Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

The best part of a pumpkin, in my opinion, are the seeds!  That's really my favorite part about carving pumpkins.  Forget the incredible artistic creation you've just made--bring on the toasted seeds!

So here are the seeds from the pumpkin i sacrificed for yesterday's soup.  First, you have to sort the seeds from the rest of the innards.  Like sheep from goats.

Then you rinse the seeds in a small bowl.  The seeds will float to the top.  Just kinda scoop 'em up with your hands and put into a strainer.

The key now is to get these dry.  I usually lay them out on a piece of paper towel.

Make sure they're all spread out nicely so each one gets some paper towel contact.

Then leave 'em for a while.  If your home is as dry as mine in the fall/winter, they should dry in just a couple of hours.

Then, I put them in a bowl and drizzle a little bit of olive oil to them, just to get them coated.  Then I sprinkle the following:

-salt
-pepper
-onion powder
-paprika

And mix them all up!  I like my foods well-seasoned :)

Then I stick them on a pizza pan, which i find is the best way to cook seeds.  The holes in the bottom of the pan allow the heat to penetrate on both sides.  But if you don't have a holey pizza pan at home, it's fine to just use a cookie sheet.

Put them in the oven at 325F for about 12-15 minutes or until they are nice and crisp.

See how cute they are?

They make a great study snack!  My mom's always talking about how many nutrients are in pumpkin seeds.  I'm sure she knows what she's talking about.