This seasonal approach to mashed potatoes, a Pumpkin Cheddar Mashed Potatoes recipe, is a special delight from the fall harvest through Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Not to mention October 27th, National Potato Day.

The orange color and pumpkin flavor, plus the delicious cheesiness, are a great combination.

The recipe was created by Carla Cardello of Chocolate Moosey for the Idaho Potato Commission. You can find many more inventive potato recipes on their website, IdahoPotato.com.
 
> The history of potatoes.

> The history of pumpkin.

> The history of Cheddar cheese.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHEDDAR MASHED POTATOES

If you’re not a rosemary fan, you can substitute sage or thyme.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the potatoes and garlic cloves. Cook until soft but not overdone, roughly 12-15 minutes. Drain.

2. BEAT in a large mixing bowl the cooked potatoes and garlic until mashed and smooth (do not overbeat—you’ll get sticky, not fluffy, mashed potatoes). You can also mash them by hand with a potato masher.

3. BEAT in the butter and salt until completely incorporated. Then slowly beat in the milk. Finally…

4. BEAT in the pumpkin, cheese, and rosemary.

5. TOP with pats of butter and serve.
 
 
WHAT ARE THE BEST POTATOES TO USE FOR MASHED POTATOES

Here’s the 411 from the Idaho Potato Commission’s Dr. Potato column:

Idaho’s climate and rich, volcanic soil consistently yield potatoes with a high solids content (more potato and less water), which is ideal for making mashed potatoes.

It is most likely that you’ll see two different varieties of russets coming from Idaho, a Russet Norkotah, which is typically a lower-moisture russet (better for mashing), and the traditional Russet Burbank variety popularly used for baked potatoes.

Yellow flesh varieties tend to have higher solids or starch and less water content and can be used for mashing as well.

Red potatoes usually have a waxy texture and can be mashed, but are not as well suited for this as they are for boiling or roasting.

> The different types of potatoes.

[1] Just in time for Halloween: Pumpkin Cheddar Mashed Potatoes (photo © Chocolate Moosey | Idaho Potato Commission) .

[3] Pumpkin puree is different from pumpkin pie filling. The latter is sweetened and spiced (photo © Jessica Gavin).

[4] Cheddar makes wonderfully cheesy mashed potatoes (photo © Szakaly | Panther Media).

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[1] Do delicious, and a limited-time flavor (photo © Fix & Fogg).

[2] Blend the peanut butter into ice cream (photo © Häagen-Dazs).

[3] Add verve to a PB&J or PB & Banana sandwich (photo © Wolferman’s).

As a Halloween or Thanksgiving party favor, as a stocking stuffer, and for yourself as a delicious treat, Fix & Fogg Pumpkin Pie Nut Butter is a seasonal delight.

The Pumpkin Pie Butter is a blend of roasted cashews, peanuts, pecans, warm spices, and real pumpkin purée.

It’s creamy, sweet, and totally spoonable—we’ve been having a couple of spoonfuls every morning with our coffee.

Nuts are also very nutritious, a good source of protein and vitamins and minerals, and heart-healthy fats.

Check out the “Magnificent 7” healthy nuts.
 
 
BEYOND THE JAR

Enjoy Fix & Fogg straight from the jar, of course; but also on toast and PB sandwiches, as a topping on oatmeal, and a spread onto apple slices.

Oe of our favorite hacks:

Spooning PB (or other nut butter) on top of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or blending it into softened ice cream, to create a special peanut butter/nut butter ice cream experience.

Pumpkin Pie Butter also makes a superior-tasting Asian peanut noodles recipe, with lovely flavor nuances.

If you’re feeling particularly creative, spread it on brownies and cookies.

And no doubt, you have your own favorite uses for nut butters.
 
> The history of peanut butter.

> The history of peanuts.
 
 
GET YOUR PUMPKIN PIE PB

For your own pantry, and for delicious gifts and stocking stuffers:

Head to FixAndFogg.com.

