Fresh Pumpkin

I usually use canned pumpkin with all my recipes, but my mother in law spent Halloween with us and showed me how to cook up the pumpkins after the kids were done with their festivities. I'm not a wasteful person and it always breaks my heart every year I toss the pumpkins into the trash. I don't know why I've never cooked them before, but rest assured I will be from now on.

To cook the pumpkins: Cut up the pumpkin (after it's been gutted) into big chunks and cover with water in a big cooking pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or so. You'll be able to tell when the pumpkin is cooked because it will get darker and no longer look raw. After that you can peel off the skins and mash, puree or do like I did and throw it into your kitchen aid with the flat beater. Let the pumpkin cool and then you can put 1 or 2 cup amounts into freezer bags so you can enjoy pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins all season long- yum!