Hungry for a treat? Your favorite Starbucks latte (or, ahem, mine), the Pumpkin Spice Latte, gets a cupcake makeover in this fab Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcake that I created for allParenting.

Yes, we are okay after Hurricane Sandy! Thanks for all the notes, comments, emails, texts, etc. We are still without power, but are online for small spurts during the day thanks to our generator. But overall, we are doing really well — all things considered.

Also, I’ve been writing about the storm and the recovery over on Sarah by the Sea, so please check that out if you are interested.

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These might look a lot like roasted pumpkin seeds. But they aren’t. They’re actually from a spaghetti squash. And they’re just as delicious.

Ok. Are you ready for this? This might blow your mind a little … You can roast seeds from any squash for a delicious snack. Seriously. Squash seeds are edible and can be roasted to use as a garnish or eaten as a snack. So when you crack open a butternut squash or a spaghetti squash or an acorn squash or whatever, save those seeds. But just as a note — this works best with meatier seeds (sorry summer squash!).

So, how did I discover this? Well, it all started when I was roasting a spaghetti squash last week. When I cut it open, I noticed how much the seeds reminded me of pumpkin seeds. And a little spark of an idea was born. Once the squash was in the oven, I dashed off to consult with my friend, Dr. Google. He’s a helpful one, that Google. Well, turns out that seeds from any squash can be eaten. Then it dawned on me: No more wasting seeds in this house! Also, why wait for pumpkin carving to roast seeds when I can roast up all the seeds from all the squashes we eat?

I’m excited. And I wonder why I never noticed the resemblance between different squash seeds before. Have you?

Yes, this is easy — but it does take a little while. These squash seeds are tossed with a little oil and some Five Spice Seasoning. And salt too. You can’t forget the salt. Then they are slow roasted to crispy perfection. Yum.

Roasted Five Spice Squash Seeds
yields depend on squash

seeds from 1 squash (such as spaghetti squash or butternut squash)
1 tsp  extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp Five Spice Seasoning
kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.

Thoroughly wash the seeds, removing any pulp. Then dry on paper towel. Toss seeds with olive oil and seasonings. Spread out on the foil.

Roast the seeds in the oven for 1 – 1 1/4 hours, until lightly golden, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Halloween is a-coming and I couldn’t be happier. Last year, Halloween was weird for us given the unexpectedly bad blizzard and power outage that nearly cancelled it altogether here. So this year, I want Halloween to be big for us. Pumpkins and decorations and creepy snacks, oh my!

But while I plan on decorating our house in the Halloween spirit, I am a little tired of cartoon-ish embroidered Halloween kitchen towels, potholders and whatnot. I mean they’re cute and all. But a lot can be said for subtly.

So, instead of digging out the cute Frankenstein and adorable black cat gear this fall, I made some fabulous Dip-Dyed Halloween Kitchen Towels. These are pretty simple to create and also inexpensive too. I picked up a five pack of 100% cotton towels and used some RIT Dye liquid dye that I was recently sent to play with. Oh, and a big bucket (thank you, Cate, for recommending that …  oh, and sending over the Martha Stewart Dip-Dyeing 101 Tutorial! So helpful).

I’m kind of in love with this RIT Dye. See, until this week I’d never really dyed anything (well, except for the washed out tie-dye t-shirts of childhood). And I was a little afraid to try it — what if I accidentally made something explode whilst dying a shirt? (Irrational? Absolutely. But that’s just one of those little thoughts that run through my head. What?). Then I tried it.

Oh wow. It’s easy. So easy. And there’s some joy in seeing a plain white thing turn pretty colors with a simple dip-dip-dip. I can’t wait to experiment with more dye ideas.

Dip-Dyed Kitchen Towels for Halloween

You need:

1/3 cup kosher salt
1 gallon (16 cups) hot water
1/3 bottle RIT Dye in Sunshine Orange

Directions:

Stir together the salt, water and dye in a large bucket. I recommend doing this outside on a really sunny day — that way you don’t risk getting the dye anywhere.

Fold the towel to make for easier dipping (you want to fold it in half horizontally and then in thirds vertically so that the ends are facing down). Dip repeatedly into the dye until desired effect is achieved (you may want to dip more, then less, then less for an ombre effect).

Unfold the towels and hang to dry overnight — I left mine outside until they stopped dripping and then moved to a hanging rack in the basement. If you are concerned about the dye dripping, place a plastic bag beneath.

Rinse the towels in cool water until the water runs nearly clear. Wash by hand with mild soap and then rinse. Wring out to remove as much water as you can and hang to dry again.

Now, the towels are ready to use. But when it’s time for the first official wash of the towels in the washing machine, just be sure to wash them separately from other items to ensure that the dye doesn’t run.

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Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with RIT Dye and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.

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