Save Halloween Pumpkins for this Christmas-Pie Recipe

If you just bought a pumpkin for Halloween, you know that the law of supply and demand says that you could get it a lot cheaper the day after Halloween. That is great news, because you want to use those pumpkins for Christmas gifts. First, you must clean it. You will really need a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin into sections. Save the seeds for another project later in the article.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lay the pumpkin pieces with the skin down, on a cookie sheet. Bake the pieces until they are soft, about 45 minutes. Take them out and let them cool enough for you to handle them. Scrape the flesh from the skin and use either a blender or a food processor to puree. Use the pulse mode to make the puree even. Put the pumpkin puree in a freezer bag that is airtight and store it in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Store the puree in 1 cup bags. Two cups of the puree is equal to a 15 or 16 oz can of pumpkin. If you don't use it all for Christmas, it will keep about 10 months.

Store the puree in the freezer for recipes coming soon.

Make a Gift of Pumpkin Seeds in a Canister.

I hope you saved those seeds because they can become wonderful gifts for the gourmet palate, anyone's for that fact.
Clean the seeds thoroughly, and if you want them extra salty, soak them overnight in a brine made of 4 cups of water to 1/2 cup of salt. Either way they should lay on a paper towel for an hour and transfer over to wax paper overnight to dry.

Extra salt or not, you can make the seeds several ways. When using the oven method you will first toss 1 cup of the seeds in either vegetable oil or butter and sprinkle salt and a favorite spice on them, if desired. Garlic or seasoning salt is always good. Place them on a cookie sheet that has a lip or a shallow pan. Bake them in a 250 degree oven for an hour, making certain to stir and toss about every 15 minutes. Cool before storing.

The microwave doesn't take as long, but is more intense. Put 1tbs of butter in a microwavable dish, and heat the dish on high for 30 seconds. Put in 1 cup of pumpkin seeds and toss around to coat with the melted butter. Spread them evenly in the dish and microwave for 7 to 8 minutes on high, stirring every 2 minutes so they are evenly toasted. Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning as above. Cool before storing.

The skillet method requires no additional butter or oil. Preheat a large skillet over medium flame and add 1 cup of the seeds when it is hot. Stir continuously until you can see a few pop open and smell that they are cooked. Take off the heat and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. Cool before storing.

Cajun delight anyone? Combine a tablespoon of melted butter with two dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Toss 1 cup of pumpkin seeds that have been coated with 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and a little salt in the mixture. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and bake until they are crunchy, about 45 minutes to an hour. Cool before storing.

How about a sweet treat with pumpkin seeds. Melt 2 tbsp of butter and add 2 tbsp of sugar. Toss 2 cups of pumpkin seeds, 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp of allspice with the mixture. Bake at 300 degrees in a pan lined with non-stick foil for 45-60 minutes stirring frequently.

Decorate a clean container and label it with the word, "Pepitas" which is just another name for pumpkin seeds. These seeds will keep for 3 months at room temperature and one year in the refrigerator.