Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

(Click here to view the Fresh Pumpkin Puree tutorial, or see the link on the sidebar under "Recipes and Tutorials")

First, you'll need some fresh pumpkin seeds.

The seeds are easiest to clean if they're fresh. After they're a few hours old the pumpkin fibers congeal on the seeds, creating a lovely orange cement. Wash them well, removing any chunks of pumpkin.
Boil them in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. This softens the outer husk, cutting down on the baking time (and lessening the chance of burning the seeds)

Drain the water from the seeds and spread on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Although I'm a huge fan of olive oil, I wouldn't personally recommend using that for this purpose, as olive oil tends to taste burnt if cooked at too high a temperature.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and stir them. Bake them another 15 minutes if they're not toasted yet. How long you bake them will depend on the thickness of the seeds and how deeply you've layered them on the cookie sheet.

Transfer the toasted seeds to a plate lined with paper towels. Blot the excess oil.
Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar if you prefer the sweet version, or just salt if you like the traditional taste. Add a bit of danger to your life and try some cayenne pepper with the salt! Toss to coat, and enjoy!

Here's a little index card version you can print out, if you'd like: