I froze my fresh pumpkin in order to use it in my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, which I made yesterday. I noticed a few differences in the resultant pie - the color was a little brighter, it tasted sweeter and the texture was softer, which I did not like. It reminded me of the texture of mashed sweet potatoes. I liked mashed sweet potatoes as a savory dish, but not dessert.
This leads me to wonder what is pumpkin pie "supposed" to taste like? I assume that the pie that is made with fresh pumpkin is how the pie was intended to taste, but I don't like it. However, maybe I do not like it because I'm used to pie made with canned pumpkin and my taste buds don't know what the good stuff tastes like? Or if I had only been offered pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin would I have decided I did not like it?
I do know this, I tried sweet potato pie once and no, I didn't like it which leads me to believe I wouldn't have become the pumpkin pie lover that I am today had I been exposed to fresh pumpkin containing pies as a kid. Next year I'm back to using canned.
We made one other change in our Thanksgiving menu this year. We opted to use fresh green beans in a dish that didn't include mushroom soup. They were delicious and I will absolutely make them again. Here is the recipe:
Garlicky Green Beans with Mushrooms
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Cooked Pumpkin
I've come to the conclusion that there is no good reason to buy a pie pumpkin (or sugar pumpkin) and cook it yourself so that you can collect the cooked pumpkin for another use such as pie or bread.
I was lured into giving it a try because the smaller pie pumpkins were on sale for $1.50 each. I Googled and found three ways to cook them; bake, boil or microwave. I didn't feel like baking them for over an hour and using so much engery for such a small item, boiling always makes me think about the vitamins leaching out into the boiling water so I opted to microwave. Each pumpkin weighed 2 3/4 lb so I microwaved them for 7 minutes per pound. After cooling I scraped off the cooked pumpkin; it was largely stringly, although I had thoroughly scraped out the seeds and guts pre-cooking. The first pumpkin yielded roughly 1 1/2 cup of cooked pumpkin, the second a bit more.
I checked the label on a 15 oz can of Libby's canned, pureed pumpkin from my pantry; it yields 3 1/2 half-cup servings which is about the same amount that my first pumpkin produced. The sodium was the other concern I had; the canned option contained 5 mg per serving, really nothing. The cost for the canned pumpkin was $1.69 not even 25 cents more than my whole pumpkin cost.
So, other than the seeds I saved for roasting I'm pretty disappointed at how labor intensive this experiment was. Unless I somehow end up growing my own pie pumpkins in the future I won't be doing this again.
I did just taste the toasted pumpkin seeds and they were delicious! Here is my recipe:
Remove any stringly bits of pumpkin from seeds and rinse thoroughly. Please the seeds in a small saucepan; add water to cover seeds. Add 1 T sea salt to water and stir. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The seeds will look gray when they are done. Pour cooked seeds into a strainer and rinse. Drain thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 325. Place drained seeds on a jelly roll pan. Drizzle 1 T of olive oil over the seed; distribute the oil throughout the seeds with your hand and flatten the seeds into one layer. Sprinkle 1 t of sea salt on the seeds and place pan in the oven.
Bake for 45 or longer, until browned. Watch closely at the end of baking time to avoid burning the seeds.
I was lured into giving it a try because the smaller pie pumpkins were on sale for $1.50 each. I Googled and found three ways to cook them; bake, boil or microwave. I didn't feel like baking them for over an hour and using so much engery for such a small item, boiling always makes me think about the vitamins leaching out into the boiling water so I opted to microwave. Each pumpkin weighed 2 3/4 lb so I microwaved them for 7 minutes per pound. After cooling I scraped off the cooked pumpkin; it was largely stringly, although I had thoroughly scraped out the seeds and guts pre-cooking. The first pumpkin yielded roughly 1 1/2 cup of cooked pumpkin, the second a bit more.
I checked the label on a 15 oz can of Libby's canned, pureed pumpkin from my pantry; it yields 3 1/2 half-cup servings which is about the same amount that my first pumpkin produced. The sodium was the other concern I had; the canned option contained 5 mg per serving, really nothing. The cost for the canned pumpkin was $1.69 not even 25 cents more than my whole pumpkin cost.
So, other than the seeds I saved for roasting I'm pretty disappointed at how labor intensive this experiment was. Unless I somehow end up growing my own pie pumpkins in the future I won't be doing this again.
I did just taste the toasted pumpkin seeds and they were delicious! Here is my recipe:
Remove any stringly bits of pumpkin from seeds and rinse thoroughly. Please the seeds in a small saucepan; add water to cover seeds. Add 1 T sea salt to water and stir. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The seeds will look gray when they are done. Pour cooked seeds into a strainer and rinse. Drain thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 325. Place drained seeds on a jelly roll pan. Drizzle 1 T of olive oil over the seed; distribute the oil throughout the seeds with your hand and flatten the seeds into one layer. Sprinkle 1 t of sea salt on the seeds and place pan in the oven.
