don't chuck the seeds!

After prepping the pumkin for the Savory Pumpkin Casserole recipe, and yanking out the slimey guts, I roasted the seeds... maryland style :)

I've posted this recipe before, but it's so good and I took some new pictures, so I am posting it again!

Maryland Style Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds from Pumpkin
Pinch of Salt
Olive Oil
Old Bay Seasoning

Soak pumpkin seeds in lightly salted water for about 2 hours.
drain and pat dry with paper towels
lightly coat in olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a foil lined pan
sprinkle on desired amount of Old Bay seasoning, coating both sides.
Bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on how crispy you like them) at 300 degrees, turning seeds every so often.

Savory Pumpkin Casserole

So with moving to a new area, I recently joined a mom's group.  One of the activities is a monthly recipe exchange where you bring a sample of the dish and copies of the recipe.  Each month has a theme, and October's theme was Pumpkin.  I decided to veer away from the sweet pumpkin recipes and try a savory dish.  I came across this recipe, took reviews advice and added my own spin. 
It was a huge hit! 

Here is the recipe:

1 (2 pound) sugar/pie pumpkin

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1tsp. Fresh sage chopped
1tsp. fresh rosemary chopped
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 oz. grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat a large (9x13) baking dish with oil or cooking spray.

2. Cut pumpkin in half, and remove seeds; cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Peel slices, and place pumpkin slices into a large bowl. Sauté sliced onion in butter mixture in a large skillet, season with salt and pepper. Add pumpkin and nutmeg once onions are soft. Stir mixture on low heat for about two minutes. Arrange in prepared baking dish.

3. Bake pumpkin in preheated oven for 30 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with milk and cheese. Add fresh sage and rosemary and a sprinkle more of nutmeg (if desired). Pour mixture over pumpkin in baking dish. In small bowl, combine panko and parmesan. Sprinkle on top. Continue baking for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

YUMMMMM

A post? A post!

Forgive me, for it's been over a year since my last post... (sounds like a Catholic Confessional). 

Let's see... what hasn't changed:
 well, we still eat.  I still (mostly) pack lunch for my kids everyday.  We still eat mostly all organic in the house.  I'm still Selfish (keep reading).

What has changed: 
we moved, my kids grew, and.. they became 'cool'.

Focused last year on getting the house on the market.  We sold it in just under three months, which in a crappy market isn't too shabby.  We then moved from way north Fort Worth to way north of Dallas.  My son is now in 4th grade and my daughter is in 1st grade.... oh, and the biggest change (as it relates to this blog) is that they both want NOTHING to do with my 'fancy schmancy' lunches.  He says it isn't cool anymore and because he thinks it isn't cool, she does too. I tried to convince her that they were, but big brother had more clout.  What's next, can't kiss them goodbye in the mornings in front of the school... oh yeah, I was forbidden to do that too.  Who makes the rules around here anyways? 

So... posts started dwindling last year when the lunches all started to look the same.   I stopped taking pictures because their lunches didn't seem to be much to look at.  Next thing I knew, months went by without any picture worthy lunches.  I couldn't blog if I didn't show lunchbox pictures, right?  Cause that was all against the rules or something. 

Then I randomly re-read my WHY post and started thinking about why I kept a blog in the first place.
It was for self centered, self serving, selfish reasons.  I wanted to keep myself in check, keep a 'picture diary' of lunches made so that I could refer back to them for ideas.  I wanted to document my journey.  So then the thinking continued... I am STILL on the Journey.  I still struggle with 'going organic in a frugal way'.  I definitely struggle with limiting prepackaged foods, cooking from scratch and keeping it creative and making things they will eat. 
So... yeah, no lunchbox picture attached to this blog post today.  But guess what?  Selfish Sarah over here (except my name is Amanda) makes the rules on this blog.  so there.   I am not sure where I want to take this blog exactly, but I am still on my journey and I still need to continue to keep myself in check.  So, since the under 10 crowd has stifled my creativity in the lunchbox.... they can't dictate the rest of the day.  So, since dinnerbox limbo, foodbox limbo, etc. etc. just don't cut it, Lunchbox Limbo can live on even if I choose to take it in a slightly different direction.

so there.

so.... dang, guess I just put pressure on myself to make a photo worthy dinner or something? 

crap.

fig peeky eyes

I have not been in 'cutesy' lunch mode lately... I did a bunch of fall themed lunches last year like this one or this or this.  But it's the halloween ones I really have fun with!  There are a whole bunch here.

I decided to skip right over the fall and do a sneak 'peek' for halloween.  I am going to try to 'sneak' in a pair of eyes with lunch each day as a countdown of sorts to halloween.  Funny thing is, I don't overly love halloween - but I love the themed lunches and it is one theme I can really have fun with!

Turkey and provolone on whole wheat tortilla, yogurt with (not so) frozen blueberries, fig 'peeky eyes' with blueberry center on a bed of walnuts, celery sticks.

morning lunch blahs

Finally put pics on my computer today... only had one lunch on there.  The last few weeks have been kinda out of routine around here - been subbing, husband was out of town for three weeks, activities for the kids started, and on and on...  
 I got into the bad habit of making lunches in the mornings while still half asleep and short on time!  This is never good.  Definitely no 'cute' lunches and rarely time to get the camera out.  Plus, after a few days, they start to all look the same...

I did manage to snap this pic along the way!

Herb salad mix ( added dressing in a container after the pic), applesauce with cinnamon, orange slices, raisin and almond mix.

baby spinach with feta and almonds, plum, veggie chips, newmans alphabet block cookies.

Goodbye summer! - strawberry rhubarb pie

Here we have ham and cheese rolls with crackers so the kids can make their own sandwiches.  I figure my two little monkeys eat with their hands anyhow.... when in Rome, right?!  Also some orange slices and a slice of their mom's kick butt homemade Strawberry Rhubarb pie. 

Our last house on the east coast had rhubarb growing rampant in a corner of the backyard. For the two years we lived in that house, I learned to make all sorts of rhubarb dishes in the summertime, but by far, our favorite was/is this pie!  We ate it all summer long - and yes, those were not our skinniest summers on record.  Some wiggle and jiggle was added to my life around that time!

Being in Texas, good rhubarb is harder to find.  But, occasionally I do -and an occasional pie isn't gonna hurt, right?!

Farewell summer strawberry/rhubarb pie - till we meet again my love!

Oh, how I love thee....

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2 ready store bought or homemade pie crust pastry for a 9 inch pie

1 teaspoon orange zest
3 cups diced rhubarb
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon white sugar for decoration

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a pie pan with bottom crust.


2.Mix together rhubarb, strawberries, orange zest, sugar, and tapioca. Spoon into crust. Roll out second crust, and place over the filling (make lattice top or cut slits in top crust) Seal the edges. Brush with milk, and sprinkle extra sugar on top.

3.Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake for an additional 35 minutes.   Let cool and enjoy!