A Beautiful Indian Summer

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I especially love the beautiful red trees. To enjoy the day, we took Madison to the park.

Madison is our granddaughters. Really she is our niece, but we concider her our grandaughter. She calls us Momaw and Popaw. She is a sweetheart and a joy.

We decided to take our Bible study to the park too. What better way to enjoy God's word than to enjoy it while being surrounded with all of His creations and beauty.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" Phill 4:13

A visit to the Pumpkin House!

The Pumpkin House has become a Kenova, WVa tradition. Mr. Ric Griffith transforms his home every October to "The Pumpkin House", boosting a total of 3,000 carved pumpkins!

"How does he do it"?, you may ask. It has become a community affair. Volunteers help carve out the massive amout of pumpkins. Can you imagine all the pumpkin seeds!

He incorporates a Biblical theme into his displays. This is my husband, Jeff, and Madison standing by Noah's Arc.

This is a wall of 'musical instrument' pumpkins. They light up with the rhythum of the music. The Pirates of the Caribbean theme music was playing. It was awesome.

Do you have a special event or place where you live? What's your favorite thing to do this time of year?

One of my favorite things to do is Roast Pumpkin Seeds!

A few of my favorite pumpkin seed recipes:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Garlic salt

Clean pumpkin seeds, and drain. Let air dry or place them on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 250 degrees for about 15 min. Place seeds in bowl.
Melt the butter and combine with the Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture over seeds and mix well.
Return seeds to cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn them over with a spatula. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Then bake for another 30 minutes or until crunchy.

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Pumpkin Seed Brittle

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup fresh pumpkin seeds

Clean pumpkin seeds and drain well, let dry.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and grease with extra butter or spray Pam.

Melt ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir in sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a boil.
Stir constantly for 5 to 8 minutes until mixture reaches 280 on a candy thermometer. (Stir constantly to assure edges of pan will not burn)

Stir in pumpkin seeds.
Pour mixture quickly into prepared pan, if necessary spread with back of a greased spoon.
Let cool completely until hardened. Break into pieces as desired.

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Toasty Pumpkin Seeds


Pumpkin seeds, fresh
Cooking spray, olive oil, or butter
Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, (or other seasoning of choice)

Clean pumpkin seeds and drain.

Spread out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray or line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.

Toss seeds in olive oil, butter, or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with your seasonings of choice and toss to coat.

Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

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Gourmet Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

2 teaspoons melted butter or vegetable oil dash of salt, to taste

And/Or: Recommended Seasonings (Optional), to taste

Garlic powder or Garlic salt
Onion powder
Chili powder
Seasoned salt
Mrs. Dash, salt free blend
Red pepper
Black pepper, fresh ground
Cayenne pepper
Fresh ground black pepper
Soy sauce
Powdered Cheddar cheese (comes in Mac & Cheese)

Cajun seasoning

Mexican style seasoning

Italian seasoning
Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 300º F.

Clean off pumpkin seeds. Its OK if they have a small amount of pulp left on them.

Place pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or vegetable oil.

Add your seasonings of choice. Toss to mix.

Spread seeds in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet. (or spray with Pam)

Bake for about 30 min., stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a cooling rack.

ENJOY!