The First: or "I was left alone with alcohol, a knife, and a pumpkin"

It is time to make a root veg soup. Our household prefers parsnips, but when we can't find them, we make a substitution.

Enter the Pumpkin.

(And cutting board, knife, and jägermeister.)

The jäger is purely there for moral support.

Step one in making this work: go all Hannibal on the pumpkin. Go ahead. I won't judge. 

 This is an important first step unless you like woody stems. If you do, please disregard.

Next, Enter Plastic Bin. You are going to need it to collect these tasty brains... Er ... Seeds. 

Cut your pumpkin in half. Safely. See? The liquor is back there. Can't get any safer than that.

Clean the pumpkin like Mrs. Lovett.

Remember how we aren't cutting while drinking? This is a good time to remember that. Things could go wrong. 

 Best not to contemplate that.

Also, yes, that is the same amount that was in there when I started.

Cut the pumpkin into spears. Make whatever analogy you wish to ease the pumpkin into the next phase of life. 

Proto-food. 

The first step is preheat the oven to 350 for ~30.

I didn't want you to get all the way to the bottom just to go all the way back to the top, because I know I would forget the number. 

Purée in whatever means you prefer. I'll be doing mine in the pot with the rest of the root veg and a Grindy-stick.