Halloween Countdown: It's Carving Time

It's happening THIS weekend—the annual Duffy Pumpkin Carving Event! We've picked out four amazing pumpkins, selected our designs, and gathered the tools. (Dad always brings out his power drill as a joke, but his pumpkin isn't even that big!_

Carving the best Jack-O-Lantern is great, but you know what's almost better? The feast afterward! I'm talking about pumpkin seeds of course. Tradition in our house means that my sister and I help Mom get them ready for roasting, while Dad digs out one of our Halloween movies.

When the seeds are ready (finally!), we separate them into four bowls—and eat it like popcorn whilee watching Frankenstein or something equally as awesome. Delicious!

So, how does Mom make the perfect pumpkin seeds? I thought I'd let you in on her secret for today's Halloween Countdown post. Don't worry, she said it was okay.

The most important step is to wash your seeds thoroughly. You want to get rid of all the pumpkin fibres (guts), so when you think you've cleaned them enough, clean them again. And again. (Seriously, it takes us like an hour to clean them!)

The other BIG rule is that you have to keep a watch on them while they're cooking. Set the timer for 10 minutes, check on them, move them around, set the timer for another ten minutes, move them around, and repeat until they're done. If you leave them alone too long, they'll burn. And trust me, burnt pumpkin seeds are NOT the same.

So what to put on them? Well, Mom says there are a few different recipes if you want to look them up. But here's what she does....

You need:
½ teaspoon of Seasoned Salt
½ tablespoon of Canola oil
Dash of salt

This is enough "topping" for two pumpkins worth of seeds.

After you've cleaned—and cleaned—the seeds, let them soak in a bowl of water for about half an hour. Fill a pot with water and a dash of salt. Bring the water to a boil, and then add the pumpkin seeds, cooking for about 10 minutes.

Drain the seeds, and put them in a bowl. Toss the seeds with the canola oil, and then lay them out on a cookie tray. Sprinkle on the seasoned salt. (My mouth is watering already!) Cook the seeds at 350C for about 40 minutes, making sure to turn them / move them around every 10 minutes.

I know this is the hardest part, but take them out of the oven and allow them to cool before gobbling them up.

And there you have it—perfect pumpkin seeds.

Gotta jet! Have a great day. I'll be back tomorrow for more Halloween fun. Oh, and don't forget to post your Jack-O-Lantern pics for a chance to win a copy of Beneath The SOIL—the most spooktacular graphic novel in the Superman Duffy collection.

~ Chase Superman Duffy