Thursday, October 29, 2009

Just Call Me Punkin Head


Seriously, I had no idea the back of my head looked so much like a pumpkin.  Thanks to my son, I do now!
 
In our family, the tradition is to carve our Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween afternoon.  Now some of you who know me may think this tradition was born out of procrastination, but I assure you it wasn't.  You see, October in Texas is an unpredictable weather month.  It can be in the 50s, like it was day-before-yesterday, or it can be in the 70s, like it is today.  If you carve your pumpkin too early, you may just end up with a slug-infested, rotting, stinking mess on your front step by the time Halloween rolls around.  Granted, it does make for one scary looking Jack-O-Lantern, but it's really just disgusting.  Hence, the Halloween day pumpkin carving tradition.

I love pumpkins.  Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup...yummm!  Do you know how good for you pumpkins are?  They're loaded with all kinds of great stuff:  iron and all the B vitamins for lots of extra energy; vitamin E and all its antioxidant power; zinc which is so healing.  Really, you should eat more pumpkin.  It's also great for skin.  So don't let your pumpkin bits and pieces go to waste.  Here are a couple of quick recipes for you.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:
  • Rinse and dry your pumpkin seeds.
  • Spread 'em out on a greased cookie sheet
  • Sprinkle w/salt (I prefer kosher salt), or cajun seasoning (if you like a bit of a kick)
  • Bake in the over at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes (giving the pan a shake about half way through)
  • Cool and munch away
Pumpkin Facial Mask:
This is a perfect way to use the scraps left over from pumpkin carving because you don't need very much for this recipe.  (You can also do this w/canned pumpkin.)
  • First, prepare the pumpkin puree by microwaving the small pieces until they're tender when you poke them w/a fork (probably 1-2 minutes)
  • Mash cooked pumpkin w/fork or in the food processor until smooth
  • 2 Tbs pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp cream (heavy cream for dry skin, substitute 1/4 tsp cider vinegar for oily skin)
  • Mix it all up
  • Smooth on to face and neck
  • Rest for 10-15 minutes
  • Rinse off.   Ta-DA!  Your skin will feel as soft as a baby's bottom.
Have a happy & safe Halloween!

1 comment:

Alyssa S. said...

See, now I know why I didn't carve our pumpkin!!! Then again, I don't know how it's been up in Dallas, but down here in Houston it's been pretty nice. Still...slug...ICK! I just left ours uncarved and Amelia has been hoarding it in her room.

I LOVE pumpkin too...and covet it to much to give up any of it for a facial :)