Halloween Trick or Treat Tips from Marianne H.: 

• Find out when the big night is in your town.  Not always on Oct. 31.

• Politically correct witches and wizards distribute only items in factory-sealed wrappings.  (Home-made is for invitation parties indoors.   Safety issues.)  Those who don't care to distribute leave their places totally dark. 

• Be sure to take inside items that could be used for mischief (brooms, trash cans, you know what) if grumpy gremlins had access. 

• If you run out of treats, substitute pennies.  A couple/few per bag.  Still cheaper than treats.

• If you notice adults hovering at curbside, send something out with the kids for them, too.  Hovering adults are doing their jobs, and should be rewarded.  Probably they won't care about your treat, but will love the delighted squeals of the child who runs the treats to them.

• An icy hand in your punch bowl? Hint, hint: If you don't have access to surgical gloves, check the housewares section of your grocery for "rubber" ones.

~Marianne H.

Halloween on the Web:
Two links to Cool Stuff for Kids and Kids at Heart! These pages will open in a new window, so just close the windows to return here.

Here's a link to for easy Halloween cupcakes that look like a clown.  (These could do double duty for birthdays, too -- save the directions, for later!) -- Halloween Clown Cupcakes

And for Halloween you *have* to have Green Slime and Icy Hands Punch! Directions are here --  Green Slime
 

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• 1/3 C. fat free sour cream
• 8 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 C. chopped celery
• 1/2 C. diced onion
• 1 TBSP. fresh lemon juice (from the little plastic lemon works, too)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 2 7-0z. cans tiny shrimp, drained and rinsed

Combine sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl.   Beat on medium speed of mixer until smooth.  Stir in remaining ingredients.   Cover and chill. 

Sturdy scoopers work best with this dip.  Think veggie sticks, tortilla or bagel chips, etc.

Recipes

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES AND SWEET POTATOES

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 5 5-oz center cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 " thick)
• 2 1/2 C. cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 lb.)
• 1/2 C. thinly sliced onion
• 1 3/4 C. orange juice, divided
• 1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar
• 2 TBSP. cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 TBSP. cornstarch
• 2 1/2 C. cubed Rome apple (about 3/4 lb.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork and cook 3 minutes on each side until browned.   Remove from skillet; keep warm.

Add sweet potato and onion to skillet; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.  Combine 1 1/2 C. juice, sugar, vinegar and salt.   Return pork to skillet; pour juice mixture over.  Cover, reduce heat, and summer 1 hour or until pork is tender.

Remove pork from skillet, and keep warm.   Combine 1/4 C. juice and cornstarch; add to skillet.  Stir in apple, and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Serve apple mixture over pork.  5 Servings.

Recipes
 

 ROASTED AUTUMN VEGETABLES

• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 pound shallots (about 24), peeled and trimmed
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 pounds butternut (or other winter squash), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 4cups)
• fresh thyme sprigs for garnish if desired
  

In a bowl toss together the potatoes, quartered, the shallots, 4 tablespoons of the oil, the bay leaf, the dried thyme, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the vegetables in an oiled large roasting pan and roast them in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven, shaking the pan every 5 to 10 minutes, for 25 minutes. In a bowl toss the squash with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste and add it to the pan. Roast the vegetables, shaking the pan occasionally, for 10 to 20 minutes more, or until they are tender. Discard the bay leaf and garnish the vegetables with the thyme sprigs.

Serves 8 -- from Gourmet , October 1990

Recipes

With pork chops and roasted veggies, both of which are high-prep, save some time with this quickie Witch's Bresskip straight to Krusteaz Alpine Spiced Cider for the beverage (hot or iced, as you wish).  It comes in sugar and sugar-free (Nutrasweet) versions.  Two or three drops of lemon juice stirred in per cup/glass improves the sugar-free version for some tastes.  And, there are recipes on the back of the box for more complex non-alcoholic Gluggs.

Recipes
 

There's nothing better for this season than Pumpkin Pie, the #1 comfort food if there ever was one! From the old Southern Living magazine.

For 8 servings:

• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 C. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1.2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 1/2 C. canned pumpkin
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (not condensed)
• 1 unbaked pie 9" pie shell -- if purchased frozen, look for the "extra deep" size.

Combine eggs, sugars, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice.  Blend in pumpkin gradually (whisk works, small beater better).  Add milk.  Mix well.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then at 350 for 40 minutes until a knife, inserted about halfway between center and outside crust, comes out clean.

High altitude:  Keep baking and testing.   Could be as long as twice predicted baking time.

Recipes