She awoke; startled,
from her nightmares. Behind her she
heard the steady whir of a fan. The room was dark. Lying next to her, in the bed, was an old
man. He was asleep and snoring loudly. She did not know this
man. She was not afraid, but she wondered why he was there. His
hair was gray and thinning on top. There was a slight bald spot beginning
to form. He had a pleasant face, but it was showing the early lines of
time etched beside his eyes and in the furrow of his brow. Each time he
snored he would gasp for air and stop breathing. She wondered if he would
take another breath, but after a few seconds he would wheeze and loudly draw in
his next gulp of fortifying air. What did he want? Why had he crept into the place where her
husband once slept? She considered placing a pillow gently over his face,
but did not dare wake him. Momentarily, she considered trying to get up
and sneak away, but knew she could never be quiet enough. Surely she
would wake him if the bed jostled. Instead of trying to escape she
laying there watching him, wondering where he had come from. How he had gotten there? She watched as once again he gasped for air,
licked his dry lips, and turned his back on her. They had been married twenty-four years, but
she did not know this man.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
My Perfect Pumpkin Seed Recipe
When my four children were young; I was a stay at home mom, and with only one income for six people we could not afford to waste any money. Each year at Halloween the children would look forward to carving their own scary pumpkin. However, I would look at the mountain of seeds and think what a waste it was to just throw a nutritious snack in the trash. Finally one year; I looked up several recipes on the internet, but they were all so different I was not sure which to choose. In the end, we selected three different recipes, but with the help of my four daughters we have altered them over the years into the perfect combination.
To start you need several large pumpkins and children willing to stick their hands into the cold, slimy goo. I recommend laying out several layers of old newspaper on an outside patio table. Once the pumpkins are carved and the seed have been harvested; you might want to convince them to help you separate the seeds from the mound of stringy pulp. It is easiest to collect the seeds in a colander. Once the seeds are separated and the remaining pulp is discarded, then the real fun begins.
The next step is to boil the seeds, You can rinse the seeds in the colander, but that is completely unnecessary. Pour six cups of water and three tablespoons of salt into a 2 quart pot, then add the seeds. I like to stir them with my gravy whisk which grabs all of the excess pulp strings that are left over. Continue stirring slowly, while bringing the water to a slow boil. Boiling will take about 20 minutes depending on the volume of water and the temperature, do not worry if it takes longer or less. When the seeds are almost ready the water may turn a frothy orange, but that is perfectly normal. You will know they are done when they begin to turn a dull grey color and drop to the bottom of the pot. Remove them from the heat once the color changes on a majority of the seeds. There may still be some that remain floating, but when you see most of the seeds begin to drop they are done. Drain them in the strainer and shake them out. You can lay them out on cookie sheets, but hopefully at this point you have about six cups of prepared pumpkin seeds. I personally like to lay out a couple of pieces of wax paper, about a yard in length each, on my kitchen counter. Once the seeds are drained I spread them out on the wax paper to dry overnight. You will need to stir and turn them a couple of times during the drying process.
You can bake the seeds the following day or the day after if you are busy. I would not let them dry longer, as you may risk mildew forming and all of your work will be lost. If the weather is damp you can place the seeds on cookie sheets on your stove top and turn on the oven to the lowest setting with the oven door open. The heat will help to dry the seeds, but be careful to keep the room ventilated to prevent any health risks. Once you are ready to bake, you will need a deep sided baking sheet and you will want to preheat your oven to 300 degrees (optional: 325 degrees). In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl slowly melt three to four Tablespoons of real butter. Do this ten seconds at a time, in your microwave. Stir the butter between each interval until it is melted. You might opt to do this on the stove, but be careful the butter does not brown. When the butter is completely liquefied pour the dried seeds into the bowl and stir them until they are completely coated, You do not want them dripping, but to just have a moist texture. If you have nice large seeds there should be just barely enough to do the job. If you have any excess butter pour that off now. Spread the seeds evenly over the cookie sheet. They may over lap, but it is best to have a single layer. for one half of the pan sprinkle one teaspoon of salt over the seeds and stir them a little more to distribute the salt. I sometimes draw a dividing line with my spatula. For the other half mix one Tablespoon of sugar with one teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix (optional: cinnamon or even half of each) and sprinkle the mixture over the remaining seeds. If a little of the sugar mixture coats the salted seeds it will be okay. Those are often the favorite ones. Stir the sugared seeds and you are ready to bake. (Optional: If you prefer you can use two bowls for the butter and mix the salt or sugar and spices on the seeds in the bowls before spreading them onto the cookie sheets. This methods coats better but requires extra clean-up). Put your seeds in the oven for about 45 minutes (Optional 325 degree: 40 minutes); making sure to stir and turn each side about halfway through the baking process. Towards the end and after you take them out you may hear the shells making a quiet crackling noise, if you do you will know they will be crisp and yummy.
