weekend review: pumpkin two ways

Figure 1. Friday night's dinner: balsamic salmon (8/10), wild mushroom couscous, and roasted green beans topped with dry-roasted almonds.

Figure 2. Saturday baking: toasted coconut cake with coconut filling and coconut buttercream (?/10). I'm not revealing this cakes tastiness rating because there is a post devoted to this cake tomorrow.

Figure 3. Sunday morning baking: skinny pumpkin nut muffins (7/10). These muffins are very moist (although they stick a bit to the muffin papers) and contain a lot of pumpkin flavor. The addition of pecans make these a winner in my book.

Figure 4. Pumpkin fettuccine Alfredo (9/10) and, my old love, caramelized Brussels sprouts (10/10). This version of pumpkin pasta is extra creamy thanks to the use of a roux and the addition of milk and creamy goats cheese.

Note: each recipe is rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the tastiest, for your recreation pleasure.