Scar Faced Pumpkin

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I absolutely love Halloween. For us it is just fun non stressful holiday that provides tons of opportunities for our family to hang out together in the beautiful autumn weather. For me a Halloween celebration should always begin with an afternoon to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. My husband and I have made it a tradition of ours to participate in this wonderful fall festivity each year, and we always have a great time, but this year was especially fun because we were able to share the experience with our two year old son. Although he is still a bit too young to understand or get excited about the whole Halloween experience, he had a blast running around like wild eating popcorn and drinking apple cider. The corn maze was especially exciting for him, as peekaboo is one of his favorite games, although I have to admit I was a bit of a mess constantly worrying about losing him among the rows of corn. Another huge bonus of the pumpkin patch, is it is a great place to take some amazing family pictures. And the end of the day we left with an extremely tired little boy and a great hand picked pumpkin for carving, and hence the birth of pumpkin scar face.

Once my husband and I saw this beautiful colored, perfectly shaped pumpkin with a giant scar running down the front of it, we immediately saw the potential for a completely unique and grotesque jack-o-lantern.

I had been excited all month about sharing the pumpkin carving experience with my son. But to my disappointment, Sebastian wanted nothing to do with the gooey contents inside the pumpkin. I have to admit that I was somewhat amazed that my son, a boy whose curiosity seemed to know no boundaries, was not even tempted by the insides of a pumpkin. One touch of the slimy guts and seeds seemed to be enough for him and he focused his attention instead to poking and writing on the pumpkin with a pencil.

Despite Sebastian's disinterest in the evenings activities it was a wonderful family evening. Homemade beef stew and pumpkin spiced muffins provided us with necessary sustenance to carry on with our carving duties, and were the perfect compliment to a great October evening.

Beef Stew Recipe
This is a great recipe if you are looking for the traditional comfort food style of beef stew, making it well worth the effort.

Vegetable oil, for searing
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into 6ths
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, or to cover
10 cups cold water, or chicken or beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
6 sprigs parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 1/4 pounds medium red potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
7 canned whole, peeled tomatoes, lightly crushed
2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, or to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat (a dutch oven is really the way to go, but if you do not have one, a large pot will work as well.) Pour in enough oil to fill the pan about 1/4-inch deep. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Saute half the meat, uncovered, stirring only occasionally, until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef. Discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Return the pot to the stove and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Add the reserved beef and scatter the flour over the vegetable and beef mixture (enough to lightly coat) and cook stirring until lightly toasted. Add the water or broth, and bring to a simmer. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with a piece of kitchen twine and add the bundle to the pot. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook the meat until just tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (This can also be done on the stove at a low simmer.)

Remove pot from the oven. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid with a spoon or ladle. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.

If you are still unsure about your ability to create an amazing stew for your family, here are some helpful tips from cooking light on how to make Simply Wonderful Stews.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins
These muffins are a fall favorite at my home and are great way to finish a meal.

1 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 2/3 c. flour
1 c. chopped nuts, if desired
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, buttermilk, and eggs. Beat together for 1 minute. Add flour, spices, soda, and salt together. Stir into pumpkin mixture and mix thoroughly until mixture is moistened. Don't over stir. Fold in nuts. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Pour batter into cups filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve while still warm. For added sweetness frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.