Toasted Acorn Squash Seeds, Safety Goggles Required

Instead of posting a brilliant idea today, here is a food-fail story for your entertainment. Learn from my mistakes.

Ever toasted your own pumpkin seeds? It's pretty easy. I tried the same thing recently with acorn squash seeds, but it was a bit more challenging. I rinsed, dried and spread them on a cookie sheet, which I put in the hot oven. They started to get toasty, as expected, but then I heard snapping noises. The seeds were jumping off the sheet, popping open and shooting shells all over the oven! The seeds smoked as they hit the hot coils and bottom of the oven. I shielded myself and removed them quickly, wishing I had safety goggles to protect me from seed shrapnel.

I had my heart set on toasting the seeds, so I got the bright idea to put them in the toaster oven where they would be contained and pop back onto the sheet. This was even worse. It started smoking, seeds exploding, and I tried to open the door. Shells shot clear across the kitchen. I turned off the toaster and waited for the battle to subside, but it was too late. The seeds were hardly toasted, but the shells of some found their way into deep reaches of the toaster to burn more and more throughout eternity.

It may have been worth the trouble if the seeds were good. They tasted ok, but were hard to chew through the tough shells.