Saturday, 31 October 2009

Happy Halloween...from a bad mum :-(

Well Halloween arrived is now just about over. It isn't widely celebrated here in the U.K. like it is in some places but you still get a few children who go out 'Trick or Treating' and there are some costume parties that go on and some pumpkins carved.

I don't dislike Halloween I just wish it took place at a warmer part of the year although I don't suppose we can grumble too much about it this year!

I didn't go 'Trick or Treating' with the kids this year but I did fully intend to carve some pumpkins with the kids...however the kids are all tucked up in bed.....it's getting on for 11pm...and my pumpkins are still sat on the side...Whoops!!

I will probably carve them at some point, I guess we can always use them as garden ornaments for next weekend but we just didn't get around to it..and the kids never asked even though they sat on the side.

pumpkins
Pumpkins still waiting to be carved...whoops!!

You will notice they are in a carrier bag and this is because they were store bought. I didn't grow my own this year and if I'm totally honest I have never eaten pumpkin and don't really know what to do with it!! I fully intend to grow some next year though so maybe I will be more enthusiastic about carving them then...one guy who grew them this year had one sooooo big it took two full grown men to lift it and it nearly tipped over the wheelbarrow...unfortunately I didn't get a picture.

So what did you do with your evening on Halloween??? And does anyone know any pumpkin recipes??
Posted by Tanya Walton

at 22:26

18 comments:

  1. Ours are still out in the garage. We were going to carve them, but never actually got around to it.
    I'm going to cook the pumpkin and use some for pies and maybe try my hand at pumpkin soup.
    What are we doing?? Well, I'm sitting by the front door waiting for the kids (only 9 so far) and watching Ghost Hunters. Fun Saturday night, huh?
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  2. I sat at home reading and watching movies for Halloween. You have really never eaten pumpkin? I don't have any recipes, but pumpkin pie is my all time favorite.
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  3. no one celebrate Halloween in this part of the world too......think its concentrated to US and Europe only
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  4. You got closer than I did. I didn't even buy any pumpkins. It's harder to get into it now that my kids are grown.
    I saw a recipe for pumpkin butter but can't remember whose blog I saw it on.
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  5. Oh pumpkin pie can be great.

    But where I grew up in Virginia most people save their time and energy and just buy a can of Libby's ready mashed and cooked pumpkin that is not seasoned. Then all you have to do is add one egg, light cream or evaporated milk, spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar and pour it into pie shells and baked them in an oven.
    I love my mother's pumpkin pie.

    I did not grow my own pumpkin this year either. Neither Halloween or pumpkins are indigenous for Sweden, where I now live. But for some unknown reason Halloween items are sold in toy stores since only about seven years ago. Someone got the idea of importing the whole package.
    All Saints Day in Sweden has always been a very solumn church holiday when you put flowers and/or candles or small lanterns on graves.
    You can make pumpkin pie out of your store-bought pumpkins if you remove the seedy pulp and peel and cut the "meaty" parts into pieces (2-inch cubes maybe), and then cook them in a little water until they are soft and mushy.
    If you really want an exact recipe for pumpkin pie I can write it here or e-mail it to you.
    Would you like it in metric or cups and ounces? Farenheit or Celcius?

    Best wishes
    Christina Wigren (Anna)
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  6. I see you found my pumpkin soup recipe! That's about my limit though - I am currently hunting for more. I didn't grow any pumpkins this year either, I usually do, but some how ran out of space.
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  7. I never coked anything with pumpkin too. For the recipe you can try google it Tanya :)
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  8. Happy Halloween!!
    I never got to carving a pumpkin this year, it is usually the one thing I insist we do but I wasn't well :( Ah well, there is always another year!

    As for recipes, I made a great pumpkin cake last year, seemed to go down well with our bonfire night guests. If you want a peek, head to
    http://dosyrosie.blogspot.com/2008/11/pumpkin-cake.html - that's where I stick all my recipes. See what you think!
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  9. hi! your blog looks nice....
    can we xchange our links...if you like give your msg in my comment box. i will add urs...

    have a nice day
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  10. Hi Tany,

    Come north of the border and Halloween IS taken seriously. Well not seriously but daftly seriously. You should have seen the queues outside the fancydress shops in Edinburgh on Saturday. As a southerner I hadn't realised what a serious business it is until one year when we were caught out without a 'treat' and had to resort to cash. The shame of it!

    Still Guy Fawkes is on his way. The only problem being that our dog turns into a wobbly jelly when he hears the first firework!

    And as for recipes, pumpkin pie (with plenty of cinnamon) is a seasonal treat (but can't hold a match to a cheesecake - or better still a bakewell tart)
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  11. Don't be too hard on yourself. We've been so busy we didn't even buy any this year. We tried to grow some and that was a bust. Better luck next year!
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  12. Tanya,
    pumpkin risotto is delicious - make sure you use arborio rice, add some mushrooms or chestnuts, onion, garlic and of course some home-made veg or chicken stock if you have it, shop-bought is too salty! Add sage to make it really warming (or any herb to your own taste) and season with black pepper. The difficult part is peeling and dicing the pumpkin - you may need assistance with this!!

    Enjoy!

    Jeanne
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  13. My son carved the pumpkin he had grown, but that's about all we did for Halloween. The kids are getting older now, so no trick or treating for us.
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  14. Hi All..thanks for all your comments....I never did get around to carving the pumpkin but I am hoping to grow my own next year and I will be trying the pumpkins soup, risotto and cake...not one for pies really so I will give that one a miss!!!

    Friendzworld....I would be very happy to exchange links with you, however you left me no link to your website so here's hoping you come back and leave a link for me.
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  15. Pumpkin's more fun to grow than to eat, in my humble. Mine usually end up on the compost after they've sat in the garage for 3 months and we never got round to eating them...
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  16. pumpkin pie is just scruptious and easy to make, pumpkin soup is tasty as well but haven't made that!

    My pumpkins are still in the allotment...so say no more!!!
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  17. This may be too late for your pumpkins, but I found someone making pumpkin pie out of their pumpkins om this site:

    http://vixensden.com/
    Look at the post from November 4th, 2009

    Best wishes
    Anna
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  18. In case you have trouble getting back to my blog you can visit me at:
    http://annasadornments.blogspot.com
    Best wishes
    Anna
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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!

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