pumpkin carving and roasted pumpkin seeds

over the weekend we carved our pumpkins and leko was pretty fascinated by the whole process.  he "helped" us to carve the designs and he liked chasing the pumpkin seeds too.

after we carved our pumpkins we cleaned off the pumpkin seeds and roasted them in the oven.  (i swear, i think that is ryan's favorite part of carving pumpkins each year.)  roasted pumpkin seeds sure do make a fun fall snack, and they are so easy to make too!

roasted pumpkin seeds
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 50-60 minutes

ingredients:
fresh pumpkin seeds
extra virgin olive oil
garlic powder
salt and ground black pepper
paprika (optional)

directions:
preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.  remove the seeds from a pumpkin, wash the seeds, and then dry them thoroughly.  line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spreed the seeds out evenly on the foil.  lightly coat the seeds with olive oil.  season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.  stir to make sure that all of the seeds are evenly coated.  roast the seeds in the oven until the seeds become golden brown and crispy (about 50-60 minutes) stirring every 20 minutes.  once done, allow the seeds to cool completely before serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie