As the Halloween festivities come to an end, so does the sad life of your pumpkin. But wait, don’t throw it out so soon.
Here are four ways in which you can max out your pumpkin’s lifespan.
Pumpkin Soup
Tight on your budget? Trying to stay healthy to combat that fresher’s flu? Starting to miss home and need something warm and comforting to get you through? Well, here is a recipe guaranteed to solve all the above.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 2 cups water
- 1.5 cups coconut milk
- 1 pumpkin
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cumin (1/4 tsp.)
- Chili powder
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit lining a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper. Scrape out the seeds of your pumpkin (but don’t throw them away just yet), chop your pumpkin in half, drizzle the flesh with olive oil and place it face-down on the tray. Bake for 40-45 minutes. When done, peel off the skin and leave to cool. In a saucepan, add a splash of olive oil and cook the garlic and onion over medium heat until translucent. Dissolve a chicken stock cube in 2 cups of water and add to the pan, along with the coconut milk, pumpkin, salt, pepper and cumin. Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat and blend until smooth.
Wash and pat dry your pumpkin seeds, then lightly toast in a frying pan with a pinch of salt and chili powder. Garnish your soup, et voila!
*Turn up the heat: Try adding different combinations of spice to this recipe in place of/as well as the cumin. Chili powder, cinnamon and cayenne pepper all work well.
**Top tip: If you’re wanting to make this soup go further without digging deeper into your pockets, add some chopped celery and carrots to the pot when sweating off the onions and garlic.
Pumpkin seed brittle
Ingredients:
- Butter (1/4 cup)
- Light brown sugar (1/2 cup)
- Honey (1/4 cup)
- Pumpkin seeds
If you haven’t already used up your seeds in your soup, treat yourself to this sweet snack. It’s delicious to devour on its own, with a cup of coffee or even with ice cream. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease with butter. In a saucepan, melt one-fourth cup unsalted butter over medium heat, be sure not to let it burn. Stir in one-half cup light brown sugar and one-fourth cup of honey and bring to a boil. Cook without stirring until the liquid is a medium color or your thermometer reads 280 Fahrenheit (approx. six minutes). Add your pumpkin seeds and let the mixture reach 300 Fahrenheit (approx. two more minutes; the color will darken. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and cool completely. Smash it up, share it (or don’t) and enjoy!
DIY Spa
The leaves are turning, the temperature’s dropping and the Ole Miss uniform of Nike running shorts is being swapped out for pants that are actually long enough to see underneath those baggy t-shirts. Summer tans are fading as is the reassurance of the sun’s antiseptic properties to work its magic on your tired skin after that three-day bender of a weekend. Have no fear, because, fortunately for us, our other favorite orange friend can help replenish our skin with essential vitamins and protect us from the harsh cold. Best of all, you only need three ingredients to achieve this autumnal glow.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin (pureed)
- Honey (1 tbsp.)
- Fresh lemon juice (1 tsp.)
Whisk together pumpkin puree, honey (preferably raw) and lemon juice. Spread mixture evenly around your face using your fingers or a makeup brush (avoiding the eye area) and leave for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with warm water and flaunt your bright, new skin to the world.
Save it for your Thanksgiving table
This can apply to pumpkins of all shapes and sizes – no discrimination here.
For the smaller ones: Cut out a circle around the stem of your pumpkin and scoop out the flesh until about halfway down. Insert your candle of choice.
*If you have made your circle too large for your candle, wrap a string around the base of your candle until you reach the desired thickness to for it to fit comfortably inside the pumpkin.
For the larger ones: Use your pumpkin as a plant pot. Either fill the center of your hollowed-out pumpkin with a block of Styrofoam (for fake flowers) or go natural and fill with soil for your very own pumpkin patch garden. There you have it – a festive Thanksgiving centerpiece at no extra cost.
