Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

A couple weekends ago when fall was still in full swing, R. and I went to Soergels Orchards with his dad and stepmom during its Fall Festival.  (Sadly, there was no running into TomKat on this particular day!)  The place was packed even though the Steelers game was about to start.  We walked around the stores and the grounds a bit and tasted some wine from Arrowhead Wine Cellars, but one of the main goals of this visit was to get a pumpkin.  I can't say that pumpkin carving is part of my own family's tradition, but R. really wanted to do it, so I obliged.  After about 15 minutes of searching, we found the perfect pumpkin and brought it home.

R. cut out the top and I helped him remove the seeds and the goop.  And then I had the honor of designing the face.  Honestly, I can't remember the last time I carved a pumpkin.  In fact, I can't remember if I've ever done it before.  Crazy, I know.  So given my limited experience, I decided to go with a simple and safe design:

My first jack-o-lantern that I can remember!

It works, no? ;)

Now what to do with the seeds?  R. called up his mom for help, who suggested paprika, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil.  So we laid the pumpkin seeds out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled on the various ingredients until the seeds looked well-seasoned.  We then baked the seeds at 250 degrees, checking and turning every 10 minutes, until the seeds were crunchy.  In all, it took about 40 minutes of baking time.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

The pumpkin seeds were glorious!  How could I have missed the tradition of pumpkin carving/seed roasting all these years?  I have to say, I was skeptical that I would enjoy carving a pumpkin, but it ended being quite a lot fun.

We'll have to do it again next year. :)  I might even try a fancier design for our jack-o-lantern!

Happy Hallowe'en!