Rich & Gary

Erin McCabe in our Promotions Department sent us a few ideas about pumpkins.

Cooking the seeds is always an option, and….check the Vitamin ‘A’, ‘C’ and Riboflavin content listed below.

Please welcome our guest blogger, Stefanie Romine. 

Save the Pumpkins! Eat Them, Don’t Just Carve Them!

By: Stefanie Romine

Most people, it seems, have forgotten that pumpkins are edible. This time of year, those gorgeous orange orbs are in season, which most people have interpreted to mean that it’s time to decorate with them. While I’m a big fan of keeping healthy food on display–I keep platters of tomatoes, vases full of fresh-cut herbs, and bowls of brightly colored fruit on the counter in lieu of flowers–the pumpkins in yards and on porches are too often left abandoned to rot away as November arrives.

Therefore I’m starting a campaign to SAVE THE PUMPKINS!

***Go ahead and carve one for Halloween, but save the seeds. (Full of protein, zinc and even iron, pumpkin seeds make a great snack.) Grab a few smaller ones for eating, too. (The gigantic pumpkins used for jack o’lanterns tend to be dry and flavourless.) Put a few little ones on the counter, but eat them later. In dishes sweet and savory, the mighty pumpkin adds colour, nutrition and flavour.
 

Pumpkins are good for more than just pie.

Mash pumpkin as you would potatoes. Roast it alongside other fall vegetables. (Slice and chunk the pumpkin, but leave the rind intact.)
Stuff those tiny ones with rice, meat or even your favorite quiche mix. Pumpkin mixes well with curry, and it’s often included in Thai foods.

Pumpkins are nature’s soup tureens.

Those tiny pumpkins make adorable receptacles. Prebake them and fill them with soup, stew, or rice. Fill them with pumpkin pie filling, pumpkin bread mix or even quiche, then bake. You’ll save on calories by not using a rich, buttery crust, and serving foods in an edible bowl makes for a pretty dramatic presentation.

Pumpkins don’t grow in cans.

Cooking a pumpkin is easy. Pick a pumpkin that’s about the size of a cantaloupe or smaller. Their flesh will be moister and sweeter.

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin, then scoop out the seeds and pulp.
Then slice pumpkin in half and place on a baking sheet, cut side down.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes until pumpkin is soft.
Once pumpkin has cooled slightly, scoop it from the rind. (The rind is also edible.)

I let mine cool, then place 2 cup portions in freezer bags. Place the bags flat in the freezer for easy storage.

If you bake a pumpkin, you’re of course left with seeds.

***To roast pumpkin seeds, place them in a colander, then separate the pulp from the seeds. Rinse them well, then place on a baking sheet. Spritz them with nonstick cooking spray, scatter about some your favorite spices (try cumin, pepper, salt and a bit of spicy paprika) and bake at 250 degrees for about an hour, tossing every 20 minutes or so.

Pumpkins are good for you.

Nutrition in 1 cup of mashed pumpkin:

Calories 49.0
Total Fat 0.2 g
Potassium 563.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12.0 g
Dietary Fiber 2.7 g
Protein1.8 g
Vitamin A 24.6 %
Vitamin B-6 5.4 %
Vitamin C 19.2 %
Calcium 3.7 %
Copper 11.1 %
Folate 5.5 %
Iron 7.8 %
Magnesium 5.5 %
Manganese 10.9 %
Niacin 5.1 %
Phosphorus 7.4 %
Riboflavin 11.2 %
Thiamin 5.1 %
Zinc 3.8 %

And if you do have a pumpkin shell left over, here are some carving ideas! It’s the work of some talented folks. Amazing how they got one pumpkin to look like a real, live dog!! (Please ignore any political overtones.)

The Best Rock, Paper and Scissor players in the world recently gathered in Toronto for the 2008 World Championships   and $10,000.00 along with the bragging rights of being called yourself “World Champion of RPS.”

These folks are serious about their sport and are always trying to get an edge on their competition.  Basically, there are two ways to win at RPS. First is to take one throw away from your opponent options.  The second is to force you opponent into making a predictable move.  Here’s a few tips for winning.

1 - Rock is for Rookies
The common mantra ”Rock is for Rookies” is because men have a tendency to lead with Rock because Rock is perceived as “strong” and forceful”, so guys tend to fall back on it. Using this knowledge, take an easy first win by playing Paper.

2 - Scissors on First
The second step in the ‘Rock is for Rookies’ line of thinking is to play scissors as your opening move against a more experienced player. Since you know they won’t come out with rock because it’s too obvious.

3 - When All Else Fails Go With Paper
Haven’t a clue what to throw next? Then go with Paper. Why? Statistically, in competition play, it has been observed that scissors is thrown the least often. Specifically, it gets delivered 29.6% of the time, so it slightly under-indexes against the expected average of 33.33% by 3.73%.

4 - The Rounder’s Ploy
This technique falls into more of a ‘cheating’ category, but if you have no honour and can live with yourself the next day, you can use it to get an edge.  You start by suggesting a game but make no mention of the number of rounds you’ll play. If you win the first match take it is as a win. If you lose, without missing a beat start playing the ‘next’ round on the assumption that it was a best 2 out of 3.

City councillors decided that lumping all four strategic priorities wasn’t the way to go last night ..so by a vote of 7-6 the motion to do that was defeated.

Including among the four was the Multi Use Recreational Complex or MURC, the Performing Arts Centre, Maley drive extension and a major roads resurfacing.

Proponents of the plan said it was imperative to move forward in order to access money from the Building Canada fund but those against it feel the economic times are too unstable to commit to projects worth more than 200-million dollars.

