Put in whatever flavors you want - even make them slightly healthier by using whole wheat flour. more ›

Pumpkins, cute animals, rides, popcorn and a huge corn maze - go this weekend to get your fix. more ›

You read right, just two ingredients are needed for this simple fall dessert recipe. Two ingredients and minimal baking time; this recipe is tailored for the not-so-baking savvy. For a quick and healthy fall dessert, follow the recipe below for a moist, rich cupcake full of pumpkin flavor. more ›

It's that time of year again - pumpkin time! If you aren't a fan of pumpkin pie, try these tasty and entertaining bars! Because everything is better in bar form. more ›

It's a grand tradition here at Chicagoist to share some great recipes with our readers. Sometimes, we call all the chefs we know and ask them for advice, and sometimes we raid our cookbook shelves. This year, we are keeping it in the family. Sometimes the foodie side of the staff (read: Anthony) forgets that most of the non-food-writers here at the Chicagoist home offices are just as good in the kitchen as than they are. One of the reasons we love this tradition so much is that it lets the rest of the staff have a moment at the stove, and we hope you enjoy their offerings as much as we do. more ›

Now that Halloween has passed us by, we can resume thinking of pumpkins as culinary items, rather than decorative ones. The pumpkin in that picture may look depressed, but we are just getting started on the long stretch to Thanksgiving. We've spent a lot of time talking about pumpkins in all their forms over the last week, but the endless possibilities have barely begun to be tapped. Rather than arguing, let us compare notes and share recipes - pick up the phone, let the party line commence. more ›

Where have all the Jack-o-Lanterns gone? They used to be on every stoop in town, but we’ve noticed fewer and fewer of them on display in the city (particularly in Chicagoist outposts like Logan Square, Bronzeville, Hyde Park and Lakeview---let us know if your hood is more pumpkin friendly). And that’s a darn shame since nothing evokes happy Halloween memories from childhood like carved glowing gourds. That’s why we are calling for a public pumpkin resurgence. more ›

To many Chicagoans, the flavor of pumpkin is synonymous with fall, which is unsurprising since Illinois is one of the top pumpkin producers for the whole country. Thanks to the nasty, wet summer we had last year, consumers nationwide experienced an extreme canned pumpkin shortage. Now that last year’s pumpkin shortage is over, you can make this spicy, nutty pumpkin bread with just a few ingredients from your pantry and around town. more ›

October marks the second birthday of Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, one of our favorite under-appreciated gems. The farmstand is dedicated to selling only food produced within 250 miles of Chicago and stocks a great selection of goodies. This month, there will be tons of different local food events, tastings, conversations with local producers and special exclusive products only available in October. more ›

Image by yenna more ›

'Tis the season for pumpkins! While we love Chicago in all of its concrete glory, sometimes we have to make a break for the countryside. Rather than buying our Halloween pumpkins at the local grocery store, we decided to high-tail it down south. Friends told us that we’d have to leave the state to find a decent farm with pumpkins – down to Indiana or up to Wisconsin. We wanted to stay a little closer to home, what with gas being $4.00 a gallon and all. After a few online searches and some advice from a friend, we found Butterprint Farm in Monee, Illinois. Butterprint is a family-owned farm about a 45 minute drive from downtown Chicago. more ›