For me...carving pumpkins does not come without anxiety. It stems back many years...decades really.
You see, both my sisters are amazing artists. When we were little girls and carving night arrived, the two of them (like a pretty pair of Edward Scissorhands) would sculpt the perfect Jack O'Lanterns... blue ribbon worthy and chock full of, "spooky personality!"
Before I could even carve my first pumpkin eye, their masterpieces would be prominently displayed on each side of the front door... drawing accolades and praise from neighbors, family and friends. (Martha Stewart ringing for their secrets.)
Sadly, my pumpkin ended up sitting in the backyard...alone...partially covered by branches and leaves...its eyes, nose and mouth difficult to decipher.
Sigh.
The funniest thing is, there's actually a picture of me when I was little, sitting on our front porch proudly clutching (right smack in my lap) one of my sisters' masterpiece pumpkins! I recall (in that little girl head of mine) thinking, "history will be blurred here! Everyone will believe this pumpkin is/was... mine... MINE... ....MINE!!!"
What I didn't realize was that my f'UGLY pumpkin sat clear as day in the background - the sun hitting its face just so - as to make it the focal point of the whole entire photo! (Not the adorable little...ARTISTICALLY GIFTED...blond girl rocking bouncy, beautiful pigtails!)
Double Sigh, Foot Stomp!
So anyway...here's the Jack O'Lantern my daughter and I carved today. Despite its odd mouth (something went awry) I think I've come a long way.
P.S.: my husband (who is not feeling well) carved his pumpkin tonight too (after we did ours) and my darling daughter exclaimed, "Look Mommy! Daddy carved a "real" Jack O'lantern! The kind I've always wanted...with the squiggly mouth!"
Kick me while I'm down why don't you.
Here are the seeds we roasted. Happy Halloween!
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Seeds from 1 large pumpkin (1-1/2 cups)
Spices ~ Here I used a similar spice mix I like to use on roasted chickpeas...salt, garam marsala, touch of garlic powder, chili powder and bit of cinnamon.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Rinse, clean and dab dry the pumpkin seeds.
Spray roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle seeds with salt and/or spices of your choice.
Place seasoned seeds in a single layer in pan.
Roast seeds for about 15 minutes, shaking once during cooking.
Let cool before eating - they're better when at room temp! Crunchy, salty, sweet!
They were a HUGE hit!
13 comments:
I am not good at all these beautiful arts like painting etc. I have never been. Even now my drawings are those of a child of 6 years old. My son is the same as me. Some of his fellow students make fun of him,but I tell him not to worry it is good enough to be able to appreciate art you don't have to be an artist. It's more important that you did something with your child and less important the result.
You make me laugh. This brings back memories of my mom roasting the seeds when I was a boy. I loved the magic of eating the seeds that came from our carved pumpkin.
I was always too impatient to carve a decent pumpkin. People would laugh at my artistry. I didn't blame them. I like your carving. But your husband---I wonder how great his work would have been if he had felt good? Ha.
And where would we all be if we had not experienced sibling rivalry as we grew up?
Love your blog.
I'm not good at carving them either and am impressed by your creation!
I actually love BOTH pumpkins and am sure yours were not as bad as they depicted them...did your parents really put them in the back yard?? And hey, your pumpkin seeds look like they make up for any childhood failures! Happy Halloween!
Funny story! I love that you tried to hijack your sisters pumpkin.
Your seeds sound yummy. The spicy chili powder and flavor of the garam masala must be fantastic. It would be hard to stop eating these...
The recipe sounds yummy.
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i am really bad at carving ..so i leave that to someone else. Yours, however look really cool. i am so impressed. Thank you for sharing this recipe.. i will try it out soon. Happy Halloween!
I'm laughing here... but it's with sincere sympathy. We don't always do best what we want to do best. And that's OK. Your post made me feel all warm and cuddly inside for all the "volcanos that looked like Madonna's breast, the "slurp your noodles through a straw" project in fifth grade... etc. The point is.. you were active and involved.
oh bless you i agree though you have come along way love it
your a sweetie
Aww if it makes you feel any better I've never been much of a pumpkin artist myself. I think yours looks quite adorable!
Your pumpkin turned out great! Cute story,too.
Maybe you should try your name or a phrase for something different next year. You can always draw something in marker too first and then cut it out and that may help you get closer to your desired end result. I think they sell stencils now too for something fancier and special tools that may help. You can always blame that maybe you didn't have the right knife ;) Happy Halloween!
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