Sometimes it’s not the holiday, but the weeks of anticipation leading up to it that makes it so special. Stringing up decorations, visiting pumpkin patches, purchasing the perfect pumpkin for myself, carving the pumpkin, and spending time with loved ones are all that makes Halloween so wonderful. But alas, Halloween has come and gone all too soon. I can’t believe it has almost been a week already.
The moments from not this weekend, but the weekend before, both the joys and sorrows, were ephemeral. Snapshots from last Friday and Saturday and Sunday and Monday flicker and blend together in my mind. Occasionally one appears unexpectedly and clearer than the rest, leaving me feeling slightly lost and with a strange hole in my chest.
Last weekend my home was jam packed with family and friends from near and far. We ate tons of food, carved pumpkins, grieved, and laughed together. Was it a sad weekend? One could say that. Was it also a lovely weekend? Yes, yes it was.
In spite of the schedule being so busy, we had to continue our tradition of carving pumpkins. I always find that it’s such a waste to carve the pumpkin and then toss the rest. My family and I have a slight workshop that forms when we carve pumpkins. Someone saws off the tops, “the carvers” use their hands to pull out all of the cold mushy pumpkin insides, and my parents (usually my mom), picks out the seeds and deposits them in a separate bowl to be rinsed, dried out, and then roasted.
Have you ever eaten freshly roasted pumpkin seeds from straight out of the pumpkin? They taste so much better than the all natural pre-packaged kinds. They’re crispy, fresh, and have a slight roasted flavor to them. The texture overall feels so much better than any other kind of pumpkin seeds. You pop them in your mouth, and you can expect a wonderful crunch. Feel free to chew and swallow the shell as well. They don’t get mushy or soggy in your mouth as quickly as the ones you’d buy from stores.
- Pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- Remove pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin, put the pumpkin seeds into a bowl with water and salt, rinse and drain the water. Spread the seeds onto a large baking sheet so that none overlap each other.
- Set the oven to convect roast (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Roast the seeds for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you must continuously check on them and give them a quick stir every 2 minutes until they have turned a very light brown.
The departure of Halloween leaves me, as I’m sure it does with many of you, with an excessive amount of leftover candy, rotting carved pumpkins, and the anticipation for the next holiday: Thanksgiving. Luckily, with it still being November, we can still make everything pumpkin! This weekend Mark and I have been attempting pumpkin mac and cheese, pumpkin soup, and a failed pumpkin pie. Some recipes will be appearing on the blog very soon.
This week I will be last minute training for a half marathon that I’m running for my aunt next Sunday. Am I ready for it? Totally not, but fingers crossed that I survive. Do you guys have anything fun planned for the week?
By the way, can you tell that I got a new camera? It’s a Sony a6000. I am completely and totally in love with it and all the photos that it is capable of taking. Expect some beautiful photos appearing on the blog.
Anyways, I hope your upcoming week will be awesome. Stay happy and healthy y’all!
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