Tuesday tip: Making and Storing Pumpkin Puree

I absolutely could not think of a better post to do the day after Halloween than this one! Everyone has left over pumpkins right? Instead of throwing them away you could turn them into pumpkin puree and save it to make pies (or whatever your little heart desires) for the holidays!
Making Pumpkin Puree is so simple and not very time consuming at all. You only need a few materials even the most simple of kitchens comes equipped with.

Materials:
Left over jack o' lantern (or new pumpkin)
Aluminum foil
Pan
Knife
Potato Masher (or spoon or food processor or mixer)
Ziploc Bag

Preheat oven to 350
First, rinse out your pumpkin, make sure it's clean inside, then chop it into several chunks about the size in the below picture.

Cover a cookie pan with aluminum foil and place the pumpkins on it and put into the oven for about 45min-1 hour

They will be soft and mash-able like potatoes.

Next you can peel the skin off the flesh of the pumpkin and then mash or mix them until they are smooth. Now you are all finished with your puree! You can use it now or store it for later.

To store pumpkin puree measure 1 to 2 cups of the puree into a Ziploc bag and place them flat (for better storage). Write the date and the contents on your package and you are all set! Your frozen puree will stay good for up to a year! It's perfect to save it up for those Thanksgiving pies!

I'm really excited to hear how many of you did this and what you plan to do with your pumpkin puree.


-Amanda

Tuesday Tip: Up-cycled Garbage Bag Box

We're starting a tradition on this blog called the Tuesday Tip. We often find some information or have a clever idea we just have to share. So come back every Tuesday for something new.

This week I thought it would be fun to share a little idea I had for up-cycling a Garbage bag box. Its a really simple idea, and pretty useful.

My plastic bags I get from the store are always such a mess, I know I could use reusable store bags but I just cant get myself to always remember to bring those along. So, I want give those bags a purpose and not just toss them out.

This is what my bag storage situation looked like before

And this is what it looks like now!

I just took an old garbage bag box and stuffed in the plastic bags and Voila! You have yourself a plastic bag storage solution! 

-Amanda