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Pumpkin – More than Just a Jack-o-Lantern

  • April 27, 2010 10:21 am
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Autumn brings to mind thoughts of brightly colored leaves falling from trees, days growing shorter and football games at the local high school. For children, autumn means Halloween and the fun of carving jack-o-lanterns. Historically a sign of fall, pumpkins are an integral part of the season and adorn school classrooms and front porches. There is more to a pumpkin than a scary faced jack-o-lantern however. Inside each chubby, brightly colored shell lie the beginnings of many delicious and tempting dishes and desserts.

When faced with the dilemma of selecting the right pumpkin for cooking or baking, how do you know which to choose? Although perfect for the best possible jack-o-lantern, the biggest may not always be the best for cooking. Usually, smaller pumpkins have less water and more yummy pumpkin flesh and less waste.

What is the best technique for preparing a fresh pumpkin for cooking or baking? Start by slicing the pumpkin in half crosswise. Put the halves, cut side down, on a pan and bake for 45 minutes at 325 F or until tender. When the pumpkin has cooled it can be peeled and easily mashed. Most 5 pound pumpkins will give you around 4.5 to 5 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin. A pumpkin will keep for two months if refrigerated.

Here is a delicious pumpkin recipe to try at home:

3 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin

2 tbsp butter, melted

½ c firmly packed brown sugar

Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring well. Pour pumpkin mixture into a lightly greased 1 ½ qt casserole. Arrange pecan halves on top of casserole. Combine brown sugar and syrup in a small saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture reaches a boil. Cool slightly. Spoon glaze evenly over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 40 minutes. Serves 6.

Pumpkin – More than Just a Jack-o-Lantern

Ideas For a Family Halloween Pumpkin Patch Party

  • April 25, 2010 4:21 am

Take Halloween one step beyond trick or treating and the pre-school parade by planning a family Halloween party. There are tons of Halloween adventures like Haunted Houses for the kids when they get a bit older, so why not start your own adventure for your little ones. Plan a Pumpkin Patch Carnival for them as well as their parents, your friends and family. It could be almost a mini-Oktoberfest for the adults with fun and games for the kids. This is not an expensive proposition…plan to have it at home

Turn your backyard into a “Halloween Midway of Fun” with lots of games, activities and prizes for the kids and great camaraderie for the adults. Plan a series of game stations around your yard, just like a carnival. Organize with it with your friends. Maybe you have some that will be game to wear costumes and serve as the “carnival barkers”. You can decide if you want them to wear their costumes, depending on the games you plan.

Have a “Halloween Hut” set up for all the food. Surely a couple of your guests will volunteer to grill burgers and dogs. Have them served up with bags of chips or crackers, a box of juice or bottle of water served up in a plastic pumpkin. You can find them at the dollar store without breaking the bank. You can set up little picnic tables or simply set out some blankets on the yard. You may want to have soda and beer for the adults. A big veggie platter would also be great for both the kids and adults! If you want to spend some money, you could rent a popcorn machine or a cotton candy maker too.

Go to the local market and buy enough small pumpkins for all the kids, plus a couple of extras. Next hide them all over the yard before everyone arrives. Depending on the age group, they can hunt on their own or go along with Mom or Dad. What is the reason for the extras? You want to make sure everyone finds one. The last thing you need is one sad tot who can’t find a pumpkin and you can’t remember where in the yard you hid them all!

A pumpkin decorating station is another possibility. You could use paint, but realize you risk certain disaster for one of them if they are in costume. Paint markers would be safer alternatives. I have even seen some pumpkin decorating kits with stickers at the craft stores. Another alternatives would be letting a couple of crafty friends carve them into Jack O Lanterns!

There are great Halloween music CD’s that you could play for some background ambiance, but I think with all the laughter and excitement the music may be drowned out. The easy part about this party is that your house and /or yard will already be decorated for the season! Halloween party invitations are abundant, so find ones you like or even make your own on the computer. There are lots of sites with free pintables. The game stations can be Halloween versions of what you would find at carnival. When they are ready to start playing the games, they will have their “pumpkin bucket” from lunch and can begin visiting the game stations to win tickets or candy!

So start now and plan your own Halloween celebration for the little ones as well as a fun autumn afternoon for the adults! Let them expand their Halloween fun beyond trick or treating. If you need further ideas for the games and prizes, check out the Carnival party ideas at Celebration Ideas Online.

Ideas For a Family Halloween Pumpkin Patch Party

Pumpkin Cookies & Mini Painted Pumpkins Make an Appetizing …

  • April 19, 2010 7:21 am

Why is it we don’t usually think about whipping up a batch of pumpkin cookies until Halloween? I guess that’s when the pumpkins are ripe for the picking. The enticing aroma of freshly baked cookies fills your home with a warmth and coziness unlike anything else.

Here’s a great tasting recipe for Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies & Mini Painted Pumpkins Make an Appetizing …

Learn How to Create Your Own Handmade Halloween Decorations

  • April 14, 2010 3:21 pm

Each year, many individuals focus on creating handmade Halloween decorations. Many elect to do this so that they can save money, while others elect to do this simply because they enjoy creating and fashioning unique products. Creating your own handmade Halloween decorations for Halloween can be a fun and interesting task.

All it takes is a few materials, some time to work on the projects, and a little bit of creativity and you can create a fabulous set of unique decorations that are sure to make your home the highlight of all the spookynite fun festivities this year! Here, I will provide a few details on how you can create some simple handmade Halloween decorations that will spark the appeal of many!

Pumpkins are a huge hit when it comes to handmade Halloween decorations. You can take any old pumpkin and create a magnificent work of art. Many may choose to create funny looking pumpkins, while others create scary pumpkins. Then, there are some who will take a simple pumpkin and turn it into something completely different altogether! I have seen pumpkins that are painted and resemble other things besides your standard Halloween pumpkins.

You can make pumpkins look like pirates, characters from various movies and cartoons, and much more! These are excellent choices when it comes to creating decorations by hand for Halloween. Many individuals create homemade Halloween tombstones created with spray paint, Styrofoam, and other materials.

This type of decoration can add a spookynite appeal to any lawn this Halloween. It basically just takes an idea of how you want it to look, a little design, and maybe a hint of spooky fake webbing to really appeal to the sense of fear in those that pass by your home.

If you enjoy the darkness that occurs on Halloween, it is important to select items that provide a subtle hint of this spooky holiday. Many individuals elect to create Halloween candles that can be lit to entice visitors. There are many different types of molds that can be purchased to create candles of all shapes and sizes.

You can purchase molds that look like ghosts, zombies, mummies, and other scary monsters and creatures. Candles are really easy to create and can be a nice addition to the Halloween décor that you integrate into your home. Creating handmade Halloween decorations can be really entertaining – for all ages! If you are looking for something unique this Halloween, try your hand at creating it! These often make the best decorations!

Learn How to Create Your Own Handmade Halloween Decorations

Decorating Outside Your Home For Halloween (A Spooky Theme)

  • April 5, 2010 11:21 pm

For many people the best part of Halloween is being able to decorate the outside of their home. This doesn’t have to be limited to just the front yard. Decorating the backyard can create a very spooky atmosphere. You can even design a detour that will take each of your guests on a long walk that circles the backyard before leading them to the entrance. This way they get to enjoy the full benefits of your decorating efforts.

The traditional pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns make great additions when you decorate the outside of your home for Halloween. The light that these decorations give off will help your guest to see their way around and add the perfect lighting to create scary shadows that surround the other decorations. Ghost and goblins are an old favorite that can still make your guest look over their shoulder twice. Don’t be afraid to get very creative with these items. Some of the newer designs are now being made inflatable to help give them an even more lifelike appearance.

The use of a fog machine can create an illusion that can make your yard the spookiest of all. This is especially true when you litter the lawn with fake body parts and fake blood splattered all about the area. The fog just intensifies the whole spooky theme. Don’t forget about a special door bell ring that alerts you of the incoming guest with screams, howling or some other unique Halloween greeting. You can even have a host that is decked out in one of the scariest costumes around to stand outside your door to personally welcome each and every one of you Halloween guest.

Add special sound effects that will begin whenever your guest walks past a certain area. You can also use props that are programmed on a timer to go off at specific intervals. Spider webs are also a great decorating idea that will help you to create a spooky outdoor theme. Make sure that you don’t forget the customary black cat and maybe a witch or two sitting in the trees watching the guest wondering by. It’s just not Halloween without a few traditional items.

Decorating Outside Your Home For Halloween (A Spooky Theme)

Easy Halloween Yard Decoration Ideas

  • April 4, 2010 5:21 am

Your yard gives you the opportunity to unleash all your creativity and really think big when it comes to decorating for the favorite spooky holiday – Halloween. But that does not mean you have slave around for hours making and putting up the decorations. Here are some quick and easy ideas for decorating your yard this Halloween:

1. Scarecrows set the mood. Purchase or make a scarecrow and display it in your yard. Make him stand in the center on in a corner or make him sit on a bench, on the steps or on the fence.

2. Wreaths make the yard look very pretty. Choose from grapevine wreaths or black and orange Halloween wreaths to suit your tastes and decorate walls and front door by hanging them.

3. Use pumpkins in every place for an instant ‘Halloween’ touch. Place them on the steps, porch railing and benches or grouped together in unexpected places. When grouping together, mix all shapes, sizes and colors.

4. Gourds are another natural decoration for yards for Halloween. String them to make garlands for fences or place them in baskets.

5. Witches and brooms make for great decorations. Make a purchased or made witch sit on the branch of a tree or on a bench. You can also simply use the broom near the tree or at the front steps and add a sign that ‘The Witch is Up There’ or ‘The Witch is in’.

6. Garden stakes come in various designs for Halloween. Choose ghosts, witches, pumpkins or whatever else fits your theme and choice. They are great scene setters and look especially pretty when placed between plants.

7. Nature’s own decorations can provide fall colors to your décor. Use lots of potted annuals like mums, begonias, dahlias etc. to decorate your yard. You can also use things like fall foliage, dried flowers, seed heads, hay bales etc.

8. Lastly, make a clear pathway for the trick-or-treaters to come in to your front door. Add ropes along the sides or use luminarias to keep them from trampling your plants or flowerbeds.

Easy Halloween Yard Decoration Ideas