Fresh pumpkin!! Easy as can be!

By Anonymous -
I love cooking a pie pumpkin and then using the puree for pie or muffins or whatever!


It's VERY easy.  I promise.  I think the hardest thing is cutting the stupid pumpkin in half!  After that, you're home free.  Truly.

Wash the pumpkin.  Cut it in half.  I *highly* recommend a serrated knife.  Be careful - these little pumpkins are hard to cut.  Note - I cheated and pulled out the electric knife and it was STILL difficult!


Scoop out all the seeds and the slimy strings.  I keep the seeds and wash them up and bake them - recipe on that soon! 

I use a heavy duty ice cream scoop to pull out the seeds and slime.  Works great.

Cut the stem off the pumpkin.

Place the pieces in a large microwaveable dish that has a cover.  Don't cut the pieces too small -- it makes it difficult to scoop out the good stuff later.

I cut mine into 3 pieces total.

Put about an inch of water in the dish.  Cover.

Microwave for 15 minutes on high.

Check to see if it's ready by sticking a fork into the pulp.  If it's soft, you're good to go! 

I had to stick mine back in for 5 more minutes on high.



Let cool, pour off any excess water from the pumpkin pieces, then start scooping out the goodies.  I used another ice cream scoop (one with the lever!) and the flesh looks delicious and smells even better.


I then let it cool completely and used an immersion blender to puree.  However, you can just mash it up with a fork - comes out just as well.



I made pumpkin muffins - and baked the pumpkin seeds.  Delish!  And so healthy :-)

Enjoy!



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