When she has the kitchen all to herself, Phyllis Grant of Dash and Bella cooks beautiful iterations of what solo meals were always meant to be: exactly what you want, when and where you want them.

Today: A switched-up, better version of the roasted pumpkin seeds you grew up with -- no boiling or soaking required.

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It’s day seven (out of eleven) of fall break. I have no childcare. My to-do list is so long I decide it’s best to ignore it entirely. I need a break. So I slide into the bath and tell my kids that interruptions are allowed only if there is a fire, an earthquake, or lots of blood. Twenty minutes in, there’s a knock at the bathroom door. It’s my six-year-old.

“Mom?”

“Dash, is it an emergency?”

“No. But I did my pumpkin.”

“You did what to your pumpkin?”

“I carved an entire pumpkin by myself.”

“With what?”

“That mini saw thingy.”

I leap out of the bath and run into the kitchen. There it is.

“Those are the triangle eyes. And the rosy red cheeks. And a mouth. See? I did it.”

It’s beautiful. But I keep my mouth shut. We still have three pumpkins left and I’m not up for a visit to the emergency room.

“Dash. Why don’t you scoop the seeds out so I can roast them?”

“What? You eat those?”

“I do. Yes.”

“Fine. You can have them.”

“Dash. Listen to me. Please don’t carve the other pumpkins.”

“But why?”

“We will do them together. I want to see your technique.”

“Okay. Fine. Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Get back in the bath. You’re dripping water all over the floor.”

Sweet and Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Makes 2 cups

2 small sugar pumpkins (yielding about 2 cups of seeds)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (the thicker the better)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

See the full recipe (and save it and print it) here.

Photos by Phyllis Grant