By Cassius Reed

Whenever fall rolls around, we phase out the classical seasonings of summer and begin to hear the smell of pumpkin spice wafting from quaint cafés. “Hipster” 23 year olds with tote bags and squealing high school girls alike will flock to “organic fair-trade” cafes that only source “local ingredients” (that being the local k-mart’s finest quality, of course) at a 400% markup and Starbucks, respectively, just to get in their pumpkin spice fix. This vulgar display of consumerism and bad taste, in the most literal sense of the word,  brings gags not only to those who pay witness to it in their everyday lives, but also the friends and loved ones of those afflicted with this “orange fever”  when they are forced to sip their sugary slurry. I find that replacing any pumpkin flavoring in the house with any natural, orange detergent or soap tends to work quite well in curing this malady. While we may be overwhelmed by the myriad of various squash dishes, this recipe will break you out of the pumpkin spice prison by opening your eyes to the definitive best pumpkin dish ever—Pumpkin Spice Pigeon Breast.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless Pigeon breasts, in a pinch Cornish hens can work alright                               
• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 TBSP butter
• Olive oil as needed    
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. First we will want to cut our sugar pumpkin in half and set one half aside for later (I find they keep freshest in the dishwasher. The moist environment works wonders to keep the flesh from drying out). We must then coat the other half with our butter and bake it, flesh side down, on a baking tray for 40 minutes.
2. When our pumpkin comes out of the oven, the flesh should be tender and scoop-able. Scoop it into a food processor with the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Blend until fully smooth.
3. We must now marinate our pigeon in our pumpkin delight purée. Fully cover the meat with your marinade and let sit in the fridge for about 24 hours. 
4. About an hour before your pigeon is done marinating, Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit and remove the other half of your pumpkin from your dishwasher. Peel its skin and cut its flesh into bite sized cube and toss with the salt pepper and olive oil in a roasting pan. Let it bake at 350 for around 15 minutes.
5. Remove the Pigeon from its marinade and gently lay it to rest in your roasting pan amidst the pumpkin bites. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for around another 15 minutes or until both the pigeon and pumpkin are fully cooked

ENJOY!