Pumpkins

Our pumpkins!

We had a bit of a pumpkin carving bonanza at our house this past weekend. My hubby even busted out the saw and I got into it with the drill. It was fun!

What to do with all those seeds? Well, I found this technique at Oh She Glows, which recommends boiling the seeds first for extra crispness.

I gave it a try, with my own mix of seasonings, and wow -- they were delicious! I say were because they are already gone 24 hours later. Here's what I did:

Take the seeds from your your pumpkins, pull off the pumpkin pulp as best you can. Rinse well in a colander. Add rinsed seeds to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and pat the seeds dry then spread on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment. Season to your liking. I used a drizzle of olive oil, generous sprinkle of coarse salt, about a tablespoon each of cane sugar and cinnamon, a pinch of smoked paprika, and a tiny pinch of cayenne. Then bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. After 15 minutes, take a couple out and taste them. They should be nice and crisp but not burned.

Let those puppies cool and then they are ready for snacking. I think these will become a halloween tradition for us. Happy Fall!