And the winner is....

Daisy!!!
from a Daisy Day!

Congratulations!

I'll be mailing these out as soon as you send me your mailing address.

THANK YOU
to everyone that left comments and linked back,
this was fun.

Be sure to check back because I am working on some more GIVE AWAYS!

Pumpkin Potholders are for sale for $6 a set.
Just email me if you are interested!

More Creative Ways to Use Pumpkins

For my Frugal Friday is the whole week of tips!
Look back over the post from this week and read the comments,
there are some neat ideas in there!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!
Leave a comment, I'll put your name in the hat for the GIVE AWAY.

Post on your blog linking back to here and
I'll put your name in TWICE!

If you are having trouble leaving a comment,
just email me and I'll do it for you!
Kathy@teachinggoodthings.com

I'll announce the winner Saturday morning.


Pumpkins as Vases!

MARTHA has dozens of ideas!

Pumpkin Aligator

I LOVE these!

Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice

1/4 cup cinnamon

1 T allspice

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

Store in airtight container.
Use in muffins, pancakes, bread...

Here is a GREAT way to make your own pumpkin!
Love it!

Pumpkin Powerhouse!

Be sure to leave a comment this week and
I'll put your name in the hat for the GIVE AWAY.

Post on your blog linking back to here and
I'll put your name in TWICE!

If you are having trouble leaving a comment,
just email me and I'll do it for you!
Kathy@teachinggoodthings.com

Pumpkins are a Powerhouse of Nutrition!

ONE SERVING OF PUMPKIN HAS:

7 grams of fiber
More than 100% of your daily vitamin A
(a lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness)
beta carotene
(lowers the risk of age-related macular degeneration)
carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin
(which is good for your eye sight)
15% of your daily vitamin C
20% of your daily iron needs
alpha-carotene
(lowers the risk of lung cancer)
seeds contain cucurbitacins
(may be help prostate health)

Ways to get pumpkin into your family's diet all year long,
not just in the fall:

Of course... Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Pie!
Pumpkin Muffins with nuts for breakfast
Casseroles
Pumpkin PancakesGranola
Pumpkin Soup

Think of any recipe where you could throw in a little pumpkin
and it wouldn't be too noticeable such as a vegetable soup.

Think of a way to add pumpkin to your diet maybe a couple times a month
so the family won't grow to hate it. :o)

You may need to learn how to freeze or can pumpkin
for the most nutritional value and flavor!
Check these out:

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Canning Freezing

SEEDS!

Protein
Iron
B vitamins
vitamin E
high in unsaturated vegetable oil
seed coverings high in fiber

Save and roast your seeds.

First scoop out the seeds and wash them.
You can dry out the seeds before baking, but it’s not necessary.

Lay the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet.
Use alittle olive oil on the pan, then alittle on top of the seeds.
Butter would also work.
Sprinkle with the seasonings of your choice (listed below).

Bake the seeds at 250-275 for about an hour or until crunchy;
stir every 20 minutes to keep from burning.

For a different twist on your seeds try:
salt , garlic salt or seasoning salt
curry powder
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
use your imagination...

Pumpkin seeds can be tossed in any recipe
where you would normally add nuts.

Try adding the ground seeds to hot cereals.

Grind them up as fillers in most anything!

Store the seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Seeds will last several months,
but they often lose some of their flavor after a month or two.
Air seal would be the best way to preserve your seeds!

The pumpkin's bright yellow-orange flowers are edible!

Pumpkin Prayer~Choosing a Pumpkin

Although our family does not get into the spooky Halloween stuff, we do enjoy the blessings of the harvest season. Personally, I like my pumpkins un-carved (they last much longer), but I know alot of people have fun carving their pumpkins. Here is a little devotion/poem to do with your little ones if you carve.

Pumpkin Prayer

Cut Off the Top
Lord open my mind and fill me with your wisdom and guidance.

Scoop Out the Yukies:
Lord, take out all my fussies and frownies and fill me with Your love.

Carve Out the Eyes:
Lord, open my eyes to see all of the beautiful things You have made.

Carve Out the Nose:
Lord, help me to be a sweet fragrance for You.

Carve Out the Mouth:
Lord, help me to always speak Your words of love and kindness.

Place in a Candle:
Lord, let me be a light to others for You have filled me with Your light.

Choosing a Pumpkin

Pumpkins are gourds and are in the family that also includes squash and cucumbers.

Choose pumpkins that are firm and have a rich color.

Pumpkins should resist scratching,
test this with your scraping your fingernail on it.

Be sure they have no cracks or soft spots.

Small pumpkins are for pies and other dishes.

An un-carved pumpkin will last about two months.

Rub clove oil on your pumpkins to keep the gnats and bees away from them.

~~~~~

Here is another Pumpkin Quiz!

~~~~~

HERE is one the kids will have fun with!

~~~~~

Be sure to leave a comment this week and
I'll put your name in the hat for the GIVE AWAY.

Post on your blog linking back to here and
I'll put your name in TWICE!

If you are having trouble leaving a comment,
just email me and I'll do it for you!
Kathy@teachinggoodthings.com

The Great Pumpkin and A Pumpkin Bowl

I spent my childhood in Upstate New York. You cannot begin to appreciate the fall season unless you have experienced autumn in the North East! The colors are breathtaking!

One family tradition we had while I was a kid was going to the Pumpkin Farm. It had a huge pumpkin patch of course, and you could get hay rides, apples, cider and other seasonal goodies. It was just a fun, family atmosphere, not an evil scary thing. There was a HUGE pumpkin, called The Great Pumpkin. I think it was made of paper mache'? A person would sit inside it and children could come up and ask him questions. Fun memories...

How many of us grew up watching Charlie Brown in the fall, in The Great Pumpkin?
HERE is a little trivia quiz you might have fun with.

~~~~~

Making a Pumpkin Bowl

You can do this with most anything, pumpkins, cabbage, bell peppers, squash etc...
I made this one for the Barn Party we went to last month!

Just cut the top off, carve it out.
You may need to thin out the top of the rim to make a larger opening.

This is great for dips, cheese cubes etc...
You could put a dip in one and have cubes of bread around it for dipping.
You could also use crackers around it. Use your imagination!

Garnish with some fresh herbs.
This one has Rosemary in it.

~~~~~

Pumpkin Pie Crust Cookies w/Dip
A great dip to be make when you have extra pie crust dough.
With the extra dough, make cutouts using leaf or pumpkin shaped cookie cutters.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and
bake at 475o until firm, 5 to 7 minutes.
Allow to cool.

For the Dip:
2 cups powdered sugar
1, 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
16 oz. pumpkin puree
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger (optional)

Combine powdered sugar and cream cheese.
Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon and ginger.
Refrigerate

Don't forget to leave a comment to be put in the drawing for the GIVE AWAY!
Link back here and your name goes in TWICE!!

Pumpkin Week ~Trivia , Quizes and a GIVE AWAY! Pumpkin Gems

This week I will be posting about PUMPKINS,

a little trivia, decorating ideas, fun for the kids
and of course RECIPES!!!


GIVE AWAY
Leave a comment
(preferably with a suggestion, a joke or funny story
on how to use a pumpkin,
but it is not necessary),
and I'll put your name in the hat once.

Post on your blog linking back to this Give-Away
and
I will put your name in the hat TWICE for the drawing on Saturday
for a set of two
Pumpkin Pot Holders!
(pictured above)

Give Away ends Friday night at midnight.
Winner will be announced Saturday.

~

HERE is a little quiz about pumpkins.

~

My first recipe will be an EASY one for

TWO Ingredient Pumpkin Gems!

Ingredients:

A Cake Mix
(something that will go with pumpkin flavor, chocolate, spice, yellow, etc)
1 can 100% Pumpkin
(not pie filling)
DO NOT ADD WATER AND OIL

OPTIONAL:
2 eggs
(eggs add to a lighter texture, more cake like,
but you can do this without eggs and the texture will be more dense
like a pumpkin bread or muffin)
Chocolate Chips
Walnuts or Pecans

Mix 1 cake mix and 1 can of pumpkin (optional eggs) until smooth.
Add nuts and chocolate chips

Using a small ice cream scoop (thanks to Dana for this tip)
scoop batter into mini muffin pans.
Bake on 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

This batch was made with a chocolate cake mix and a yellow cake mix.
You could even use loaf pans to make Pumpkin Bread.
Make these ahead of time,
freeze them and
you'll have a treat ready for fellowship gatherings in an instant!