Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

One of my favorite parts about carving a jack-o-lantern is having the pumpkin seeds to roast afterward. There are many different variations on the classic roasted pumpkin seed. This is the one that I use every year, because I love the simple taste of salt and olive oil. It really lets the nutty taste come out of the seed, which is great for those of us with nut allergies who can't normally experience that.

What you'll need:
- Pumpkin seeds from your jack-o-lantern
- Olive Oil
- Salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Rinse the pumpkin seeds under cold water, and try to pick off as much of the orange pulp as you can.

Dump the seeds onto a piece of paper towel and blot dry.

Throw the seeds into a bowl and toss with some olive oil. You want just enough to lightly coat them. This will prevent the seeds from sticking to each other or to the pan while they roast.

Sprinkle in some salt and toss. I used sea salt because I love the texture, but you can use table salt if that's what you have on hand.

Lay the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. I prefer to line my baking sheet with tin foil because it is in rough shape but you don't have to do that. (Did you hear that Santa? Amanda could use a nice new baking sheet.) Put the seeds in the oven. We're going to be roasting them for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Here they are after the first 10 minutes. Give them a stir and send them back on in.

Another 10 minutes, and you can see that the moisture is starting to evaporate a bit more, but we're not quite there yet.

After the final 10 minutes, take them out and turn off the oven. Just look at that roasted goodness. I can't wait for that crunch!

Don't they look delicious? And the smell of roasted pumpkin seeds is just wonderful. Salty, nutty goodness. Let them cool before you store them in an air-tight container. Or eat them all right away...its up to you.

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