Now Back To The Seeds

Yesterday was my pumpkin carving, seed roasting day.  I blogged about the carving part, but never got around to saying much about the roasting.  The house is quiet now, so I figured what better time to speak about pumpkin seeds.

I have never roasted anything outside of a chicken in my entire life and even that didn't go over so well.  So, I was kinda nervous, but plenty excited about tossing some raw pumpkin seeds into my oven.   After I finished the whole carving project and got my produce decor proudly displayed on the front porch, I got busy.  

I found the instructions I had saved from a magazine and followed them step by step. After pulling off as much of the big gunk as possible, I got out my trusty blue collander (which is actually part of a salad spinner that I never could figure out, so I gave it a new purpose) and went to rinsing.  I rinsed and I rinsed and I rinsed til I had eliminated every teeny bit of the orange substance.

Next I spread them all out on a dishrag and rubbed and blotted til I got all the water off.  They still felt wet, but I think that's just the way they are.

After tossing them into another bowl and measuring them out, I found that I had just a tad less than a cup and a half.  The instructions said to coat the seeds with 1 tbs. of oil (I used extra-virgin olive) for every cup. Even though I had a little more than that, 1 tbs. did seem to suffice.  I then sprinkled with as much salt as I desired and sprawled them out on a foil-topped cookie sheet.  

The seeds needed to bake for 10-15 min. at 375 degrees, but I left mine in for another 5 minutes (20 total) to give them a little extra crunch.  When the timer chimed them done, I yanked them from their haven of heat and immediately chowed down. No, I didn't burn my mouth.  They were hot, but tasted delicious that way, though I do recommend letting them cool beforehand just to avoid any possible oral injuries. 

Besides the tasty flavor, pumpkin seeds also have wonderful health benefits.  I'm not going to list them, cause I don't really know what they are.  I just know that I've read that they have them.  Look it up.  

All in all, I give do this magazine tip a huge thumbs up. Pumpkin carving and seed roasting is a wonderful way to spend a quiet morning or afternoon.  It would even make for a really cute date night!