After I did my little experiment on “How to Cook Pumpkin” I had some pumpkin seeds left to cook in the oven.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Have all the raw pumpkin seeds in a strainer, then rinse with water and remove the stringy pumpkin debris.
2. Rinse thoroughly and keep them wet do not dry them because the salt needs to stick to them.
3. I used course sea salt and sprinkled it on the seeds while in the strainer. (You can use any salt you may have)
4. Put seeds on a cookie sheet and try not to overlap seeds. I sprayed some oil on a pizza cookie, sheet but any cookie sheet will do.
5. Watch closely while pumpkin seeds are roasting in the oven they can brown very quickly. 6. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet. Then seal in a plastic container or ziploc baggie.
My Family loves these every year when Halloween comes they make great snacks and they are good for you. “Pumpkin Seeds Nutritional Value”
If you want your seeds to have a gourmet flavor you can sprinkle these items on instead of the salt: * garlic salt
* season salt
* black pepper
* salt free seasoning ex: Mrs. Dash
* cayenne pepper
* seasoning salt
* Cajun blend
* Mexican style chili lime seasoning or taco seasoning
* Italian seasoning
* grated Parmesan
**Please note: Some people sprinkle a little bit of olive oil or some melted butter over their pumpkin seeds then the seasoning mix, before they are put in the oven then add one of these seasonings listed above.
This year I forgot to carve my pumpkin for Halloween! I realized I had a whole pumpkin sitting on my front porch so now, it is the end of November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner-instead of throwing my pumpkin away I decided to cook it, and freeze the puree in 2 cup increments to use for pumpkin bread and muffins throughout the year. I will be doing an experiment to cook my pumpkin, it will be prepared three different ways.
Whether you are cooking up pumpkin to make pumpkin seeds or pumpkin pie any of these cooking methods should work well. The end result is basically the same a cooked pumpkin!
The first way I will be cooking my pumpkin is in the crock pot and the second method will be cooking my pumpkin in the oven and last but not least the third way will be cooking the pumpkin and on the stove top.
Pumpkin preparation:
When I was preparing my pumpkin I washed it in the sink with some soap and water making sure to scrub off any dirt or debris left on the pumpkin. Making sure it was clean because the skin would be left on, and the pieces would be stacking upon each other. I used soap and hot water in the sink, but if you like you may also use half a cup of white vinegar in a sink full of water. I removed the seeds and most of the stringy stuff inside the pumpkin.
Cooking a Pumpkin in the Crock pot
After I completed washing my pumpkin, the pieces were cut into smaller chunks so that I could fit them into my large crock pot. I filled the crock pot with pumpkin and added 2 cups of water turned the crock pot on high setting, poking it periodically with a fork to make sure the pumpkin was finished. It took about 4 hours in the crock pot on high.
With this method and the pumpkin came out, I think the best out of the other 2 methods.
*Texture- Was perfect sliced with a knife like creamy butter. Was not watery. *Time- The time was a bit long 4 hours, but it was worth the end result.
Cooking a pumpkin in the oven
With this method of cooking in the oven, I cut the pumpkin into larger chunks and sprayed cookie sheet with some oil and laid the pumpkin skin side down on the cookie sheet. Then I turned the oven on 350°
I guess it came out good this way but it seemed more like a roasted pumpkin- It was not exactly the texture I was looking for to use it as a puree in cooking. It would have been a good method for cooking other roasted squashes or root vegetables.
*Texture- Seemed dry. *Time- Was about 2 hours.
Cooking a pumpkin on the stove top
For the stove top I cut the pumpkin into medium pieces. Filled the pot with water and laid the pumpkin pieces into the cold water. Turn the stove on high until it started to boil and then turned it down to a simmer.
This would have been my second choice if I did not have a crock pot and had to cook my pumpkin.
*Texture- Good moist texture but a bit watery, I did put it in a strainer and let it sit for awhile to drain. *Time- About 1 hour total time with the lid on the pot. This was the quickest cooking time.
Recipes to make with fresh pumpkin:
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin pancakes
Pumpkin muffins
Pumpkin cheesecake
Pumpkin bread
Pumpkin soup
I have to admit I have watched every episode of Extreme Couponing. Watching all the people with their stockpiles does make me somewhat jealous! Especially since most of the couponeurs (is that such a word? I guess I just made it up, its like a entrepreneur and coupon collecting person=couponeur!) Anyway, most of the people coupon clip about 20-60 hours per week! Wow… most do not have jobs outside of the home, so they can dedicate their time to coupon collecting and dumpster diving for coupons. Many of the people also had fallen on hard times during their life, which motivated them to be an extreme couponers, and some people just want to save money, or see it as earning an extra income. Not having to pay for your groceries would sure help a family monthly budget!
Some of the foods that I see on the shelves or “stockpiles” as they are called in the coupon world, seem a bit to processed for my taste – Is it really worth it? Purchasing a bunch of over processed foods?
Buying staples that we all need such as; body soap, laundry and dish soap, household cleaners and some of the foods that are not over processed, would make a nice stockpile in my garage.
Below are some of the extreme coupon tips, and some great links to get started with becoming an extreme couponeur!
Double coupons! Make sure your store accepts double coupons.
Get a loyalty card or even a couple! This will help you receive the sale prices that the store might have.
Drug store coupon deals. Don’t forget all the Sunday inserts for the drugstores they can have good deals on shampoo and toilet paper
Find a store who takes expired coupons. This is pretty rare but some stores in the Midwest still do.
