Plethora of pumpkin seeds yields a crunchy, spicy mix with a variety of uses

All that wonderful pumpkin puree from our fall pumpkins now sits in neat little containers in my freezer as it waits to be called on for service. (And it will be, as Hubby and I LOVE anything pumpkin.) But what about the plethora of pumpkin seeds that were extracted at the same time the pumpkin pulp was processed?

"Be sure and don't throw them away," Hubby, who finds uses for anything--even the hairy skin on kiwi fruit, which he grinds and installs into smoothies--cautioned.

Right, be good stewards of all God gives us, I knew in my heart to be correct. Waste not, want not, I could hear my mother's voice in my head. But pumpkin seeds? I've never been a big fan of the beyond-bland way they taste when they are oven-roasted.

Then I derived a plan. "You be the super-sleuth," I entreated Hubby. "Why don't you do an Internet search and see if you can find some unusual way to prepare them?" If preserving the pumpkin seeds was vastly important to him, perhaps he could be the one to find a newfangled hint.

Good for Hubby, he did just that. Going online he found this recipe for Spiced Oven-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, which turned the ordinary into the extraordinary. Just the simple addition of sugar substitute and spices made the pumpkin seeds positively yummy, not to mention what the aroma of this spicy mix being cooked did for the house.

These were great for snacking by themselves, for tossing on breakfast cereal, or, of course, for Hubby's favorite pastime--finding new ingredients to add into his smoothie potpourri.

Spiced Oven-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds (the amount produced by the average-sized pumpkin)

1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or more, to taste (or sugar substitute)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Rinse seeds well; remove as much of the pumpkin pulp as possible. Some of the small pieces of pumpkin will adhere to the seeds, but they won't hurt the seeds at all and might even add more flavor. Pat dry with paper towels. Don't let them dry completely on the paper towels, because they might stick. Toss seeds with the butter, sugar, and spices. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coated seeds on a shallow baking sheet; you can line a baking sheet with nonstick foil to make cleanup easier. While you are baking them, turn seeds from time to time (about every 15 minutes) for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until nicely browned and crunchy.