYC had pumpkin soup listed on them.

Anyone tried making pumpkin pie with real pumpkins?