TRICK OR TREAT

CREEPY, CRAWLY, BIG BLACK SPIDER,

DRINK A CUP OF POISONED CIDER…

Well, that’s not quite what happened, but I will never forget my first Trick or Treating experience. Mom decided that, since my brother and I were quite young, we didn’t need the whole “comb the town” routine with too much candy and excitement, that we could make our debut just hitting the homes of a few farm neighbors around our township. We climbed into the car and Mom chauffeured me (a witch) and my brother (an Indian chief) down the dusty gravel roads. It was dusk and a balmy October evening.

We drove a couple of miles and knocked on the first door. “Trick or Treat,” we shouted from under our masks. If looks could kill, we’d have been goners. Mom shuffled us toward the door as she tried to make small talk with the farm wife, who recovered her sense of humanity and opened the door a bit wider so we all entered the back entry. Mom explained that she didn’t mean to intrude but felt just dropping by a few neighborhood homes would be “sufficient for young children who really shouldn’t have so much candy anyway, and…”

The Ice Queen cut her off. “I never LET my kids go around begging.” Mom turned us toward the door and apologized for the inconvenience (us). “Just a minute,” our neighbor said. She left us standing there utterly mortified and embarrassed only to return a minute later with a vanilla ice cream cone for each of us. We choked out a “thank you” and quickly made our getaway.

Back in the car, Mom said, “Well? Are you up for trying again?” My brother and I decided we weren’t about to give up our first Halloween without one thing in our pumpkin bags. Not that we didn’t appreciate the ice cream. We were just scared out of our wits by such hostility. We visited half a dozen more houses and, because country dwellers don’t get many Trick-or- Treaters, we ended up with full boxes of Milk Duds, large Snickers bars and whole packs of gum. The last house we stopped at was the home of a sweet old bachelor who, apologizing, gave us each a few M&M’s. We didn’t care. He enjoyed seeing us and we knew it.

Our Halloween proverb (is that an oxymoron?) from that day forward became,

                                   “Better one M&M given generously,

                                     than a large ice cream cone begrudgingly.”

GHOST AND GOBLIN SNICKERDOODLE PIE

1 prepared pie crust

1 tablespoon raw sugar

1/2 plus 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

2 teaspoons butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 plus 1 teaspoon vanilla, divided

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1-1/4 cups flour

In a bowl, combine raw sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush melted butter over pie crust. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set the rest aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, water, corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat 1/4 softened butter. Beat in sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar until well combined. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in milk until combined. Spread in crust. Slowly pour syrup over filling in pie crust. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar. Cover edges of crust with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil from crust and bake 20 minutes more. Cool on wire rack.

JACK O’ LANTERN SWEET POTATO CUPCAKES

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

17 ounce can sweet potatoes, mashed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds on medium. Add sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low each time. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour mixture. Beat until batter is mixed well. Divide evenly into 24 muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and frost.

ORANGE ZEST CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons orange juice

8 cups powdered sugar

Orange zest

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and butter for 30 seconds. Add orange juice. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle zest over tops of each cupcake.

AUTUMN SPICE BARS WITH MAPLE ICING

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Add baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, soda and salt. Beat until combined. Add molasses, water and eggs. Mix well. Beat in flours. Spoon into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Spread evenly. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and frost.

MAPLE CREAM ICING

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

3 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, vanilla and maple extract. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time stirring until smooth. Frost cooled bars. Top with chopped pecans, if desired or sprinkle cinnamon lightly over top.