Free Pumpkin Decorating Tips

Find out how you can dress up your pumpkins without carving! Paint and/or embellish your pumpkins this year.

Apple With a Worm Pumpkin
Check out this photo of a pumpkin decorated to look like an apple with a worm in it, submitted by Sherry Balogh.

Bushel of Painted Pumpkins
Check out this photo of a bushel of tiny painted pumpkins, submitted by Karen Futtner.

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Pocono Pumpkin Contest

Pocono Pumpkin Contest: Tips for carving the perfect pumpkin

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Left: Douglas Hafler painted this 39-pound pumpkin for Halloween when he was camping at Otter Lake campground. Right: Tyler Bush put his dad's rusty nails to good use: teeth in his pumpkin.Contributed photo

October 17, 2009

The Pocono Record is sponsoring a pumpkin decorating contest with great prizes.

Here's what to do:

Links

• Pocono Pumpkin Contest: Sumbit your pumpkin photos

Step 1: Carve or decorate a pumpkin.

Step 2: Take a picture of it and submit it to www.poconorecord.com/pumpkin.

You can enter your photos into one of two categories: Scariest and Cutest. Enter as many pumpkin photos as you want. Readers will vote for their favorite in each category.

The winners of the Scariest and Cutest categories will have their choice of the following prizes: a $50 gift certificate to Marita's Cantina in Stroudsburg; or four tickets for one of the following shows at the Sherman Theater: "Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Magic for the Menagerie" or "Cinderella." The top vote getter will get first choice.

Everyone who votes will be entered in a drawing for the remaining two prizes. So everyone has the potential to be a winner.

In case of a tie, the Pocono Record staff will vote to determine the winner.

The winners and runners-up will appear in the Halloween edition of the Pocono Record.

The deadline to submit a photo is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20.

To get started, here are some pumpkin carving tips from Chef's Choice Knives, EdgeCraft Corp. and pumpkin-carving.com:

What you need

A pumpkin with a large, smooth surface. A smooth surface is easier to carve. Pick a ripe pumpkin without bruises or nicks for best results.

Carving tools

Boning and paring knives make sure they're sharp)

Nail or ice pick for poking through the surface for detailed work and scoring

An ice cream scoop is helpful for scooping out contents.

A carving saw for carving fine, detailed areas, but can be used for the entire jack-o'-lantern.

A transfer tool can transfer designs onto the face of the pumpkin.

Carving stencils can be drawn either freehand onto paper or using computer.

Newspaper to catch the mess

Scooping out

The opening at the top should be large enough to allow you to scoop out the guts by hand and with a large spoon. Generally, the size of the hole should be about two-thirds the diameter of the pumpkin.

As you cut out the top hole, angle the knife toward the center so the lid and hole will be somewhat cone shaped. This will help prevent the lid from falling into the hole.

Important note: Children should never attempt to carve a pumpkin or handle knives unless parents are there to help.

The design

If you're going freehand, pre-mark the pumpkin by using a crayon.

You can find carving patterns online or create your own. Tape the pattern to the pumpkin and use a metal nail or ice pick to trace design onto pumpkin through the pattern.

Using the transfer tool, press the pointed tip into and through the design lines on the paper stencil spaced about a 1/8 of an inch apart. The tip of the transfer tool should be pushed in just enough to go through the paper and the outer skin of the pumpkin, not all the way through the pumpkin.

Carving

Once you've scored the design, use the boning and paring knives to complete the job.

Or, if you're using a carving saw, push the tip of the saw-blade into a pattern hole and saw through the design lines with short, back-and-forth motions. Basically, you're playing "connect the dots."

Once you've removed all of the cut pieces, carefully trim the inside edges of the pumpkin of any excess flesh with the carving saw or a small knife.

Carve the excess off at about a 45 degree angle. This allows more light to come through, showing your design to its fullest.

Coat the edges with petroleum jelly to help preserve it.

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Tofu And Pumpkin-Seed Burgers (Hl)

Tofu And Pumpkin-Seed Burgers (Hl)
Yields: 6 serving(s)

Ingredients
4 slice(s) stale or toasted sandwich bread
1 1/2 cup(s) cooked or canned adzuki beans, well rinsed
1/3 cup(s) hulled unsalted pumpkin seeds, toasted
16 ounce(s) firm tofu
1 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds
1 tablespoon(s) grated fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove; minced
2 tablespoon(s) miso paste; brown rice paste if possible
3/4 cup(s) minced onion
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon(s) canola oil; (up to 2)

Directions
Chop the bread fine, or break into pieces and whirl it to crumbs in a food processor.
In a food processor or with a potato masher in a bowl, coarsely chop or mash the beans.
Coarsely chop the toasted pumpkin seeds.
Combine the beans, bread crumbs and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl.
Cut the tofu into four pieces and squeeze each piece with your hands, letting the crumbled tofu fall into the bowl with the mashed beans.
Toast the cumin seeds in a small skillet over low heat, stirring, until they become fragrant.
Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, miso and onion to the bowl with the beans and tofu.
Mix everythingthis will be easiest to do with your hands.
Mix in the salt and pepper.
The mixture should be stiff enough to form a patty.
If the mixture still seems a bit wet, add more bread crumbs.
Form the mixture into patties.
Heat a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium-high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, and place as many burgers in the pan as you can without crowding them.
Pan-fry the burgers, in batches if necessary, until the undersides are a deep golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Flip the burgers, and cook them about 3-4 minutes more.

