Author: Mark

Comparing Recipe Results

Friday I said that we were going to do a pumpkin seed taste test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Batch one

Batch one is prettiest but hardest to chew.

Batch twoBatch two is crunchy, best tasting and sugary.  The Worcestershire Sauce changed the taste a little from batch one. Boiling made it not so “stringy?”.


Batch three

Batch three is crunchy and everyone’s favorite choice.

Momma would not let me eat 6 cups!

Comparing Recipes

We are going to do a pumpkin seed taste test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are the questions:

  1. Does the Worcestershire sauce make them better?
  2. Does boiling them make them better?
  3. Will mama let me eat 6 cups six cups of pumpkin seeds?

Here is one recipe with a few variations we make a lot.

Boiling the seeds

  • 3 Cups pumpkin seeds (or other squash seeds) cleaned and rinsed
  • 3 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • Seasoned salt (1 teaspoon or to taste)

Boil some water.

Add pumpkin seeds and boil 5 to 10 minutes.

Drain well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until dry.

This recipe tastes wonderful with Garum Masala, garlic powder, a little ground ginger and a little salt. Do this to taste!

It is also good if you omit the Worcestershire sauce and season with cinnamon and sugar.

This recipe is from Miss Krista;Roasted Seeds

  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups washed, cleaned pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

Melt butter in large saucepan

Add seeds and spices; toss to coat

Spread seeds on a large cookie sheet with sides

Bake 40 minutes, stirring often, until seeds are browned and crisp.

Answers tomorrow!

New Look, Same Great Blog

SmileMomma and Daddy have been remodeling my blog !!!!! Some of the new features are a Wish List and if you reload, a new picture will pop up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can change the colors of the letters! This makes it a lot more fun!

Scouts is starting and it is Popcorn Season.  Yahoo!  Last year I earned enough for camp and Daddy’s camp.  This year I probably won’t because I will be a Boy Scout and camp is a lot more expensive.  I hope to sell enough popcorn to earn a gift card so I can get a microscope.

Did you Know?

  • When you open a bag of Scout microwave popcorn you are the first person to touch it?  They use machines and robots to pick it and package it.
  • They make Trails End popcorn in a town near Indianapolis?
  • If you buy the already popped tins or buckets, the popcorn is air popped because it does not use oil so it is healthier.
  • They use REAL butter when they make their popcorn
  • Cub Scout popcorn is a serving of whole grain (or two or three or four or five)
  • There is no trans fat in Trails End popcorn
  • Trails End popcorn is only the best of the best kernels.  They use three different hybrid kernels.  One is easy to dunk and one is crisper. They all taste good!
  • They have changed the selection of popcorn this year.  I think the best is the Triple Chocolaty Delight.

If you know of anyone interested in buying popcorn, please let me know!

Enjoy my updated blog!

Raising a Milkweed Tiger Moth

Milkweed Tiger CaterpillarWe found this caterpillar about two weeks ago when we were getting some milkweed for our monarchs.  We discovered that it is a Milkweed Tiger Moth and it is also called a Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar.  

We’ve been raising it to see what it looks like.  Yesterday, it was roaming really really fast.  It looked like a piece of yarn that was in a race and had three minature jet engines going all the time (well, probably not that fast.)

Momma told the girls to put the caterpillar outside because we were not sure where they make cocoons, and the girls noticed it was a cocoon.  It’s a cocoon because it is a moth caterpillar, not a butterfly caterpillar.  Now we know.

CocoonSo now we wait over winter to see what it does.  That is called waiting “overwinter” for us.  We are going to put it in the garage.  We will have it in a small plastic container with holes so we can check and to, hopefully, keep animals away from it.

Momma read this is one of the easier moths to raise.  So far it has been easier than a monarch, because Momma cleaned it out when we weren’t watching and it did not eat as much milkweed as the monarch caterpillars.  She said that Banded Woolly Bear caterpillars are easy but it eats a few different plants.  Luna Moths are supposed to be easy too, if you can find them.  I want to raise a Luna Moth or two next. (Hint Hint–Gift idea! 🙂 )

Thanks Wikipedia!Here is what it should look like in the spring.

Wilderness Update

Picture sent from Wilderness

We got an update on Wilderness.  This is where Daddy took off from.

Mrs. Sigman sent us a note telling us what the plans were for Daddy today. They are going to go through Big Trout Lake through Longer Lake till they get to their camp site on Whistle Bay. This has a lot of canoing and a few short portages.

Or they may decide to go through Lake La Muir and the “Trail of Tears.” Momma does not remember if she did that one, but remembers one year with a LOT of hiking.  This trail has 4,425 meters of portages and three big lakes, Big Trout, La Muir and Burntroot.

Since a mile equals 1,609.344 meters, this means about 2.75 miles of walking with a canoe on your head and a backpack on your back.  Daddy said the canoe was about 35 pounds and his backpack was about 30 or 40, we forgot which.

Momma said we can look on our map to see where these are.

I hope Daddy has fun and does the one with a few short portages.  I still want to go when I get a little heavier and older.