Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Halloween! I hope you all had a SPOOK-tacular day.

A highlight of T and I's first Halloween together was ... drum roll please ... Pumpkin Carving! I will say, T was more motivated to carve pumpkins than I was. He didn't have the opportunity to carve many pumpkins as a kid, and I had the advantage of carving pumpkins for many Halloweens growing up. It helps that I had younger brothers who kept the pumpkin carving festivities going so they could have their try at carving. I have fond memories of my dad laying out newspapers on the basement floor of the house I spent most of my childhood in, and telling my brothers and I that the knives were too sharp for us, but he would help us carve our pumpkins. Ahh...those were the days...

This year, T and I both had the idea of carving Hawkeye themed pumpkins. I was thinking ahead when I chose my pumpkin from the patch, and chose a nice small one. T is of the opinion that BIGGER is better, and chose a pumpkin about twice the size of mine. Therefore, it took him about twice as long to scoop out all of the pulp and get it carved. T opted for a tigerhawk, and I went for a Hayden. All in all, the night was a success.

T = Tigerhawk

N = Hayden

After we were done carving our pumpkins, T was very determined not to waste ANY of the pumpkin seeds he spent so much time scooping out, so he decided to try roasting them for a snack. 

Best. Decision. Ever. 

If it was just me, no way would I waste my time have the patience to separate the seeds from the pulp. I'm so glad one of us had the foresight to take the time. The roasted pumpkin seeds turned out absolutely delicious. Crunchy and salty with a little kick of spice. They are a great snack, and would also be excellent as a salad topper.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS | Total Time: 15-20 min.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin Seeds (from carved pumpkin)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate pumpkin seeds from pulp. (Rinse with water to remove all pulp.) Toss seeds with olive oil to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the pumpkin seeds on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toast the seeds in the oven until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.