Happy Halloween

Don't Go Into The Attic...

Happy Halloween

Night of the Living Teddy

Have a...

BOO...TIFUL DAY

Ghoulish Goodies

Sharon Bowers has a bit of Roald Dahl in her. The food gross, disgusting and surprisingly tasty. Lots of dismembered parts to construct, bones and eyes, wings and things. The eyes are a great riff on old-fashioned buckeyes; abandon the M & M pupils and make them anytime! My Dad loved making popcorn balls for Halloween.

Here's a colorful and creepy way to make them especially horrible for Halloween.

Orange Popcorn Balls

10-12 cups popcorn (from 1/2 cup kernels)
1 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
1/2 cup gummy worms or bugs, optional
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering your hands
1 (10-ounce) package marshmallows
red and yellow liquid food coloring or orange paste coloring

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Combine the popcorn with the peanuts, gummy worms, if using, in a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl (plastic may stain); set aside.

2. Melt the butter and marshmallows in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and add 5 drops of each red and yellow liquid coloring or a dab of paste coloring to achieve your desired shade of orange. You can always add more if the marshmallows is not orange enough.

3. pour the marshmallow cream over the popcorn and mix thoroughly. Working quickly, lightly butter you hands and form balls about 4 inches in diameter. Set the popcorn balls on the baking sheet; allow to cool and firm. Cooled popcorn balls can be wrapped in plastic wrap or waxed paper and tied with black or orange ribbons. The balls are best eaten the day they are made.

For the adult in you, after mixing the marshmallow and popcorn, just drop it in bite-sized bits on the tray. After it cools and dries a bit, dump it in a big bowl. After all, Halloween is on Saturday and this makes a ghoulish treat for those of you planning to watch football. For added fun, throw that hand full of gummy worms into the bowl with the orange popcorn bites.

Halloween Treats: Recipes and Crafts for the Whole Family

Here's another in the collection of Halloween cookbooks. Halloween Treats: Recipes and Crafts for the Whole Family by Donata Maggipinto offers up the usual food, fun and frights. I have already told you what a wuss-I-was for Halloween. Frankly, I am not much better now. But I just might come out from behind the chair to grab up a handful of these treats. Again, not a drop of sugar.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds (from about a 4-pound pumpkin)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried basil

Rinse seeds well in cold water, being sure you have rinsed away any fibrous strings, and pat thoroughly dry.

Transfer to a large bowl and add oil, salt, rosemary and basil, stirring well to coat seeds with oil.

Spread seeds on baking sheet in single layer.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Do not give them to children. They will simply spit them back at you or worse...


Here is my favorite version of Season of the Witch by Luna. It was on the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack.

Halloween Fun: 101 Ideas To Get In The Spirit

Halloween is looming. I was one of those rare children who HATED Halloween. I loved getting ready for the holiday and my father loved it. He made carmel apples and had a huge table filled with individual sacks of candy for every child in the neighborhood. He decorated the house and was ready for any fright. The big fright came the first time the doorbell rang and I went screaming into another room and hid behind a chair, crying

My poor father never had a spooktacular time with his only daughter!

Here's hoping you have better luck. And here's a good recipe that does not contain a speck of sugar.

Cheesy Spiders

1 pkg (8 oz), softened
black paste food coloring
1 pkg (16 oz) shredded four-cheese mixture
1 pkg (3.5 oz) round rice crunch crackers (or 24 of any round cracker)
1 cup chow mein noodles

1. Mix 2 Tbsp of the softened cream cheese with the food coloring to make black. Spoon into a ziptop bag; set aside.

2. Beat the remaining cream cheese with all but 1 cup of the shredded cheese until blended. shape mixture into 1 1/4-in. balls.

3. Place the remaining cheese in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in cheese to coat. Place one ball on a cracker. Insert 8 chow mein noodles into each ball as the legs of the spider. Snip a very small corner from the bag with the black cream cheese. Pipe eyes on each spider.

4. Serve with stew. spiders can be made in advance. (Do not put on crackers until ready to serve.) Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.

Enjoy this recitation of All Hallows Eve by Witches in Bikinis