Pumpkin For Breakfast

Remember when I said that fall is in the air? You know what that means? It's time for pumpkin! Starbucks has had their Pumpkin Spice Latte out for a few weeks now and I will admit that I have indulged. Quite a few times actually.

I made two pumpkin recipes this weekend. One was enjoyed this morning at breakfast. It's a recreation of Starbucks' latte. How did it turn out? It was okay. Of course, it wasn't nearly as good as the real thing, but it saved me money and a trip out of the house at 8:00 in the morning.

I prepared this recipe last night and chilled it in my baby crockpot in the fridge over night. My lovely husband then took it out of the fridge and started it at 6:00 this morning (he works swing shift and usually comes to bed around that time). So, when I woke up, I had my delicious coffee beverage waiting for me.

I would suggest using much stronger coffee than I did. While it was good, I prefer my coffee to actually taste a little like coffee. So next time I make this, it will be with the stronger stuff. Also, I imagine whipped cream would be delicious on this. I wouldn't know. I am trying not to gain too much weight during this pregnancy, so I omitted the whip. I am pretty sad about that because I think the whipped cream really adds to the flavor.

Overall, this was easy and yummy. I have some leftover for my breakfast tomorrow which makes me doubly happy.

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte
from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe.html

2 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons white sugar (I used Splenda instead)
2 tablespoons (yes tablespoons) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

This will make enough for two people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used my baby crockpot (for dips and small things) for this, but you can double and use a bigger crockpot.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

See? Mine is a little pale. Use STRONG coffee!