Posted by The Serious Eats Team, November 3, 2008 at 7:30 PM
We know you've been waiting for this, so we won't keep you in suspense any longer, bwahahahahahah. The winners of the inaugural Serious Eats Pumpkin-Carving Contest are:
1. Grand Prize
OMNOMNOMNOMNOM, by sunkid
Prize: Viking Professional Chef's Cutlery Starter Set (includes: 5-inch flexible boning knife, 8-inch chef's knife, 4-inch paring knife).
2. First Runner Up
Castle of the Wicked Witch, by stike
Prize: 8-inch Viking Professional Chef's Knife
3. Second Runner Up
No Country for Old Men-o'-Lantern, by gavinworth
Prize: 4-inch Viking Professional Paring Knife
4. Third Runner Up
Joker-o-Lantern, by jenhappy
Prize: Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin-Carving Kit
Note from the Serious Eats Team: Hope your thumb is healing nicely!
Thanks to everyone who entered. This was a really tough decision, with everyone here arguing for different pumpkins. This was a lot of fun. Can't wait till next year!
Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 31, 2008 at 8:30 PM
Photograph from HeyGabe on Flickr
This adorable girl definitely fits in the proper age range of trick-or-treaters. But you know who you are: you're still holding that bucket, with a Blackberry in the other hand. Just put on that mask and poof! They'll never know! Ageless. Time to get all the Twixes before the toddlers do!
Though there really shouldn't be an age limit on dressing up, trick-or-treating is another story. Some old woman will eventually call you out: "Aren't you getting too old for this?" And while there's an inner child in all of us, maybe she's right.
I pushed the limits and went through high school (because I believed my costumes were so thoughtful, awesome, and worth candy). But what do you think? What's the trick-or-treating age limit?
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 31, 2008 at 7:00 PM
I was surprised to see this limited edition version of chocolate-filled biscuit snack Koala's March when I visited Japanese shopping center Mitsuwa last weekend. More surprising was finding out that the only difference between this version and the Halloween version is the packaging and the designs printed on the cookies; the flavor is the same (I was hoping for pumpkin). It's a pretty damn cute design though.
Related
Pumpkin-Flavored Pocky Snacks
The Best Japanese Chocolate and Cracker Snack Shaped Like a Mushroom
Clicking in to the Serious Eats inbox, we've got ...
Hey, Serious Eats!
I love your website and just realized I am wearing a food-themed Halloween costume and wanted to share it with you guys!
I'm a piece of flying fish roe, and the costume is completely homemade except for the dress! I also have chopsticks in my hair :)
Well, keep up the good work!
—S. B.
The costume, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 31, 2008 at 3:30 PM
We've already got a bunch of great submissions for the first annual Serious Eats Pumpkin Carving Contest, but here's a little nudge reminding you there's still time. Polls will close on Saturday at 6PM EST.
So far, we've seen a cereal reference, tragic injury (how's that thumb?), and pomegranate sneak into the mix. After tonight's trick-or-treating, add your carving creation to Photograzing for a chance to win cookbooks and Viking knives.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 31, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Photograph from chippenziedeutch on Flickr
In Talk earlier this week, JerzeeTomato asked where to find a blue pumpkin. After a three-day search, in which she checked back in on the thread to update us all, she finally found one at a small farm stand in Delaware.
But not before she left a lot of us wondering what the heck a blue pumpkin looked like.
The pumpkin photo above isn't from Jerz—I just wanted to highlight it to show everyone blue pumpkins. I've only ever seen them in photos. This one is from Flickr user chippenziedeutch.
And here's a photo of a 'Queensland Blue' split open. The contrast of blue skin and deep orange flesh is quite striking.
From A Hamburger Today
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 31, 2008 at 1:45 PM
If you don't have a costume idea for Halloween by now, you're probably staying home tonight. But if you're feeling crafty, here are some burger-related costume ideas you might be able to whip up or keep in mind for next year. (You could also take the easy way out and buy a complete costume.)
Burger King Mascot
costumesupercenter.com
Okay, you can't actually make the mask—hopefully your local Halloween supply store sells it—but if you're a particularly hirsute man with brown hair you can probably make a crown, put on some white leggings and a brown robe, and get away with it. For more guidance, check out Costumzee.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 31, 2008 at 12:15 PM
There was a lot of candy corn celebrating yesterday. Yeah, that's going to stop right now. For all of you who detest the triangular ickiness, watch this and feel validated. Cartoon couple Moose and Zee have a good head on their shoulders: they know even feet might taste better than candy corn. Thanks to Montmc for the sharing the video! Watch it, after the jump.
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From Recipes
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, October 31, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Photograph by Wyscan on Flickr
When I was young, and my dad and I would come back from the country weighed down with enough pumpkins to keep our New York apartment in a crowd of jack-o'-lanterns plus some, I used to wake up in the middle of the night. No, one of the frightening, candlelight-backlit ghoulish orange faces was not haunting my nightmares; I woke up because I heard sounds from the kitchen.
Great thumps and thuds, a raucous clatter of bangs, the occasional crash. In my pajamas, I would wander barefoot through the cold rooms, and peer around the corner. My mother stood there, stripping down the pumpkins of their seeds and flesh, wielding a knife with murderous dexterity. Eventually, she would spot me, and for hours I would watch her make pies as we ate her homemade pumpkin cheesecake.
At the end of the night, she would roast all the pumpkin seeds she had accumulated from the guts of the pumpkins through the dark hours, and we would sit together on the couch, under a blanket, and eat the salt after all that sweet, watching reruns. Many of you have been asking how to roast the perfect pumpkin seed. Now you know.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 31, 2008 at 7:30 AM
Consider this: everything we eat today must be pumpkin-shaped (that includes the stem), starting with breakfast. Rachel of My Sisters Cucina made these pumpkin-shaped pancakes with Bisquick, then added orange and green food coloring for a realistic effect.
