Roasted Pumpkin Pasta for Halloween Eve

'Twas Halloween Eve and all through the night, the witches and ghosties were hungry for a bite...I just threw together this (relatively) quick and easy pasta dish for Halloween Eve dinner and thought I would share for those of you looking for ideas for a festive feast of your own!

Roasted Pumpkin Penne with Leeks and Goat Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425F for 10 minutes.
2. While oven is heating, cut open a small sugar pie pumpkin and remove the seeds and pumpkin guts. (Save the seeds for roasting, obviously!) Cut the pumpkin into smaller chunks.
3. Spread the pumpkin chunks on a baking sheet with leeks, shallots or onions (I used leeks), also cut into smaller chunks, and sprinkle with 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
4. Combine olive oil (maybe a cup or so?), 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, oregano, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper and pour over mixture to coat. Add a little more oil if necessary. You don't want it to be super greasy, but you also don't want your pumpkin to dry out!
5. Put in the oven and roast, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes. When the pumpkin is browned around the edges and fork tender, it's ready!
6. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove skin from pumpkin chunks (should peel right off, or you can scoop the pumpkin out with a spoon) and cut into bite-size pieces, if desired.
7. Serve pumpkin mixture over warm penne pasta. Crumble goat cheese into pasta and stir to combine; cheese will melt into pasta mixture and become extra deeee-licious. (I also added a little havarti cheese.)
8. Plate and top with freshly grated parmesan.

Update: Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

Just wanted to let you know that, yes, Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts exist - this is real life! You can find them in the Halloween section at Target, right by the pumpkin patch sprinkles and Halloween Funfetti cake mixes. Skip the Choc-o-Lantern ones (cute, but nothing to write home about in the taste department) and fill your arms with these instead. They are, unsurprisingly, delicious. Hope they become an annual autumn fixture! Are you listening, Kellogg's?

So have you tried any other limited edition Halloween and/or pumpkin goodies yet this year? Do share!

Jack White Writes the Theme Song for Elvira's Movie Macabre

Man, the hits just keep coming for the 2010 incarnation of Elvira's Movie Macabre: I just learned that Jack White - possibly my favorite modern-day musician - has written the theme song for the show! YES. For more information, read Elvira's interview with Fangoria. Remember, the show premieres on Saturday, September 25th on KDOC in the L.A. area.

UPDATE: The theme song isn't an original JW tune written expressly for the show - it's the catchy "What Can I Do?" from mysterious Jack White-produced girl group the Black Belles.


P.S. Not Elvira-related, but I'm just so excited that Kellogg's has created special limited edition Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts for the Halloween season! Is this real life?! (Psst: For more news about everyone's favorite fat orange gourd, go to Pumpkin Passion.)

All Hail the Return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte

Fall is finally here! "But how," you ask, glancing at your calendar, "can you be so sure? Why, fall doesn't officially start until September 22nd!" No, dear reader, you are wrong. Fall officially starts the day the pumpkin spice latte returns to Starbucks - and, lo, today is the day. If you're not familiar with the magic of the PSL, it's "a delicious blend of pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors combined with...espresso and freshly steamed milk, and topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices." I'm not a huge Starbucks fan under normal circumstances, but I'm definitely a diehard supporter of the PSL. (In fact, I'm heading out to grab one right now!) No word yet on whether the Coffee Bean will be bringing back their pumpkin pie latte, or what autumnal offerings other coffee shops will be unveiling in the weeks to come...