We are huge fans of every nut butter made by this company from New Zealand, which wins awards worldwide for their artisan nut butters—almond, cashew, hazelnut, and peanut.

The brand is a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

Check out:

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October 26th is National Pumpkin Day, sandwiched between National Pumpkin Spice Day (October 1st), National Carve A Pumpkin Day (October 31st), and National Pumpkin Pie Day (December 25th).

This “bread” is a loaf cake recipe. As with other loaf cakes, you can enjoy it plain, with ice cream, or with whipped cream.

Thanks to Colavita for this recipe, which uses heart-healthy olive oil instead of butter.

> Here are more pumpkin dessert recipes.

> The history of pumpkins.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAD

Prep time is 15 minutes, and bake time is 45 minutes.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the pumpkin, maple syrup, milk, olive oil, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix until the sugar is well combined.

2. USE another bowl to mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Once mixed…

3. ADD these to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir until combined. The batter should be thick. Divide the batter into equal parts into two separate bowls.

4. MIX in a small bowl the turmeric and 1 teaspoon water until you get a golden liquid. Add this to one of the batter bowls and stir until combined. In another small bowl…

5. COMBINE the cocoa powder, vanilla, and 3 teaspoons water and mix until a chocolate paste forms. Add this to the other batter bowl (the one without turmeric) and mix until well combined.

6. LINE the loaf pans with parchment paper. Spoon some of the orange-colored batter into the bottom of the pan. Spoon the chocolate batter on top and continue in this fashion until you reach the top. Finish with mini chocolate chips.

7. BAKE at 375°F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick from the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy immediately after cooling, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
 
 
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[1] Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bread, one of our many delicious pumpkin dessert recipes (photo © Colavita Recipes).

[2] You want pumpkin puree, not pumpkin spice filling, which is already sweetened and spiced (photo © The Kitchn).

[3] In addition to a cocoa batter, there are mini chocolate chips embedded on top (photo © Lauryn Cohen | Bella Baker).

[4] Turmeric may seem an unusual spice in a cake, but it enhances the flavor of the pumpkin, as do the conventional pumpkin pie spices. This photo shows the whole turmeric root and the ground root (photo © Silk Road Spices).

[1] Chai Bundt cake is just perfect for fall nibbling. The recipe is below (photos #1, #2, and #4 © King Arthur Baking).

[2] There are so many different Bundt cake pan designs, from simple as in photos #1 and #2, to very elaborate. Here are 24 of them.

[3] Chai spices can be measured and ground individually, or blended from ground spices you already have (photo © Stash Tea).

[4] Or, you can buy pre-ground chai blends, like this one from from King Arthur Baking

[5] The cake can be served plain, with ice cream or whipped cream, or with a vanilla glaze (photo © Pom Wonderful).

[6] It’s easy to whip up this vanilla glaze (photo © Taste Of Home).

Yesterday we suggested some chai-spiced foods to celebrate the holiday of Diwali, India’s most important holiday. The most important day of the five-day festival is the third day, which is celebrated with a feast and fireworks.

Today we’re adding something for dessert: a chai-spiced pound cake bundt recipe.

Developed by Charlotte Rutledge of King Arthur Baking, thiss fusion food blends the spices of India with the classic English pound cake.

It’s delicious, and there’s also a gluten-free version of the recipe.

“This perfectly tender cake mimics the flavors in a steaming cup of chai,” says King Arthur Baking. “Just lightly sweetened with both brown sugar and honey, it’s an ideal treat for a cold autumn afternoon.”

While this cake will probably disappear in a day, you can freeze leftovers. And we at THE NIBBLE love a piece of cake right from the freezer. Try it!
 
 
> The history of the Bundt cake.

> The history of the pound cake.

> See more chai-spiced recipes, sweet and savory.
 
 
RECIPE #1: CHAI-SPICED POUND CAKE BUNDT

Prep time is 20 minutes, and bake time is 50 to 55 minutes.

