"You Shall Go to the Ball..."

A bevy of beauts at Reading Terminal Market

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother knew a thing or two about the transformational power of the humble pumpkin. 







 
"Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidy-bobbody-boo...put them together and what have you got?




In Disney's case, the pumpkin morphs into a shiny carriage designed to transport this repressed princess-in-waiting to the Ball, where she will meet her future love.  In our case, pumpkin transforms an unexciting bowl of gruel (a fitting repast for poor Cinders) to a gourmet treat.  Thanks to Stacey Jo Mills Tie for sharing this deluxe concoction:

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
* 1/2 cup of oats
* 1 cup of water
*3 Tbsp pumpkin butter L. Haltman sells a gorgeous one; alternatively, use canned pumpkin)
* 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
* Pinch of salt
* Splash of vanilla extract (Jonathan Best  will provide.)
* Pumpkin pie spice, or your own personal blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to taste.  (Spice Terminal can help you with these.)

Bring water and oats to the boil.  Simmer both for about 3-5 minutes, until cooked.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for a further minute. Serve immediately. 

As someone who prefers sweet to savory oatmeal for breakfast, I customized this recipe, adding my own sprinkling of magic fairy dust a.k.a cinnamon sugar.   (NOTE:  you will need less sweetening "fairy dust" with pumpkin butter; more with plain canned pumpkin)

On the subject of Fairy Godmothers and True Love...did you know there are only 107 days until the Valentine to the Market Gala at Reading Terminal Market?  Tickets go on sale in December....you shall go to the Ball, Cinderella.