Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

KAT'S COOKING KORNER: From the Patch

We have a penchance for accidental gardening around my house. I have sunflowers that spring forth by the dozens every year, with no effort from my hand. Little tomato plants emerge from the very soil where the previous year they flourished and fell back to earth. Seemingly magical or via the helping hand of friendly fairies perhaps? Raspberries aren't so shocking, but certainly a delicious fruit that requires little labour on my part. Wonderful, in my eyes, to be sure. Various herbs, whether perennial or annual, also return, often requiring a heavy hand to keep them in check. My oregano is prolific, thyme terrific and the cilantro and dill self-seed at will for both my use and many a neighbour.

Just about ripe
One other plant tends to return every year, which did not fail to materialize again this year. Cinderella's carriage be damned, this beauty is all about Halloween. Check it out! For whatever reason we only got one, but it was a lovely pumpkin none the less. And shocking to me, it was ripe by mid-August. I managed to convince the girls not to carve it in the heat of summer, as the odds of it lasting til October 31st once carved were nil, but whether it would survive intact til All Hallow's Eve was another question entirely.

Never fear, but it did! And yesterday was the day that we sliced into this bad boy. It was time to carve a Jack 'o Lantern!

The first step is always to draw a fearsome face in our family. Once the face is in place (try and carve that Mom!), then I plunge my knife into the top of the quaking squash and carve a lid for it.

Check out all those seeds!



The crafty Momma that I am, no way are we going to let those yummy bits go to waste. Time to get scooping!




A spoon can be handy to scrape the sides,





but sometimes only your hand will do to get right in there! Get digging!
Voila, empty!


And here we have the remains of the day

After much careful carving by my deft hand, two jolly Jack 'o Lanterns emerged that pleased my girls



Pumpkin Seeds Roasting
But what really pleased me were all those delicious little seeds that filled our two orange orbs. Gotta love roasted pumpkin seeds with just a hint of salt, plus a sprinkle of paprika. Set on low, and cooked til crunchy, these yummy treats are packed with iron, zinc, copper, phosphorous, manganese, tryptophan, magnesium and more. They are a source of vitamin E, full of antioxidants and even have anti-microbial benefits. Woohoo, and they taste good too! With a history dating back to 1300-1500 AD, that's a whole lot of goodness for a really long time.

Don't expect me to share my seasonal seeds with you though. I am a bit of a Halloween hog, when it comes to my pumpkin seeds. You'll have to carve your own pumpkin and make your own roasted seeds this week.

Happy Halloween!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Halloween!


Wee ghosts & goblins
scurry to my house
cry for treats & trinkets
til pumpkin orb I douse

You’ll be sorry kiddies
As I’ve a trick for you
I’ll get you my pretties
Boo!


All dressed up and no place to go,
but wait!
I can stop by Monkey's
for the Sunday 160
ah hahahahaaa!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Everyday is Halloween

BOO!!
Happy Halloween all!
Couldn't resist a blast from the past
(for you too Ms. C)
Too tired after returning from my sister's house and the mayhem of a 5 year old's Chuck E Cheese party,
plus the 2 1/2 hour drive home, 
followed by a mad scramble to carve a few bumpy pumpkins
 to offer you another scary scribbled tale.
The blissful sugary-anticipating grins from my little ones
makes it all worthwhile,
as I rub my tender tootsies
and bid you good night...

Enjoy this taste of Ministry
(A band I gothically glammed to in my teen years)
and my Halloween treat for you.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Happy Halloween

From the patch
It sprouted wings!
Went masquerading
Those ghoulish things!

Big, orange and round
With bumpy face
This Jack ‘o Lantern
Must find a place

Oh, there he is
In spooky splendor
Sitting beside
A grave yard pyre

That evil eye
He fixes on me
Can only be found
On Halloween

BOO!!!
Happy Halloween!

^^^
It is Friday and I banged out a little 55 word poem for G-Man with a festive flair.
Have a great weekend!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Name of the Game is Pumpkins


Gaze upon
flower fair
Soon a pumpkin
full of flair

Grow &
flourish in Autumn light
Only to turn
 to spectre of fright

Halloween
Demands it be
who’s to fault
but you & me

^^^^^

With so many out and about in the pumpkin patch this weekend, I thought I would join in the fun. My jack 'o lanterns are from days gone by, but we have been growing lovely decorative squashes in the driveway (self-seeded again) that shall be carved up in a few weeks time. Happy Sunday 160 hosted by Monkey Man!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy H(1n1)lloween!

So it is confirmed. My little girlie does have an issue aside from wanting to bug me. Those darn ears will not leave her alone! Another ear infection. Hopefully that is all, but with our present H1N1 fears raging I was sweating it a little. All the way up to pandemic now. Crazy that this happens in this day and age. Are we not all so super paranoid with our antibacterial soaps and gels. They are commonplace features everywhere now. We have had to re- learn how to sneeze and seem to be becoming fearful enough to potentially give up on handshakes, let alone hugs! I have debated quarantining ourselves and cancelled plans for birthday parties. What craziness is this! Surprising that Halloween is not cancelled for the year. My kids are already bummed about not getting to see their cousins for the weekend. Stupid germs. We need a little more dirt in our life to give our good germs a chance. Wave off the antibacterial gels that wipe out everything in their path. With everything gone we have nothing left to fight!

Ack, who am I kidding? I cannot create a good rant. I am just sulking because my weekend has been ripped off. We have our pumpkin and we shall trick or treat tomorrow. Perhaps I will have a drink tucked into my arm (despite knowing that one should avoid alcohol, caffeine and get lots of sleep) as we scream trick or treat to the masses in our hood. Watch out, we bring the plague in our loot bags! For our treat, the trick is not to get sick! HAAH! BOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

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