You can serve the cake plain, or with ice cream or whipped cream. Or, you can drizzle a topping: quick vanilla glaze (recipe below) or caramel sauce.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

If you like, here are the same step-by-step instructions with photos.

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a large bowl until smooth and somewhat lightened in color. This will take about 2 minutes at medium speed of an electric hand or stand mixer.

2. ADD the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute or two and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.

3. STIR in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chai spice blend (or individual spices).

4. MEASURE the flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Gently but thoroughly stir half the flour into the butter/egg mixture. Add the sour cream (or yogurt) and vanilla, stirring to combine. Finally, stir in the remaining flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat briefly, to incorporate any sticky residue.

5. THOROUGHLY GREASE a 9- or 10-cup Bundt pan. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a cake tester, bamboo skewer, or long toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. REMOVE the cake from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to finish cooling.

7. COOL completely before slicing. Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
 
 
RECIPE #2: VANILLA GLAZE

This recipe comes together in minutes. You can use it on cakes, cupcakes, donuts, and pastries.

Mix in enough confectioners’ sugar so that the icing easily drips off a spoon, but is also opaque and thick enough that it won’t soak into the cake.

You can color the glaze, but it’s best to use a gel or paste rather than a liquid food coloring. The latter adds some liquid to the icing and may need more confectioners’ sugar to compensate (see Step 2 below).

With gel vs. paste: Gel food coloring produces a very vibrant, concentrated color in a glaze.

> The difference between frosting, icing, and glaze.
 
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. If desired, let stand for 5 minutes to thicken.

2. ADJUST as needed. For a thicker glaze, whisk in more confectioners’ sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. For a thinner glaze, gradually stir in a little more milk.

3. GLAZE when ready. If you would like some of the glaze to soak into the cake and create a bit of a glossy coating, glaze while the cake is still warm. If you would like the glaze to coat or sit on top of the cake, let it cool to room temperature before glazing.

If you have colored the icing, you should use it when the cake is at room temperature.

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October 15th is National Greasy Foods Day, pointing a finger at fried foods. We have a great potato stacks recipe below (photo #1), but first: Why are some fried foods so greasy?

Because they’re cooked in an excessive amount of oil, and not drained well.
 
 
HOW TO CUT THE GREASE IN FRIED FOODS

Here’s how you can cut the grease in fried foods.

 
Another option is to bake the food. You can find baking alternatives for bacon, fried chicken, fish, fries, mozzarella sticks, zucchini, and other fried foods—and they’re almost as good.
 
 
RECIPE: ELEGANT, CRUNCHY POTATO STACKS

While this recipe is fancy enough for dinner parties and special occasions, you can serve it with weekday meals as well. Serve it as a side, or as a first course with dipping sauce.

The potatoes are sliced so thinly, that this is the crispiest potato recipe you can make.

It’s important to use Idaho® Russet (or other russet) potatoes due to their higher starch level and lower moisture. They cook up crisp and hold their shape. If a potato has too much moisture, it will be soggy when fried.

The recipe was created by Chef Venecia Willis of Velvet Taco for the Idaho Potato Commission.
 
Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. SLICE the potatoes paper thin using a mandoline. Stack the slices in order by size as much as possible, discarding the rounded tops and bottoms.

2. USING a sharp knife, cut the stacks on each side to make perfect rectangles.

3. HEAT the oil in a heavy pot to 350°F. Once the oil is hot, lower the stacks of potatoes into the oil two at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot.

4. COOK for 5 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove from the oil and sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.

5. SERVE warm with your favorite dipping sauce or as a side.
 
 
> The different types of potatoes.

> The different types of cooking oil.

> The history of potatoes.

[1] Crispy potato stacks are the crispiest potatoes you can make (photo © Idaho Potato).

[2] You need to use russet potatoes for deep frying, because of their higher starch level (photo © Potato 101).

[3] Canola oil is a great neutral oil for frying. The La Tourangelle brand is the finest you can buy, a Nibble Top Pick Of The Week (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Flaky sea salt adds another layer of crunch (photo © Osmo Premium Salts).

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