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What To Do With The Rest Of Your Halloween Pumpkin

You have succeeded at carving a spooky Jack-o-Lantern, or a grinning gourd, but what on earth do you do with the rest of the pumpkin? Also, how can you make Halloween about more than just kids Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating? After years of celebrating Halloween and sadly throwing out my pumpkin goop, I’m determined to use as much of the pumpkin as possible. I want to show my children that there can be more to Halloween than kids Halloween costumes and a sugar rush! It’s the green, environmentally friendly way to celebrate Halloween

1.Use the orange pumpkin goop to add more “gross factor” to your kids Halloween costume. Great for monster kids Halloween costumes or kids Halloween costumes that involve mummies, corpses, or aliens. Use caution: it can be extremely hard to wash out pumpkin from a rented kids Halloween costume or from their clothes. It is better to use this homemade goop with old clothes that can be stained.

2.Make a delicious pumpkin pie and bring it to your neighborhood Halloween costume party. Sure, you should show up wearing a creative Halloween costume, but your hosts will love having a pie of homemade, from-scratch pumpkin pie. You can also serve it for dessert to your children when they return home from a night at the Haunted House or a day at the pumpkin patch. Whether they are donning their kids Halloween costumes or not, pie is always a good idea!

3.Separate out the pumpkin seeds from the rest of the pumpkin. Wash the seeds in warm water until all the orange particles are removed. Boil and then simmer the seeds in a pot of water for about 10 minutes. Next, place on a baking sheet, top with a spoonful of olive oil, and bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until the seeds become golden burned. Don’t let them burn! Pumpkin seeds are a healthy alternative to the usual sugar-filled Halloween candy. Fill the pockets of your kids Halloween costumes with tasty toasted seeds before they leave for treat-or-treating! You can also use the pumpkin seeds as treats for the trick-or-treaters who show up at your door with their adorable kids Halloween costumes.

4.Pumpkin seeds are tasty, but you can make a more gourmet version: caramelized pumpkin seeds. You’ll need ½ cup of butterscotch caramel sauce, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon extract, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 cups of roasted pumpkin seeds, and 1 cup almonds. Melt the caramel sauce and sugar in a skillet, and then stir in cinnamon extract and cayenne pepper. Stir in pumpkin seeds and coat in the caramel-sugar mixture. Spread the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with almonds, and let cool. It’s a great addition to autumn salads, a tasty topping to pumpkin pie, or wonderful on its own as a snack! This recipe comes courtesy of http://www.foodnetwork.com. You can use this recipe once your children in their kids Halloween costumes have left and your adult friends have arrived for a holiday party.

5.Last but not least, you can make pumpkin bread for your little witches and wizards in their various kids Halloween costumes. You’ll need a cup of cooked pumpkin for this recipe, so save the eyes, mouth, nose, and other parts from your Jack-o-Lantern! Combine 2 eggs, 2 cups sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 1 cup cooked pumpkin and mix. In a separate bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups flour, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or allspice), 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Delicious! And it will be gone in an instant when your children, with their cute kids Halloween costumes, return home from trick-or-treating.

About the Author

Paul Hulse writes for the Halloween Costume online retailer www.incostume.com. Please visit their site for more information on Halloween Costumes

Author Profile: Paul_Hulse

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