Pumpkin Recipes

Amy bought me a pumpkin!

You have no idea how excited this makes me, having grown up in Circleville, home of the Pumpkin Show, where no part of the pumpkin is wasted.

So as I was gutting the pumpkin this morning, Papa Cam asked me what I thought I was doing.

"I am gutting a Pumpkin."
\
"I see that, but WHY?"

"I'm going to make chili-lime pumpkin seeds, pumpkin burgers, and chocolate-pumpkin pudding."

"Wow, that's ambitious."


So here are my recipes. This is the first time I have made these recipes the way they appear here - inspired by recipes from my childhood they are my own inventions.

Chili-Lime Pumpkin Seeds

You need:

Chili powder
Pumpkin Seeds from one large pumpkin
Juice of One Lime
Olive oil or grapeseed oil (about a tablespoon)

Wash and dry the pumpkin seeds. Put them in a bowl with the oil. Sprinkle on chili powder to taste (I like things on the spicy side and used about a tablespoon, but I also had TONS of seeds - about 3 cups of seeds. So about a teaspoon of chili powder per cup of seeds?) add the lime juice. Mix well. Spread on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper) and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.



Pumpkin Burgers

Despite being called a burger, these are traditionally made similarly to sloppy joes.

You will need:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves
1 can of condensed tomato soup

Brown the beef. Add in the pumpkin puree and spices, cook until warmed through. Add the tomato soup and cook until thickened. Serve on toasted buns with fries.


Chocolate-Pumpkin Pudding

This is an American-style pudding, not a British pudding.

1 cup sugar 
1/2 cup baking cocoa 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
4 cups milk 
2 tablespoons butter 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, spices, and salt. gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix well. Spoon into individual serving dishes. Chill.