Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

First throw all the seeds into a large bowl and fill it up with water. Sift through the seeds and pull out any chunks or strings of pumpkin flesh. Once all the non-seed material is removed, drain the seeds through a strainer and pour them onto a baking sheet. Use paper towel to dry them off.

Set the oven to 350F. Drizzle some olive oil onto the seeds, along with a generous helping of salt, pepper, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, and a dash of paprika (do not use smoky paprika!). Mix well and then redistribute into an even layer on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

This recipe does not call for any nuts, peanuts, dairy, wheat gluten, soy, and is suitable for vegans.

What I Ate At Harvard

You may have noticed that sometimes I write about how I bring my own food when out and about, and around town, and doing things in general, especially while traveling. The time Karrie and I visited Harvard was no exception. It was our final day in the city and we had to catch a late afternoon flight home so we decided to squeeze in a quick tour. By this time we were tired as hell. Over the weekend we had spent nearly a whole day at Primark, scouring mounds of leggings for our sizes, hastily trying on fun-fur coats, and debating whether to buy the glitter clutch or the animal print one (glitter won by a landslide). We walked from one end of the city to the other, hitting up the Isabel Bader museum, Beacon Hill, the South End, and Faneuil Hall. So by the time we got around to our Harvard tour I was too exhausted to even consider finding a restaurant that could accommodate my allergies. I had in mind that this was student land which meant student food, which meant cheese on everything and general Mandy-unfriendliness. 

Now, I have no idea if this was actually the case or not because we were too exhausted to even consider foraging. Maybe I should have called this article When You Just Can't Even, but alas here we are and I've already hit publish. I planned ahead by tossing a few Enjoy Life Chewy Bars in my purse, knowing that I could easily grab a coffee or tea and a piece of fruit while on campus. We stopped at the Crema Cafe where I got a raspberry soda made with real fruit (two birds with one stone?) and Karrie grabbed a snack to hold her over too. Our casual lunch stop meant more time for taking photos which was great since we're both obsessed with photography. Who knows, maybe we'll visit again with enough time to get to a restaurant and a party. We can still pass as students - right?