A Halloween Extravaganza

Each year, Halloween brings new excitement and thrill to my house. I love preparing for the spooky holiday! By far, carving pumpkins is one of my favorite activities. My Uncle came to our house last weekend for a pumpkin-carving marathon. We got to carve four large pumpkins while grooving to Halloween tunes, letting creativeness take over. I was delighted by the outcome of our crazy, kooky creatures. Each face was such a unique being, perfect for Halloween night!

Removing the guts of the pumpkins; it was quite a lengthy process!

 

 

Meet Mr. Hyde, my creation! I enjoyed making the HUGE round eyes. (:

They lit up so well!

 

My brother's masterpiece. What a big mouth this guy has...

And a pointy tooth!

 

My dad joined in on the fun and carved a pumpkin of his own.

He was laughing the whole night! It was a time of such glee.

My Uncle's handiwork! He based his pumpkin face off of Mr. Kool-Aid (:

I think it turned out amazingly! The hairs on his head make me smile. 

 

All members of the Lindbloom pumpkin family lined up, ready to scare.

 

A lovely bunch, aren't they?

 

 

After we carved the pumpkins, we lit them on our front porch with my Lingonberry scented candles from IKEA. They smelled delightful!

 

 

Lighting the way for trick-or-treaters!

 

 

 

About three years ago, I started what is now a tradition within my family: after carving pumpkins, roast the seeds! I couldn't bear to see all of those bundles of tasty-ness go to waste. This Halloween, I made Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds for my family, and they were a huge hit. 

 

  First, I separated the seeds from the orange goo from the pumpkins and rinsed the them thoroughly. I patted them with a paper towel, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and let them dry completely.

 

Seeds: drying process! (:

After the seeds are dry, I preheated the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, drizzled melted butter over the seeds, and sprinkled garlic salt on top. They were in the oven for a total of 45 minutes. I flipped them halfway through their baking time.

 



A picture of the seeds right out of the oven!

In my opinion, the seeds taste the best right after being roasted,

while they are still warm (:

 

Yum! A perfect snack.

 

I'm so glad to have engaged in these special Halloween festivities! I had a lovely time with my family and friends. The trick-or-treaters were great to see, and the houses in my neighborhood were exquisitely decorated as well. I'm highly anticipating what November has in store!

 

~Emily