I don’t believe there’s a right or wrong answer to this one … you can certainly build strong cases on either side and we’ve heard plenty of them on our listen line and through listener e-mails like this one.

Hi Rich & Gary,

Just wanted to comment on the topic of the day in regards to city council and their attempt to delay on any decision. I wasn’t surprised to learn the decision that city council made Tuesday night. Over the last few years what have they really done for us except give themselves a raise. Sudbury needs all of the above (Roads, Extension, Road touch ups and Arenas) and how can they not decide?? Like we are so behind compared to other cities. It is kind of an embarrassment when we Sudbury host tournaments etc, because of the poor quality of arenas, and roads. A few years back they closed down Barrydowne arena stating that it wasn’t making enough money to support itself. Don’t you think if you were to build a brand new arena over a course of 10-15 years that it will pay itself off? Not to mention  it would attract more people to the city?? Which in turn gives the city $$$. Then the Copper Cliff Arena had a fire and now  its closed. We are already short of arenas to begin with and now down 1. We need arenas !!   

I think the question here is that if they don’t want to commit to anything as they are afraid that if taxes were too high or if something goes wrong that the citizens of Sudbury would not vote to them back in next time around.

But for once city council shouldn’t think of themselves but the citizens that have to put up with the roads on a daily basis the arenas and just day to day delays. Can they please just decide what project they are going to face first stick with it finish it and move on to the next  and stop delaying any further !!!

Cortney

Passionate words from a concerned citizen.

What do you think??  Let us know by hitting the comments button.

Rich and Gary

Yep, it’s been a few years since Halloween landed on a Friday. Are you ready?

The right candy and the right pumpkin are a great start. A good chair for the front porch, some tattered clothing, a good mask and the ability to sit motionless until…….just…..the……right……moment……and then……AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!…….(This is guaranteed to make more than few trick-or-treaters jump!)

A House of Note:  Check out Woodbine about 90 seconds northeast of the radio station. You know, the one where the front yard turns into a grave yard every October. 

Also wanna say a quick thanks to all those who get into ’the spirit’ every year with cobwebs on trees, extra pumpkins and ghosts hanging from branches 30 feet in the air!!

Best Halloween decorations are those inflatable bubble/snowman-like things with the bats inside that seem to fly around. Cool. 

***And don’t forget to drop in on The Tunnel Of Terror at Dynamic Earth. The Tunnel is open to the public from October 23rd to 30th. (Not recommended for children under 8 years old. Yes, it’s that scary!!)

Wondering what the big costumes will be this year? Sarah Palin? Harry Potter? The Hulk? Ironman? Batman? The Joker? Hmmmmm…….a ghost, a cowboy, a princess, or a bear are good choices for the little ones.

As an on-air type and a fan of classic horror films, I think this is the ultimate compromise for a Halloween Get-up:

Life in the fast lane. That’s life for many of us. We are so busy that we don’t take the time to reflect on the good things we have. Sure life is tough, but there is a lot to be thankful for. Remember those things. Reflect on those things. This is part of a list I found on the web that made me stop and think. #75 is just about the best of all. (Oh, and please be thankful that you have the right to vote. Tuesday is Election Day!!)  

1. A comfortable chair
2. A cool breeze
3. A drink of cool water
4. A full moon
5. A gentle rain
6. A glass of cold milk
7. A good book to read
8. A good coat
9. A good pillow
10. A good wife
11. A scenic drive
12. Air conditioning
13. Banana splits
14. Beaches in the morning
15. Beautiful women
16. Birds singing
17. Blue jeans
18. Brothers
19. Ceiling fans
20. Children laughing
21. Christmas morning
22. Clothes that fit
23. Comfortable shoes
24. Compliments
25. Computers that work
26. Cooing Babies
27. Dark Chocolate
28. Dishwashers
29. Diversity
30. Dried pineapple slices
31. Fairness
32. Crackling fire in a fireplace
33. Flowers
34. Freedom of religion
35. Freedom of speech
36. Fresh ideas
37. Friendly dogs
38. Good conversation
39. Good eyesight
40. Good friends
41. Good health
42. Good movies
43. Good teachers
44. Good tires
45. Grace
46. Grandchildren
47. Grandma
48. Grandpa
49. High-speed Internet access
50. Homemade ice cream
51. Honest people
52. Ice cubes
53. Indoor plumbing
54. Kittens
55. Laughter
56. Live Christmas trees
57. Morning coffee
58. Parking spaces near the front door
59. Peanut butter
60. Polite drivers
61. Porch swings
62. Puppies
63. Quiet mornings
64. Rainbows
65. Remote Controls
66. Roasted peanuts
67. Shade trees
68. Sisters
69. Smiles
70. Snow covered mountains
71. Soft toilet paper
72. Sunrises
73. Sunsets
74. Thanksgiving dinner
75. That I wasn’t in the obituaries today
76. The color of autumn leaves
77. The ocean
78. The smell of a Sunday roast cooking
79. The smell of homemade bread
80. Tire swings
81. True friends
82. Uninterrupted dinners
83. Warm showers
84. Wrinkle-free clothes

I know I’ve missed a few. Some important ones too like: Family, Moms, Dads. Feel free to add to this list. Just click on ‘Comments’ and type away!

In the meantime, please have a safe, fun and enjoyable Thanksgiving Weekend and be thankful for those that work to make your long weekend a little bit better.

As I write this, we’re less than 12 days away from the federal election.

Please remember to vote. Check for that card from Elections Canada. It should have arrived in your mail by now.

In the meantime, here’s a laugh or 2 with thanks to a listener and the Rick Mercer Report.

Enjoy!