i was purchasing some copper jack o lanterns with LED candles to make them into sort of luminaries this year when the cashier said to me, “i should get something like this so i don’t have to bother with carving pumpkins.” at first i was mildly horrified. carving pumpkins is exactly the type of holiday-centric activity i love. but after a tiny bit more thought, i understood what she meant. as the years have passed my enthusiasm for pumpkin carving has waned slightly…i still dive into the task with enthusiasm, but somewhere along the way i start wishing i hadn’t chosen such a complicated design. sawing away at a pumpkin with a half broken pumpkin tool sucks. the strings are itchy. i hate the feeling of getting pumpkin gush all over my hands and arms. i get it.
but if i don’t carve pumpkins, how will we get pumpkin seeds?! luckily i was able to gather some from the pie pumpkins i purchased earlier this month to make homemade pumpkin puree.
here’s how we prepared them:
| ingredients |
evoo
trader joe’s everything but the bagel seasoning
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
| method |
rinse and dry pumpkin seeds. toss in the evoo, and spices then spread out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. bake at 375 degrees for 10-20 minutes, stirring halfway though. be sure to keep an eye out so they don’t burn!
i think they’re tastiest while warm - they taste just like popcorn.
