Pumpkin is seen everywhere from caffeinated drinks to sweets. This season Campus Cooks embraced the beloved produce and challenged the term “basic”. We broke down barriers, stopped the haters, and hushed the critics to create recipes that are anything but basic. Here are 12 ways your chefs infused your love for pumpkin in different ways while reminding you of other great flavors. Enjoy!

1. Pumpkin Dip.
Pumpkin…dip? Sign us up. By Chef Richie Young at Kappa Alpha Theta, Michigan State University.
Major props to Chef Richie. She integrates the need for pumpkin in a convenient, desirable, and really delicious way. This dip was enjoyed with apples, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, & pretzels. This would suffice, but there’s more…

2. Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Topped with Whipped Cream & a Coffee Caramel.

Because society needed pumpkin in their bread pudding. There is nothing basic about this. Coffee caramel? Salivating. This probably took hours to make. Created with passion and determination, by Chef Josiah Halbohm at Lambda Chi Alpha, NC State.

Need a little break from pumpkin? Hard to believe but check this out…

3. Red Wine & Cinnamon Poached Pears with house made Vanilla Bean & Cinnamon ice cream.

Yeah. You forgot that poached pears could be transformed into something so…mouthwatering. It’s so clear now. A pear pairs especially nicely with house made vanilla bean & cinnamon ice cream. Mind blown. Do you need to be revived? Us too.
This little wonder is by Chef Mallory at Sigma Kappa Tennessee, Knoxville. Let me tell you about a time I thought my coworker Joe was eating a squash when it was actually a pear. Those pears; fooling everyone. They’re so versatile.
Note to self: Must recreate this ASAP.

How about…

4. An entire Fall themed dinner:
Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Apple & Cranberry Stuffing, topped with a Harvest Red Wine & locally sourced Apple Cider Glaze, Candied Sweet Potatoes, & finally…a Glazed Pumpkin Spiced Muffin

All boundaries have been pushed with these beautiful fall flavors. You can and absolutely should enjoy such tastes. Let me delve further into this amazing fall dinner that offers so much more.

First, Chef Steve made a Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Apple & Cranberry Stuffing.
I think as a society, we don’t enjoy stuffing that often. It’s the perfect thing to eat after being outside on a crisp fall day. It warms the soul.
Secondly, the tenderloin was topped with a red wine apple cider glaze. Red wine + apple cider? You forgot that those flavors are perfect for fall! See it’s not all about pumpkin! Furthermore…

Take these pumpkin spiced muffins (see below). They probably took hours to make! It’s just not basic. I am, however basically crippled with the need to get my hands on one of these. Or attempt to make my own. *books flight to MA*

So there it is. Chef Steve’s Pumpkin Spiced Muffin (PSM).
Two can play that game, Starbucks. The recipe for the PSM is Steve’s own and it can’t be shared. Sorry.

5. Scratch Pumpkin Flan
This is no ordinary Flan. It’s pumpkin. It’s at least 10 steps up from an original Flan recipe.
And look; it’s conveniently topped with apples and strawberries, to help pull all the flavors together. This is something special.
Made by Mike Trevino and consumed at Sigma Phi Epsilon, the University of Texas. And not consumed by me.

6. Caramel Apples Inside Out.
Don’t forget about one of life’s greatest combos. Because we’re positive that you did. By Chef Allen Joiner, enjoyed at Gamma Phi Beta, SMU.
How amazing and convenient is this snack? He literally made life so easy by putting the caramel inside of the apple; cutting the mess factor in half and making that stroll to class, even better. Chef Allen, brightening days one caramel apple at a time. What a great idea.

7. Corn Dogs.
Because, obviously! Once again, Chef Richie at Theta MSU delivers a tasty dog that will bring you back to childhood. When was the last time you had one of these? Ah 🙂