Today is also National Pumpkin Day. This time each year, there are those who wait anxiously for all things pumpkin to roll around and celebrate.
Pumpkin Spice Latte:
The Great Pumpkin:
and of course the annual visit to the pumpkin patch:
Did you know that the tradition of carving pumpkins supposedly stems from this ancient tale:
"On route home after a night's drinking, Jack encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest." - from the Encyclopedia of Death and Dying - via Wikipedia
See...I like to provide you with information that is both educational as well as entertaining.
I love getting my pumpkins at Halloween. I have no artistic ability whatsoever, but it doesn't stop me from attempting to carve and decorate a pumpkin each year. I also love roasting pumpkin seeds, and on occasion I have roasted whole pumpkin pieces for my Thanksgiving pies (those are my Martha Stewart years, albeit few and far between). Of course this year is no different; we went out Saturday and selected our pumpkins. But the longer I looked at them sitting on the counter, the more I thought about Jack roaming the earth with his lantern, denied entry into both heaven and hell. So to kick off Halloween week, and celebrate National Pumpkin Day, I found a couple of places to visit for the angel and devil in all of us.
A Trip to Heaven:
In the City of Angels, there are plenty of churches. But high up on a hill, overlooking the sins of the city, is the beautiful Monastery of the Angels.
The nuns at the Monastery of the Angels live a life dedicated to God. They are isolated from the world by gates and walls, and the prayers they offer are for a world that they themselves never see, but their devotion to their faith is unwavering. The public grounds of the monastery are small but lush. There are a few places to pray or meditate, and the chapel is open to the public for contemplation. Now while the monastery is as peaceful as it is beautiful, it does hold a tasty secret. Just around the corner from the chapel is the gift shop - and inside the gift shop are loaves of heavenly homemade pumpkin bread, prepared by the nuns of the monastery themselves.
This is quite possibly the absolute best pumpkin bread you will ever have. The loaves are heavy, but despite the density, it's still moist and fluffy with just the right combination of cinnamon and nutmeg. There are other tasty options available for purchase - candy and peanut brittle - but the pumpkin bread is phenomenal! It's almost like your tastebuds have died and went to heaven.
Wait...maybe they did...?
Dante's tasty circle:
Meanwhile, just short trip down the hill finds you looking straight into the firey pits of hell....
OK, not really. But Lucifers Pizza does have pizza ovens that operate at high heat, so it's kinda the same thing.
Despite it's evil sounding name, Lucifers Pizza has been featured as one of USA Today's Top Ten Best Pizza Places in Southern California - so I knew that whatever happened inside, it was going to taste great. And here's the best part...and the holiday tie-in...Lucifers has pumpkin toppings for their pizza! Seriously!! Pumpkin pizza!!
I actually had two pumpkin options - roast pumpkin prosciutto or the zucha. But I'm a sucker for prosciutto, so you know which I chose. Lucifers even gives you the option to add a little extra kick to your pizza, so you can truly have the hounds of hell barking at your taste buds.
I decided to go forth bravely and chose the "firey" option. And while it did have quite a bit of kick, it was a flavorful spicy that balanced nicely against the sweet caramelized flavor of the pumpkin. By the end of the meal, I was doomed; my soul was completely lost to the dark side that is Lucifers Pizza.
But wait, I have more angelic pumpkin bread...
...and more devilishly good pizza leftovers...
A bite of one...then the other...then the other...and the other....
And so the war for the eternal soul of my stomach rages on. What have I done? I am forever locked in a tasty, pumpkin-y battle of good versus evil. Carb for carb the war will rage on...deliciously....but eternally.....
Well....at least until the leftovers run out.
