Waste Not, Want Not - The Dual Purpose Pumpkin

Do you remember the beautiful pumpkin that we got a couple weeks ago?  Well, yesterday we I finally got around to carving it.  We looked through the templates from the pumpkin carving kit I bought, on clearance after Halloween last year, and finally decided on one.

I cut a lid in the pumpkin and removed the seeds and strings.  Then I proceeded to scrape as much flesh as I could from the inside of the pumpkin.  You see, this had to be a dual purpose pumpkin........not just a decoration but an ingredient that will be put to work in the baked goods of our future.

Madison and Connor sat there with me as I pulled the slimy mess out of the pumpkin,  commenting on how disgusting it was and insisting that I get none of it near them.  After I had finished cleaning it out, I had a small bowl of garbage and a large bowl of pumpkin flesh to be cooked and pureed.  The seeds go in the trash bowl because I roasted them last year and no one ate them!

I took the template and taped it onto the front of the pumpkin (Connor had already lost interest at this point and  had disappeared to his room).  Then I proceeded to transfer the pattern with the pounce wheel.  At this point Madison said in a frustrated voice, "Mommy, why don't you just do it really quick?"  I replied, "Because this is detail work and it needs to be done accurately.  Something that is worth doing, is worth doing right!"  She then said, "Oh.........I'm gonna go play with my toys." and disappeared.

So there I sat, carving a pumpkin all by myself.  NICE!  Happy Fricken Halloween!

After several hours of work, my masterpiece was finally done!  I was happy with the results and the kids were thrilled!

I then prepared my pumpkin flesh and got quite a lot of puree out of it.

I took a break and went online to catch up on "stuff".  I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Cream Frosting, thanks to my fellow writer, William Odell at Upstate SC Grub Hub.  I was already thinking of making a spice cake, so this frosting recipe was perfect!

I made my cake, prepared the frosting and voila!

OK, so it's not the most beautiful cake but it sure is yummy!

I have about two cups of pumpkin puree left over and the possibilities for it are endless!

If you are looking for ways to use up your pumpkin scrapings click here for some ideas.