Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Yellow and red food coloring
Pretzel nuggets (stems)
Green gumdrops (leaves)

1) Heat the oven to 350° and line a 12-cup muffin tin with bake cups. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set the mixture aside.

2) In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the oil and sugar. Whisk in the eggs and stir in the vanilla extract.

3) Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir the mixture until well combined. Explain to your child that she should stir only until she can no longer see any pockets or streaks of flour.

4) Stir the pumpkin into the batter until it is thoroughly combined. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of one cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes sit in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove to a rack to cool thoroughly.

5) Meanwhile, make the Cream Cheese Frosting. In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat together the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, butter, and lemon juice until smooth. Add about 12 drops of yellow food coloring and 4 drops of red food coloring and beat until the frosting turns orange.

6) For authentic-looking pumpkins, pipe on the frosting to resemble pumpkin's ridges. Fill a sealable plastic bag with frosting, snip a small hole in the corner, and pipe curved lines over each cupcake. (An easier option is simply to frost each cupcake orange and draw ridges from top to bottom with a butter knife.) Use pretzel nuggets for the pumpkin stems and cut flattened green gumdrops into leaves. Makes 12 cupcakes.

(Family Fun Magazine- October 2001)


Spooky Nacho Dip

1 package (8-oz.) pasteurized processed cheese spread (Velveeta) cut into cubes
1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons bottled tapenade (black olive paste)
1 teaspoon water
Tortilla chips and bell pepper wedges for dipping

1) Combine processed cheese, diced tomatoes and green chiles, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses and cumin in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on High 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once, until melted and smooth. Pour into a serving bowl.

2) Combine tapenade and water in a small resealable plastic storage bag, knead to mix. Cut a tiny hole in one corner and pipe a spiderweb design on top of dip. Serve warm with chips and bell pepper wedges. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

(Ladies' Home Journal - October 2000)


Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

After you've scooped out a pumpkin, toast the seeds into a tasty and healthy Halloween snack. First separate the seeds from the all of the pumpkin fiber (a slimy- but fun- task for kids) and rinse them in water and pat dry on a paper towel. Then, in a small bowl, toss the seeds with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and sprinkle lightly with salt (you can add extra salt, if needed, to the toasted seeds). Transfer the seeds to a baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake at 300° for 30 to 40 minutes or until light brown. Cool before snacking.

(Family Fun Magazine - October 2001)