Pumpkins, Surgeons & Granola

One thing that makes Fall awesome is pumpkins. I love pretty much everything about them . . . except when they are rotting. That's just gross. **Side Note: When I was a kid, we used to put our pumpkins by the fireplace and one year they rotted and oozed all over the cement. I think the stain in still there. In fact, the culprit may have just been this pumpkin you see here. Good times.** I love Pumpkin Spice Lattes and this yummy, new, pumpkin granola recipe that my friend, Krista gave me and of course, pumpkin pie. But I really love to carve pumpkins and eat the pumpkin seeds, although, I never bake the pumpkin seeds myself. Actually, I really only eat them when I am at home and my mom bakes them. I don't have the patience to pull off all the pumpkin guts off the seeds.

Troy and I usually carve pumpkins every year. This can be kinda stressful because it is a lot of pressure deciding what to carve. I usually have to think about my design for a few days, followed by many hours of internet searching for the most creative design with little carving effort. Finally, I choose the prized blueprint and draw it onto my perfectly chosen pumpkin, just waiting to be transformed. Then I get my carving tools out. Generally, I give up on the crappy little pumpkin knives you buy at the store because I end up bending them (I have really big muscles); so I go right for my sleek and strong kitchen knives (that can withstand my raging biceps). Then as I begin to work, I slowly realize that my drawing was not quite as simple as I thought and I end up spending way more time on my pumpkin than I had originally intended. By the end, I have imprints and blisters on my hands from my tools and my fingertips are all pruney from the guts, but it is all worth it when you light the candle inside and then turn off all the lights! Though this is a great fire hazard, Troy and I will put our pumpkins in our room and fall asleep to their spooky glow.

You may remember from a previous blog that Troy and I are really addicted to the television show, LOST right now. One of the main characters is Jack Shepard who is a spinal surgeon. Because I usually have LOST on my mind, I was thinking today about pumpkins and Jack Shepard. Eventually the two themes became intertwined in my brain which made me wonder if surgeons feel an added amount of pressure when it comes time to carve pumpkins with their families. I mean, technically, this is their livelihood. They should be able to bust out the most complicated of designs. Not only that, they don't even need to finish the procedure with sutures, they can just leave the open cavities. I wonder if they put on scrubs and a face mask while operating on their pumpkin. I hope so. If they don't in real life, they do in my mind.

Speaking of Jack Shepard, do you think that people named Jack constantly have people commenting on their "Jack-O-Lantern" during Halloween? I bet their are a lot of spoofs with that. Kind of like when people comment to me that my name is like the Pam cooking spray. Now, that's an original one. And yes, my name is just like the Pam cooking spray because I am pretty sure there is not another spelling for "Pam."

Anywho, the main purpose of this blog was just to wonder out loud (or electronically) how surgeons feel about carving pumpkins. I am also going to add the super yummy recipe for pumpkin granola that Krista sent me because it will change your life and although you don't add crack to the recipe, it feels like it once you start eating. You won't be able to stop!


Krista's Pumpkin Granola

5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas (I use sliced almonds)

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt. Mix well.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and stir. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and stir in dried cranberries and pepitas (or almonds). Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

*Note-serve granola with yogurt, milk, or enjoy plain

LOST

Troy just got Netflix for us and we can stream movies right into our XBOX which I think is very cool and quite possibly a technological act of genius. Especially after spending so much time as a kid at Blockbuster or Orland Video picking out tangible VHS tapes by hand. I am exhausted just thinking about that. I bet our kids will marvel at that like we marvel at our parents using 8 track tapes. Anywho, we decided we wanted to get into the show, Lost, and so we have downloaded season one. I am sure that most of you reading this lowly blog are thinking, 'What cave have you just climbed out of if you are only just now watching Lost?' It's true. We jumped on the band wagon a little late considering that they are no longer filming new episodes and it first aired in 2004, but better late then never.

Saying the Troy and I are obsessed with this "new" show is probably an understatement. In the past 72 hours we have watched like thirteen or fourteen episodes and are dreaming about it every night. Last night, I dreamt I was Kate, (who by the way I think is awesome, even though she is a criminal and totally hiding something, I love her and think it would be cool to have her role) and I was running through the jungle wearing my awesome cargo pants and tank top that shows off my ripped biceps when suddenly, I woke up in my own bed next to Troy. The first thought I had was, 'I wonder if I am having a flashback?' Then I shook the cobwebs out and realized that I was in no way affiliated with the show and went back to sleep, rather disappointed, I might add.

Isn't it awesome when you get so sucked into a show like that? I love watching shows on DVD because you can stay connected with the storyline. When I lived with my friend, Krista, we became obsessed with the Gilmore Girls DVDs. We would stay up way later than we should have because one of us would look at the other and say, "one more?" and then we were zombies the next day, yet we would repeat this same process the following night. I don't think we got a good night's rest until we watched the last season, and then we were super sad that it was over.

To be honest, the only reason why I am typing this blog right now is because I am trying to kill some time before Troy gets home so we can watch the next episode of Lost. When we aren't watching it, we are talking about it and apparently dreaming about it. We are only partway through season one, so don't throw out any spoilers for us, but seriously, that show is messed up . . . . in an awesome way. Who is in the jungle? Who are The Others? Are we going to see more of that crazy French lady? What is Kate's real secret? (I think think she might have a kid.) Where is Claire? Who just up and kidnaps a pregnant lady?

OMG, I love this show. And not just because it is nice to see Matthew Fox make a successful comeback since Party of 5, but because the show is just plain awesome. Plus Jorge Garcia is super funny. Though strangely enough, I don't think he really slims down through the seasons . . . that's kinda odd considering they are on a deserted island, running constantly from the freaky things in the jungle and there is nothing to eat besides the wild boars that Locke hunts . . . hmm . . . still, I love it.