"Fun With Food Friday" - Spooky Pumpkin Seed Edition!

So, the countdown to Halloween has been on in my house since, oh, November 1, 2010.  My three little goblins LOVE to dress up....oh, and I suppose that the ample availability of free candy possesses some type of draw for them too ;)  As much as I'd love to send them out with one of my large reusable produce bags and say "that's your candy limit!", I know that'll never fly.  So this weekend, I'm going to whip up some "regulation-size" trick or treat bags out of unbleached muslin for them and then let them go nuts decorating them on their own.

One of my favourite parts of Halloween is carving the pumpkins.  Scooping the gloop out is considered beyond disgusting by every member of my family but me, so I always get that glamorous job.  For me, the holiday isn't complete without roasting up some of the delicious seeds from each pumpkin we carve.  Growing up, I only ever had them roasted with plain old salt.  A couple of years ago, I stepped outside the box and tried seasoning salt (wild stuff, I know).  After a few years of that taste sensation, I really took a leap and tried something completely different.  Here's my recipe for candied pumpkin seeds:

Candied Pumpkin Seeds

1. Separate seeds out from pumpkin flesh and wash well.  Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Coat the seeds with melted butter (or margarine); the amount will depend on the number of seeds you have.  Just use enough to coat them evenly.
3. Spread the seeds out evenly onto a cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle seeds with a mixture of brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and cinnamon (again, the amounts will depend on the number of seeds and your taste preference, but the majority of the mix should be brown sugar with perhaps 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of each of the other ingredients).
5. Bake for one hour at 250F.  

You can try to ignore the fact that the nutritive value of the pumpkin seeds is fairly offset by the ample amounts of brown sugar, and just keep in mind that this is a once per year kinda treat. 

This year, I'm also going to give a few other recipes a go.  I found a few interesting recipes at one of my favourite blogs: www.toneitup.com.  This particular entry also details the many health benefits of pumpkin seeds as a great "on-the-go" snack.  And what better way to pack them up than in a small, trendy reusable produce bag?  Perhaps you can take some with you while you make the neighbourhood rounds on Monday night!  As always, it is so nice to get feedback from others.  Let us know what you think of these recipes and feel free to comment and leave your family favourite!

Have a wonderfully SPOOKY Halloween!

Shantelle