“The Great Pumpkin always picks the most sincere pumpkin patch to rise out of. He's just gotta pick this pumpkin patch. He's just gotta! Look around. You can see that there's not a sign of hypocrisy anywhere. Nothing but sincerity reaching out as far as the eye can see.” –Linus from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
After spending Saturday afternoon with my mom, she suggested that I take home one of the 12 pumpkins that she and her husband had displayed in honor of Halloween. My mom and her husband are those people in the neighborhood; the ones that decorate for every holiday. The trick or treaters love it, and my mom loves the kids…so it all works out. But when she suggested that I take a pumpkin home, I said: “What am I going to do with a pumpkin?” Responding quickly and nonchalantly, she said: “Carve it. Peel it. Roast the seeds and the pumpkin.” “Okay,” I said. So, the pumpkin and I headed back to the city.
Carving a pumpkin is tough. After slicing the pumpkin in half, I scooped out the insides including the seeds which you have to separate from the stringy guts of the pumpkin…now I know why pumpkin seeds are so expensive. After cleaning the seeds, I sectioned the pumpkin into manageable parts in order to peel its skin. It was at this point that I began sweating, swiftly cut my finger and found myself and my kitchen covered in pumpkin skin…but I refused to give up despite the injury. Finally, I was able to cut the pumpkin into bite-size cubes in order to roast. I was exhausted!
I don’t remember carving pumpkins being so dangerous, so that leads me to believe that I never actually carved a pumpkin as a child. My family carved pumpkins every year, but after carving this pumpkin, I am confident that any adult in their right mind would never, ever let a child carve a pumpkin! So it was my parents or my older brother who bravely risked their fingers or hands every year carving pumpkins so that I could enjoy the full Halloween experience.
In the end, the roasted pumpkin was delicious. Even more, were the scrumptious memories of Halloweens past and the sweet realization that there are special people in our worlds who do things large and small to make our lives wonderful… memorable… easier.
Who has made your life a little easier or sweeter this week, this month, this year or in this lifetime? Thank them today. Thank you, Mom, Dad and Johnny for risking your fingers to make every Halloween enchanting for me.
This Saturday, devote your yoga practice those people or that one person that you want to thank!
Roasted Pumpkin Recipe…if you dare! (servings depends on the size of the pumpkin)
-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
-See paragraph 2 to begin and proceed with caution
-Toss pumpkin cubes in the best olive oil you can afford, 100% pure maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, sea or kosher salt and fresh pepper
-Spread pumpkin cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast in oven for approximately 45 minutes or until tender; toss midway
-Serve as a side dish, with plain Greek-style yogurt or with Ben & Jerry’s vanilla bean!
After spending Saturday afternoon with my mom, she suggested that I take home one of the 12 pumpkins that she and her husband had displayed in honor of Halloween. My mom and her husband are those people in the neighborhood; the ones that decorate for every holiday. The trick or treaters love it, and my mom loves the kids…so it all works out. But when she suggested that I take a pumpkin home, I said: “What am I going to do with a pumpkin?” Responding quickly and nonchalantly, she said: “Carve it. Peel it. Roast the seeds and the pumpkin.” “Okay,” I said. So, the pumpkin and I headed back to the city.
Carving a pumpkin is tough. After slicing the pumpkin in half, I scooped out the insides including the seeds which you have to separate from the stringy guts of the pumpkin…now I know why pumpkin seeds are so expensive. After cleaning the seeds, I sectioned the pumpkin into manageable parts in order to peel its skin. It was at this point that I began sweating, swiftly cut my finger and found myself and my kitchen covered in pumpkin skin…but I refused to give up despite the injury. Finally, I was able to cut the pumpkin into bite-size cubes in order to roast. I was exhausted!
I don’t remember carving pumpkins being so dangerous, so that leads me to believe that I never actually carved a pumpkin as a child. My family carved pumpkins every year, but after carving this pumpkin, I am confident that any adult in their right mind would never, ever let a child carve a pumpkin! So it was my parents or my older brother who bravely risked their fingers or hands every year carving pumpkins so that I could enjoy the full Halloween experience.
In the end, the roasted pumpkin was delicious. Even more, were the scrumptious memories of Halloweens past and the sweet realization that there are special people in our worlds who do things large and small to make our lives wonderful… memorable… easier.
Who has made your life a little easier or sweeter this week, this month, this year or in this lifetime? Thank them today. Thank you, Mom, Dad and Johnny for risking your fingers to make every Halloween enchanting for me.
This Saturday, devote your yoga practice those people or that one person that you want to thank!
Roasted Pumpkin Recipe…if you dare! (servings depends on the size of the pumpkin)
-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
-See paragraph 2 to begin and proceed with caution
-Toss pumpkin cubes in the best olive oil you can afford, 100% pure maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, sea or kosher salt and fresh pepper
-Spread pumpkin cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast in oven for approximately 45 minutes or until tender; toss midway
-Serve as a side dish, with plain Greek-style yogurt or with Ben & Jerry’s vanilla bean!
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