The Carving Calling

It happens almost every year. I get over whelmed by the urge to hack into helpless pumpkins and turn them into luminous globes of eerie visions. So I put aside my pumpkin cooking craziness for now (it will return after Halloween), and get out the weapons of creation - large and small knives, tape, paper, markers, candles, and scoops.

My collection of pumpkins is very varied this year - large round traditional orange pumpkins, a green pumpkin, a few smaller white pumpkins, cheese pumpkins, more-gourd-than-pumpkin pumpkins, and a few grey heirlooms. The main trick for the past few days has been to beat off the danged squirrels. But with Halloween just a few days away, it's time for the carving to commence.

I am not overly artistically inclined. Mixing herbal and skin care preparations is one thing. But I can't draw. Lazy daisies are about the extent of my abilities. Luckily, carved creations are guided by stencils and patterns gathered from years of collecting and a few choice websites. I'll share those in a moment.

Many sites give carving tips and guidelines. They all offer similar and wise advise - cleaning and saving your pumpkin, how to use patterns, etc. If you're new to pumpkin carving, take some time to scan a few. But there is only one true way to learn about carving - just do it!

Whether it's a traditional pumpkin face or an elaborate carved and sculpted combination it doesn't matter. Grab some weaponry and have at it.

When I was younger, I always did the pumpkin face variations. Not much more than that. Then I discovered Pumpkin Masters and the world opened up. The tools are very good (although some of the fine saws are a little flimsy if you have a particularly thick skinned subject). They have an excellent assortment of patterns.

I've tried extreme to simple patterns and even done some mix and matching. I have also cut through pieces that weren't supposed to be cut through or lost my place and mangled some images something terrible. It's Halloween for goodness sake - gruesome works! If it's that badly botched, just grab a fake hand or some other prop and stick it into the pumpkin to cover up the oops.

This year I discovered The Pumpkin Wizard. Although it is a membership site, their fee is basically the same as a carving book would cost. And they have some excellent tips and fantastic patterns.

I've also found Pumpkin Carving 101 to have some excellent tips for preserving and burial and all around pumpkin carving advice.

Tonight I take another pumpkin and let my Halloween spirit flow. Be brave and take a stab at pumpkin carving and bring out your inner ghoulish artistry. It's fun and you'll be rewarded with lots of smiles.

The Colonial style Pumpkin Pudding Experiment

Well, it happened. The pumpkin fever has come over me and the experimentation has begun. I warned you.

The other day I had picked up a little sugar pumpkin, about 3.5 to 4 pounds, nicely shaped. It has been sitting on the table, reminding me that Halloween is fast approaching.

Last night was the first night of the full moon and there was a definite chill in the air. As I walked by the little pumpkin, I remembered my Colonial Pumpkin pudding recipe. Perfect! I thought, scooping up the little fellow and dashing to the kitchen.

Husband, cats and dog were wise enough to clear the way.

It didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped, but check out the recipe and results below to see for yourself.

Colonial Whole Pumpkin Pudding

• One 4 to 6 pound sugar pumpkin
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 2 tbs butter

This is the basic recipe. Usually, when I find a new recipe I stick to it the first time around. Then, if I like it enough, I'll play with it the next time to make it a little more me. I like playing with my food, but more about that another day.

Prep the pumpkin as if making a jack-o'lantern.

In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, mix all of the ingredients except the butter.

Pour into the pumpkin, careful not to over fill (that's something I learned by overfilling last night).

Top with the butter in a few pats and put the pumpkin top on.

Place in a large baking dish and place in the oven.

Bake at 350F for about 1 1/2 hours until the mixture has set.

Let stand and cool for about 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve from the pumpkin, scraping up the pumpkin meat to go along with the pudding. Should serve about 6 people.

The project wasn't a complete success. It took longer for the pudding to set then indicated. I took the top off for the last 1/2 hour and that seemed to do the trick. I did overfill which made for some spillage.

And it really wasn't very pretty....
But it was pretty yummy! Especially with some ice cream!


More experimentation to come.

Next up - carving!

It's Pirate Time! Meet us at the Toms River Pirate Festival!

We've been to Renaissance Faires,street fairs, country fairs and more. But now, Celtic Chairde Creations will be at

The Toms River Pirate Festival
Saturday, October 16 10 am to 5 pm
415 Washington Street
Toms River, NJ
Admission fee: Adults: $10, Seniors and under 18: $5, Children under 3: Free

This is going to be fun!

There will be music, pirate encampments, storytelling, arts and crafts, food, fun - and did I mention - PIRATES!

Wearing a costume is more than welcome, and there will be plenty for little poppets to do. So stop by and get into the Pirate spirit!

Welcome to Pumpkin Time!!!!

I LOVE pumpkin!!! I just love how bright and cheerful they look. Seeing them begin to populate the grocery stores and farmers markets tells me that Halloween is coming soon with all it's mystery and spooky goodness.

I guess you could say I'm a Pumpkin head - although I prefer Pumpkinaholic. I love to carve pumpkins for decoration, cook them for everything from appetizers to dips to dinner to dessert, make

Honey Pumpkin Face Mask, and just have them around to look pretty and bright.

I also enjoy experimenting with these favorite Autumn squashes. Last year I tried make pumpkin jelly, but it didn't really work. It never really jelled and had a rather slimy and gloppy consistency. It did make a great Halloween prop though!

This year, I'm going to expand my pumpkin experimentation by trying something Native Americans did with pumpkin skin. Native Americans would take the skins, cut them into strips and dry them and weave them into mats.

My other experiment will be the predecessor of pumpkin pie. During the Colonial times, they would scoop out the seeds of the pumpkin, then add milk and spices and place the whole pumpkin in the hot embers to cook. This makes a type of pudding, which is basically the filling of pumpkin pie. In fact, the Colonials used to use pumpkin mush as an ingredient in their pie shells. I don't know if I'll be that brave, but when Pumpkin fever strikes, you never know what can happen! I'll keep you posted!