Make Use Of Your Pumpkin Seeds

I am sure you are already aware of the fact that Halloween is just around the corner, and so is pumpkin season. But this year instead of just carving the pumpkin and throwing out all the guts of the pumpkin, why not make use of the pumpkin guts.

Many people will take the pulp of the pumpkin and make pumpkin pies, but what about the seeds. For the most part these tasty little devils end up in the garbage. But will a little effort on your part, you can make these a great tasting snack that the whole family will enjoy.

The first thing you are going to want to do is to separate the seeds from the pulp. And if you are making pumpkin pie you have already done this. Then just rinse the pumpkin seeds by placing them in a pot in the sink and keep rinsing. That is going to be the hardest part of this process.

At this point you are going to want to pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and place a small saucepan on your stove. Don't turn the burner on yet. Now take those rinsed pumpkin seeds and add them to the saucepan. For every 1/2 cup of seeds you put in the pan you should be adding about 1 cup of water. You are also going to want to add about one tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you added to the pot, (this is personal preference). You can add more or less salt, depending on your tastes. I also like to add a clove of garlic to the pot, but again this depends on your tastes. The truth is, you can add just about any kind of seasoning you like, it all depends on your tastes.

Now you can turn your burner on. You are going to want to bring the mixture to a boil, then allow the seeds to simmer in the water for about 10 minutes. Once this is complete you are going to want to drain off the pumpkin seeds from the water.

By now your oven should be heated up and all you have to do is place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with olive oil or you can even use Pam. You are going to want to bake these on the top rack of the oven. When it comes to how long, I usually cook mine for about 20 minutes. But you can add or lessen the time depending on your tastes. I like to make sure they are golden brown before I pull them out of the oven.

Once they cool, they are ready for eating. Unlike sunflower seeds you do not have to remove the outer shell. But again this is all about your tastes. You can remove the shell in order to get to the inner seed, but most people eat them whole.

So this year, make a nice snack out of your pumpkin seeds instead of throwing them in the garbage.

You may also be interested in: Paleo Recipe Book - Brand New Paleo Cookbook

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Common Sense Cooking Tips and Hints

Do you get lumps in your white sauce? When making white sauce (béchamel) or any sauce that requires slow cooking to thicken use an egg whisk and you can increase the temperature (not too much though) to speed the process up.and you wont get any limps in it.

Turn your open barbeque into a gourment oven. Want to try a new barbeque recipe that requires a hood on the barbeque which you may not have. Try using a wok lid or any domed lid. This works very well indeed. Great for roasted meats when camping out.

Never buy frozen pastry again. Do you hate making short pastry. Use a kitchen whiz instead of the usual hand method. Use slightly less liquid than may be asked for in the recipe.Just run the whiz until all the pastry forms into a ball. If it wont form into a ball you may need just a touch more liquid. The liquid depends on what recipe you use for your pastry.

Do your scones look more like rock cakes ? Make your scones in a kitchen whiz. Many people just can't make scones no matter what. Usually the problem is too much handling. Using the whiz eliminates this problem.

Also try and make your scones as though people or the family are sitting at the table waiting. In other words the less time you take means less handling. The mixture should be quite moist not dry after you add the milk.

Turn onto a well floured board and top a few times with the tips of your fingers to draw the extra four in. This should only take you about 5-8 seconds. Gently pat into shape and cut into whatever shaped scones you want - round or square -whatever.

Scones seem to come out best when cooked in what is variously described as a rising oven. In other words turn your oven on not too long before you start to mix your scones and when they are put in the oven it still has not quite reached the required temperature.

I learnt this way of making scones when I was used to crew on a yacht when I was younger and the guys would want morning tea and see if they could cajole me into making some. Hence my reference to having a waiting audience. The oven was only a small benchtop gas oven and I would turn it on to its maximum temperature and then throw the flour butter and milk together. They were most impressed and I was most surprised at the result. I was not at all sure of my expertise in scone making as my mother could never make scones - hers were the ones that came out like bullets.

I did later convert my mother into making scones in the kitchen whiz when she was around 65 and she was amazed that she finally learnt to make a scone that was edible.

I might add that scones became a regular morning tea item

Are your curries chewy? Do you have trouble working out if a casserole or curry is cooked. When the oil (fat) rises the dish is cooked. All meat dish casseroles have some fat content and when this is released the meat is cooked.

Are you missing the magic ingredient? Have you ever cooked a curry or casserole and the flavour just needs a little something and you cant quite work out exactly what is needed. Maybe it seems as though the flavours don't quite go together. It is a small intangible ingredient that is lacking. Try a very small amount of sugar and you will be surprised how it seems to blend and mellow the flavours into a more harmonious combination. The flavours will cease to fight against each other.

Whoops have you ever slipped with the salt pot when cooking? Have you ever added just a touch too much salt to a recipe. Never add sugar to correct this try a squeeze of lemon juice.

I hate washing roasting pans. Do you like to have roasted potatoes occasionally but hate washing up the pan afterwards. Here is a simple easy method and it uses less fat. Cut each potato with the skin on, in half so that you have the largest cut area. Add a little margarine and spread it on the cut side of the potato. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper if you want.

Place the buttered potatoes buttered side down on a sheet of aluminium foil wrap. Fold the foil and seal. Add to a preheated hot oven 200 degrees centigrade and cook for approx half an hour. When cooked unwrap and gently peel the foil off the potatoes and serve. Throw the foil in the garbage and voila - lovely scrisp roasted potatoes and no mess.

You can find a great cookbook that teaches you how to cook all your favorite restaurant recipes at the link below:

Secret Restaurant Recipes

You may also be interested in: Paleo Recipe Book - Brand New Paleo Cookbook

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