Yes, you can eat Jack

What to do with your Jack-o-Lantern? It seems to me that most people just compost them, or thought them out, but pumpkins are food and food is yummy. So here are two of my favourite pumpkin recipes. 

To prep you pumpkin you can either cut in halve and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about half and hour or so. Let it cool and then remove as much of the skin as you can. But don't get to worried about it, just take what you can off. Cut in up into chunks and blend it up. Because pumpkins are very watery drain as much water as you can off the pumpkin puree. Now use it as you would canned pumpkin.

The other way to prep it is to cut it up raw and cut off the skin with a knife. You will lose more flesh this way but you can freeze the raw pumpkin until you want to use it.

Pumpkin Cake

(This is great as is or with cream cheese icing. I served it few nights ago when we had our new priest over for dinner and it was a big hit!)

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1 cup oil
1 3/4 cups mashed pumpkin
2 cups flour (I have used white, whole wheat, or spelt and it has always worked)
2 tsp backing powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. In another bowl mix dry ingredients and then add to wet and mix thoroughly. Put in a 13x8 pan and bake for 30-45 mins at 350.



Three Sisters Stew
2 cans pinto beans
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes (do not drain)
4 cups pumpkin cut into chunks
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 cup frozen corn

Fry onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add oregano, cumin, and cinnamon and salt to onions and cook stirring for one minute. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, beans and chili powder and simmer until pumpkin is soft (about 20 mins). Serve with crusty buns and grated cheese if you wish.