Great ‘Pumpkin’ ideas for Halloween

Halloween is getting near.

I am one of those who doesn’t spend time in cemeteries during All Saint’s Day because of my religious belief.

So I thought of giving you some ideas on how to get yourself busy yet improving your skills and creativity – of course include the fun and excitement!

Here are the three (3) Halloween ideas you can do courtesy of CountryLiving:

 Mini Pumpkin Cakes

To make the luscious desserts featured throughout, use our simple Classic Chocolate Cake recipe. You can also try substituting your favorite cake recipe, or if you're short on time, a boxed mix — one box yields 12 Mini Pumpkin Cakes, 24 Filled Chocolate Cakes, or two 8-inch-round layers.

To get the look of these single-serving pumpkin treats, trim the bottoms of cakes baked in mini Bundt pans to create a flat surface. Join two cakes so that the fluted tops are at either end, then drizzle with Chocolate or Vanilla Glaze and sprinkle with coarse colored sugar or nonpareils before the glaze sets. Top with a marzipan stem. Read the marzipan instructions at Marzipan Pumpkin Stems.

Pumpkin City

A passel of pumpkins provides the backdrop for a quaint village scene.

Step 1: Carve a hole in the bottom of each pumpkin, scoop out the pulp, and return the cut pieces. 

  
Step 2: Print out house templates. Resize on a copier, scaling the images to fit your pumpkins.

Step 3: Cut out stencils as directed on the templates and affix to pumpkins with masking tape. Trace on the designs with a felt-tip pen.

Step 4: Remove stencils, then carefully carve along the drawn lines of the houses' windows with an X-Acto knife. Fill in the designs using a fine-tip brush and black flat acrylic paint; let dry. Affix a battery-operated votive candle in the base of each pumpkin with adhesive putty.

Curried Pumpkin and Peas

Cook a pot of basmati rice as this pumpkin-and-pea curry simmers and you'll have dinner on the table in 45 minutes flat.

• 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoon(s) curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 2 pound(s) pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 360 mls low-sodium chicken broth
• 180 mls golden raisins
• 180 mls frozen baby peas
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

Heat butter in a large pan over medium-high heat, add onion, and cook until golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in curry powder, salt, and pepper. Add pumpkin and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in broth and raisins, cover, and reduce heat to medium. After 15 minutes, add peas. Replace cover and continue to cook until pumpkin and potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro.

Happy Halloween!