When you take them out of the oven allow them to cool, and turning them with a spatula will speed this process along. If your family is anything like mine; you will have a line of little Kilroy-like noses lining the kitchen counter waiting impatiently for the cooling process. Pour the flavors into two bowls and watch to see which one disappears first. At our house it is usually the pumpkin spice, but we have decided it is just because K#- likes them the best. One thing they all agree on is that I never seem to make enough and should make more next year.
Original Toasted:
1.5 C Seeds
2 t Butter
1 pinch Salt
Original Cinnamon:
1.5 C Seeds
3 T Butter
2 T Sugar
1 t Ground Cinnamon
0.25 t Salt
To start you need several large pumpkins and children willing to stick their hands into the cold, slimy goo. I recommend laying out several layers of old newspaper on an outside patio table. Once the pumpkins are carved and the seed have been harvested; you might want to convince them to help you separate the seeds from the mound of stringy pulp. It is easiest to collect the seeds in a colander. Once the seeds are separated and the remaining pulp is discarded, then the real fun begins.
The next step is to boil the seeds, You can rinse the seeds in the colander, but that is completely unnecessary. Pour six cups of water and three tablespoons of salt into a 2 quart pot, then add the seeds. I like to stir them with my gravy whisk which grabs all of the excess pulp strings that are left over. Continue stirring slowly, while bringing the water to a slow boil. Boiling will take about 20 minutes depending on the volume of water and the temperature, do not worry if it takes longer or less. When the seeds are almost ready the water may turn a frothy orange, but that is perfectly normal. You will know they are done when they begin to turn a dull grey color and drop to the bottom of the pot. Remove them from the heat once the color changes on a majority of the seeds. There may still be some that remain floating, but when you see most of the seeds begin to drop they are done. Drain them in the strainer and shake them out. You can lay them out on cookie sheets, but hopefully at this point you have about six cups of prepared pumpkin seeds. I personally like to lay out a couple of pieces of wax paper, about a yard in length each, on my kitchen counter. Once the seeds are drained I spread them out on the wax paper to dry overnight. You will need to stir and turn them a couple of times during the drying process.
You can bake the seeds the following day or the day after if you are busy. I would not let them dry longer, as you may risk mildew forming and all of your work will be lost. If the weather is damp you can place the seeds on cookie sheets on your stove top and turn on the oven to the lowest setting with the oven door open. The heat will help to dry the seeds, but be careful to keep the room ventilated to prevent any health risks. Once you are ready to bake, you will need a deep sided baking sheet and you will want to preheat your oven to 300 degrees (optional: 325 degrees). In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl slowly melt three to four Tablespoons of real butter. Do this ten seconds at a time, in your microwave. Stir the butter between each interval until it is melted. You might opt to do this on the stove, but be careful the butter does not brown. When the butter is completely liquefied pour the dried seeds into the bowl and stir them until they are completely coated, You do not want them dripping, but to just have a moist texture. If you have nice large seeds there should be just barely enough to do the job. If you have any excess butter pour that off now. Spread the seeds evenly over the cookie sheet. They may over lap, but it is best to have a single layer. for one half of the pan sprinkle one teaspoon of salt over the seeds and stir them a little more to distribute the salt. I sometimes draw a dividing line with my spatula. For the other half mix one Tablespoon of sugar with one teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix (optional: cinnamon or even half of each) and sprinkle the mixture over the remaining seeds. If a little of the sugar mixture coats the salted seeds it will be okay. Those are often the favorite ones. Stir the sugared seeds and you are ready to bake. (Optional: If you prefer you can use two bowls for the butter and mix the salt or sugar and spices on the seeds in the bowls before spreading them onto the cookie sheets. This methods coats better but requires extra clean-up). Put your seeds in the oven for about 45 minutes (Optional 325 degree: 40 minutes); making sure to stir and turn each side about halfway through the baking process. Towards the end and after you take them out you may hear the shells making a quiet crackling noise, if you do you will know they will be crisp and yummy.
When you take them out of the oven allow them to cool, and turning them with a spatula will speed this process along. If your family is anything like mine; you will have a line of little Kilroy-like noses lining the kitchen counter waiting impatiently for the cooling process. Pour the flavors into two bowls and watch to see which one disappears first. At our house it is usually the pumpkin spice, but we have decided it is just because K#- likes them the best. One thing they all agree on is that I never seem to make enough and should make more next year.
Original Toasted:
1.5 C Seeds
2 t Butter
1 pinch Salt
Original Cinnamon:
1.5 C Seeds
3 T Butter
2 T Sugar
1 t Ground Cinnamon
0.25 t Salt
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