Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Every Halloween when we were kids, we would carve pumpkins. Each of us would have our own pumpkin, so we could design our individual jack-o-lantern. Carving a pumpkin is actually hard work. This year, MDS had carving duty. And each time a knife is stuck into a pumpkin, I am reminded of the Peanuts' character, Linus, as he cries out to Lucy, "You didn't tell me you were going to kill it!" in the Halloween classic, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

As a result of all the pumpkin carving, there were loads pumpkin seeds that Mom would collect, clean and toast in the oven. Mom usually just sprinkled a little salt on them. This year, I got a little more adventurous and sprinkled the seeds with sugar and cinnamon. I must admit that I left them in the oven just a little too long, such that the seeds became a bit too caramelized, but they were still tasty.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds 

• Seeds from one pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Any seasoning, if desired

Clean the pumpkin seeds. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with the melted butter. Sprinkle on the seasoning. (Note: for the cinnamon sugar seeds, I blended 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 Tbsp. sugar with the butter before drizzling).

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, stir the seeds to allow even toasting. Enjoy!

Above is MDS carving a pumpkin this year; below is MDS and his sister and dad carving a pumpkin in 1978:

Popcorn Balls

Every Halloween, MDS's Grandma made popcorn balls that she put into special treat bags for MDS, his sister Stephanie, and cousins Zach and Chrissy. The treat bags also included full-size Snickers and Milky Ways, jawbreakers, Nerds, and loads of other candy.

I wish I had known Grandma Holmes. She was a pioneering woman in politics in Michigan. When her husband died, Grandma Holmes, with two young kids to care for, took over her husband's position as Plymouth Township Treasurer. Thus, began her twenty year political career. She was well-known and well-liked throughout her community. But, the stories about Grandma Holmes that make me laugh are the stories about her sweet tooth. I can certainty relate to her love of cookies, cake and ice cream.

MDS was not there when Grandma Holmes made the popcorn balls, but Patti remembers her Mom making these when she was a kid. The difficulty in making these popcorn balls is just how hot the sugar mix will get. There is a very short time window when the sugar-coated popcorn is cool enough to handle, but not yet set. I managed to make this recipe without burning my hands with the sugar mixture, but I did have close calls.

Popcorn Balls 

• 9 cups plain popped popcorn
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Coat a large heat-proof bowl with cooking spray and place popcorn in the bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar, and salt over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture registers 260 F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until the sugar mixture is smooth. 

Immediately drizzle the sugar mixture over the popcorn, stirring continuously with a rubber spatula. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl, where the sugar mixture may tend to pool. With buttered hands, tightly press the popcorn mixture into balls. Place on wax paper to cool, about 15 minutes. This recipe will yield about 18 small popcorn balls or 8 medium popcorn balls. Enjoy!

Pizza Bread

Here is another recipe that uses the gravy from this blog's name, the namesake recipe, spaghetti pie, and lasagna. Mom usually made this pizza bread when there was leftover gravy from a Saturday night dinner. In my house, we never have any gravy because it is a certain someone's favorite dish. So I when I made the gravy for this recipe, I had to keep that someone away until after I used what was needed in the pizza bread. Depending upon the size of the bread loaf that you use, you will probably need about 1/3 of the gravy recipe here.

For the loaf of bread, Mom would often just use a standard french loaf. For this recipe, I prefer a chewier bread instead of a crusty bread. Mom usually bought a block of mozzarella and sliced it. You could use shredded mozzarella, but by slicing the mozzarella by hand, the slices are typically thicker. When using leftover gravy, this recipe makes an easy weeknight dinner. Now, if only I ever had leftover gravy.

Pizza Bread 

• Gravy
• Loaf of bread, sliced cross-wise
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese
• grated parmesan 

Prepare the gravy using the standard recipe. You can make the gravy in advance, if needed. Spread the gravy on the open face of the bread. Top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with grated parmesan. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted. If you prefer, use the broiler function for about five minutes to brown the cheese. Enjoy!