What's Cookin': Fancy Pants Pumpkin Seeds

Remember Once Upon a Time when you were a kid and sometime around Halloween there was the frenzy of pumpkin carving? Blood and Slimy pumpkin guts everywhere. Chunks of pumpkin flying every which way. And the mess of pumpkin seeds that your mom and/or you would take, de-goop, wash, dry and roast?... Only to be tossed with some salt. Boring.

These ain't yo momma's pumpkin seeds.

I'm generally not a big pumpkin seed fan. They stick in my teeth and usually make me choke at least once while eating them. I think pumpkins have a vendetta against Megs. But I got pumpkins from my Mom-in-love and decided that since I was going to be pureeing the flesh for freezing and future use, I might as well use the whole thing and roast the seeds. Use it up, remember? Waste not, want not.

I looked online for a general temperature at which to roast the seeds and came across a sight that had that info, as well as some flavoring options. Well. I saw "butter" and knew what I had to do.

My goodness, these are delicious punkin' seeds. I, who is the aforementioned non-pumpkin-seed-fan, have been grabbing a few bites every time I walk by them. They taste like they should be served in some fancy restaurant, or packaged and sold in a high-falutin' cooking shop. Savory, spiced, hot... Make these. You won't regret it.

Momma's Notes:
-A layer of tin foil on your cooking sheet will make clean up a bajillion times easier.
-Depending on the amount of seeds, you might not need all the butter. Start with the 2 and work up to 4 as needed.
- If you don't wish to use or don't have butter, you can use olive oil or vegetable oil.
-The spicy version is quite spicy. Or "Picy" and Ty would say. If you're not sure you want a ton of heat, try less cayenne. You can always add more.
- None of these sound good? Experiment and try your own!
-I'm trying to take better pictures, especially of food. Pretty good ones, eh? It's ok, you don't have to lie. I've been reading through Pioneer Woman's photography sections... And now I want a DSLR.

Fancy Pants Pumpkin Seeds
Seeds of one pumpkin, de-gooped, washed and dried
2-4 Tbs butter, melted

Savory Flavor:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Spiced (or "Halloween") Flavor:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice

Spicy Flavor:
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Mix together seeds, butter and applicable spices for flavor you would like. Roast in the oven for 10-25 minutes. It's a big range because it will depend on your oven. Just watch them and pull them out when done. It was about 20 for me.

Sprinkle with a bit more salt, toss and serve!

Happy Eating,