2008.10.31
Happy Halloween!
Even though I'm way too old to trick-or-treat and don't have any little goblins at home, Halloween always fills me with a sense of excitement.
My memories always take me back to Colorado, when I was just a little kid and had to wear a big, bulky coat over my Halloween costume. On trick-or-treat night, Mom always fixed the quickest, easiest meal she could so that we'd be able to get dressed up and out the door on time. That usually meant chili dogs and tater tots, so I still crave a junky dinner every Halloween. Hey, it was a special occasion and Mom was more interested in getting our make-up on right than preparing a four-course meal.
Next up, of course, was the candy. I'm sure we all remember dumping out our haul at the end of the night and evaluating the ratio of good candy to bad candy. Chocolate candy bars were always my favorite -- especially Twix or Snickers. Hard candy was boring. And that crappy bubble gum that's like chewing rubber bands was even worse.
Unlike some kids, I did enjoy those weird peanut butter chews that came wrapped in either orange or black paper. Most of my friends either gave those to me or threw them away. The all-time worst EVER trick-or-treating experience was when a lady answered the door with an ashtray filled with pennies and loose candy corn. Mixed together.
Even though it's mostly a kids' holiday, adults still deserve to have a little fun on Halloween, too. You can start by taking this fun candy bar quiz, which tests your ability to identify the candy bar based on a photo of its cross-section. I did way too well on this quiz. Let me know how you do.
Also, some folks may be tempted to turn Mr. Jack-o-Lantern into a pumpkin pie after the festivities are over. Obviously, this is not a good idea if his face has begun to cave in and he's growing a head of mold. But even a fresh Jack-o-Lantern may not be the best choice for a homemade pumpkin pie. That's because the larger the pumpkin, generally, the worse it is for a pie.
Choose a small to medium pumpkin. If possible, purchase a "pie pumpkin" or a "sugar pumpkin" -- one that is grown specifically for that purpose. If you don't see one of those in your grocery store, you might want to check at the closest farmer's market or pumpkin patch.
If you want to make a from-scratch pumpkin pie, check out this recipe on Cooks.com.
Everyone have a safe and tasty Halloween weekend!
I did fairly well. I got 14 right out of 20. I probably could have done even better, but I was rushing... so eager to see the next treat!
Thanks for the fun...
Comment by Wendy — October 31, 2008 @ 12:42 pm
End of the night? In my neighborhood, it was halfway through the night. We had to come home to get a new bag because the other one was full.
Comment by Henry — October 31, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
Same for me, Henry, & we used pillow cases!!! I agree with Lindsey, also, about the peanut butter chews - loved them!!!! TRICK OR TREAT!!!
Comment by Pam — October 31, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
So, 15 out of 20 were right for me. There were a couple I might argue about with the judges, though. That Kit Kat bar didn't look like a Kit Kat bar to me...
I plan to take my kids (2 out of 3 anyway) trick or treating. Then to a haunted house. Dinner? We'll have frozen pizza. Yummmmm...
Comment by Amy Hanek — October 31, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
I knew 17 out of 20. I only really missed 1, I could not get 2 to load and had to guess. I mean I am Heavy G for a reason.
Comment by Greg Prillaman — November 3, 2008 @ 10:34 am
Two of my kids were trading candy last Saturday and I listened in.
My son offered my younger daughter different combinations of candy for her Reese's Peanut Butter cup. She just kept saying, "Nope." Then he offered all his candy. She stopped. She thought. Then, she responded, "Okay. Give it to me." He changed his mind.
Comment by Amy Hanek — November 6, 2008 @ 7:14 pm