Food Facts ~ Pumpkins

Pumpkins

Did you know that a pumpkin is technically a fruit but is often referred to as a vegetable in cooking?

Speaking of cooking pumpkins. The pumpkin traditionally used in pie is the Sugar pumpkin or cheese pumpkin. It has a stronger pumpkin flavor as well as less grainy texture making it perfect for pies and puree.  If you really can't find anything but jack o lantern pumpkin to cook with, increase the sugar 25%.

The Early settlers learned from the Native Americans to use the abundant pumpkins in cooking.  In efforts to make the pumpkin a tastier treat, Colonists used to slice off the pumpkin top; removing any seeds and then filled with milk, spices and honey.  After being baked in the hot ashes of a fire, it is said this is the origins of the pumpkin to our dessert tables.

Pumpkin pie as we know it today was first introduced in it's pastry shell by the French Chef, Francoise Pierre la Varenne, in his cookbook that was first published in 1653.  The pie recipe eventually spread to American cookbooks in 1796.

To make you own Pumpkin Puree

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the stem and split the pumpkin in half lengthwise.
Scoop out all seeds and pulp.  Reserve seeds for making Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.
Lightly oil the pumpkin halves and a 1 inch deep baking pan.
Place pumpkins cut side down on pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes.
Pumpkin will easily spoon out of the shell when completely cooked. Run through a food processor blender or food mill.  It will store in your Refrigerator for 1 week and in your Freezer for 3 months.

Love the fresh baked Pumpkin scent?
I do. Thankfully Scentsy has some amazing scents to blend to make it smell like I have my own Pumpkin bake shop.  Mix and match to make your own recipes.  To order your scent blends visit my website  Utopian Scents @ Scentsy 

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has safe and fun festivities.

Our pumpkins are finally carved.  Pumpkin seeds are waiting to be baked. 

This is my favorite time of year. I love the smell of toasted pumpkin seeds.

In this dry climate we wait til the night before to carve the pumpkins and not end up with an imitation of a shrunken head.   

My two oldest daughters refused any help carving their pumpkins this year.  All I was allowed to do is help transfer the designs to their pumpkins. (I also created the template for the toothy face)

The scared pumpkin is my youngest daughter's pumpkin.  She could not decide on a template so I freehand carved a scared face with the circle eyes and mouth she wanted.

Last but not least, my pumpkin. It has been years since I put my carving skills to real work.  It took me an hour and a half to first shave the face of the pumpkin then etch the design into it.  

I posted a picture to facebook late last night.  I woke up this morning and Scentsy had posted it to their facebook page.  That made my morning to see it being enjoyed by so many people. 

Toasted Pumpkin seeds

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds are a Favorite Fall treat in our house

This is the method I use every year to toast our pumpkin seeds that come from the carnage of carving our Jack o lanterns. If you have ever carved 5 pumpkins at one time you would completely understand the carnage comment. We seriously had a mound of pumpkin innards over a foot tall. These seeds rarely make it into November. (even with hiding them.) I make different flavors but they all start out the same.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

• Clean pumpkin seeds (no pumpkin innards just seeds)
• Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil (any cooking oil works)
• Choice of seasoning (my family prefers cinnamon and sugar)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°
2. Toss seeds in oil to even coat. (It prevents them from drying out too much and will help the flavor coating stick better.)
3. Cook for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Checking to make sure they are not browning. You only want them to start turning golden brown.
4. In a bowl place your seasoning. Toss your seeds in the bowl to evenly coat in seasoning.
5. Place seeds back into the oven for 5-8 more minutes. Watching closely so they do not over brown.

Seasoning

Cinnamon and sugar ~ 1 cup sugar and 1TB cinnamon

Spicy~ Toss seeds in your favorite hot sauce

Salty ~ Crack sea salt on the seeds before baking the second time. Sea salt tastes better to me than table salt on seeds, but you can use table salt.

I still have another batch of seeds to make. Any suggestions on a flavor to try?

Everyone have a safe and Happy Halloween.