Bake for 45 or longer, until browned. Watch closely at the end of baking time to avoid burning the seeds.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Angry and Germy
What goes around comes around.
My daughter had a boy named Jeremy in her class last year. For the whole school year she insisted his name was "Germy". She said it in a matter-of-fact way; she wasn't making fun of him, she honestly believed his name was Germy. I tried to explain that Jeremy sounds like Germy but he name is pronounced Jeremy. It all fell on deaf ears.
This year Germy is in another classroom but she has a new girl friend named Avery. She doesn't have any problem with this name but her little brother does. He insists her name is Angry. It's another case of that's just how it sounds to him and he refuses to listen to anyone who tells him different. It makes his sister crazy and his mommy laugh.
My daughter had a boy named Jeremy in her class last year. For the whole school year she insisted his name was "Germy". She said it in a matter-of-fact way; she wasn't making fun of him, she honestly believed his name was Germy. I tried to explain that Jeremy sounds like Germy but he name is pronounced Jeremy. It all fell on deaf ears.
This year Germy is in another classroom but she has a new girl friend named Avery. She doesn't have any problem with this name but her little brother does. He insists her name is Angry. It's another case of that's just how it sounds to him and he refuses to listen to anyone who tells him different. It makes his sister crazy and his mommy laugh.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Samin
Last night my daughter spelled her first word all by herself; it was "samin". Sound it out - can you guess what it was?
Her homework instructions were to draw a picture of a food that started with "s" and then write the letters based on how the word sounded to her. First she drew a sort of rough square and told me that was "salmon". I realized that she had drawn it like she sees it on her plate so I suggested instead of drawing it as a serving size maybe draw a fish instead. So she did, complete with whiskers (or eyelashes, I'm not sure) and slowly sounded it out, writing down a letter at a time. When she was done and I was actually able to read what she wrote I thought I might cry. She is learning to write!
Her reading is also coming along and she is picking out the words "the", "to", "go" in newspapers, books, billboards - it's really exciting to see how much she is learning and noticing these lessons in her real life surroundings.
Her homework instructions were to draw a picture of a food that started with "s" and then write the letters based on how the word sounded to her. First she drew a sort of rough square and told me that was "salmon". I realized that she had drawn it like she sees it on her plate so I suggested instead of drawing it as a serving size maybe draw a fish instead. So she did, complete with whiskers (or eyelashes, I'm not sure) and slowly sounded it out, writing down a letter at a time. When she was done and I was actually able to read what she wrote I thought I might cry. She is learning to write!
Her reading is also coming along and she is picking out the words "the", "to", "go" in newspapers, books, billboards - it's really exciting to see how much she is learning and noticing these lessons in her real life surroundings.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Heaven
This evening when I was tucking in my almost-six-year-old she pulled one of her usual delay tactics; she said she had to ask me a question. Then she blurted it out:
"What happens when we go to heaven?" and before I could say anything she added
"do we get made again? When we die, do we get made again?"
Silence on my part. I wasn't raised with much, if any, religious beliefs. My parents opted to let us make our own choices as adults. However, that isn't so easy when you were not raised with any foundation to refer to. In hindsight I think it was a cop out; one was raised Hindu, the other a Catholic - where would they even start? So they did nothing. The little bits that I did know were based on Catholicism but even that was woefully lacking. In 1999, while having a particularly difficult time in my life, I realized I felt as if something was missing from my life. I decided to attend RCIA or "Rite of Christian Intiation for Adults" the adult education program for Catholic church.
I was baptisized, received my first Holy Communion and was confirmed all at the Easter Vigil service of 2000. Becoming a Catholic gave me focus and a sense of calmness; feeling like I was part of a much bigger group of people - a huge group of people that believed the same things and did the same things during Mass any where in the world. That was a great feeling. The ritual of the Church and its history gave me comfort.
However in the days since that night in 2000 I, like many "cradle Catholics" have become more and more disappointed, dismayed and even horrified with various activies and positions that the Church has taken. I haven't been to Mass in over a year. I used to enjoy it and actually looked forward to that one hour a week where I knew exactly what was going to happen and was going to be surrounded with like minded people. It was peaceful, predictable and it soothed me.
So, now I'm a parent and have a child that is asking questions. Just what do I believe? I better figure it out; the questions are only going to get more difficult.
"What happens when we go to heaven?" and before I could say anything she added
"do we get made again? When we die, do we get made again?"
Silence on my part. I wasn't raised with much, if any, religious beliefs. My parents opted to let us make our own choices as adults. However, that isn't so easy when you were not raised with any foundation to refer to. In hindsight I think it was a cop out; one was raised Hindu, the other a Catholic - where would they even start? So they did nothing. The little bits that I did know were based on Catholicism but even that was woefully lacking. In 1999, while having a particularly difficult time in my life, I realized I felt as if something was missing from my life. I decided to attend RCIA or "Rite of Christian Intiation for Adults" the adult education program for Catholic church.