Serve right away with hot and sour slaw.

http://www.mangerati.com/tofu-and-pumpkin-seed-burgers-hl

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Day 16 of 31 days of pumpkin and we arrive at the roasted pumpkin seed. I love how seasonal these are. I mean, on what other day of the year do you roast your own pumpkin seeds but on about October 29? This year, I’ve decided to coat my pumpkin seeds with savory spices, but believe me, pumpkin seeds are divine when roasted with just a little bit of olive oil and a LOT of salt.

Getting the seeds out of the pumpkin wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. If you paw through them while you rinse them, the remaining pieces of pulp come right off.
Rinsing the Seeds

Rinsing the Seeds
After just a few minutes of rinsing

After just a few minutes of rinsing

There are lots of different choices to make when roasting pumpkin seeds. Do you boil them first or shoot them straight into the oven? Do you roast them at high heat, like 400˚F? Or do you slow roast them at 275˚F or 300˚F? Do you coat them with goodies or just let them stand on their own with a little salt? So far this season, I’ve done them two different ways and both were great in their own way, so I’m beginning to think you really can’t screw up pumpkin seeds (unless you burn them). The first way was with my friend Karen. She threw them in a 400˚F oven with a LOT of salt and some olive oil. It took about 15 minutes. They were great right out of the oven. Well, not right out of the oven. Ouch. Those were the ones garnishing my Pumpkin Sage Soup awhile back. And then today, I went for the slow roast with lots of stuff caked on. These also were great. They stood the test of time a bit better than the earlier ones did in both the flavor and texture categories, but they did not outdo the first ones while still warm. Decisions, decisions.

DarrenBarr, a member of StreamingGourmet, has a pumpkin seed recipe video that I really like. The spices he uses are a little different than the ones I chose, but the concept is similar. And it’s really funny to watch him using a hair dryer to get his seeds nice and dry. You can check out his other recipes and videos at his site, Making It With Darren.
Killer Pumpkin Seeds
Click to Play

Darren bakes his pumpkin seeds for almost an hour in a 300˚F oven, but I found that I needed to take mine out after just over 30 minutes. My pumpkin seeds weren’t totally dry when they went into the oven either, which made me think that they would take at least 45 minutes to get crispy. But 30 was enough, so make sure that you check on your roasting seeds frequently to prevent burning them.
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Yields 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, well rinsed and patted dry
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
1 tsp sea salt + more to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Once the seeds are rinsed and patted dry, mix the butter, Worcestershire sauce and the rest of the seasonings together in a large zip lock bag. Dump in the seeds, seal the bag and shake it about until the seeds are evenly coated.

3. Spread the seeds evenly on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 30-45 minutes, checking on them and flipping them over every 10 minutes.

4. Allow to cool slightly and either eat warm from the oven or toss them on a salad or make them in the recipe that will be posted tomorrow. You’ll see!
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Other great roasted pumpkin seed recipes from around the blogosphere:

Can you believe Heidi was blogging about this in 2006? Unbelievable.
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: 3 Way Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Cinnamon & Chili Pumpkin Seeds from ZOE

http://blog.streaminggourmet.com/?p=1198
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds from Simply Recipes

Cute Video Pumpkin Seed Recipes For Halloween

Recipe Ideas for Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe ideas for pumpkin seeds

By Victoria Brett
For The Associated Press

YOU'VE crafted the perfect gruesome or goofy jack-o'-lantern. But what to do with all the glop you scraped out in the process?

Don't even think of tossing it. Pumpkin seeds are a great healthy snack and a delicious addition to salads, granola or trail mix.

"I look at pumpkin seeds like popcorn. They can be spiced and seasoned so many different ways," says Lucinda Scala Quinn, executive editorial director of food at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. "And spicy pumpkin seeds are perfect for munching."

But before you can munch, the seeds need to be cleaned.

Traditionally, you separate the seeds from the fibrous strands and clean them with water before roasting. One way is to scoop the whole mess into a colander and run it under cool water. The seeds and fibers will separate if you swish them with your hands.

To toast the seeds, arrange them in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 F. If not perfectly golden, leave them in the oven and check every minute until done.

"Pay attention," says Quinn. "When cooking any nuts or seeds, you can't walk away or get sidetracked on the telephone."

But Quinn prefers a simpler method for cleaning her seeds. Rather than wash the fibers off the seeds, she toasts everything.

"I throw the whole mess in the oven and once they are dried out, it separates very easily," she says. If you go that route, roast them spread in an even layer on a baking sheet at 375 F until the fibers dry out and fall away from the seeds.

Once clean, transfer the seeds to a bowl and toss with olive oil, peanut or saffron oil. Then add your spices. Quinn suggests:

Olive oil and salt

Grated Parmesan cheese, black pepper and salt

Cayenne pepper, lime juice, brown sugar and salt

Cinnamon, brown sugar, powdered ginger or cloves, and pinch of salt

If you clean and season your seeds before roasting (the water washing method), be sure never to add sugar. The sugar will burn in the oven and should only be added after. And with any sweet spicing, don't forget to add a pinch of salt, says Quinn.

Pumpkin seeds seasoned with olive oil and salt are great in granola or on top of a salad. They also are great mixed with dried fruit (such as cranberries, cherries and raisins) to make a quick trail mix.

"That salty, sweet and chewy is a great combination," says Quinn.

More stories from the Lifestyle section

How to Carve a Killer Pumpkin with Leah D'Emilio