I did not intend for this to turn into “pumpkin week”. Really I just did a lot with pumpkins over the weekend.

But since the week has developed a theme of sorts, I’ll keep it going.

When you carve a pumpkin, or make pumpkin puree, or do anything that requires a pumpkin to be gutted, you end up with a bowl full of slime and seeds. Most people toss it all, thinking it’s too difficult to get all that slime off of the seeds. But it really is easy.

Just gently squeeze the slime in your hands over a colander or strainer. The seeds will drop into the strainer, then you can throw the slime away in big handfuls. Then just rinse the rest of it off of the seeds.

You see there is still some slime in there. It’s fine, just spread the rinsed seeds out on a cookie sheet, and pick the bigger pieces out.

Let the seeds dry on a tray for about 24 hours before you try this recipe:

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• About 2 C. pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• a pinch to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• olive oil
• salt

Step 1: Toss the seeds in a some olive oil (enough to coat them). Spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt.

Step 2: Bake them at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. They should go from this:

to this:

Step 3: While the seeds are baking, mix the white sugar and the spices in a bowl.

Step 4: Once the seeds are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside. In a medium heat skillet, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and the seeds. Stir them around, then add the brown sugar. Stir them continuously until the sugar melts and coats the seeds.

Step 5: Once the brown sugar is coating the pumpkin seeds, pour the sugared seeds into the bowl with the spice mixture. Toss well to coat, then let them cool. Letting them cool is the hard part.

These were maddeningly addicting. I say “were” because they are gone now. If you like sweet/salty/spicy as a combination, you will not want to miss out on these pumpkin seeds. I may have to make more puree just to have more seeds!

The Wife