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Here’s a fun recipe that makes a slightly sweet biscuit. It’s a nice alternative to the ordinary biscuit, and makes a very tasty snack. The original recipe called for pecans, but I’ve always used walnuts.

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/ cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup pumpkin pureé
1/3 cup half-and-half

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. Cut butter into mixture until it looks like small peas. Stir in nuts. In a glass measuring cup, combine pumpkin and half-and-half. Stir into flour mixture. Dough should be stiff. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times. If the dough is too wet to handle (which it often is), add more flour. But be careful not to add too much so that the biscuits end up coated with flour! Pat dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick. Cut out with 2-inch cutter or glass with 2-inch diameter opening. Place biscuits onto lightly greased baking sheet, about one inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 20 biscuits.

If you’ve decided to forgo the canned pumpkin this year and give fresh pumpkin a try, here are some tips for choosing one that won’t let you down.

First, you want to make sure that you’re not buying a Halloween pumpkin. You want the smaller, darker orange sugar pumpkin for cooking.

Then you want to check the rind and make sure it is firm. If the rind is soft, this is a sign of either immaturity or improper storage.

Also look at the color quality of the skin. If it is shiny, the pumpkin may be underripe or waxed (which could mask bad quality).

To avoid mold or bacteria growth, look for a pumpkin with the remnant of a dried-out stem still attached. Give it a little push — if it moves, move on. If it holds firm, you should be O.K.

Once you get your selected pumpkin home, store in a cool spot with good air circulation — not the refrigerator. It should stay good for up to a month.

Of course, if you’re looking for other types of winter squash, these tips work just as well.

Now that your jack-o-lantern has been laid to rest, it is time to think about pumpkins in a different way — as food and home decor.

Pumpkins are an integral part of November’s main holiday in the U.S. They are the prime ingredient to the most popular dessert, pumpkin pie. But you can also use pumpkins a variety of other fall recipes such as pumpkin soup (my favorite is a curried pumpkin soup), pumpkin bread and even pumpkin cookies.

But they also make great decorative items. Toss a few miniature pumpkins and gourds together, add some maize and a wicker cornucopia and you’ve got a perfect fall decoration.

Recently, I visited the atrium at the Belagio in Las Vegas. They made great use of pumpkins for decoration. I thought I’d share a few of them with you here. I’ll be putting up a whole gallery of images later — after I’ve settled into my new home and the holidays are through.
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