So I had a moment of insanity and volunteered to do a halloween project (schoolwide) for the entire charter my kids go to. (grades K - 8, 230 total students) And I came up with a Pumpkin theme; everyone either carves or decorates a pumpkin and we display them at the school. Then tomorrow we will have a pumpkin "taste off" in the gym. (got about 50 parents cooking up pumpkin recipes)

I grew a TON of pumpkins this year - but because i got them in the ground late most were ripe but still green. So Im slicing them up like apples right now and deep frying them with salt. Then, while I was doing that I sliced one really REALLY thin and fried it like a potato chip and covered it in salt. Its REALLY good!!! Im deep frying about 20 pumpkins today and then will warm them up in the morning for the taste off lol. Another thing I like to do is taking the little tiny pumpkins and cutting the top open and stuffing it with butter, sugar, cinnamon, and a dab of butterscotch and just baking the whole thing (like a baked apple) but that would be hard to do for 240 kids.

Just thought someone might like to use their jackolanters for a tasty treat. They really are good!

I forgot how amazing you are!!!!!!!!!
bizi

Dear Bobi,
I've got nothing to say to this. You blow me away.

Have fun on halloween.
Mari

hi Bobi,
My husband takes a whole pumpkin, takes out the stem, cuts up the rest (seeds, rind, and all). adds water, puts the lid on and boils it with a little sugar and generous East Indian-type spices. Then he eats it, seeds and all.
Mari

Dumb question: What is butterscotch? What does it look like in the grocery store?
M.

Butterscotch extract is like vanilla extract in the little brown bottles. I however use a teaspoon of butterscotch topping that you use on icecream on the inside. Its SOO good.

Mari I also like boiled pumpkin with butter and salt! What spices does your hubby use? I'd love to try some East-Indian style pumpkin! My kids would love it just from that description! lol. If you get a chance post what they are for me

Bobi

Dear Bobi,
I asked him and he said he only uses cinnamon and honey.
You can tell I don't eat the stuff.

But his memory must have been a bit foggy. I've seen him try the boiled pumpkin with sugar or molasses. Also coriander, a dash of nutmeg...a dash of vanilla .....

He boils it on low/medium until the water is much cooked out and the pumpkin has some carmelization (sp).
His mother used to cook pumpkin like this over night in a very low oven as a treat for the kids.

How did the Halloween thingy at school go?

Hubby passed out candy today in our hew apt. It was the first time he ever did that. He even had on a costume himself (a spiderweb cape with hood) and he remembered to complement the kids on their costumes. We only had about 5 sets of kids. Perfect number.


Mari

I'm getting hungry now for all this. I cannot remember the last time I had any pumpkin in any way shape or form. Bobi, you gave me some ideas for next year.

befuddled2

The Halloween Tastoff went great! I organised it, but for once did not have to do everything alone - had a ton of parent support this year. We had a pumpkin FEAST lol. They dont do "classroom parties" per se but they have some sort of activity for hollidays that can be classed under educational. So there were about 50 parents making everything pumpkin you can think of, and we posted the recipes with each dish and the kids could copy it down if they wanted and sample pumpkin dishes galore. We also had the pumpkin decorating craft - school PTO bought each child a pumpkin (got a really nice deal from a local farmer) and they were able to take them home and decorate or carve it and bring it back, and then each class went to look down the pumpkin hall where they were all displayed to see them all and then into the gym to eat.

We had pumpkin bread, cookies, pie, custard, my pumpkin chips, baked with honey, and pumpkin milkshakes!! One dad also had a GIANT pumpkin he bought, Im not kidding that thing was at least a hundred pound pumpkin, and he gutted it and did bobbing for apples in it for each class. (True they didnt actually eat pumpkins with that one, but had a BALL with it) The kids loved it! (I think the parents did too lol) Different type of school halloween celebration but it was so much fun and not as disruptive as the classroom dress up and have a party! When they were done each class would go back to their room and most colored a halloween pic or listened to a halloween story, and that was the day. My older son for once did not come home from a school party wired and manic-like.

Glad its over, but I had fun with it. I'm going to try the carmelization recipe today for the kids! It sounds yummy!!!
Bobi

PS befuddled - now is the time to buy pumpkins! They are cheap and usually like half off the day after halloween - and they stay good for a long time. Go pick a few up stick them in the kitchen till you feel the urge to make yourself a tasty treat!! (I know im a little weird, but cooking something really good always gets my mind active and feeling better. eating it is even better lol)