Pumpkin

 

Two weeks ago, Heather’s Special Needs Activity Program class painted pumpkins and brought them home. When hers was dry, she flipped it upside down and showed me a sticker on the bottom – a recipe for pumpkin pie. We washed the paint off (It was probably nontoxic, but better safe than sorry), roasted and mashed it, and it became a lovely pie. We reserved the pumpkin seeds, boiled them a few minutes in salted water, and spread them on paper towels to dry. Then we tossed them with a bit of olive oil (Peanut, coconut, and walnut oils are good, too). We spread the seeds out on a baking sheet, sprinkled them with seasoning, and roasted them until they just started to turn brown on the edges. The seasoning we used was Tajin, the chili-lime they sprinkle on mangoes at Disneyland. But we’ve used taco seasoning in the past, and I’m told harissa powder is good, too.