"this is halloween...this is halloween...pumpkins scream in the dead of night..."
the lil bro is living with me. it's coming up on halloween and time to carve pumpkins. as usual, he thinks he knows more than me and chooses to carve his on his own. okay mr arteest...go for it!! my pumpkin turns out like a proper jack o'lantern should...mangled teeth...triangle eyes...traditional. lil bro's? ummmmmm....it's one gigantic mouth**. really bro? that's all you got? BAM! cardinal wins the pumpkin carving contest.
FLASH FORWARD october 2009
it's my first halloween with the bk. we don't have little kids. we won't have trick~or~treaters. but we need jack o'lanterns. we could go get a kit and be all fancy. but why? we use our imaginations and artistic abilities to create our masterpieces. i go for the traditional. you can go all fancy if you want but, in my humble opinion, a classic works best. the bk decides to do the pumpkin king....jack skellington. after a small mishap with my knife, the jack o'lanterns are complete and guarding our deck.
how to carve a jack o'lantern:
#1~pick the perfect pumpkin. try to find one that is firm and has a clean face.
#2~gather your tools. you can purchase a pumpkin carving kit if you want specialty tools and templates (just because i prefer traditional doesn't mean YOU have to) or use what you have at home:
- newspaper to protect table
- a paring knife
- a serrated knife
- an ice cream scoop
- a large bowl
- pencil or dry erase marker
#3~about 3" from the stem, stab the pumpkin, using the serrated knife. start cutting a circle around the stem, at a slight angle. before completing your circle, make a notch in the back to ensure a secure fit for your "lid".
#4~pull the lid off. it may take a strong pull because it's still attached to the seed inside.
#5~time to get messy. stick your hand inside and pull out all the goopy, sticky guts. place in the bowl, if you want to toast the seeds*. you don't want no stinkin pumpkin seeds? well then...just toss it in the trash.
6~now take your scraper that came with your kit, or an ice cream scoop, and scrape the inside walls. get them as clean as you can...all that stringy stuff can block the light.
#7~cut the glop off the lid
#8~now it's time for your design. if you are doing your own, draw an outline on the face of your pumpkin with the dry erase marker. this makes it easy to see but is easily removed if you make a mistake. using a template? tape it to the face and use the poker tool to poke an outline on your pumpkin.
#8~get out the paring knife and get to carving. follow the dotted line, just like in school.
#9~now add your candle or pumpkin lighting kit. i still use a candle, but your pumpkin will last longer with the lighting kit, plus no fire danger.
#10~worst case scenario...just paint your pumpkin...
HAPPY CARVING!!
^pumpkin painting with pipa^
*roasting those seeds but not sure how? this is delicious: clean and dry your
seeds (approx 30 minutes); preheat oven to 300 degrees; toss seeds in a
small amount of melted butter and a pinch of salt; spread out, in a single layer
on baking sheet; bake for about 45 min or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
**i could not locate the only picture of mouth o'lantern, however, look closely at
all the completed jack 'o lanterns above and see if you can pick out lil bro's...
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