There's Just Somethin' about Punkins

There's just somethin' about punkins...

 

I love pumpkin. They smell so good, taste good, and are pretty. I really think pumpkins may be the most wonderful vegetation that God created! I know they don't have healing properties (although I truly believe pumpkins are good for the soul!) but there's just so much about pumpkins are too good to pass up. So I thought I'd do a blog all about pumpkins and hopefully give you some new ideas of how to enjoy them during the harvest season :)

COOKING/BAKING WITH PUMPKINS
#1) My all-time favorite pumpkin food is pumpkin bread. Above all else! I've tried many different pumpkin breads, both store bought and homemade, and honestly... nothing holds a candle to my grandmother's recipe! And since it's not a "secret family recipe" I am going to share it with you:

• 4 cups of white granulated sugar
• 1 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 large can of pumpkin
• 5 cups of flour
• *1 tsp of cloves (optional if you like the taste)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (I usually more because I like cinnamon)
• *1 cup chopped nuts (optional- I don't use nuts)

Preheat the oven to 350*. Then mix ingredients together in a big mixing bowl. (Hint- add the flour one cup at a time and stir. This way you're arm doesn't feel like it's going to fall off from stirring so hard!). Grease AND flour 3 large bread pans (sometimes you can squeeze one more mini bread pan in too). Pour mix into the pans and bake for 1 hour. Use a toothpick to check the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean it's done, if it's sticky, bake a few more minutes. BUT KEEP AN EYE on it because too long and you'll have burnt pumpkin bread! Remove the loaves from the oven and set on a cooling rack or a cutting board. I usually wrap mine in foil. This keeps the moisture in. Slice as you go, don't slice all at once or it can dry out. Best served cold with butter!! YUMMO!!!

#2) I recently discovered pumpkin dip and it's been a huge hit! I made it for our church potluck and our WMU meeting and it's gotten great reviews! This is SO EASY to make and only takes about 3 minutes!! You will need:

• 1 can of pumpkin
• 1 tub of cool whip
• 1 box of vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (or more)
• Nilla Wafers
• *apple slices (optional if you'd like to offer a "healthier" variety)

Mix all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Scoop the dip into a pretty Autumn bowl (or if you're feeling really crafty, you can clean out a small pumpkin and scoop the dip inside). Cover and place in the fridge to chill. Serve with Nilla Wafers or apple slices. SO GOOD!!

#3) My husband loves pumpkin pie. Unfortunately I have never made this for him (I know, shameful!). I have bought Publix pumpkin pie for years. But I think I will try my hand at it this year! And although most recipes call for a "pre-made" crust, I think I want to try my Aunt Isabel's "No-Fail Pie Crust" recipe and make the whole thing from scratch! Here's the recipe for her no-fail pie crust:

• PART ONE
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of shortening or 3/4 cup of lard
• 1 tsp of salt
• PART TWO
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 egg beaten

Mix the first 3 ingredients (part one) until it's a coarse salt stage. Next, mix the remaining ingredients together (part two) and then add to the flour mixture. The dough will be slightly sticky. Roll out the dough on a floured board or granite counter top and form to your pie pan. Don't forget to make pretty pinches around the edge!

FUN WITH PUMPKINS
#1) The most fun we have during the Fall season is when we load up and head over to the local Pumpkin Patch! It's so much fun to watch the kiddos' eyes light up at the sight of an orange blanket of pumpkins of different shapes and sizes scattered all about. We love to find the BIGGEST pumpkin, the smallest pumpkin, the oddest shaped pumpkin, the wartiest pumpkin, and the perfect pumpkins to fit each person in our family. We typically pick a pumpkin for each member of the family (including those mini pumpkins for each of the pets). So tonight we left the patch with 8 pumpkins in tow! For $18.50, that's not bad at all! But the best part is the wonderful pictures you can capture at a pumpkin patch. If your local patch is anything like ours, they try to decorate it and make it as photo friendly as possible. Our has the cutest little portrait area set up (totally free by the way) that we love to take advantage of. Here are some of the wonderful pictures I got of the kids tonight:

#2) I discovered when my daughter was a year old that carving pumpkins (something I loved to do growing up) wasn't really a great

idea for clumsy toddlers with limited coordination and strength (it's hard work carving a pumpkin!). So that first year we let her color her pumpkin with a permanent marker. And you know what? That pumpkin lasted forever! So I decided that from then on, we would paint our pumpkins. Instead of carving them, we paint them. And it's really fun! Each person (including momma and daddy) paint their own pumpkin and then we line them up outside. We will be painting our pumpkins tomorrow night :) If you have older children and are set on carving those pumpkins, here's a little tip to help your Jack-o-Lanterns stay fresh longer:

• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 qt water

Mix ingredients together and brush all over the carved areas of the pumpkin.

#3) I have made homemade playdough before but I am so excited that I found Pumpkin Pie Play Dough on Pinterest!! I am definitely giving this a try, I think the kids will love it :)

#4) Crafts, crafts, crafts!! I love fall crafts, and there are so many wonderful options on sites like Pinterest and DLTK. Savanna and


I made these paper pumpkins one year and used them as napkin holders at Thanksgiving dinner!! They were adorable and super easy to make. Check out this tutorial on how to make this cute pumpkin craft.




TEACHING WITH PUMPKINS
#1) Last year my husband did the "Pumpkin Carving Prayer" at our Fall Festival and it was really neat to watch. It's such a simple way to teach the Gospel and even biblical principles to little ones because it offers a great visual! Here's the prayer (My hubby added a little extra for each line, you can too, or you can use it as it is):

Dear Jesus,
Open my mind so I can learn about You
(Cut off the top of the pumpkin)
Take all of my sin and forgive me for the wrong that I do
(Clean out the inside)
Open my eyes so Your love I will see
(Cut out the eyes)
I'm sorry I've turned my nose up to all You've given me
(Cut out the nose)
Open my ears so Your Word I will hear
(Cut out ears)
Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near
(Cut out the mouth)
Let Your Light shine in all I say and do
(Place a lit candle inside)
Amen.

#2) This year my daughter, Savanna, is studying poetry and we discovered a wonderful poem by James Whitcomb Riley called "When the Frost is on the Punkin'." I kinda feel short-changed because I had never heard of this awesome poem until now! But I am so glad I got the chance to study it with my daughter. It's a beautiful picture, told in a ol' country boy way of how much he loves the harvest time. The words are all spelled funny and you have to read it a couple times to catch all the fantastic imagery. I love the way this old man recites the poem and even the story he tells first about his father. It's a great poem to study and discuss with your children.

#3) This is a wonderful unit study made available by Teaching Heart that has everything from fun-filled pumpkin crafts to pumpkin math, science, English, and more. Some of it is free and some of it isn't. Take what you will. It gives you some good ideas you can create on your own even if you don't purchase their materials. You can also find some great lesson ideas involving pumpkins from Pinterest. Happy hunting :)

EVERYTHING ELSE PUMPKINS

• Pumpkin spice candles are a must!
• Publix has Pumpkin Pie special edition icecream!
• Dairy Queen has a Pumpkin Pie blizzard!
• Add some pumpkin spice seasoning to vanilla icing before frosting spice cupcakes!
• Buy lots of pumpkin decorations to go around your house (inside and out)!
• Stock up on cans of pumpkin now while they're on the shelf and that way in mid April when you're feeling kinda blue... make yourself a spring-time loaf of pumpkin bread :)
• But most of all, enjoy this wonderful season and the beautiful pumpkins God has provided with your family and friends!

Bye for now,
Kristina