pumpkins

     Wondering what to do with those pumpkins you have?  For the next several posts, I’ll be sharing several of our favorite pumpkin recipes and crafts.

     The recipes will be for Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, and Pumpkin Bread.   (No pie recipe, :-( )

     First things first, though. 

Cooking Pumpkin

     1.  Wash the pumpkin.  Cut off the stem and cut the pumpkin in half.  With a spoon, scoop out the strings and seeds.  (You can save the seeds to roast if you like.)

     2.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour one inch of water it a 9″x13″ pan.  Place pumpkin, cut side down, into the pan.  Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender.  Cool.  (This can also be done without the water)

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 3.  Scoop out the pulp.  It can be frozen for use later.  I usually freeze 2 cups per container.

      Roasting the Seeds

     I’m still working on this.  I did rinse the seeds in water, rubbing them together to remove the pulp/strings.  This wasn’t hard to do. 

     In a 9″x13″ pan, I poured a little oil.   Add pumpkin seeds and salt, then stir them in the oil to lightly coat.  Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees until roasted, turning frequently. 

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 The really delicious part is still inside the seed hull.  You can enjoy the whole seed and hull.or crack the hull and remove the seed. 

     I’m going to experiment with trying to remove the seed from the hull before roasting.  If I find a relatively painless way to do this, I’ll pass it on along.

     Pumpkin  and pumpkin seeds are considered super foods for their high nutritional value.  Here is a link that gives the nutitional analysis:

http://nutrican.fshn.uiuc.edu/tables/Pumpkin.html

Blessings,

Mominsc (1)

Marcie