What is a Catalina? (Catalina Category Marketing (CCM)- A Catalina is, when you purchase a promoted item it rewards you with a coupon another name is a “check out coupon” Usually Catalinas can only be redeemed at the store chain where you received them. they would like you to use these coupons on your next shopping trip, and they usually expire in about 4-weeks. Some stores accept other stores coupons and their Catalinas.
Have a notebook with baseball card holders in it to organize all your coupons.
The KrazyCouponLady.com has a FREE great category binder pages, to start with organizing.
Print coupons online-match coupons with the weekly deals in the Sunday papers.
CouponMom.com Has great tools to help you save, Stephanie Nelson has some great coupon tools on her site, for the novice or the for the person who likes to extreme coupon-
If you are looking for an economical electric car as of this writing June 2011-You basically have only two choices the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet’s Volt. Unless you have disposable income and can afford a Tesla, the only choices we currently have as consumers in America are the Leaf and the Volt. Lets look at your options on choosing a green car, and what some of the differences are:
Nissan Leaf:
* Transmission- Automatic
* Car Size/Type- Mid size
* MPG City/Hwy- 106/92
* Estimated annual fuel costs- $561.00 per year
* MSRP $20,280.00
* Monthly payment on a 5 year loan w/6% Interest $392.00
Check your states Tax Credits/Rebates
Another plus is you never have to get an electronic car smogged!
Chevy Volt:
* Transmission- Automatic
* Car Size/Type- Plug in Hybrid Gasoline/Electric
* MPG City/Hwy- 95/90 Electric and 35/40 Gasoline
* Estimated annual fuel costs- $594.00
* MSRP-$32,780.00
* Monthly payment on a 5 year loan w/6% Interest $634.00
Tax Credits/Rebates check your state
The positive side of the Volt is, that if you run out of electric “juice” your car will still run off of gasoline.
This video helpful to check out the differences between the leaf and the volt-
For more information, check out the environmental protection agency’s website at: fueleconomy.gov
Some question when visiting your car dealer might be:
How much are the batteries for replacement?
I wonder if the volt has to be smogged?
I wonder which one is cheaper for maintenance costs?
These could be questions for both the leaf and the volt dealerships.
With money tight these days, stretching a meal is very beneficial for our budgets and waistlines,(by not going out to eat as much!)
Using leftovers, and cooking with what you have on hand, can save you some money next time you go to the grocery store.
Below are some of my favorite Low cost “Cheap” meal recipes that I make for my family.
One whole chicken = 3 meals
First meal from the chicken will be putting the chicken in the crock-pot with just salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then then serve this meal
with some frozen or fresh veggies and brown rice. Twice a week I cook brown rice in my rice cooker and refrigerate it.So it will last for a few days.
Second chicken meal is: Chicken fajitas, from the leftover chicken shred it-and put it in a saucepan or fry pan with some bell peppers and onions,add a seasoning packet of fajita mix. Put meat mixture in corn or flour tortillas-fold over like a taco.Serve with some cheese,salsa and sour cream and any other cut up veggies you would like to add.
Third chicken meal is: The chicken carcass= Homemade Chicken soup.(If there is no meat left on it don’t worry.)I take out the bones, try to save any of the meat and keep the meat and the broth in the pot. Then chop up some celery, carrots,onions or whatever veggies you might have leftover in the fridge. Add the veggies and some egg noodles to the broth meat mixture and season with salt and pepper. Voila you have Homemade chicken soup.
You can also do these same recipes if you crock-pot a beef roast. You can make a lot of cheap dinner recipes from beef or a pork roast.
You can also do these same recipes if you crock-pot a beef roast. You can make a lot of cheap dinner recipes from beef or a pork roast.
*BBQ beef or pork sandwiches
Barbecued beef sandwiches, cooked in the slow cooker.
2 1/2 to 3 lbs lean chuck roast or bottom round
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Preparation:
Place beef roast in crock-pot. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove roast, shred meat.
Place shredded meat back in crock-pot; stir to coat well. Spoon barbecued beef onto toasted sandwich buns and serve with extra sauce, if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
*Chicken Stir fry with any Asian sauce
1 bag frozen stir fry veggie mix
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. salad oil
2 tbsp. white cooking wine
1 tbsp. honey
3 chicken breasts split
Combine onion, garlic, soy sauce, oil, wine, and honey; mix well. Arrange chicken in shallow baking dish; pour sauce over.
Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, turning several times.
Broil or grill while brushing with sauce until tender. Cook stir-fry vegetables and place on platter.
Arrange chicken breasts over top. Makes 6 servings.
*Chicken dumpling soup
2 cans of can butter biscuits
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
3 bouillon cubes
1 tsp garlic salt (optional)
3 to 4 boneless chicken breast
Boil chicken breast until done (20 minutes). While chicken is boiling, prepare dumplings.
Roll out can of biscuits on a work surface sprinkled with flour. Make them as flat at you can and check that they have a light coating of flour.
Set them aside.
When chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside to cool, saving the water in the pot that the chicken was cooked in. Skim any foam off the
surface; you want to make sure you have a good bit of water in the pot, about 3/4 full. If water has boiled off, then just add more. Bring to a boil and add 1 can of Cream of Chicken, 2tbs butter, 3 bouillon cubes, 1 tsp of garlic salt. Stir well
Over medium high heat, begin adding dumplings. Tear them into quarter size pieces and drop into the boiling water.
Hint: The less you stir the better they are, so after you add all of them, reduce the heat to medium setting, stirring only occasionally.
Add chicken back into pot, tearing into small pieces. Cook until the dumplings are soft; this usually takes 30 to 45 minutes.
I promise these are the best dumplings you will ever eat!. Enjoy!
