Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Today we carved our Halloween pumpkins!! To my kids carving pumpkins means roasting pumpkin seeds. We all just love them. My mom made me and my brothers roasted pumpkin seeds every Halloween and I have continued the tradition with my own kids.  It's about time I share this easy-peasy "recipe" on my blog.  I have recipe in quotes because it isn't much of a recipe, more of a roasting technique.  The following is more of a guideline, so don't stress over exact measurements, just wing it. They'll turn out great!

Ingredients:
About 2 cups of fresh pumpkin seeds
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Paprika

Pre-heat oven to 325F

Remove all the pumpkin goo from the seeds - I do a preliminary removal before putting the semi-clean seeds into a large strainer.  Run cool water over the seeds in the strainer to help loosen the remaining goo from the seeds (this can take some time).

Once the seeds are mostly dry (use a kitchen towel or paper towels to blot) place them on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil (about a teaspoon). Massage the oil into the seeds with your hands. Sprinkle liberally with salt and toss with your hands to coat evenly. Sprinkle the seeds with a little bit of paprika.

Bake on 325F for 12 minutes. Open the oven and stir the seeds. Bake for another 12-15 minutes or until the seeds are roasted to your liking. Just pop a few into your mouth to see if they are crispy and crunchy enough. Bake longer if you need to.....this is just a rough idea of time. Each time I roast these I bake them for a little bit different length of time. So, use this as a guideline not an exact measurement.  Once finished, remove from oven and let cool. These probably won't last for more than a day in your house - they are irresistible! Enjoy!