Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are my favorite thing about Halloween. When the night of the dead comes around, I don't think of ghosts and goblins - I think of finding the pumpkin with the most seeds! Know how to do that? The more ridges in the pumpkin, the more seeds!

My mom was a pumpkin seed freak and she passed that right on down to me. I hear it every year that someone has tried and failed at roasting seeds. It may seem cumbersome or even overwhelming, but it's easy peasy... Because we've harvested seeds for so long, the techniques have been simplified and perfected.

First things first, what's the best way to harvest the seeds? Here's what I do:

• have a bucket for the pumpkin guts (line with a bag)
• have a large bowl of water
• use a wide metal spoon for scraping the innards
• when gutting the pumpkin, just get 'er done and put the guts in the bucket
• while others are carving, pop the seeds off the guts into the bowl of water to remove the sticky innards; they can float around in the water without any time concerns

Prepping the seeds:

• line a large baking sheet with tea towels
• move seeds from water bowl to dry on the baking sheet; cover with another towel to remove moisture
• allow to dry for at least :30 - longer is okay; stir them around with the towels to remove moisture

Baking the seeds:

• heat oven to 300°
• melt a tablespoon or two of butter
• put seeds in a large bowl, drizzle with butter and some olive oil (until they're covered but not dripping) and add salt
• spread seeds on a baking sheet or two (one layer)
• bake for a minimum of :45, stirring occasionally after :30
• seeds will turn light brown and possibly pop. DO NOT cool until they are crispy; popping is good, burning is bad. If they're not crispy at :45, then cook for additional :05 increments stirring every time the timer goes off
• When crispy, cool the seeds on paper towels to remove excess oil (I bake on two sheets and when cooling, cover one with paper towels and then put them all on that sheet)
• ENJOY!