pumpkin

Not only do they look nice around the house, pumpkins make me think about how kind Krishna is to living beings, how perfect He has created and arranged everything for our well being. What's neat about pumpkins and similar foods such as butternut and spaghetti squash is that they have a long shelf life. That means fresh vegetables to eat even during the cold season without the trouble of drying or preserving them in some way. They just need a cool dark place for storage.

Pumpkins are rich in vitamins, too. They are delicious prepared in various ways- pies, cakes, soups, even cookies. Perhaps the nicest way to prepare it, though, is the simplest. Just cut the pumpkin into slices and roast in a pan with a little ghee.
Another way is to put larger slices in a pan of water and steam before adding salt, pepper and butter.
It's easier than how I used to do it below:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small fresh pumpkin, seeded and peeled and cut into chunks (or the pumpkin may be prebaked at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes and then cooled to make cutting easier. By cutting it into large sections and not baking too long, it should turn out less mushy)
• 4-6 T butter
• salt
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 t nutmeg (optional)
• water
• salt

PREPARATION:
1. Melt the butter, add pepper and nutmeg and the pumpkin. Stir on medium to high heat a few minutes, coating the pumpkin with the butter and spices.
2. Add a little water and cover and cook pumpkin on high heat about five-ten minutes (longer and with more water if the pumpkin is not prebaked) until tender. Add salt and offer. Serve piping hot with parathas on a cold morning.

KRISHNA CONSCIOUS CARVINGS
For those who like carving pumpkins, here's one our artistic son-in-law carved last October:

Jaya Jagannatha!