Blog Archives
Food 101: Pumpkin Roasting
In an ideal world, we would have had this post up before Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie making time. But alas, time got away from us, and that did not happen. But, perhaps it’s even better timing now, as people transition from fall decorations to Christmas/winter ones. As we covered in pumpkin seed post, pumpkins are cool because they’re both festive seasonal decorations, and food. So instead of just throwing those pumpkins you bought for decoration out, roast them! You can roast them in slices and eat like you would other winter squash, or you can roast them for pumpkin puree. This is probably the most versatile option, since there are many things you can use pumpkin puree for. You can use any size pumpkin you have on hand, but these guidelines are written for sugar pumpkins, which are the smaller ones. If you’re using big pumpkins, like the kind for jack o’lanterns, roasting times may vary.
This is a sugar pumpkin
Both roasting processes begin with cutting your pumpkin in half and scooping out the guts. And also preheating your oven to 375 degrees (Fahrenheit).
The beginning
Quick Recipe: Sweet Asian Mango Burrito
We’ve covered burritos before. They’re a delicious treat that can range from mild and snack-like, to massive and filling in as a full meal. Best part is that burritos are really easy to make, and can be thrown together with whatever’s lying around, or done up all fancy-like, depending on your mood. If you’re looking for something more in-depth, try this delicious recipe which is a bit more prep work than your standard burrito, but provides a really awesome, unique flavor thanks to the inclusion of mango and the sweet Asian barbecue style sauce you prepare for it. Incidentally, we created this recipe for our last anniversary, when the two of us decided to design a special burrito for the other. This particular one was Meg’s, though some day in the future we’ll get around to posting mine which was made spicy and dark. Because I’m just that edgy.
Quick Recipe: Raspberry Tea
With the weather getting shitty once again, it’s time for everyone to resume drinking tea for the season. I’m a big fan of experimenting with herbs and fruits to make tisane, the fancy word for any tea that is made from a plant that’s not officially in the tea family. Recently our raspberry plants had their Fall crop, and so I decided to use them, since raspberry tea already exists. As long as you know your plant isn’t poisonous, you can have a lot of fun testing out different teas. This particular tea calls for raspberries and leaves from the plant. If you or someone you know has them, you can do it pretty easily. Alternately if you live near a farm, get some there. The leaves themselves have a fresh, astringent taste to them. If you don’t have access to raspberry leaves, you can likely use any number of similar herbs like mint or sage, and just up the fruit count a few berries to compensate.
Fun fact, apparently raspberry tea is good for menstrual pain cramps and other abdominal discomfort. So if you’re looking for home remedies, give this a shot. (Iiiiiii really can’t speak from personal experience on that one. Sorry.)
Cheat Code: Roasting Jack O’lantern Pumpkin Seeds
It’s that time of year again. It’s almost Halloween, which means it’s time for witches, ghosts, goblins, and jack o’lanterns! Pumpkins and jack o’lanterns are some of the best Halloween decorations because they look nice and fun, but are also food! That’s right, all that gloop you pull out of your pumpkin to carve it has a bonus snack hidden within. Pumpkin seeds! Pumpkin seeds are a good snack because they’re a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin E and vitamin B. They also contain the good fats that can help lower cholesterol. So you could definitely think twice before just throwing all those seeds out. But before eating them you need to roast them.
Augh! I didn’t know you were gonna kill it!
Smoothie Sunday: Pumpkin Peach Smoothie
Well, this is the last Sunday in September, which means by this time next week it will be October. Which also means it’s the start of pumpkin season! Let this smoothie help you transition into fall. I used the pumpkin similar to how I used the avocado in the avocado mango smoothie a couple of weeks ago. And like that smoothie it came out pretty thick. But it’s definitely yummy, and a nice intro into fall breakfasts.
What you’ll need
The Poor Couple's Food Guide 
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