Trick out your Halloween dinner table with some of these spooky treats. It’s probably the only way to get something healthy into the bellies of your little goblins.

	APPLE BITES These toothsome treats are a fun and healthy break from Halloween sweets. Just quarter and core an apple, cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter, and then press slivered almonds in place for teeth. If you’re not going to serve them right away, baste the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.
	EDIBLE EYEBALLS Set out a platter of these creepy peepers, and your party guests are bound to do a double take. Simply slice carrots into 1-inch-thick chunks, top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive, and they’re ready to serve.
	GHOST TOAST Looking for a treat that truly embodies the spirit of Halloween? Try serving some of these flavorful phantoms. For each, toast a slice of white bread and then cut a ghost shape from it. You can do this freehand using a knife, or you can use a gingerbread-girl cookie cutter. When the cutouts have cooled, spread on a generous coating of whipped cream cheese. For eyes and mouths, add raisins.
	ENGLISH MUMMIES These yummy mummy pizzas make a quick and fun Halloween lunch or dinner. To create one, first spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin (toast it first, if you like). Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils. Lay strips of cheese (we used a pulled-apart cheese stick) across the muffin for the mummy’s wrappings. Bake at 350° until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty, about 10 minutes.
	MELON BRAIN Created from nothing more than a small, round seedless watermelon, this spooky cerebral creation is bound to turn heads. First, use a vegetable peeler to remove the entire green rind, exposing the inner white rind. Then slice off the bottom of the melon to make a flat base that will keep it from rolling. With a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of a brain. Finally, carve narrow channels along the tracings with a sharp paring knife (a parent’s job) to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.

For more creepy cuisine visit FamilyFun.com.

We made Snickerdoodle cookies as a family on Sunday evening, and they were gone in a flash. Everybody was craving more today, so we made them again tonight. (Don’t you wish your mom had let you have cookies two nights in a row?) As we made the dough up tonight I was realizing that this is probably among the simplest cookie recipes, and the ingredients are all really inexpensive. Not that chocolate chips really break the bank, but when your watching your pennies every little bit helps, right?

So here is a refresher of my favorite Snickerdoodle recipe — they come out soft, buttery and satisfyingly chewy.

Snickerdoodles

½ cup Butter or Margarine
1 cup Sugar
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 Egg
½ teaspoon Vanilla
1-½ cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl beat the butter or margarine with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup of sugar, baking soda and cream of tartar. Beat till combined, scraping sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the remaining flour until it is combined. Cover and chill one hour. (Cookie dough meant for shaping often needs to be chilled first for easier handling).

Combine the two tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon. Shape dough into one-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture to coat. Place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 24 cookies.

Living in a place where Autumn is fairly non-existent I have to rely on other signs of Fall, like receiving my Halloween edition of the Pottery Barn Kids catalog.

Flipping through those catalog pages takes me back to the four years I spent living in Virginia. Fall was my most favorite time — the weather is not too hot or cold but just right, and the tree-lined neighborhoods boast the most amazing shades of orange, red and yellow.

We moved to Phoenix soon after having our first child because we wanted to get back out West where we would have a little more wiggle room. This time of year, though, I secretly wish we had never moved, and I contemplate flying my family out to Alexandria, Virginia, to go Trick or Treating the right way. The charming colonial architecture, winding roads and gorgeous fall colors have a fairy-tale quality that on Halloween night is so spooky in an absolutely wonderful way.

Maybe someday we’ll make it out there, but this year I’ll have to settle for the catalog.

Something about summertime puts me in the mood to eat healthy. Maybe it’s all the colorful fruits and veggies in season or the fact that it is 115 degrees out and anything not frozen — or at least fresh — sounds totally unappealing. Even more likely would be that I’m frequently donning a swimsuit, but whatever the reason I can’t resist stopping by the local farmer’s market and filling a basket full.

This evening I got apricots, peaches, plums, blueberries (my favorite), bananas, a cantaloupe (that smelled so good I nearly broke it open deserted-island style and ate it right in the aisle), tomatoes, limes, eggplant, zucchini, squash, and some homemade granola.

