Pumpkins, & Pumpkin Seeds. Cargo Trailer. Helpers!

 "From one pumpkin to another!!!!!!!


A woman was  asked by a co-worker, 'What is it like to be a  Christian?'
The co-worker replied, 'It is like being a pumpkin.'  God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.   Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky  stuff.  He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.'

_____________


When you make a pumpkin pie with a real pumpkin, not cans of stuff,  don't throw away the seeds!

Ingredients

• 1 medium sugar pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups evaporated milk
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cut out top of pumpkin and clean out all seeds and strings from inside, with an ice cream scoop.  Slice pumpkin vertically into 3 inch wide strips. Place strips onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour. Once done, scrape the pumpkin from the skins, then beat with a mixer or puree in a food processor until smooth.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
5. Mix the nutmeg, ginger, salt, evaporated milk and eggs with the pumpkin puree. Pour mixture into two 9 inch pie crusts. (Crusts made with wheat flour are more healthy and have more taste)
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate.
7. Other folks say:  "or until knife inserted near the centre comes out fairly clean. (if you wait until the knife comes out perfectly clean the pie will be overdone!)"

IMPORTANT... Don't throw out the pumpkin guts!

__________________



If you're wondering what the heck pumpkin seeds are good for, check out these fun ideas for cooked, roasted, toasted, and baked pumpkin seeds.
It seems such a waste to toss out the innards of carved pumpkins without getting something of value from the inside too.
So, if you do nothing else with your pumpkin innards this year, try this: Save some pumpkin seeds to make a yummy snack!
Following are great tips for cooking, roasting, toasting, and baking pumpkin seeds...

Step #1: Preparing Your Pumpkin Seeds

• Do not wash them first... washing removes all the natural flavor!
• Children love to help with this project... they will enjoy sloshing through the fibers in pursuit of the slippery seeds.
• 

First, after you have scooped your pumpkin, put the seeds in a glass bowl. Next, separate the seeds from all the stringing pumpkin meat. You’ll need to do this fairly quickly because once you’ve let them sit and they’ve gotten too dry, they will be harder to clean. 
Using a cold-water rinse, finish taking off what is left of the stringy meat (there will be some little bits left more than likely) off the seeds. Place a strainer in the sink so you don’t lose all that pumpkin goop in your sink drain.
Once your pumpkin seeds are completely clean, put them on a waxed paper cookie sheet to dry. You’ll leave them to dry overnight. Sorry, you can’t eat them until tomorrow. Your kitchen will sure smell good though!

Optional: If you like your seeds salty, you may want to let them sit in a bowl of salt water overnight. Be careful though and don’t over salt the water. Remove from bowl of water and dry as stated above.
Now that your pumpkin seeds are prepared, let’s get to the actual cooking of them. Here are both a microwave and oven baked recipe for you to choose from.

Step #2: Cooking Your Pumpkin Seeds

• Simply, choose your preferred method for "cooking" the pumpkin seeds (below), then shell and eat them while warm, or store the cooked seeds in airtight containers (or zip closure bags) and refrigerate until ready to eat.
• Experiment with your favorite seasoning salts while the pumpkin seeds are still warm.

Step #3: Storing & Eating Your Pumpkin Seeds

• If pumpkin seeds are not consumed within 1-2 days, they can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
• When refrigerated, pumpkin seeds will remain fresh for 1-2 months.

*** Quick & Easy Pumpkin Seed Recipes ***
The Simplest Way To Roast Pumpkin Seeds:

Separate the seeds from the strings.   Place a single layer on a cookie sheet. Add some salt.   Bake at 300 degrees until dry, stirring occasionally.

How To Toast Crunchy Pumpkin Seeds:
Separate the seeds from the strings.
Stir in a very small amount of cooking oil.
Place a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

How To Bake Buttery Pumpkin Seeds:
 
Separate the seeds from the strings.
Spread seeds evenly on a cookie sheet.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.
Once seeds are dry, dot them with butter.
Then salt lightly and bake 10-15 more minutes in a 250 degree oven until golden brown. (Stir frequently to avoid scorching.)

How To Microwave Pumpkin Seeds:
 
Separate the seeds from the strings.
Use a microwave safe dish.
Mix 1 cup of pumpkin seeds and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil.
Cook in microwave for 2 minutes.
Remove from microwave and stir.
Continue to cook in 1-minute increments, stirring in between, until desired crispness. Add salt to taste.
____________________
 
Animated Pumpkin Pie Making:
http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=HY27482779
____________________

Yesterday:

Ray primed and painted around the wheel wells and inside the back door of the cargo trailer.  The door had never been insulated, so that is why I bought the foam board.  We will cover the insulation with paneling.  If I had used regular fiberglass insulation, it could have eventually fallen down inside the door. 
The paint was just to give it more weatherproofness.
(That's a real word, I didn't make it up: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weatherproofness   LOL! )

I was raking up more pine needles, as even when they are dry they are slippery, and I was doing laundry at the same time. 
Prime and Patches were helping me change the sheets!


Jay had helped me roll up the awning, after Ray had covered a couple of tiny tears with some Eternabond.
















Then Ray and I put all the running lights, outside outlet, and cable hatch back on the trailer after it's paint job.  No windows installed yet.

It was a bit warmer, and definitely less windy, but I still had to run the AC to pick up the foster cats and Paco from Adoption Day