^{Posted by: AuntieL2742}

Have you ever spent hours meticulously hollowing out and carving elaborate pumpkins -- 'tis the season, after all -- only to have your jack-o-lanterns turn to mush on your front stoop before you're able to capture anything close to a good photo? Flash or no flash, candlelight or back lighting -- what works best? And how to snap a photo of the kids streaming up to their first trick-or-treat house in the low light… Read More

^{Posted by: AuntieL2742}

When you have school-age kids, Halloween is all about the spooks. Really get in the mood by reading about how one of my fellow bloggers is turning her ordinary basement into a basement of doom. Then, use one of these Haunted House finders to find one near your neighborhood:

• Type your ZIP code at GooGhoul
• Search by state at Haunt World

… Read More

^{Posted by: ShortOrderMom}
I know I've already shared my love of pumpkin, but you'll have to excuse me for sharing one more recipe. This is one that just begs to be shared. The first time I set out to make these pancakes I decided that they would be better with stiffly beaten egg whites instead of a flat-out whole egg recipe. I do use the whole egg, just separated and beaten for more "fluffability". These were nearly like a pumpkin soufflé and everybody… Read More

^{Posted by: Joe_LoCicero}

Here's an idea for serving up a "Ghostly" supper that relies on an easy, chees-y white sauce (with a fancy name of a bechamel parmesan sauce but takes on a more seasonal spin with "Ghostly White Sauce") to put on your (or your kid's) choice of pasta. You'll need:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups hot, reduced-fat milk
1 1/2 cups freshly-grated parmesan cheese

Over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, melt the butter

… Read More

^{Posted by: ShortOrderMom}

Several years ago we attended a church that frowned upon Halloween and Trick-or-Treat and after that we lived in an area that was not exactly kid-friendly, so Trick-or-Treat was something we needed alternatives for. We did our own thing at home, calling it a "Fall Festival", where I would cook up a storm filling the house with pumpkin, spice and apple laced goodies.

Now that we're back to Trick-or-Treating, I haven't had to think much about what we'd do on that night of the… Read More

^{Posted by: CallMeMama}

Just this past Sunday morning, I awoke to a world filled with smoke. The Southern California sky was this ominous burnt orange color (pun intended) and the east side of our house smelled like we had fireplaces burning in each room. And what was crazy about all of this was that the fires were miles away from our home. The scary part was that they were headed our way.

We have been busy brushing up on our local geography, constantly making sure that the fires weren't… Read More