Cooking With Jack Meme

[Hasan Fogg]

Thepumpkins we carve up to make Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween are every bit as edible, and nutritious, as the smaller, sweeter pie/sugar pumpkins that we buy to cook. So why let them go to waste?

You will want to use a fresh Jack-O-Lantern that was just carved a few hours before. And of course, you will want to make sure that it is still in good condition with no rotten spots or bite marks or anything else that looks suspicious. If you don't feel like cooking it up Halloween night, you can store it over night in the fridge or a cool, dry place where it will be safe until the next day. I have done this many times and the pumpkin was perfectly fine when cooked.

The first thing you will want to do is make sure your pumpkin is nice and clean. Wipe it down really well with a clean cloth and lots of water, or rinse it off in your sink if it will fit. Pay special attention to the bottom, where it is likely to have the most dirt.

A quick, sharp shot right between the eyes is the quickest. Say a few words if you like. Once the deed is done, continue to dismember your Jack by slicing him into wedges from the top to the bottom. (I seem to have accidentally deleted the photo of the slicing process, but there really is no need for gratuitous violence.)

Next, trim away the exposed parts where the face was and discard them. They are likely all dried out and may have dirt on them. Then trim the inside, removing any of the guts that are still left and a little of the flesh, which has also been exposed to the elements. Just like a sliced apple that has been left sitting out and turned brown, the outer layer is maybe not that good, but what's underneath is still fine. If you want to be really sure that it's clean, rinse the pieces under running water for a minute.

This isn't the kind of roast where everyone drinks wine (or sparkling grape juice) and says funny things about the subject being roasted. But you could certainly do that if you like, just for fun.

While imbibing your beverage of choice and telling funny stories about Jack, preheat your oven to 375 * F (190 *C). Place the slices of pumpkin on a baking tray and brush them with a little oil. You can season your pumpkin at this point if you like. I don't know what I am going to use mine for yet so I left it plain.

Turn the pumpkin over so that it is skin side up and roast it for about 45-60 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on your oven and the thickness of your pumpkin, so keep an eye on it. When the skin turns a dark orange and you can easily pierce it with a fork, it's done.

(I added some parchment paper to keep the oil from dripping onto my shiny new jelly roll pan, which was the only pan I had available.)

When the pumpkin is done, let it cool for a bit then simply scoop it out of the skin with a spoon.

The jackfruit and the BBQ sauce are the stars of our vegan pulled pork and do a lot of the heavy lifting, so the rest of this jackfruit recipe is pretty simple and made with ingredients you probably already have!

As far as toppings go, I went with homegrown lettuce, avocado, vegan ranch, and grilled pineapple on a pretzel bun, but you can totally make it your own! Other great toppings that would be great with this bbq jackfruit could be coleslaw, fresh tomato slices, pickles, shredded carrots or fresh red onion.

Well here we are at the start of the work week once again. This past weekend was a busy one with lots of activities, however my family cherishes our Sunday family dinners. We enjoyed BBQ ribs in a spectacular way using our Instant Pot. I will say that although these Whiskey Baby Back Ribs were tender, flavorful and so easy to do, it does not compare to traditional low and slow ribs found at our favorite BBQ rib joint. But for ribs at home, these will now be my go to way to prepare them!

Place the trivet inside the pot.

In a small bowl, combine all the spices (salt, pepper, paprika, white sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder) to create the rub; set aside.

Cut the rack into sections of 3-4 ribs. Season each section generously with the spice mixture.

Add your reasoned ribs into the IP, standing up vertically on its side on the trivet.

Secure the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.

Press MANUAL and adjust the time to 30 minutes on HIGH pressure.

The display will reflect ON while the IP comes to pressure. Allow a few minutes for your IP to come to pressure.

Once at pressure, the display will reflect 30 (the number of minutes you initially set) and will begin to countdown to 0 minutes.

When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 30 minutes, allow your IP to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. While naturally releasing pressure (also known as NRP or NR), the display will reflect numbers counting up from 1. The numbers indicate how many minutes the IP has stopped cooking since it beeped (or how many minutes it has been naturally releasing pressure). No need to touch your IP while it naturally releases pressure.

When I was a little girl, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burnt toast in front of my Dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my Dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad,for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said, "Baby I love burnt toast." Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy goodnight and I asked him if he really liked his toast burnt. He wrapped me up in his arms and said, "Debbie, your momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!" In bed that night, I thought about the scene at dinner and the kindness my Daddy showed to my Mom.

To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner. I had arrived home late, as usual, and decided we would have breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose! To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed and quickly began to cook eggs,turkey, sausage and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven! Now, had it been any other day, I would have started all over. But it was one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the toast. But all I got was, "Thank You!" I watched as he ate bite by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack said was, "Babe , this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a hard day!" As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my Mom and Dad -- how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And was quietly thankful for having a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker either!

You know life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! But, somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the imperfections in each other. You might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are! We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we still are best friends. We've travelled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountain tops. And yet at the same time , Jack and I must work every minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults- and choosing to celeberate each other's differences- is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing and lasting marriage relationship. We could extend this to any relationship in fact as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife relationship or parent -child or friendship.

By: Deb Billy Graham

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It always occurs to me after the fact when I make this that if using a more tender green (baby spinach or chard), a few leaves could be well-chopped to replace the 2 tablespoons parsley in the meatballs, should you not already have parsley around.

Make meatballs: Whisk egg and 2 tablespoons water in medium bowl to blend. Mix in breadcrumbs; let stand one minute. Add turkey, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper; gently stir to blend. Using wet hands, shape turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on baking sheet; chill while you prepare the next steps, or 30 minutes, if you have the time.

Assemble the soup:: Bring chicken broth to a boil in large (4 to 5-quart) pot. Add carrots and orzo; reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered 8 minutes. Add turkey meatballs and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in chopped greens and simmer until turkey meatballs, orzo, and escarole are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Lucky you for the snow, I miss it, and your photos are beautiful. We are getting to warm weather time here in Charleston, it is cold this weekend though. I will give your soup a try it looks delicous. My dad cooks with escarole alot, I am sure he will like this also.

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