Pumpkin Seeds A Fall Tradition

     I love this time of year, if you haven't already figured that out and one of the things I look forward to is the homemade roasted pumpkin seeds. This year I had four pumpkins that I got to take the seeds from and roast them. I don't know if it is my imagination but I swear that pumpkins have less and less seeds every year. With 4 pumpkins though, I got a pretty nice little bunch of them.
     I love the pumpkin seeds, but rarely ever buy them in the store because they are to salty and make my lips pucker up real bad. So I look forward to having my own. It's so simple and easy!

      I first throw all of the pumpkin guts into a big colander and take the large chunks and separate the seeds from the pulp. I run the colander under the water and just start swirling and squeezing the seeds away from the other pieces of pulp while picking out the pumpkin. This process can take a while, but if your colander has some fairly large holes a lot of the pumpkin will slide out as your swirling.

      Once the pumpkin seeds are clean I lay them out on paper towels to let them dry off. You can leave them out for several days to dry or pat them down and roast them immediately. I do find that letting them dry for a couple of days makes them roast just a little faster. If your going to let them dry at least overnight or more, be sure to transfer them to a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. They tend to stick to the paper towels and it's harder to get them off.

     Once they have dried spread just a small amount of olive oil or you can use vegetable oil on the seeds and stir them around to coat. A little oil really does go a long way. Than I liberally sprinkle with sea salt. This year I actually used the Pink Himalayan salt for a little more salty flavor. A little of this salt goes a long way, but on the seeds I still used liberally to be sure that once the seeds have been turned that there is plenty on them.

     Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Put the seeds into the oven setting the timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes stir the seeds around. Repeat this process 2 more times for a total of 21 minutes. Cooking time may vary and it also depends on if you want them really roasted or slightly roasted.  Let them cool completely on the tray and than pack into storage bags or re-usable air tight containers for snacking. If you have a lot of seeds you may also want to divide them up to roast. you want them to be fairly flat on the cookie sheet and not all bunched up. This helps the seeds get an even roasting.

     Here is the finished product! It's simple, easy, and a great low calorie snack and a lot less sodium than the seeds that are sold in the stores. The hardest part is getting them separated from the pumpkin pulp, but I find that it's worth the extra effort for me. It's also just another way that I celebrate the joys of the fall season.

Fall Bucket List

I found this awesome new blog Loves of Life that had this great Bucket List for fall. I really unfortunately don't know all the protocol that goes into crediting a person with their ideas, but I have her blog link above and she does give a link so that you can print out the list as well. I thought this was an awesome idea. Especially good for families, but I love to do all the stuff on the list as well. She has actually printed it out and frames it as a reminder of things to do through the season. Go check it out and all her other fun things!

Fall is in the Air?

     It's September, and I know that I am thinking about falling leaves, hot apple cider, fresh caramel apples, pumpkins, and cooler weather. However, California is serving up 100 degree temperatures and fall is looking like it won't get here till the New Year! Despite all of that, I still look forward to September and even though it's not officially fall yet, I do like to start getting my fall related stuff out early. I honestly haven't bought anything new for my fall decor in years. My latest acquisitions have been from yard sales over the last 6 months. A metal pumpkin that holds a candle which was never used, still had the tag on it and was identical to one I did buy last year at Ross. While the one at Ross was cheap, this one was even cheaper!
     Because I love the fall so much I am continuously looking for people that are selling their fall decor and I have been able to pick up some really nice things for just pennies of what the originally cost. Ceramic pumpkins, cream and sugar sets, salt and pepper shakers never in their original box completely unused. Yard sales if you aren't a firm believer in, can be a gold mine of decorative supplies, especially holiday decor. Though I am very picky about what I get. I normally do not pick up any type of fake vegetation. I know with mine they can get very dusty being out year to year, but it's my dust and I know that every year I store them away in a completely sealed plastic bag to keep all the bugs and spiders out. I normally do not get any type of linens unless the are of course in pristine condition. I like to be able to thoroughly wash anything that I purchase just to be safe. So if it's not washable or it's in questionable condition I will pass. Also it must be something that I really love. That the minute I see it I have to have it!
     Also the thing about seasonal decorating is that you don't want to feel that your house is cluttered with extras all of the time. I'm sure like me your big decorating comes around at Christmas, so the last thing you want is to have to strip away a lot of fall decorations to make way for Christmas ones. With some planning and coordinating you can plan some decorations like wreaths and garlands to be interchangeable for the seasons. For Fall you can stick picks of pumpkins and leaves in and than replace with fun decorative Christmas picks. Items like berries, pine cones, and even some neutral colored leaves can be left in for decor for both seasons; making it only necessary to replace a few of the pics depending on the season.
     I have decided that if I can swing it, I would like a few new items for my collection this year that I may purchase new. I have moved a few times since collecting some of my decorations and there are a few new places that I would like to beef up on color and seasonal fun. I have some pictures that I took of what I have so far. It doesn't take a lot in order for your room to be a reflexion of the season as you can see.

Here just used a couple of real life like but Styrofoam pumpkins, 1 pic and just mixed them in with my grapes that are already there for my everyday decor.

 My fireplace mantel

 Close up picture of a ceramic pumpkin that I added one deluxe pic to to make it fuller looking.

 Another ceramic pumpkin with a pic

This is the area below the mantel where my everyday decor is a brass vase. Filled with some berries, Cat-o-nine-tails, this makes for a nice quick but elegant arrangement. add the pumpkins and you have a little bit of fall.

Here is an example of a project that you can add in different pics for the different holidays. This is just a very basic straight branch garland that can fit in so many different places and have so many uses!

Not every container needs to contain something. Here I have just put in a couple of thick branches that contain berries. Let them hang wild and free.

As you can see it's just enough fall decor to make these two cases stand out from the everyday.

     As you can see a well placed pumpkin, pic, or garland can add just enough color and flavor of the season. Doesn't have to cost a lot and you don't need a lot to show off your elegant decorating style. Sometime a lot is to much. I like to maintain the integrity of my everyday living and just add in some interest for the season. For me it's a way to celebrate the end of summer. I get my pumpkin mug out and fix my pumpkin spice latte and when I feel the first nips of cooler days ahead I smile and know that I am ready for all the wonders the fall has to offer. How do you like to celebrate the end of summer? Would love to hear from you!