Spiced up Pumpkin Seeds

This time of year, pumpkins around the nation are being carved into fun gruesome images. But, what happens to all of those gooey pumpkin guts? I personally like to have a pumpkin seed roast while others are carving up those pumpkin faces. I love to take these with me to munch on as an alternative to candy while I'm trick-or-treating. The following is one of my favorite treats - no tricks intended- and gives you a little kick and warmth needed on this crisp Halloween night.

Ingredients:
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions:
1. Put the gooey pumpkin guts with the seeds into a cold bath in the sink. The pumpkin seeds should float to the top.
2. Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and discard the rest of the pumpkin guts.
3. Dry the seeds with paper towels. If you can wait, allow the seeds to dry overnight. If you can't wait, it should be ok -- just be sure to dry as thoroughly as you can with the paper towels.
4. Heat up a frying pan with the olive oil.
5. When the pan is hot, add the pumpkin seeds.
6. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
7. Allow to roast in the pan until the seeds turn brown.
8. Remove seeds from the pan and allow to cool before eating.

Note: If you have more than 1 cup of pumpkin seeds, roast them on the stove in batches according to the instructions above.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!