Pumpkin Seeds! (And Halloween!)

I know. I'm way behind on blogging! There's been so much going on that I haven't done much baking at all and blogging is something I've neglected. I actually feel really bad about it, because it's something that has become extremely important to me.

I know this post is a little late as I'm sure you've all finished carving your pumpkins, but carved pumpkins aren't the only way to get pumpkin seeds. Go get a winter squash to bake and try those seeds! (Or, carve a pumpkin after the fact. Just for me!)

Making pumkin seeds is simple really, and they are a good source of magnesium, iron, vitamin K and protein. with the oil and salt, I wouldn't exactly call them a health food, but they do have some health benefits to go along with the delicious taste. The trick to them is to perfect the amount of oil to use. I didn't measure anything out - perhaps one day I will. I made these only once before and they were TERRIBLE. I'm guessing I had used way too much oil, but I'm happy to say that these turned out better. Not perfect, but there's always next year.

Here are some fuzzy pictures of our pumpkins. (My camera pooped out, AGH, so I had to use my phone.) Brian's is the crying pumpkin (oh, Brian...), mine is the angry one, and Sarah's is the well... the special one.

Ingredients
Pumpkin Seeds
Vegetable oil
Popcorn salt

If,  by rare chance, you aren't sure how to carve a pumpkin, there are tons of instructions online. Make sure to line your work area with newspaper. Pumpkin "guts" are slimy and not fun to clean up on a bare table. I always keep mine simple, and start by lining out the face with a sharpie marker. Then you cut and gut, then carve.

After carving your pumpkin (the best part until you get to the actual eating stage), seperate the seeds from the pulp and fiberous insides. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a colander, rinse thoroughly with cold water. Shake dry- use a paper towel to blot out excess moisture if necessary.

 Thinly coat a baking pan with the oil.

Spread out the seeds on the baking sheet, stirring to coat them in the oil. Do NOT use anymore oil than is neccessary to thinly coat the seeds or the taste will be ruined. Salt to taste. Popcorn salt has a finer grain and really works much better than regular table salt for these. You can find it at most grocery stores. If your local store doesn't carry it, demand that they start. (This is my dear love for homemade popcorn talking.) What to look for.

Bake for 25 minutes, give or take (start checking after about 20 minutes). I also blotted some oil off of them after they'd cooled, which helped a lot with the flavor.

Enjoy!

Do you have any tips on how to get the perfect pumpkin seeds? Let me know!

I'll leave you off with a picture of my dog, Footloose, in his adorable dino costume.