Pumpkin Seeds

'tis the season for carving pumpkins, making mulled cider and pumpkin seeds.  We had done all successfully except for making seeds.  Somehow what we tried in the past were not the crispy, yummy seeds I was hoping for.  Until this year.

Again, I haven't been taking photos for the blog (and the seeds didn't last but 2 days), but I plan to make the same varieties to show you what they look like, seeing as how we all eat with our eyes first.  I was thrilled with my seeds this year and they were a hit at the bar.  (Brag alert:) a respected Boston-based chef even liked them!

Varieties I made this time: plain (salt), ranch, sweet, and party.

Scoop out all the pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin, separating as much of the "goo" as you can.  Boil in salted water for 20 minutes or until grayish.  Drain and pat dry, then spread out seeds on a baking sheet overnight to dry.

The original recipe is even parts oil, butter, and salt.  Coat the seeds and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.  **Make sure they are in a single, even layer on the pan or they will not crisp up/stick together.  Once toasted, sprinkle with a little more salt and set aside to cool.

Ranch: butter or oil, ranch powder and salt.  It's that simple.  Once roasted, I sprinkled them with a little more ranch and salt, tossed, and set aside to cool.

Sweet: sugar, cinnamon, and allspice.  Once roasted, sprinkle with more sugar.

Party: my take on a "chex mix" recipe.  Butter, worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and a pinch of cayeanne.  Delicious.  Again, once roasted, sprinkle with salt.

Other ideas I may try:
Buffalo.  With hot sauce, butter, brown sugar and honey.
Onion dip powder
Salt and vinegar?
BBQ: unsure how to do this right now without using a lot of liquid flavorings.  Onion and garlic powders, bbq sauce, salt.