How to Use Your Staub Pumpkin Every Day of October

If you are the type of person that admires well-crafted items, but then second-guesses how much you'll actually use them, skewing the imaginary price-per-use up higher than it should be, and talking yourself out of them as a result, I am here for you as your seasonal shopping enabler. (You can thank me later by talking me into that sweater I've been eyeing.)

You absolutely need the Staub Cast Iron Pumpkin Cocotte in your life. It's suitable for all types of cooktops—even induction—and it's oven safe up to 500° F. And don't worry that you'll get it and only use it one or twice, oh no, you can use it every single day this month*. Here's how: ​

No, this is not a sponsored post. I just happen to really love produce-shaped things, anything related to Halloween, and Staub—so this pot is basically a perfect swoon-inducing trifecta.

This is what your dining room table could look like with a Staub Pumpkin Cocotte on it.

1. It's October: Get into the season with Short Rib and Pumpkin Chili.

2. Serve Baked Apples for dessert—they'll make your house smell good, too.

3. Fill your cocotte​ with Porcini Cheese Fondue—à la Suisse—instant party!

4. Make One-Pot Skinless Chicken Thigh with Kaffir Coconut Cream Crust. It's a little spicy, a little sweet, and a snap to prepare.

5. Roasted Mushroom Ragout with Cannellini Beans and Artichoke Hearts is wholesome, versatile, and easy to assemble—it's sure to earn a spot in your regular rotation.

6. You can't serve too many pumpkin soups in your pumpkin: Tonight go for Pumpkin Beer and Goat Cheese Soup.

7. Fill the cocotte with water, add a few apples, bob for said apples. Sure it’ll be easier than a barrel, but you’ve got high odds of succeeding and a lower chance of a soaking wet head!

8. Serve Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk, bonus point if you add in a plastic eyeball before bringing it to the table.

9. Spend Sunday enjoying the aroma of a slow-cooking Traditional French Cassoulet.

10. Mondays go down easier with soup, especially Hot-Honey Butternut Squash Soup.

11. Use it for a giant salad bowl, just because you can.

12. Double your pleasure with Double Mushroom & Kale Farro.

13. Tuck into an Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese.

14. Bake one giant cookie in it—Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, perhaps?

15. Saturday night dinner guests will be just as impressed with the Mussels Dijionnaise (Steamed Mussels with Mustard Sauce) as they are with the serving vessel.

16. Sunday will be anything but basic with Betty Wason's Basic Pot Roast.

17. Start the week off right with Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash.

18. Serve up stick-to-your-ribs Smoky Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili, that just so happens to be vegan, too.

19. Make Pot-Roasted Collard Greens, feel slightly smug about eating greens with deeper flavor.

20. Gear up for the approaching weekend with classic Baked Beans.

21. It's Friday—celebrate with a batch of Kettle Corn.

22. Fill it with a trifle (possibly with cubes of Pumpkin Cake?). You won’t be able to see the layers, but everyone will still be delighted when you remove the lid.

23. Practice your new go-to dinner party recipe: Dan Barber's Braised Short Ribs.

24. Stir up a slightly spooky green soup—Spinach Soup with Toasted Chickpeas.

25. An overnight marinade and then only 10 minutes of prep means you can have Sambal Oelek Roasted Chicken for a weeknight dinner.

26. One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf allows you to get dinner on the table quickly, leaving you free to put the finishing touches on your (or your kids') costume.

27. Make mushroom soup, the seasonally-appropriately​ named Witches Pot.

28. Boil up a pot of sugary red goodness for Candy Apple, practice your best witch cackle.

29. Fill with dry ice, marvel at your instant centerpiece (or stick it in front of a window and impress all of the neighborhood kids).

30. Warm up with a Halloween Hot Toddy (or two).

31. Fill with candy for trick-or-treating, of course! Either enjoy a mini arm workout as you repeatedly walk it back and forth to the door, or set it on the stoop for easy access (leaving your hands free to enjoy a Witch's Brew).

*And Halloween doesn't have to spell (eh, eh?) the end of the fun with your cocotte. Pull it out again at Thanksgiving as a part of a harvest-themed tablescape.

How will you use your Staub Pumpkin this month? Tell us in the comments!