I felt so pleased as I unpacked my grocery bag without a single pre-packaged or processed item — thinking of how well my family was going to eat this week and proud of the stellar eating habits I’m instilling in my children. Now I just have to remember to use everything I got rather than let it spoil in the fridge. (The guilt of tossing a bunch of wasted food later would certainly undermine my super-mom high.)

Been on a brief hiatus with our move to the new house. It’s a funny thing about moving — you actually have to move EVERYTHING. No hiding things in the junk drawer or at the back of a closet…. every last thing must go.

Our house did not end up being ready last weekend as we had planned, so we’re in this awkward holding pattern. I keep having to dig through boxes trying to find things, and the cable company disconnected our internet Saturday, despite the fact that I called them Friday, and they agreed to postpone the switchover. Exhausting. Overwhelming. If only life had a fast forward button.

Working towards our big move this Friday, we’ve been doing a lot of eating out, but this recipe takes less than five minutes to prepare and uses hardly any utensils (a major plus when your kitchen is packed away in boxes), and it is just so yummy!

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 pkg. Pepperoni
1 tbsp. Oregano
1 tbsp. Garlic Salt
1-2 loaves French bread (depending on how many you’re feeding)
1 bag Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Optional Toppings: Mushrooms, Olives, Bell Peppers, Onions

Cut the loaf of bread in half down the middle. Then take each half and slice it length-wise so you have four large pieces. Repeat with the second loaf, if using. Place the bread, crusty side down, onto a baking sheet. Spread sauce over cut sides of loaves. Sprinkle two thirds of the oregano and garlic salt over sauce. Divide pepperoni evenly among all sections of bread. Add whatever other toppings are desired. Divide cheese evenly over sections of bread. Sprinkle the remaining oregano and garlic over the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until toasted. Cut into smaller pieces and serve on paper plates!

We decided it was time for our two year old to kick her binky habit. She is big for her age, and it is getting to be embarrassing to go out in public with that thing hanging out of her mouth. Pacifiers are truly heaven sent when your infant is inconsolable and you have no idea what else to do, but it can be so hard to ween kids off. My older daughter just decided she didn’t want it anymore — I really was spoiled. It is much worse this time around.

Yesterday afternoon when she asked for her pacifier, we told her she was too big for it and there was going to be no more binky. Things really hit the fan at bedtime, though, as we tried to tuck her in, she began bawling hysterically, and the crying continued for a full hour. She really was in agony — I swear it was like a drug addict going through withdrawals.

Of course I felt awful. Once we started and I saw how upset she was, I just wanted to give in. I had to keep reminding myself that we had to get rid of the pacifier eventually, and if I gave in now, we would just have to start all over again. Sure the crying would have stopped for tonight, but how much worse would it be next time?

I have heard of parents cutting off the tips of the pacifier and giving the child the “broken” binky. It really started to sound like a good idea as she showed no signs of calming down anytime soon. I am happy to report that it did work — kind of.

When we handed her the clipped pacifier, she hushed immediately. It was both heartbreaking and fascinating as she took it into her hands, and poked her little finger into the hole, trying to make sense of what had happened to her precious pacifier. I explained to her that it was all used up and she was a big girl and didn’t need it anymore. She eyed me warily, but didn’t start up the hysterics.

She tried to suck on it a few times but didn’t like how it felt. She insisted on holding it as she laid down for bed. I finally thought we were in the clear, but every few minutes she would whimper and start crying, still mourning her lost friend. We were up half the night and eventually had to let her sleep with us — which meant I had her heel crammed into my chest, and I nearly rolled off the bed.

The important thing is that we stuck with it, and hopefully tonight will be better.

A wise mother of five once told me that she tries to have her dinner preparations complete by noon on any given day. This way she can avoid the maddening five o’clock rush to figure out what’s for dinner.

Her secret weapon is her Crock Pot. Most moms I know have one, but very few of us know how to get good use out of them. Besides the very typical pot roast, if you search online there are crock pot recipes for virtually any dish, from lasagna to stroganoff, enchiladas and soup. A good dinner without the stress, now that’s the perfect recipe!