Getting more out of that pumpkin than just a jack-o’-lantern

DEAR ACCIDENTAL CHEF: We carve a couple of pumpkins for Halloween just about every year. Yet once Halloween is over, we let our poor pumpkins sit there and rot until we eventually throw them away. I'd like to try to do something with them or at least find some kind of use for my leftover pumpkin. Any ideas? -- Jane-o-lantern

DEAR JANE: As someone who absolutely cannot stand wasting food, even smelly pumpkin meat, I feel your pain. Since cooking any part of the pumpkin is off limits after it has been sitting outside, there isn't much you can do in that regard.

However, all is not totally lost. When carving the pumpkin you can save the seeds and toast them. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with all kinds of goodness (just like pumpkin meat) such as vitamin A, vitamin C, even healthy omega-3 fatty acids, so don't throw them away. To toast seeds, rinse them well under water and remove as much of the stringy pulp as you can. Scatter on a cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper. Roast at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Variations include tossing them in melted butter, cinnamon and nutmeg or go Italian and toss them with olive oil, parmesan and Italian-flavored breadcrumbs. However you flavor them, pumpkin seeds are a super-easy, healthy snack, and they're excellent when added to homemade granola or tossed into a salad.

When it comes to pumpkin meat, I can't recommend using it from a carving pumpkin since they don't contain the best flesh for cooking. The meat tends to be watery compared with smaller pumpkins (that are most often used for pies), and considering pumpkins are about 90 percent water, you're looking at a lot less flavor overall.

However, you can use leftover carvings for certain recipes that are already brimming with flavor such as pumpkin-stuffed ravioli bathed in sage butter sauce or pumpkin stew packed with tangy beef, onions and tomatoes.

To save as much as you can from your pumpkin, once you've carved the meat, cut it into small pieces and boil for about five to eight minutes. Drain, cool, pack in resealable bags and use it in your favorite recipe or freeze for later use. You also can roast diced pumpkin at 375 degrees on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and spices for an easy side dish.

One idea is to use smaller cooking pumpkins and instead of carving them, let the kids paint on scary faces with black magic markers. That way, the kids get to make jack-o'-lanterns and you have tasty leftover pumpkins that are perfect for roasting and adding to pies, breads, muffins, even a pumpkin bisque topped with your own homemade pumpkin seeds for texture.

For those who just have to have a traditionally carved jack-o'-lantern, you can salvage what's left of the pumpkin and toss it into the compost pile. Or you can bury it in the garden, where it will continue to enrich the soil with vital nutrients. Kendra Bailey Morris is a Richmond-based food writer, culinary instructor and author of "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining" (Ten Speed Press). Send ideas, tips or culinary questions to or visit http://www.theaccidentalchef.net.