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🍂National Pumpkin Seed Day 2005🍂
This Hump 🐪 Day finds us in a new –ber month, celebrating National Pumpkin Seed Day. Personally, I prefer pepitas (shelled) to pumpkin seeds (unshelled). They go great on ice cream or in your oatmeal for a tasty punch of seasonal protein.
🍂aka Pepitas🍂
Also known as pepitas, pumpkin seeds are a tasty, healthy snack that is easy to make. You can even use the seeds you scoop out of your jack-o’-lantern for this pumpkin seeds recipe. Simply roast them and toss with ground cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne. Sweeten the seeds with a touch of honey and roast again for maximum flavor and crunch. ~Martha Stewart
I’m a big fan of pepitas as a snack or as an addition to a snack mix.
In the shell, I find them a bit too chewy. For me, the tasteless hull erases the delicious seed flavor.
Released from its shell, the lovely green seed brings flavor, crunch, protein and substance.
As with most things, I’m willing to pay extra for professionals to do the difficult part.
I know there’s an allegedly “easy” way to free the pepita from its chewy, flavorless hull, but that’s a bit too much like work when I can simply purchase them in a ready-to-eat package.
Yes, 21st Century problems, but still.
I’m privileged to live in a society where you can just go to the store (brick & mortar or virtual) and get shelled pumpkin 🎃 seeds.
I’m also privileged to be at the beginning of my annual No Monday Policy.
What’s that?
I have a standing (and manager-approved) schedule of long weekends to facilitate completion of my annual Holiday Season Serial Romances.
From October through the end of the year, I schedule every Monday off as an ongoing writer’s retreat.
It’s every bit as sweet as a handful of tasty green pepitas or some spicy…
🍂Autumnal Crunch🍂
How to Make Granola Mix With Pumpkins Seeds & Almonds : Healthy & Tasty Recipes
Mmm, Pumpkin 🎃 Spice 🥣 Granola…
There’s a video to make some DIY stuff. That’s certainly great if you’ve got some pumpkins that you’ve converted to Jack-o’-lanterns, and you don’t want to waste all the free seeds.
As I mentioned above, I like to put pepitas on my ice cream as part of a tasty sundae.
I sometimes mix them with shelled sunflower seeds, Craisins and slivered almonds to make a stress-eating-at-work blend.
One way or another, they add to the rich flavors of my favorite season.
Now that it’s finally, actually, officially 🍂Autumn🍂, I can enjoy the splendid flavors and scents of the final quarter of the year.
🍂Cozy Meals🍂
Pumpkin seeds add a satisfying crunch to fall salads and cozy meals such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin chili, and creamy pumpkin risotto. ~Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
Yes, we are gloriously nestled into 🍁🧸☕ Cozy Season ☺️🥧🍂 and I’m totally here for it.
Unfortunately, the actual forecast doesn’t match the long-range forecast that I saw a while back.
In fact, I’m seeing entirely too much of the number 80 in the forecast on my phone.
🍂Bah Humbug!🍂
I don’t go for this 🌞 Indian Summer 🔥 nonsense.
4Q is supposed to be chilly and scrumptious and cozy for crying out loud!
How am I supposed to get into the Christmas spirit to write 💡🎄🌟 Goodness & Lights 🌟🎄💡 if it’s not comfortably 🍂Autumnal🍂?
Well, fortunately, I can do that despite the unseasonable weather. I’ve already got the first draft of two of this year’s thirty-eight episodes completed.
I may actually (knock on wood) have the thing done and scheduled by the time 🦃 Thanksgiving Day 🥧 rolls around.
I’ve got a ton of work and a variety of personal projects to attend to in the midst of all the writing, but I’m planning to take the No Monday Policy period to slow down and experience 🍁🧸☕ Cozy Season ☺️🥧🍂 in all its cozy glory this year.
I felt so rushed last year that I essentially missed Christmas. That’s irksome and will not be repeated this year.
The whole point of my No Monday Policy is to help me slow down and really appreciate my two favorite seasons (🍂Autumn🍂 and Christmas).
Last year was an unpleasant blur. I barely got The Lights of Pine Hollow done in time, but I still haven’t published the paperback. Consider that one of the aforementioned personal projects.
I also ran into a weird situation on KDP. They list Kindle editions of my books, but I never authorized that.
The wrong Carol’s Christmas was displayed in the list of unauthorized Kindle editions, so I finally got that fixed.
Little by little, everything will get done. I will breathe deep and have a Pumpkin 🎃 Spice 🥤 Latte to tide me over til Christmastime.
That’s all for today. See you back on Saturday for cinnamon buns…