the great pumpkin

I love pumpkin, so when the grocery store, HEB nonetheless, was OUT of canned pumpkin, I ended up with three of these. Fresh is always better than canned, right? If you decide to make your own fresh pumpkin puree, make sure you get baking pumpkins, not jack-o-lantern pumpkins. I cut them in half...

And, then scooped out the seeds, with my melon ball scooper.

And, saved the insides for later. You roast a pumpkin the same way that you roast a butternut squash. Cut in half. Turn upside down, and place in a roasting pan with about a half inch of water. Bake at 350, until the flesh is tender. Usually about an hour to an hour and a half.

Emma worked on separating the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin goo, while I was scraping the cooked pumpkin and throwing it into the blender to puree.

I tossed the pumpkin seeds with 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and plenty of salt. We poured them onto a lightly greased cookie sheet to bake in the oven at 350. Our seeds were soaking wet from all of the washing, so it took a little while for them to roast....probably 30 minutes. I gave them a stir every 10 minutes.

Here's a healthy snack for you....Plain Yogurt+Applesauce+Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice

+Fresh Pumpkin Puree=Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Yogurt. Emma gobbled it up. I think in the morning we will have pumpkin apple cinnamon oatmeal, or as Emma calls it, "opie meal."

Here's another healthy snack that your kiddos can make themselves:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds + Dried Cranberries + Dried Apples + Banana Chips + Cashews + Chocolate Chips = Harvest Trail Mix

You can delete or substitute any of the above ingredients. We ended up with a TON of pumpkin puree....probably close to 90 ounces. I. am. not. kidding.

I already have Pumpkin Butter simmering in the crock pot. Although, I modified the recipe a little bit, as usual. Mine turned out something like this:

29 ounces of fresh pumpkin puree

1 cup of apple juice

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup sugar

And, them I doubled it. It smells divine. After it cooks, I plan to freeze it, because the USDA recommends that you not can pumpkin, or any squash for that matter. Pumpkin Butter on toast, on pancakes, stirred in yogurt or oatmeal...yum!