When you think about pumpkin as an ingredient, what do you see? Creamy pies or warm and comforting lattes? What about delicious muffins or breads? There are so many ways to use pumpkin in the kitchen, and I’ll be the first to admit that I hardly ever use it outside of making sweet desserts. Well, autumn and pumpkin do go hand-in-hand, so there’s no better time than right now to explore all of the pumpkin possibilities! This year I wanted to branch out a little—do something different.
My daughter invited me to her church women’s group’s Fall Gathering Potluck. I have been going with her for several years and I enjoy it. Every year theme is a little different. This year’s theme was “Everything Pumpkin.” All the dishes needed to have a pumpkin ingredient. I was really looking forward to all the different things made from pumpkin—and collecting new pumpkin recipes.
For my contribution I wanted to bring something different than my go-to pumpkin sweets recipes. At a potluck years ago I had gotten a recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Ranch Salad Dressing. I’d only made it a few times since but this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to dust it off and whip it up.
When I make this dressing I like to serve it in a Mason jar. For the potluck I added a cute little chalkboard label. Add a little circle of Thanksgiving-themed fabric and it is super cute!
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What do you serve this luscious dressing over? A fresh Harvest Salad, of course!
Harvest Salad and Creamy Pumpkin Ranch Dressing make a tasty and colorful combination. They are great together at any fall meal.
Although my recipe is potluck-size, I made this salad family-size.
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There are several ingredients in the salad but it comes together quickly. I use a handy little gadget to slice the apples (just wash the apple and leave the skin on for color.)
To toast pecans, put them on a baking sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil) and toast them just until they become aromatic, about 5 minutes. You have to watch them carefully as they are easily scorched.
This salad is a delicious way to enjoy this special time of year celebrating with family and friends. It’s a perfectly “fit” for the holidays. So toss together some of autumn’s tastiest ingredients in a beautiful and delicious salad and enjoy!
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