Tips: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds + Recipe

Happy Halloween from Goober and Baby Pumpkin

Top 5 Halloween Candy Picks

1. Black & Orange Peanut butter chews

2. Toostie Rolls

3. Mary Janes

4. Baby Ruth

5. Peppermint Patty

Not much to say tonight; it's Halloween! We at SPUDS hope you have a spectacular evening full of responsible revelry and outrageous costumes. Last night, while cruising the old haunting ground at the university, (more on that trip later) I spied some really dubious sites: a banana rave in the front yard, a papier maiche alligator on his cell phone, even a headless pig-boy with his tail tucked in his pants... And while I'll never know what possessed him, a presumably single college aged male, to dress up as a felted pink piglet I can, at least, respect his noble taste.

If you're carving up your jack-o-lanterns try these tips for a deliciously simple, and waist line friendly, snack: De-gunk the seeds with your fingers and then rinse them briefly in a bowl of cool water. Let them dry out on a baking sheet until you're ready to roast them. Mix up whatever blend of seasonings you like, roast and enjoy.

Don't forget! If you've got a great photo of your costume, or a top notch pumpkin seed spice blend, post it to the SPUDS fan page on Facebook @ FB!

Notes on seasoning: according to some sources, boiling your seeds in salted water is the surest way evenly season your seeds. I skipped this step in both trays of my seeds. But, if you're interested the directions are as follows:

• Heat 4 cups of water with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 cup of pumpkin seeds. Boil for 10 minutes then drain and allow to dry slightly before seasoning.

Ingredients:

Basic-

1 cup fresh, washed pumpkin seeds

1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter

1 teaspoon salt

Spicy-

1 cups of fresh, washed pumpkin seeds

1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter

1-1 1/2 tablespoon spice blend (try: salt, cumin and cayenne)

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 275.

2. Spread the seeds out on a non-stick cookie sheet. Toss with the oil or butter and dust with spices.

3. Roast 10-20 minutes. Stir the seeds with a fork every five minutes until crisp and lightly brown. Depending on your oven temperature the roasting time may change.

4. Let the seeds cool completely before you store them so they don't get soft.