Showing posts with label Pumpkins. Show all posts

Pumpkin Carving

I was going to title this post “Jack O Lanterns”, but I don’t think all pumpkin carvings are actually Jacks unless they have the triangle eyes and nose. 

My daughter called me up to say her work place and her apartment are doing a pumpkin carving contest so she wanted us to carve pumpkins together. 
I had just seen large pumpkins at my local Food Lion grocery store for 1.99. That was the cheapest I had seen them all year, so I snatched up a couple of them before they were gone. 

It was also my husbands birthday so my daughter wanted to spend the day with him. We had a nice dinner and birthday cheesecake to follow. After dinner we prepared to carve our pumpkins, but first we each guessed the weight of one of the pumpkins. The one who was furtherest way from the actual weight had to do the dishes. 

My daughter decided to make her pumpkin into a Frankenstein. It was her first time carving a pumpkin so it was quite a challenge for her. 


I think her Frankenstein turned out great. 
We usually opt to paint our pumpkins each year so they will last longer and a lot less messy.

I carved mine into a VW inspired camper van. I thought I was never going to get that outside layer off and almost gave up several times. Once I had it skinned, I cut out the windows. I will never try to carve such a big pumpkin again. Wheew!


While we did the carving, we had the seed from each pumpkin baking in the oven. I do not like to see them go to waste. The aroma of the roasted seeds filled the air. They turned out delicious and make a great snack. 


It’s always fun when my daughter comes over and we do the kid like crafts we used to do. 

At the end of the night, she had to go back to her place and..... I had dishes to do. 


Do you decorate for Halloween? 
I do not usually decorate for Halloween but do decorate with a Fall theme and may add a little ghost or spider to the decor as is gets closer to Halloween night. 

Do you carve or paint your pumpkins?
Do you like the creative carvings or do you like to stick to the traditional Jack O Lanterns?


A Birthday and Pumpkin Painting.

This weekend we celebrated my sweet husbands birthday. His birthday was Sunday but I started it off on Friday by making reservations at a new upscale restaurant in town. The name of this restaurant is Barristers at the Esquire.


Barristers is located in the center of our little town, inside one of the oldest and tallest buildings. This was the old Lawyers building. It had been empty for years until it found a buyer who has spent a couple years making something out of it. 

This is my favorite building and I have always had this goal to get to the roof of it. There is just something about the size and architect of this building that makes me want to visit the top.

Well, so far I have made it to the first floor. That is where the new restaurant is. The rest of the floors are still under construction. It will soon me an upscale hotel called the Esquire.


Walking in, I immediately got a 1940’s vibe.  I have never been inside this building in my life but could feel the history all around me. With the smell of new paint, chandeliers and oldies music, we took our seats. It was quiet and only a few other tables were occupied. After looking at the menu, I was ready to make my tastebuds smile and my pocketbook cry.

I ordered the Ranch Steak with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, and horseradish ham crumbs in a Demi Glaze. 


Nick ordered the Carolina Coastal white fish. Maui Maui was the fish of the day. It came on a bed of glazed sweet potatoes and Carrots. 


It was all delicious and we had a wonderful evening. 

Saturday, My Daughter came home and we all went to my moms for a big birthday dinner with Country style steak and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, pasta salad, biscuits and lots of desserts. Nicks request was pound cake. She never lets us down on a good meal and dessert. We left stuffed and it was a lot better and more satisfying than the fancy dinner the night before. 

Sunday after church, my daughter and I made cookies and painted pumpkins. 


She painted hers a Disney theme. I opt to paint a butternut squash instead of a pumpkin. 


Scary huh?


Cheese Pumpkins


Today your getting a short repost of and old post. I have had a busy weekend and simply too tired to come up with anything else right now so your getting a cheesy recipe.


 Grab a block of cheese and lets make something Cheese Pumpkins. Lawd have mercy! These little boogers are delicious!


They were really easy to make. Other similar recipes tell you to put the dough in the fridge a few hours to firm so its easier to work with but I didn't. I just whooped up a batch and stuck them in the oven. The dough didn't know it was not cold. [smh]. I mean after all, the ingredients had just been in the fridge for days.

Now I’d love to share this spicy little recipe with you. Here it is...

Cheese Pumpkins
1 Cup plain flour
1 Stick butter (softened)
1 Block (1/2lbs) Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Pecans 

Preheat oven to 350
Mix flour and butter, then add cheese and seasoning. Mix well.(use your hands).
Pinch off about 2 inch balls and place on ungreased cooking sheet. 
Use a spoon or your thumb and slightly mash each one and place a pecan piece in the center. 
Bake for about 20 minutes or until set.
[Makes about 60].


Here are a few options.

1. You don't have to make pumpkins. You can just make wafers by pressing each ball with a fork and laying a pecan on top.
2. You can also mix chopped pecans in the dough. (I'm going to do this next time because I love the taste of the toasted pecan).
3. You can also make in the shape of sticks then you have the famous cheese straws.


