Happy Fall to all

First of all, Happy Fall! Fall means crisper air, chillier nights (can you say, snuggles?), and most of all...PUMPKIN!

My mother has always made the best pumpkin muffins, in the world. Along with delicious pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup.

My first year living in a house off campus in college, my roommate and I discovered how easy and cheap pumpkin pie is to make yourself once you've put out the intial money for the spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice will last you through hundreds of pies, so while they're $5 to $8 a jar, it ends up being mere cents per pie. We always followed the mantra, "When it's Libby's Libby's Libby's on the label label label, you will love it love it love it on your table table table..." and just used the filling recipe on the back of the Libby's canned pumpkin can (not the canned pumpkin pie mix, just regular pumpkin). Easy peasy, and if you're really lazy, put down the $2.50 for a frozen crust and you'll have pumpkin pie in a matter of minutes.

If you're really fancy, like me, you can roast your own pumpkin and puree the flesh for your very own pumpkin. You get the added benefit of having seeds to roast and pumpkin for days. It freezes easily and conveniently, and you can even freeze it in portion sizes for easy use. (Much like I do with pesto, but that's another blog)

To roast your own pumpkin:
Cut the top off the pumpkin, much like you would if you were going to carve it,* and then cut the pumpkin in half. It's easier to cut it in half once the top is off. Scrape out the "guts" and (if desired) collect the seeds in a bowl.

You won't use the guts for anything, so they can be tossed, composted, or whatever.

Place the pumpkin halves with the inside facing down on a baking sheet with sides, and fill baking sheet until just coated with water. In an oven preheated to about 400 degrees, bake the pumpkin until soft when stabbed with a fork — about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven when done and wait for the pumpkin to cool. Be careful, it will be extremely hot.

When the pumpkin is cool, scrape flesh from the skin into a large mixing bowl. With a fork, pie dough cutter, or even a blender, mash the flesh until there are few to no remaining lumps. Now you have usable pumpkin! For reference, 1 lb. of pumpkin (16 oz) is the equivalent of 3.5 cups of home-cooked pumpkin.

* You can carve it first, but make sure you are planning on baking it the next day, as pumpkins rot pretty quickly once they're cut into. For instance, carve it on the day of Halloweenand bake it November 1st.

To roast the seeds:
Rinse all the goo and guts off of the seeds once you've scraped your pumpkin. The easiest way to do that is to put them in a strainer (mesh works best) after you've picked them out of the pumpkin guts, and toss them a bit with your fingers. Don't worry if you don't get all the "guts" out. It won't hurt you. Spread the rinsed seeds out on a baking sheet, preferably no more than one layer deep and let dry. They should be good enough in a couple hours, but I tend to leave them overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and toss the seeds with a little oil and whatever spices you'd like. Cinnamon and sugar make 'em sweet and candy-like, I prefer garlic, salt, and pepper for more of a popcorn taste. Try basil, nutmeg, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, chilli powder, or even a bit of soy sauce for different flavors. Put seasoned seeds in the oven and bake until toasted — 15 to 20 mintues. Keep an eye on them and if they start to look really brown, take them out.

The seeds should be slightly crunchy and slightly chewy when done. A yummy, healthy snack!

To come: pumpkin muffins!

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO EAT PUMPKIN?

Ciao,
kc