Halloween has progressed far beyond what it was when I was a kid. Back then, the costumes were mostly homemade. The pumpkins were mostly homegrown. And the carvings were definitely homegrown. No fancy templates. No fancy tools. We got a kitchen knife and scraped out the insides with a big kitchen spoon. Now, you seem to find most kids dressed in plastic store-bought action “figures” and “characters,” pumpkins are bought at the grocery store, and the jack-o-lanterns are likely to be more elaborate than a project I would have done for school!

But pumpkin seeds. Whether you buy or grow your pumpkins, carve a simple scary face or a haunted house complete with a witch out front, dress up as a ghost or a character from Desperate Housewives, pumpkin seeds are still the king! After all that sweet candy, some salty pumpkin seeds taste just right. It’s too late for this year, but if I remember to write this up now, you’re likely to find it next year when you’re looking online with that bowl of gooey pumpkin seeds sitting on your counter.

2 cups, roughly, of pumpkin seeds, picked clean of large bits of flesh
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Stir this all together then spread out on a shallow baking sheet. Bake at 275 for an hour or so, stirring occasionally until the reach the desired crispness.