Fall Means Pumpkin Seeds

What was more fun as a child, carving the pumpkin for Halloween or cleaning out the seeds and roasting them? I liked the latter, not being much of an artist, and still do. I didn't buy a Halloween pumpkin this year, but my craving for the golden brown, salty seeds means I will be going soon to pick up a pumpkin and make some roasted pumpkin seeds. They're great as a snack, low in calories, high in fiber, and can be used in a number of other ways, including salads. They're easy to make, and so much better than the store bought variety. Try them this fall.

1 medium pumpkin 4 cups water 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil coarse ground kosher salt

Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut off top of pumpkin and scoop out seeds. Discard the stringy fiber and place seeds in a strainer. Look for broken seeds and remove them.

In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add seeds, reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain well and pat dry.

Transfer seeds to a medium bowl, toss with oil and salt and spread out in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast seeds, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until just crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour total. (They will become crispier as they cool.) Set aside to let cool completely then shell or eat whole. ¨(if you're watching your salt intake, bake them without salt)

For spicy pumpkin seeds, mix 1/2 teaspoon each garlic salt, cumin, coriander and cardamom with seeds and oil before roasting.¨For sweet pumpkin seeds, mix 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, cloves and ginger and 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar with seeds and oil before roasting.

Nutritional Info: Per Serving:Serving size: 2 Tablespoons, 130 calories (100 from fat), 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 5g protein

I woke up this morning and decided that I should write a little something about November 22, 1963. Who cannot remember where they were when President Kennedy was shot? I was working at the VA building in West Los Angeles. I had a four hour a day job in the real estate department, doing something with loans. I can't remember what. Anyway, shortly before my morning was over a buzz came over the huge room. No official announcement was made, but word of the shooting traveled from section to section quickly. People were crying and in shock. No one could believe it. My mom picked me up at noon. She had the radio on in the car, and we listened for more information as we drove home. The community and the nation were in shock and disbelief. I don't ever remember another single event in my lifetime having this kind of effect on people, except for the death of Diana. Who knows what could have been, what would have been had he lived. It's a good day to take a moment and reflect on life, and how fleeting it can be.