Halloween's Tricks & Treats that make you go EEEKKKK!

~* Many people carve out pumpkins to put out on Halloween night. It is very dangerous for the pumpkins to have candles in them and for them to be in an area where kids will be walking. They now have flameless battery operated candles that you can put in the pumpkins that are much safer!

~* If your child is carrying a prop for their costume, make sure that it doesn't have sharp edges and that it is smooth and flexible enough not to cause injury if fallen on.

~* Put reflective things on your child's costume such as reflective tape, glow sticks or have them carry a flashlight.

~* Always send a responsible adult with the children trick or treating. Even though it is your neighborhood and you might consider it safe, it is dark out, there are tons of people around and you can't really tell who is who.

~* Make sure your children know the rules of no eating any candy until they are home and it has been inspected by an adult. Many people make homemade treats for Halloween but unless you know the person that made them, you should probably throw anything that isn't sealed in a package out.

~* Teach your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to

Supplies needed:

Construction paper (orange and black for pumpkins, white and black for ghosts)
Crayons or markers
Scissors
Glue, tape, or staples
A long piece of green or black yarn or string

Draw a jack-o'-lantern's face on a piece of orange paper, or a ghost on white paper. Make sure to draw a long stem on the top (your pumpkin or ghost will hang from this stem, which will be folded over).

Cut out the pumpkin or ghost. Make eyes, a nose, and a mouth from black paper (or use a black crayon or marker).
Fold the pumpkin's stem in half. Fold the ghost's "stem" completely behind the ghost.

Attach the pumpkin or ghost to a long string. Use green yarn for the pumpkins, black string for the ghosts. Attach them using tape, glue, or staples.

For pictures and diagrams go to Enchanted Learning Center

This spicy pumpkin soup, a puree of hearty potatoes, sweet pumpkin puree, savory chicken broth and orzo, is guaranteed to spice up your next Halloween party.

Ingredients
2 tbsp. (30 mL) butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cups (1 liter) peeled, cubed, raw pumpkin
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups (1 liter) chicken broth (homemade or canned)
1/2 cup (125 mL) uncooked orzo pasta
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) salt

Cooking Instructions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the pumpkin and the potato and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken broth, cover, and let the soup simmer until the pumpkin and potato are very soft - about 30 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth (you will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches). Return the soup to the saucepan.
Meanwhile, cook the orzo - in other words, maggots - in a saucepan of boiling water until tender but not mushy. Drain, rinse under cold water, and stir into the pumpkin soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary (some chicken broth is salty enough that additional salt won't be necessary).

Servings: 4 to 6

Zombie Brain with Tombstone Toasts
by Stella Zedman

Sure to be a favorite haunt at your next Halloween party, this creepy cheese spread, made with savory Cheddar, Parmesan and cream cheese, serves as a wicked centrepiece for your buffet table.

Ingredients
1/4 cup (50 mL) blanched almonds
2 cups (500 mL) shredded white Cheddar cheese
1 cup (250 mL) spreadable cream cheese
2 teaspoons (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1 French baguette

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Spread the almonds out in a baking pan and toast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and dump into the container of a food processor (or blender, if you don't have a processor). Chop roughly, but don't pulverize the nuts to a powder. They should remain crunchy.
Add the shredded cheese, cream cheese and Worcestershire sauce to the container with the nuts and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until very well mixed. The cheese mixture should be nearly smooth.

Spread half of the Parmesan cheese onto a plate. Spoon half of the cheese mixture out onto the plate with the Parmesan and roll, by hand, to form a slightly flattened ball. Set aside and repeat with the remaining Parmesan and cheese mixture.
Press the two flattened balls together to form the two halves of a zombie's brain (we all know what that looks like) and place on a serving plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the brain to firm up, then make brain-like indentations in the surface of the cheese with a knife, spoon, or whatever else you have handy. Voila - a brain.

Now the tombstone toasts. Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) slices. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C), turning them over once, for 10 minutes or until they are lightly toasted on both sides.

Arrange tombstone toasts around the brain on the serving plate and serve, if you dare.

Servings: 12 to 20