Darn pumpkins

[Kaz]

[miasmum]

We just don't open the door, simple

[Weka]

Wm. Try roasting the pumpkin then blend it with some cream, shed loads of Parmesan and lastly pine nuts. Pour over gnocchi Delish.


Pumpkin and sweet potato or kumera as the purple one is known here is a staple in the kiwi pantry.


Just remember always roast, never boil. Bluergh

[meriad]

Wm. Try roasting the pumpkin then blend it with some cream, shed loads of Parmesan and lastly pine nuts. Pour over gnocchi Delish.

Oooh, I may just try that Weka - that sounds delicious; I love pumpkin and all the squash family and have two left over because I ran out of time to carve them.

As for trick or treating - besides the fact that I wasn't home on Saturday, I always have a notice up saying no trick or treat and I deactivate the doorbell. And not because I'm a bah humbug - I actually quite like the dress up and the effort some kids make; but the ringing of the door bell / knocking on the door really freaks out the cats. It's tough enough on them with all the fireworks I have no control over so if I can take this bit of stress away from them then great.

[debih]

Cor - what a bunch of miseries.

I love seeing all the littlies dressed up.

But I suppose we are quite lucky here that we don't get random children knocking on the door. We know that we will get all the village kids (all the ones at primary school and below, being herded by various older siblings and parents) en masse just once. There is usually around 30 of them all dressed up and singing some strange Halloween song that has been passed down (I remember ours singing the same song - something that someone once made up and now has become an annual thing). They demolish a big box of Celebrations, make spooky noises and then head on to the next house on their hit list.

They only go to the houses that are expecting them. They usually call into the pubs too but didn't this year as it was the last night of the illuminations so the "strip" of the village where all the shops and pubs are was packed. One pub kept a corner cordoned off for them to have their usual after trick or treating feast.

And as for pumpkins - roast the pumpkin seeds and make soup from the flesh.

[TheOstrich]

Cor - what a bunch of miseries .......
But I suppose we are quite lucky here that we don't get random children knocking on the door......

And that is the difference between living where you do, debih, and on an urban estate where we do. Roaming unsupervised groups (including 3 older teenage girls last Saturday), and even where groups are supervised, the parents and children are not from our street and complete strangers to us.

Where you live, you have a "community", which is great. We know what it's like from our time in the south-west. But you're a million miles off a "community" in this particular neck of the Birmingham commuter-belt urban woods, I'm afraid. "Communities" don't work round here. Backalong, we couldn't even drum up enough support or interest to start a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme .....

Which is why I wouldn't at all mind moving back to a more rural town!

[saundra]

It makes a difference being elderly I hate that word
And on your own the on ok y thing I don't like is Halloween
I saw some pics of Lilly at a party they all looked scared and not very interested I mean what kid wants to eat eyeballs and there parents drip p in g blood

[Suff]

I have politely eaten just enough couscous to not appear rude; I have tried a few recipes said to be 'delicious'...enough's enough. They're not fooling me any more with their bottom-of-the-birdcage packaged and labelled for human consumption

Everybody who comes from Britain says the same thing about couscous when they come to France. The French use it in two ways, one is in side salad type dishes often mixed with meat and always in some kind of flavoured dressing which has been absorbed into the couscous. Most of it is wonderful, there is the occasional one I don't like but that's mainly down to what the couscous is in, not the couscous itself which is basically pretty bland.

The second way the French use it is for North African Tajine dishes. Then the couscous is generally served plain but the Tajine should have a lot of liquid with it. When you ladle it out the couscous absorbs the liquid and, if the Tajine is good, tastes wonderful. Plain couscous prepared with nothing on it is truly awful. But, again, it's not actually supposed to be eaten that way.

Most people who come to us in France say they don't like couscous. Almost all of them who leave go home looking for Taboule or with recipies for making it....

We had guests round Saturday night and Mrs S had cooked chicken and quince tajine that was absolutely wonderful. The couscous absorbed all the liquid and tasted as good as everything else...

Pumpkins, wouldn't thank you for them but they do make a failry good spicy soup. Sweet Potatoes? Nectar of the gods....

Halloween? A disease that children love and grumpy old men hate....

[debih]

I love couscous!!!!

[Workingman]

I love couscous!!!!

If it is boiled down long enough in plenty of water till the lumps disappear it makes an excellent wallpaper paste.