Preparing a Fresh Pumpkin

Canned pumpkin is a quick alternative to fresh but once you have fresh pumpkin the canned stuff just won't cut it. It is easy to prep a pumpkin the oven does most of the work! And here is what you have to do!

1. Cut a pumpkin in half and take out the seeds. You want just the pulp to cook so any of those little stringy things remove as well

2. Place pumpkin on baking sheet and cook at 330 for about 80 minutes, more or less depending on size. You know it is done when you can easily stick a butter knife in to the thickest part.

3. Let it cool it will be very hot and will collect steam under the skin! After the pumpkin is cooled remove the skin by peeling, it will come off very easily. Make sure you get it all off.

4. Either with a hand or stand mixer beat well until smooth and use as you would the canned stuff. So much more tasty!

pre-mixed

about half mixed

Tomato Sauce from Scratch

Okay so the only thing I didn't do here is grow the veg, but everything else was done by me and although it is a bit time consuming the results are delicious! And the crock pot does most of the work anyway, about 12 hours of it! This is a big recipe it is meant for a big gathering or to freeze and use when needed. It freezes well and is great for a quick meal!

Ingredients:

• 10 pounds of fresh tomatos, I like roma because they have less water content, but feel free to use your favorite type

• 1 red bell pepper minced

• 2 large minced purple onions

• 3 scallions chopped

• 5 to seven cloves of garlic (you can add more or less depending on your love of garlic)

• 3 12 ounce cans of tomato paste

• fresh oregano

• fresh marjorm

• fresh basil

• 1 tbsp sugar

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil water to pour over tomatos to slip the skins, this is the process of removing the skins of the tomato because they become stringy in the sauce. I use my sink and put the hot water over the tomatos and let them sit, you might hear a small pop, but you can tell when they are ready by the skins becoming loose and easy to remove.

tomatoes in water, not ready to be slipped

Next it is time to remove the skins and cut the tomato into quarters removing where the stem was attached as well.

believe it or not this part goes pretty fast!

Remove any excess water by squeezing the tomatoes and place in your crock pot on low. And now it is time to prepare your veg! Mince the onions and pepper press or mince the garlic cut the scallions and mince the fresh herbs.

some of my progress here!

Add everything but the seasoning and the tomato paste to the crock pot.

added (sorry it is dark)

About two hours in add your first can of tomato paste and then the other two about three hours later. Add the herbs and seasoning at about hour nine and do not over salt! Tomatoes love salt and will suck it up fast add a bit then stir well then taste then add more if desired. When you get the flavor you want take an immersion blender and blend to the texture wanted, I like a thicker sauce but some really like the sauce to be thin with no noticeable veg in it.

in the process of blending!

super yum!

The Halloween Munchies!

So I had a little party for Halloween and it was all vegan except for the bees wax in some of the chocolate candy I made. The centerpiece of my munchies was the cake. It was a pumpkin walnut pound cake (the skull) and a vanilla walnut cake for the base, with a vegan butter cream frosting!Here are some pictures!

before it was on its base on the table!

yum yum give me some!

I am a total slacker!

I have no excuse on why it has been so long sense I posted but I need to get back into the swing of things! I am going to start posting some pictures and not recipes yet! I have been taking a Wilton cake decorating class with a great teacher Zoe! A link to her Facebook page is here!
http://www.facebook.com/cakedecorating

And here are some of my fun designs from our classes!

cupcake day: vegan cupcakes with a vegan butter cream frosting!

This was my favorite one!

This was the base for my final cake...

This is my final! It is supposed to look like a Day of the Dead skull

I added a bunch of leaves because they are my favorite thing to make!

Thanks Zoe!