One
of my favorite times to create memories with the kids and grandkids
is at Halloween. One of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween
is the pumpkin. Here are several fun ways to use pumpkins.
1. Roasted Pumpkin
Seeds:
Roast the seeds from young or small pumpkins for a tasty snack.
2 cups pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
or a blend like Smart Balance®
One-half to 1 teaspoon
salt
Rinse the pumpkin seeds
until all the pulp and strings are washed off. In a medium bowl,
combine the Worcestershire sauce, melted butter or blend, and salt.
Add the seeds and stir until they are coated. Spread on a baking
sheet and bake at 225° F for 1 to 2 hours, until crisp. Stir
frequently to prevent scorching. Makes 2 cups.
2. Pumpkin punch bowl:
This jack-o’-lantern becomes a punch bowl for any occasion.
Thoroughly clean the
inside of the pumpkin, making sure you remove all the fibrous
strings. Paint a jack-o’-lantern face on the pumpkin with
acrylic paints or a magic marker. Refrigerate the empty pumpkin
until serving time. Pour the drink of your choice into the cold
pumpkin.
Pumpkin punch bowl.
3. Painted
Jack-o’-Lantern Faces:
If you do not cut into the pumpkin and you keep them in a cool place
they can last up to a month. You can let the artist in you come out
when you take acrylic paints and paint on pumpkins. It is also fun
to add scarves, bandanas, ribbon and feathers to the head of the
characters that you paint. Instead of having people carve the
jack-o’-lantern, have them paint faces on the pumpkin.
Jack-o’-lantern with dry ice.
4. Dry
Ice Jack-o’-Lantern:
The key is to know how to deal with the dry ice and also make sure
that children are never near the dry ice. You will need a pumpkin,
carving knife (you can buy special knives at Halloween that are safer
than a kitchen knife) to cut out the face, 1 large can or container
that can go in the top of the pumpkin, very hot water, and 3 to 5
pounds of dry ice.
First
find a large can or container that you want to use inside of the
pumpkin. Then find a pumpkin that you can cut the top off and place
the can in the cavity of the pumpkin.
Carve
a face on the pumpkin. When I carve it I like to put a notch on the
lid of the pumpkin so that I can always put the lid on so that it
seals. When you are ready to display the steam effects, place chunks
of dry ice in the container. (Always use heavy gloves when you are
moving dry ice because it will burn anyone who touches it, and never
put it in a closed container.) I like to heat the water in a teapot
and then pour it over the dry ice and the dry ice steam will pour out
the face of the pumpkin creating a wonderful spooky effect. The
steam will last up to 5 minutes, depending of how hot the water is.
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Don’t miss this opportunity to create some lasting memories
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Dian Thomas was blessed with the good fortune to be born near and raised in
the remote, breathtaking Manti-La Sal National Forest in southeastern Utah,
where her father was the forest ranger. She took the skills she learned in the
outdoors and turned them into a New York Times best-selling book, Roughing It
Easy. Her appearance on the NBC's "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson
boosted her into the national media scene, where she became a regular on
NBC's "Today" show for eight years and then ABC's "Home Show" for six years.
After more than 25 years of media exposure and 19 books, she now shares her
practical insights and wisdom with audiences who want to savor life.
A former Relief Society president, Dian is currently serving as a visiting
teacher. Visit her website at www.DianThomas.com