It's Pumpkin Time!!!!! Getting the seed of an idea.

I LOVE this time of year. I love the crispness in the air, the bright color of the turning leaves, and the suspense that seems to build around the coming of Halloween. Don't love the fact that it starts getting darker earlier, but I'll accept it knowing that it leads to glowing orange globes delighting passersby and trick-or-treaters. You know - pumpkins!

Every since I was a small child, many years ago, I've adored carving pumpkins. There's something so viscerally cool and yet creepy about slicing off the top of these fruits of Autumn and pulling out all those slimy, icky insides. Cleaning and carving transform the simple pumpkin into a frightful - or playful - vision that dances in the long night.

Over the next few days I'll give carving tips, recipes and preserving ideas for keeping the pumpkin going. Today, however, lets get to the guts of the matter.

Pumpkin seeds are little gems inside even bigger gems. They are packed with zinc, manganese, copper, iron and protein. Their sweet nuttiness makes them a great addition to salads or any dish. And they are a terrific snack.

You can easily buy shelled pumpkin seeds, called Pepita's, but making your own is so easy. This is the recipe I typically use, but you can change around the spices to suit your own taste. Sugar pumpkins have slightly smaller, softer shelled seeds. We leave the hulls on for some extra crunchiness.

Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds - about 3 cups
Paprika: Sweet, Smoked and Hot
Garlic Salt
Kosher Salt
6 tbs. salted butter
Garlic Powder

Take the pumpkin seeds from your carved pumpkin and rinse them off, removing all the strings and any visible pumpkin pieces. Put 1/4 cup of kosher salt in a bowl and add pumpkin seeds. Fill with water to cover seeds. Stir, then cover with a dish towel or saran wrap and let sit for at least 2 hours, overnight if possible.

Drain the seeds and rinse off. Spread on a clean, dry dish towel and pat dry.

Set the oven at 375 degrees. In a roasting pan or cookie sheets with sides, place the butter and put in the oven. In about 5 minutes, remove from the oven. The butter should be mostly melted. Add the pumpkin seeds, 1 tsp of smoked paprika, 1 tsp of sweet paprika, and 1/4 tsp of hot paprika. Sprinkle on garlic powder and garlic salt (about 2 tsp of each). Stir into the seeds and spread them out to a thin layer. Return the pan to the oven.

Let the seeds roast undisturbed for about 15 minutes. After that time, stir up the seeds and check for browning - you want them brown and crunchy, not burned. If needed, put in to another 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir. You can add more garlic salt or kosher salt if you'd like. Let cool completely and put in an air tight container.

Munch away any time you want a snack. These are also great in Nuts & Bolts (similar to Chex Mix). And they're the perfect munch while watching Halloween horror movies!