October 30: Early Trick-or-Treating/Cinnamon and Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

I learned a great trick from my sister, Jane.  Jane took pictures of Annika in her beautiful baptism gown days before her actual baptism on an afternoon when Annika was in a great mood.  I figured the same logic would work for taking pictures in our Halloween costumes!  It was no problem to get the kids to try them on once they saw me get their costumes out.  So in a matter of minutes we had our very own Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, and adorable chili pepper.  The smiles were perfect for this photo op!

And I was so thankful that I had done this!  The night we went out trick-or-treating we had a total of 20 kids over (with their parents) and it was a bit chaotic...not the best atmosphere to get a nice picture.  A few people did try to get a group picture of all the kids, but I was still locking up the house and missed out on that...I'll have to get a copy from someone.  We all had a great time walking around our neighborhood on a crisp fall evening collecting yummy treats!







Seth and the boys had carved the pumpkin Friday night, and we saved the seeds after washing all the goop off.  Saturday afternoon before heading out for trick-or-treating we made some cinnamon and sugar pumpkin seeds.  I've only ever had a salty pumpkin seed, but Seth asked for a sweet variation this year.  I went online and found a simple recipe (included).  The seeds were quite good, especially warm right out of the oven.

Cinnamon and Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 Tbs butter

2 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Start with clean and dry pumpkin seeds.  Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.  In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the seeds and stir frequently.  Saute until the seeds are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. 

Immediately remove the seeds to the bowl with cinnamon and sugar and toss to coat.  Enjoy!

Note:  These are best enjoyed when still warm!