I was baptisized, received my first Holy Communion and was confirmed all at the Easter Vigil service of 2000. Becoming a Catholic gave me focus and a sense of calmness; feeling like I was part of a much bigger group of people - a huge group of people that believed the same things and did the same things during Mass any where in the world. That was a great feeling. The ritual of the Church and its history gave me comfort.
However in the days since that night in 2000 I, like many "cradle Catholics" have become more and more disappointed, dismayed and even horrified with various activies and positions that the Church has taken. I haven't been to Mass in over a year. I used to enjoy it and actually looked forward to that one hour a week where I knew exactly what was going to happen and was going to be surrounded with like minded people. It was peaceful, predictable and it soothed me.
So, now I'm a parent and have a child that is asking questions. Just what do I believe? I better figure it out; the questions are only going to get more difficult.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Mmmmmmalabrigo
What's better than getting your hands on some yummy Malabrigo? FREE Malabrigo!
Check out the fabulous giveway here:
Malabrigo Giveaway
Becareful when you go on the Malabrigo website - you could lose an hour or two just ooohing and ahhing over all the lush yarns and vibrant colors.
Good Luck!
Check out the fabulous giveway here:
Malabrigo Giveaway
Becareful when you go on the Malabrigo website - you could lose an hour or two just ooohing and ahhing over all the lush yarns and vibrant colors.
Good Luck!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Vacation Drama
Take four kids (2, 3, 4 and 5 years old) two sets of parents, one set of grandparents and stick 'em all in a house for the weekend during a heat wave and what do you get? Drama.
I guess I can't complain. I know many families have much worse dynamics with their relatives and overall we are pretty civil and reasonable with each other. The problem comes with the "gotta get out of the house" folks vs the "I'm on vacation and want to take it easy" folks. You may have guessed that Hubby and I are on Team IOVAWTTIE while the others are on Team GGOOTH no matter if it's 100 degrees in the shade and simply stepping outside for 5 minutes results in heat exhaustion or not. The two senior citizens have insisted on going out for several daily walks (by themselves, thank goodness) and come back in fanning themselves with their hats and marveling about how unbearably hot it is outside.
We are staying in a nice suburban house - they have a lovely sizeable, shaded backyard with a great wooden swing set, covered back porch and plenty of water toys/activities. What's wrong with the kids playing out back, the adults sitting on the shaded porch and calling it an afternoon? Why do we have to pack everyone up and leave the premises in order for it to count as a fun activity "for the kids"? It's not for the kids, it's for the adults.
I just about lost it trying to negotiate with Team GGOOTH and figuring out the logistics of how to fit in a visit to the pool, a visit to the Science Center and celebrating the 2 year old's birthday in between naps and feeding times for the kids. I'm steadfast in not giving up my children's nap times in favor of doing a bunch of activities to keep the adults happy. Nope, not worth it. You will always end up paying for it later and it's just not fair to the nap skipping kid either.
After much discussion I stayed home with the napping 3 year old while the 2 year old went out with Team GGOOTH (of which his parents are members). We will be meeting up for dinner once he wakes up and I'm enjoying the quiet until then. Rest assured that dinner will be full of the antics of an over-tired 2 year old; I will relish my role as just the aunt and can stand back and let his parents juggle him in between bites of their cold dinners.
I guess I can't complain. I know many families have much worse dynamics with their relatives and overall we are pretty civil and reasonable with each other. The problem comes with the "gotta get out of the house" folks vs the "I'm on vacation and want to take it easy" folks. You may have guessed that Hubby and I are on Team IOVAWTTIE while the others are on Team GGOOTH no matter if it's 100 degrees in the shade and simply stepping outside for 5 minutes results in heat exhaustion or not. The two senior citizens have insisted on going out for several daily walks (by themselves, thank goodness) and come back in fanning themselves with their hats and marveling about how unbearably hot it is outside.
We are staying in a nice suburban house - they have a lovely sizeable, shaded backyard with a great wooden swing set, covered back porch and plenty of water toys/activities. What's wrong with the kids playing out back, the adults sitting on the shaded porch and calling it an afternoon? Why do we have to pack everyone up and leave the premises in order for it to count as a fun activity "for the kids"? It's not for the kids, it's for the adults.
I just about lost it trying to negotiate with Team GGOOTH and figuring out the logistics of how to fit in a visit to the pool, a visit to the Science Center and celebrating the 2 year old's birthday in between naps and feeding times for the kids. I'm steadfast in not giving up my children's nap times in favor of doing a bunch of activities to keep the adults happy. Nope, not worth it. You will always end up paying for it later and it's just not fair to the nap skipping kid either.
After much discussion I stayed home with the napping 3 year old while the 2 year old went out with Team GGOOTH (of which his parents are members). We will be meeting up for dinner once he wakes up and I'm enjoying the quiet until then. Rest assured that dinner will be full of the antics of an over-tired 2 year old; I will relish my role as just the aunt and can stand back and let his parents juggle him in between bites of their cold dinners.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
