Friday, November 6, 2009

Day 1: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Oh, did I forget to mention that I separated the seeds from the first two bags? Yeah. I did.

Don't EVER ask me to do such a thing again. If you think waiting for paint to dry or leaves to fall so you can rake them, or watching the grade school band attempt to play their way through Phantom of the Opera... sounds tedious... I've got a topper. Pull the seeds from 60 pumpkins and see if raking leaves actually sounds like fun? (By the way, my hands have a permanent orange tint to them.)

Sixty pumpkins, and this is what we got. A small bread plate full of seeds.
















Cinnamon and Sugar Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

What you'll need:
Clean seeds from 8-12 Sugar Pumpkins
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 Teaspoon allspice
1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon salt (I use sea salt because I like the course texture.)

Preheat your oven to 375*. Dry your seeds. The web site Pumpkin Patches and More suggests using a hair dryer... and I love it! If you're impatient, it's perfect. The site also has some great tips on how to clean and separate your seeds, in case you're wondering.

Melt your butter in the microwave. Add all your spices except the salt and stir. Add your dry seeds and stir to coat. Using a spatula (so you can get all the good stuff at the bottom of the bowl) spread out the seeds on a cookie sheet. I suggest using a cookie sheet with a lip, to make stirring when things are hot, easier. Add your salt, according to your taste.

Cook for 15 minutes and stir. Cook for another 30 minutes stirring every 5-10 minutes. The seeds will deepen in color and start to sound like glass, when you stir them. This means they're done! Let cool completely on the cookie sheet and store in an airtight container.

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