Halloween has progressed far beyond what it was when I was a kid. Back then, the costumes were mostly homemade. The pumpkins were mostly homegrown. And the carvings were definitely homegrown. No fancy templates. No fancy tools. We got a kitchen knife and scraped out the insides with a big kitchen spoon. Now, you seem to find most kids dressed in plastic store-bought action “figures” and “characters,” pumpkins are bought at the grocery store, and the jack-o-lanterns are likely to be more elaborate than a project I would have done for school!
But pumpkin seeds. Whether you buy or grow your pumpkins, carve a simple scary face or a haunted house complete with a witch out front, dress up as a ghost or a character from Desperate Housewives, pumpkin seeds are still the king! After all that sweet candy, some salty pumpkin seeds taste just right. It’s too late for this year, but if I remember to write this up now, you’re likely to find it next year when you’re looking online with that bowl of gooey pumpkin seeds sitting on your counter.
Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups, roughly, of pumpkin seeds, picked clean of large bits of flesh
- 2 Tbs butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Stir this all together then spread out on a shallow baking sheet.
- Bake at 275 for an hour or so, stirring occasionally until the reach the desired crispness.
Have you ever thought about doing this with seeds from winter squash? Butternut and acorn squash have seeds that are very much like pumpkin seeds.
I’m not “old” (or at least don’t feel it), but I miss the simpler times too.. Halloween is just one reminder of how much the world has changed and how quickly it has at that.
Thanks Ellen!!!
This looks like a really great recipe. I toasted my first batch of seeds this year but just used olive oil, salt and onion powder. I’m filing your recipe away for next year!