Happy Halloween! While I may not be too keen on dressing up and trick-or-treating for Halloween, I do love carving pumpkins, roasted pumpkin seeds, cooking with pumpkins, and everything that has to do with pumpkins, butternut-, carnival-, acorn-, spaghetti-, and every other kind of squash out there! Normally I would say I like the autumn colors outside, but as it is already winter here in Alaska, that is not a perk of Halloween anymore, at least for the time being.
We had another couple from church come over to our house on Saturday to carve pumpkins with us. I made chili and we enjoyed being together. I had a difficult time coming up with what to carve, but I knew that if I wanted it to look good, I had better keep it simple. So I decided to stick with an Alaskan theme and carve the big dipper that is on the state flag. Marshall was a little bit more creative than me, and carved a pretty cool haunted house. Alex's pumpkin was so thick that he thinned it out a little by removing some of the pumpkin meat from the inside. I used this extra meat in some of my cooking over the next couple of days, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
We took our pumpkins to the church Halloween party that evening for the carving contest, and it's a good thing too, because there was only one other entry besides our four!
The pumpkin seeds turned out yummy, and my recipe is below. I also made an omelet with pumpkin, bell pepper, and red potato for lunch the next day, pumpkin chips, and pumpkin pie oatmeal for breakfast on Monday. If you're a pumpkin lover like me, you would enjoy all of these recipes!
Pumpkin Seeds:
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Clean and rinse seeds (I don't mind if some pumpkin is left because it just adds to the flavor). Preheat oven to 300 F. Combine the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl, and then pour over the seeds. Mix thoroughly, and spread on a baking sheet. Cook for about 1 hour, mixing half way through, until golden and toasted.
Variation:
combine olive oil, sugar, and cinnamon, and mix with seeds for a sweet treat.
Pumpkin Chips:
I made these while we were still carving, and it helped tie us over until it was time for chili.
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium high heat. Add slices of pumpkin meat, about 1/4 inch thick, to the hot oil, and pan fry both sides until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt. Remove from heat and place on paper towel-lined plate. Let cool for a couple of minutes before enjoying.
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (serves 1):
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup bits of leftover pumpkin meat
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Add oats, flaxseed meal, and water to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for about 2 minutes. Let sit for a couple of minutes to thicken up a bit. In another bowl, cook the pumpkin, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until soft. Puree the pumpkin with 1/4 cup milk in a blender or Magic Bullet. Stir the pureed pumpkin into the cooked oatmeal, and add honey and pumpkin pie spice.
I really liked this variation for my daily oatmeal routine. You could also use canned pumpkin, but I love the flavor of the fresh pumpkin. This is a great recipe to start your morning off right: you get a serving of veggies, a great source of omega-3 fatty acids from the flaxseeds, and a whole grain from the oats. I don't like my oatmeal too sweet, but you could always increase the honey to suit your taste.
Pumpkin Omelet (serves 1-2):
1 large red potato
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin meat pieces
3 eggs, whisked with 1 tsp water or milk
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the veggies and cook until soft, stirring regularly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Pour whisked eggs into pan and cook until small bubbles form. Add the veggies to half of the egg, and gently turn the unfilled side over the veggie side. turn down the heat to medium low and cover for a minute or so until the egg is cooked through.
I am still working on my omelet making skills, but it just takes practice! Both Marshall and I enjoyed the addition of the pumpkin to the veggies. I will definitely be making this again, in some variation or another.
Let me know what your favorite ways are to cook with pumpkin! I love sharing tips and ideas.
We had another couple from church come over to our house on Saturday to carve pumpkins with us. I made chili and we enjoyed being together. I had a difficult time coming up with what to carve, but I knew that if I wanted it to look good, I had better keep it simple. So I decided to stick with an Alaskan theme and carve the big dipper that is on the state flag. Marshall was a little bit more creative than me, and carved a pretty cool haunted house. Alex's pumpkin was so thick that he thinned it out a little by removing some of the pumpkin meat from the inside. I used this extra meat in some of my cooking over the next couple of days, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
We took our pumpkins to the church Halloween party that evening for the carving contest, and it's a good thing too, because there was only one other entry besides our four!
 |
| Me, Marshall, Nicole Hansen, and Alex Hansen, and our fun carvings. |
The pumpkin seeds turned out yummy, and my recipe is below. I also made an omelet with pumpkin, bell pepper, and red potato for lunch the next day, pumpkin chips, and pumpkin pie oatmeal for breakfast on Monday. If you're a pumpkin lover like me, you would enjoy all of these recipes!
Pumpkin Seeds:
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Clean and rinse seeds (I don't mind if some pumpkin is left because it just adds to the flavor). Preheat oven to 300 F. Combine the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl, and then pour over the seeds. Mix thoroughly, and spread on a baking sheet. Cook for about 1 hour, mixing half way through, until golden and toasted.
Variation:
combine olive oil, sugar, and cinnamon, and mix with seeds for a sweet treat.
I made these while we were still carving, and it helped tie us over until it was time for chili.
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium high heat. Add slices of pumpkin meat, about 1/4 inch thick, to the hot oil, and pan fry both sides until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt. Remove from heat and place on paper towel-lined plate. Let cool for a couple of minutes before enjoying.
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (serves 1):
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup bits of leftover pumpkin meat
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Add oats, flaxseed meal, and water to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for about 2 minutes. Let sit for a couple of minutes to thicken up a bit. In another bowl, cook the pumpkin, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until soft. Puree the pumpkin with 1/4 cup milk in a blender or Magic Bullet. Stir the pureed pumpkin into the cooked oatmeal, and add honey and pumpkin pie spice.
I really liked this variation for my daily oatmeal routine. You could also use canned pumpkin, but I love the flavor of the fresh pumpkin. This is a great recipe to start your morning off right: you get a serving of veggies, a great source of omega-3 fatty acids from the flaxseeds, and a whole grain from the oats. I don't like my oatmeal too sweet, but you could always increase the honey to suit your taste.
Pumpkin Omelet (serves 1-2):
1 large red potato
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin meat pieces
3 eggs, whisked with 1 tsp water or milk
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the veggies and cook until soft, stirring regularly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Let me know what your favorite ways are to cook with pumpkin! I love sharing tips and ideas.
Awesome pumpkins! Looks like you had fun.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Thank for the recipes! And I loved your star pumpkin.
ReplyDeleteThanks :) Even though it was the only one that is not Halloween themed!
DeleteI love these carvings!
ReplyDelete