To me, they taste sort of like sausage balls without the sausage but the cayenne pepper makes up for that. wowza! These will be great for fall festivals, Halloween parties and more. 

Enjoy!


 

Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

This post is for my Nutrisystem friends or those who want to know a healthy way to make a delicious protein filled Pumpkin Pie flavored shake. I suppose any protein or shake mix will work but my favorite Nutrisystem.


Let's face it, we all like a cool refreshing shake any time of the year. Right? Well the weather here in the Carolina's is still on the warm side. We have not pulled out the sweaters and boots yet. Sometimes we skip Fall and jump right into Winter. It's crazy like that here.

Well today I'm going to share with you this delicious Pumpkin Pie Shake using Nutrisystem's turbo vanilla shake mix. It’s packed with protein and fiber plus 22 vitamins and minerals. But wait, It doesn't have that healthy vitamin taste. This shake is so creamy and flavorful, you will think it came straight from your favorite sweet shop. 


Lets get started.

1. Mix your *Nutrisystem vanilla protein shake as directed. 
2. Add in 1 cup of pumpkin puree and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. 
That's it! Now how easy was that?

Oh and did you know, you can actually add all the ingredients into a Mason jar and it will fit right onto your blender? Just screw the blade onto the mouth of the jar. It's ready to go without the mess. 

I’m not a fan of pumpkin spice but this recipe taste like sweet pumpkin pie which is ok with me. I had no idea I would really like it but I did! As you see, I added a tad of whip cream on top. I mean, whats pumpkin pie without the whip topping?  


But hey, If you like pumpkin spice, then just add the spices.

Enjoy.

I am not being paid or compensated by Nutrisystem for this post. The opinions are my own. I simply have had lots of success with Nutrisystem and love sharing my ideas and results. 
*You can  purchase Nutrisystem’s protein shake mix and other nutritious foods by visiting Nutrisystem.com 

Crochet Fairy Pumpkins

My plan this season, is to decorate using only things I made added to some old stuff I already had. Blaah! I may toss the old stuff to the road after this year. I hate the smell of old fake floral when it ages. Being in the attic all summer, this is exactly what happens. Now, I know why people burn lots of fragrant candles during the holidays. Ya think?

I have a slew of remnant pieces of yarn left over from other projects. The pieces are too small to make anything useful so I decided to make some tiny pumpkins to use in my Fall decorations. Cute huh?



They call these fairy pumpkins because of the size and the wonky little stems. Sort of  like the ones you see in fairytales. 



I was inspired by THIS PATTERN found at "A Time for all seasons" blog. 
I adusted the rounds a bit to create different sizes and used my own imagination on the stems. 



They were so fun and quick to make that I had to stop myself before they ended up all over the house. 

Meanwhile, I have had some request from family and friends asking me to make them a couple of these cuties, so back to my yarn stash for more pumpkin making. This will be fun to do while I enjoy some Hallmark movies in my recliner. 




Rustic Bundt Pan Wreath

It's September. I hate to see Summer go but I do like the smell of Autumn. I enjoy the colors its brings. I like flannel and fire pits. It's that time for falling leaves, football games, bonfires and Pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING hits the selves. I have a confession: Pumpkin flavor is not my favorite. Pumpkin Pie is ok if its loaded with whip topping.

I'm ready to bring out my Fall decorations but we don't want to rush it. We want to get one more beach trip in first, so I'll wait until its officially Fall. 

Meanwhile I had this bright idea to make a fall wreath. We do not have much money so I'm always thrifty. When I say thrifty, im talking thrift store or dollar store thrifty. Today we made a trip to the dollar store for some cookies. They have a kind I like and they are only a dollar!

I never go to the dollar store without leaving with a handfull of "things". 
Today I grabbed a spool of seasonal ribbon and a floral stem. 
My husband just gave me a look. "I have a plan", I exclaimed. He just nodded and said "well, ok".

Once we got home, I had an hour to waste before meeting my brother-in-laws for dinner. My husband was resting on the sofa. I quietly pulled out my old rustic and stained bundt pan from the cabanet while my craft idea was still fresh in my head. I cut the ribbon and twisted the floral stem until the idea became reality. 


I created a fall wreath to hang in my kitchen. It took me all of two dollars and two minutes to create. 
The bundt cakes will have to wait till Winter. 

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

OK, so its Fall. I have to admit, I do like the Fall but I could skip winter and I love Spring and Summer. Anyway, Back to Fall. Its a time of all the pumpkin goodies to start coming out and the smell of Pumpkin lattes in the air. Its also time for me to start sharing some of my pumpkin desserts. I made this one a couple years ago and may make it again soon. Im not sure how it will fit in with my healthy eating.


I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie but sometimes I like it if its not real spicy and it has to be loaded with whip cream.

Yea like that!!!

This recipe requires cream cheese and whip cream so its perfect for me.  I use more cream cheese filling than anything else. That's how I like it!

CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN PIE
  • 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided
  • Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
  • 1 pre-made Graham Pie Crust (one reg or two 6 oz size)
  • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
  • 2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves  
  • Beat cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in half the COOL WHIP. Spread onto bottom of crust.
  • Whisk remaining milk, pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.
  • REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.
It was delicious, but as I mentioned, I don't like a lot of spice and so next time I make it, I will use less clove.

Now its time to start decorating for the season. Of course I always wait until after my daughters birthday which is actually today and of course, the first day of Fall. Ill decorate while counting down the days til Spring.

DIY Hat Pumpkin

Happy Fall everyone! First I want to share this perfect leaf I found laying on the ground at Walmart. I was not sure if it was real or fake. I took it home and used it. It will work perfect on my Pumpkin I made.
So I thought.

   
Every year I come up with some way to recycle something from the house to create a pumpkin for Fall.

As I was searching around the house, I came across a bag of things I was going to take to the local Goodwill store. The bag was over stuffed and an old hat kept falling out. I kept stuffing it back in the bag as I searched for something of a sweater material to create a pumpkin with. There were no options in there. As I turned around to leave the room, the hat fell out again. That's when it hit me. "It is the perfect color. Could I? Will It work? I will make it work".


So, I filled the hat with stuffing.


With a string of yarn, I sewed and gathered the hat closed. Then I ran out into the yard and grabbed a piece of stick for the stem. and.....added the leaf.


I had some raffia and it was perfect for the bow. Remember the leaf? It turned out that it WAS real because after a day, it was not this pretty. This is a very easy project.

Here are a few of the other DIY pumpkins I've made through out the years.
DIY Lace Pumpkin
DIY Book Pumpkin
DIY Toilet Paper Pumpkin

Anything you see that can be gathered at the top, you can make a pumpkin. Now go round up something.

Ive Shared this at:
monday-handmade-linkup-party at judyscardmakingandpapercrafts
tuesday-pin-spiration-link-party at thestitchinmommy.
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
something-fabulous-wednesday at roubinek
thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop at katherinescorner

Pumpkin Guts

Its time for Halloween. I do not believe Halloween is a holiday or get all into it like some people do but that does not mean I don't enjoy the festivities of seeing little kids and adults dressed up and give out candy to trick or treaters.

Halloween at my house is when I carve a pumpkin. I could just paint something on my pumpkin but why waste the goodies inside!

Once I pick out the perfect pumpkin, I wash it and dig out the insides. I always called it "pumpkin guts". Sounds good for Halloween.


I know I waste a lot of the orange goop in the middle but I have no idea how to use it. I do not know what parts to eat or how too. All I know is I get my hands all messy digging out the "guts" to get the seeds. fun fun.

I cut off the bottom this time instead of the top so it will be easier to clean and set over a candle instead of trying to set and light a tiny candle on the inside.


Now that's a clean pumpkin!

I rinse the seeds.

 
 I tried leaving on all the gooey stuff on them one year and that didn't work very well,


So, I rinse the seeds and poured them onto a cookie sheet and sprayed with olive oil spray, spinkled with salt and baked for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. I did my cleaning and carving while they cooked.



I ended up with about 2 cups of seeds. They are so tasty and crunchy. They kind of have a popcorn taste to me.
So, don't let your pumpkin seeds go to waste. either plant them, or eat them. You will love it.

*Please be aware that the seeds can be a chocking hazard to both adults and children.

 
Here is my finished carved pumpkin. I didn't not have a carving kit so I had to use a knife and spoon to get the results. 

Happy Halloween!!!!!
 
I shared this on:

Crafty Pumpkins

I'm not a big fan of the Fall season but I do the best I can to enjoy it. So,I seen a really neat craft-pumpkin Idea on confessions of a former couch potato and just had try it. It was really easy. Me and my daughter made 3 of them. She took one for her college dorm, gave one to a friend and I kept one for myself. I thought they were adorable and they also have an aroma to brighten up the season.

Here is how you do it:
  • Roll of toilet paper
  • Seasonal colored fabric squares ( can be found at any cloth or craft store)
  • News Paper
  • Raffia ( found at any craft store) or Ribbon.
  • Cinnamon sticks (I like the smell of Cinnamon) or craft sticks.
Open the fabric square with print side down. Cut or tear a piece of newspaper to the same size or slightly smaller than the fabric square. This will give it a litte bit more puffiness.

Place the toilet paper in the center and bring the fabric up and tuck it inside the roll ( I pulled up the sides first and then the corners. It seemed to do better that way).

Tuck the cinnamon sticks in the center and tie a bow around it with your raffia or ribbon.

That's it!!! See, It's easy and you don't need any glue or tape.

Speaking of pumpkins....I just had to share this photo of a Jack-o-Lantern my daughter carved for the first time without My help! If I had been around when she did this, I would had been scared to death to see her with a knife and a pumpkin!