Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Pumpkin Patch Fun!

 

 

 

 

What better way to celebrate the fall season than a trip to the pumpkin patch!  This is exactly what both test kitchens did during the last week. Tristan (from the Arkansas test kitchen) had the pleasure of his cousin Ian from Nashville visiting to go with him. Both boys had fun feeding catfish (yes, there was a catfish pond in the middle of the pumpkin patch) and going down the large slide; but what they both really enjoyed was the hay ride and the horseback ride.

 

Meanwhile, in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we traveled to Swan's Pumpkin Farm where Sawyer got to explore a corn maze, take a hay ride, feed some goats and go on a pony ride. Just like Tristan, the pony ride was the best part of the day. Look at that big smile!

 

 

 

Of course the most important part of the pumpkin farm trip is picking out the pumpkin to take back home!  Well, that pumpkin tuned into Tristan and Dad’s first ever attempt at carving a Jack O Lantern. Sad but true, at four years old Tristan has never had a Jack O Lantern.  Dad promised him he would NEVER go without one again.

 

 

 

So, it was time to carve the pumpkin and for a first attempt, it didn't go that badly. However here are some helpful tips The Cool Dads learned:

 

 Cool Dads Pumpkin Carving Tips

 

1. Put down newspaper or garbage bags to protect your work surface.
2. Cut the top of the pumpkin at an angle; that way when you are finished it will not fall into the pumpkin- there is something there to help hold it.
3. Use a dry erase marker to mark out your cuts, this way it will wipe right off if your little one changes their mind about their pumpkin design.  Or better yet- go online and find a template and use that instead.
4. Place the pumpkin seeds and goo into a bowl to save for the recipe below.

 

 

 

 So, you have the pumpkin all emptied out, the seeds in a bowl, and the stringy, gross insides on the newspaper. Now what?

 

Cool Dads Pumpkin Seeds

 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
2. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray
3. Lightly salt the pumpkin seeds
4. Place in the oven for 45 minutes
5. Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy

 

As we get closer to the holiday season, we look forward to sharing more fun family traditions and recipes with you.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew