salt & vinegar pumpkin seeds

Happy Halloween! I tried to avoid all the pumpkin posts, and the orange and black... but I caved. At the last minute. Hope you don't mind. Here's a spin on the classic pumpkin seed; trust me. They are awesome! Scary awesome (forgive me).

Here's how I rock my pumpkin. I cut the top off the pumpkin using a VERY sharp knife, the level it off with one more slice. That'll get all those seeds on the lid off into the bowl.

Next! Wield your weapon. I start with a wooden spoon and I swirl it around inside to loosen everything up.

Now for the heavy artillery! Use the metal spatula or scraper to really get all the gunk out.

Once the pumpkin is cleared of that stuff, you should have a big ol' bowl of guts and seeds. Proceed in carving the pumpkin however you choose.

This will take a while... but you gotta sort through all the guts and get the seeds out. And these little guys are slippery buggers. They'll pop right of your hands and onto the floor before you know it. And that distinctive plunk on the floor will bring all your dogs running, and maybe later you'll find a half eaten seed on the bed. Like I did.

Fun fact! Pumpkin seeds float! Pumpkin guts don't. That makes this process at least a little easier. Dump the sorted seeds into a big bowl, pour in some water and start rubbing them between your palms to get the extra pumpkin guts off.

There we are. Prepare the flavor infuser.

The flavor infuser would be the boiling process. In straight vinegar with a dash of salt. Believe me. It may smell funky, but it's worth it. This will boil for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, this is a good time to preheat your oven.

Drain, drizzle with olive oil, and of course, more salt. It's not called Salt and Vinegar for nothing! 25 minutes later, after a spell in a 400 degree oven, you'll have some little yummies on your hands! And now you only have to wait another whole year for more.

Salt & Vinegar Pumpkin Seeds
1 pumpkin's worth seeds, cleaned and drained
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 Tablespoon salt
Kosher salt
Olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil vinegar with 1 tablespoon of salt over medium high heat, and add in pumpkin seeds. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain and dry with a paper towel. Spread in a thin layer on a baking pan and season with olive oil and kosher salt. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, stirring seeds frequently to ensure even browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool before storing in a zip top bag. Enjoy!