Somethin' Pumpkin

Here are some random pictures from the season interspersed with my own October Project: learning new pumpkin-related recipes. Here's the line up.

Week one: Pumpkin Curry.

My first pumpkin attempt was so nice & tasty that I had it for lunch several days running. It's very orange.
(Here's Bastrop, where I got to haul chainsawed trees and sort through ashes, and move rubble. Sad, but nice to see all the people helping out.)

1 chopped onion
1 can chicken bits
1 tablespoon yellow curry
1/2 cup yellow raisins
2 cups chopped carrots
1 raw sugar pumpkin, in big peices (like 1/4 a pumpkin each), seeds removed

In a crock-pot throw all ingredients, cook all day. Then scrape the soft pumpkin out of the shell (should be soft now), stir in and heat a little longer. The pumpkin makes the curry less kicky. Tis nice.



Week Two: Spice Pumpkin Seeds Party Mix
Gretchen says these are like crack. I altered another recipe and made them twice--once for practice and once for our Halloween party)
(6 Flags near Scooby Doo ride. The boy who took this picture was 14-ish and with his JROTC group.)

Cleaned, dried, roasted pumpkin seeds (325 degrees for 25 minutes and salt ought to do it)
3 cups corn chex
1 cup sugar
nutmeg
cinnamon
allspice
chili powder

Mix the sugar and spices together. Throw all ingredients in medium-hot skillet to caramelize and coat. When covered, place on wax paper to dry.

(At Diwali, this old man --back to us-- told me to go light some more candles, because Diwali is all about "catching the fire." Appropriately wise, mysterious kind old man.)

Week Three: Beef Pumpkin Stew

I made this for the missionaries for lunch. Of course it's like 80 degrees out, but it feels so homey and smells wonderful. If I lived close to a bakery, I'd serve it in those little pumpkin bread bowls. Feels like something Mom would make us eat to balance out all the candy.

2 lbs stew meat
1 large white onion
15 oz canned tomatoes
2 yams, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup yellow raisins
4 Carrots, ditto
cracked pepper, salt, oregano
water
1 sugar pumpkin, hollowed out

Brown beef and onion. Add water and other ingredients. Simmer for 4-6 hours. Put the whole mess in the pumpkin and then in the oven 350 deg. for another couple hours. When you scoop out the stew, scoop pumpkin with it.

(Here's my ringleader costume. Fun fact: I wear everything here pretty regularly, except the top hat and the whip.)

Week four: Pumpkin orange pie

(I haven't actually made this yet--it's for my last week, & tomorrow's ward party FHE. I'm psyched about it, though)

1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
choclate pie crust
1 1/2 c orange sherbert
whipped topping & oranges

Mix the first three and then add half the frozen yogurt. Put in chocolate pie crust. Then a layer of orange sherbert, then a later of the rest of the frozen yogurt. Finally, whipped topping and orange garnishes. I'm so excited about the pumpkin-orange combo. I'll let you know how it goes.