Tidbits from Trailer Pat - Chapter Two

Today's tidbits are all about PUMPKIN!

1.  Remember my picture of this funny looking pumpkin?

According to this website, Superfreak Pumpkins, they call the pumpkins with large bumps "knuckleheads", and the pumpkins with smaller bumps "goosebumps". Isn't that cute? Their website has free template designs that you can print and use for carving your pumpkin. Next go to this great website, PCJack-o-lantern, that gives wonderful hints for carving a pumpkin.

2. Okay. So you scooped the guts out of the pumpkin. Now what. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to separate the seeds from that other nonsense. Say what? Be patient, my little chick-a-dees. It's well worth it. Let's make some pumpkin seeds!

Rinse the seeds. In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about two cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a half tablespoon of salt for every cup of water (more if you like your seeds saltier). Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan, and add seeds, all in one layer. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, 10-20 minutes. When browned to your satisfaction, removed from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating.

(Recipe courtesy of Mark Allen's American Kitchen Restaurant)

Enjoy!

3) Finally, here is a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Squares from my friend Marcia. No, I don't buy a real pumpkin and do whatever you have to do to cook with it; I just buy a can of Libbey's pumpkin and call it a day! These are sooo delicious, try and eat just one!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix wet ingredients in bowl:

16 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c oil

Mix dry ingredients in another bowl.

2 c flour
1 2/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. Pour onto ungreased cookie sheet (with sides!). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool

Frosting

3 oz cream cheese
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Mix together till creamy. Frost. Cut into bars. Eat. Enjoy!  Yum!

Tidbits from Trailer Pat

You've all heard of "Hints from Heloise"?

Well, I'm her distant, distant cousin. Here are some helpful, and TRUE, tidbits for you to use!


YOUR CRACKED
 
When adding eggs to a recipe, ALWAYS crack them in a separate bowl first. You do that, right? Then you can see if the egg is okay. If you get a piece of the shell in the bowl, not to worry. Just use the cracked shell to fish out the piece. Egg shell attracts egg shell.

WHAT'S THAT SMELL?
 
I cook at lot with garlic and onion. That means my fingers frequently smell like these odors. To get rid of the smell, wash your hands with soap and water, then rub them on your stainless steel sink. It removes the smell! If you don't have a stainless steel sink, you could always buy one of these stainless steel soap bars available at Amazon:

 

THAT'S A BIGGA MEATABALLA!

When making meatballs, or forming hamburgers, wet your hands first. The meat won't stick to your hands and it makes it easier to work with the meat.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

I don't know about you, but the last few weeks I've been having problems with fruit flies. They have been driving me CRAZY! Here's the solution:

Pour some apple cider vinegar into a bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with some plastic wrap. Poke holes in the top large enough to let the aromas escape and fruit flies to enter! And let the magic begin! Jim and I would walk past the bowl, peek in, and yell, "Got another one!" All in all, we caught about 20 of those little suckers! I was thrilled! It really works!

SIDE NOTE
 
I want to thank EVERYONE for the wonderful birthday wishes I received yesterday! They just made my day! I usually try to spend my birthday with my brother and sister, but this year I am about a two hour drive away from them, and it just wasn't feasible to get together. Jim and I went to the show yesterday to see, "Life as We Know It" starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It's a romantic comedy and we both enjoyed it. Katherine (Holly) and Josh (Messer) have a disastrous blind date. The only thing they have in common are their best friends, the parents of Sophie, their god-daughter. Holly and Messer are thrown together and forced to raise Sophie when her parents are killed. There are some sad parts in the movie, but it is mostly a funny and enjoyable film, and I'd give it 3 out of 4 stars!

My birthday dinner was postponed until today because the restaurant I chose was closed on Mondays. So we are off to try it for lunch. Ta-ta!