Roasted Pumpkin Guts

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I am seeing beautiful pumpkins in the market so I am doing this again. Note: you can roast the seeds of any hard Winter squash.

When I was a child, you could buy a box of roasted Indian Brand Pumpkin Seeds at the corner candy store. The box the seeds came in had a beautiful illustration of an American Indian in full Chief's headdress.

When you get done carving that pumpkin for Halloween or just to make a pie, you can roast your own pumpkin seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are so good.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 and 1/2 cups raw whole Pumpkin Seeds
2 teaspoons Butter, melted
Pinch Salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com - for my money the best recipe site on the net. Cooks share their variations on the recipe and their opinions of the recipe's quality.

Cooks also share practical tips for recipe execution like this tip below. There are a lot of creative cooks in the world. This tip is from Valerie's Kitchen.

If you've never roasted pumpkin seeds before here are my tips. When you carve your pumpkins scoop the seeds into a colander and the guts onto newspaper. Inevitably some of the guts will be mixed in with the seeds but when you run water over them it's separated out pretty easily. After you drain the rinsed seeds, pour them onto a large, dry cookie sheet and let them sit for 24 hours or so to dry out. Now you can pick out the remaining pieces of pumpkin stuff that didn't get pulled out earlier and they will roast better if they are not wet when they go in the oven. My family prefers them seasoned with garlic salt in place of regular salt but you can use whatever suits your taste. So good!

White Hominy Casserole

It is getting colder today in Philadelphia. I will use my oven a lot in the coming Winter. This bit of Southern goodness comes from A Taste of Georgia cookbook.

White Hominy Casserole
Excellent with Baked Ham and Curried Fruit

One 1-pound can of Hominy, drained
1 cup sharp Cheese, grated
2 Pimentos, chopped or 1 small jar Pimentos
12-15 Black Olives, sliced or chopped
1 can Mushroom Soup, diluted with 1/3 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon prepared Mustard
Bread Crumbs

Butter an ovenproof pie dish or a 1 1/2 quart casserole. In this, place a layer of Hominy, then a layer of Cheese, and over this sprinkle some Pimentos and Olives. Cover with a layer of Soup which has been mixed with the Worcestershire Sauce and Mustard. Repeat until all ingredients have been used, ending with a layer of Soup on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and hot, then sprinkle with Bread Crumbs and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until brown on top.  Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Willis Edwards (Catharine).

Mrs. Swiacki's Kielbasa Bites

I am not a sports fan. I am often surrounded by sports fans who are ravenous - watching football is calorie intensive activity evidently - and require snacks and copious amounts of beer. These Kielbasa Bites are delicious. Just delicious.

KIELBASA APPETIZERS

1 – pound kielbasa
1 cup dry white wine
1 heaping tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of brandy
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut kielbasa into one-inch slices. Cut each slice into quarters. Put kielbasa in heavy skillet large enough to hold all the pieces in a single layer. Cover with wine.

Bring the wine to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until wine almost has evaporated and looks syrupy, about 12 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, mustard and brandy. Cook one minute more.

Toss kielbasa with parsley and pepper to taste. Serve with toothpicks for spearing and thin rounds of crusty bread for dipping in the juices.

Bug Off Container Garden

Water is the universal solvent. Chemical pest control eventually ends up in our water supply. I try never to use manmade pesticides. Those Frankenstein concoctions are killing our bees. I am always looking for natural solutions to environmental problems.

Rob Sproule of Salisbury Greenhouse writes excellent garden articles. He is doing interesting work in the community with school gardens. Teaching children gardening is one of the better things one can do with one's time. I bet you can find a place for this container on your balcony or the patio. 

“Mosquitos are a fact of life in Canada, but dousing our skin in DEET doesn’t have to be. This container, though non-edible, is perfect to grow on your patio, in your gazebo or anywhere you like to sit and unwind in the evenings. You could also break it up into smaller pots to create a scented perimeter.” – Rob Sproule