My fall favorites

                    

    

    

     I love fall! I enjoy lighting my favorite fall candle preheating the oven and getting started on my recipes. It stays pretty warm in Southern California all year long. I try to take the cool days that we get once in a while and bake my favorite fall cookies and snacks.

     One of my favorite snacks is Pumpkin Seeds. They are so easy and cheap to make. A small sugar pumpkin is only $2.00 at Trader Joe's. I use the pumpkin and the seeds. Pumpkin freezes well so if you only have a few cool days a year make the best of it and bake a few pumpkins and freeze the puree in Ziploc. When pumpkins are almost out at the stores its nice to have it. The canned pumpkin has gone up so much in price that its cheaper to buy a fresh pumpkin. It is time consuming but worth it. You can do so many things with pumpkin. You can make Pancakes, cookies, muffins or even bread. You can even add pumpkin to dishes for dinner.

Pumpkin Seeds

     First cut your pumpkin in half and clean out the inside. Separate the seeds from the pumpkin guts. Sometimes it doesn't all come off but that's ok it will roast up nice in the oven.

     Then, soak the seeds over night in water. Let them sit over night in the refrigerator. The next day preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour the seeds into a strainer. Rinse them with cool water under the faucet. Spray your cookie sheet with non stick spray. Pour the seeds on the cookie sheet. spread them out evenly. Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. I usually use salt and pepper, other options could be cayenne pepper. If you want a sweet snack sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on them. 

     Next put them in the oven set the time for 25 minutes. Then stir them. I like my seeds nice and crispy so I stir and set for another 25 minutes. I let them cool and put them in a Ziploc for snacking.