Our neighborhood takes Halloween seriously. So many people have ditched the idea of door-to-door Trick-or-Treat and are opting for organized Trunk-or-Treat situation or other types of Halloween gatherings. But this is truly not the case in our neighborhood. Trick-or-Treating is going strong with no end in sight.

We live on a long, long dead-end street, which naturally serves as a great location for children out on Halloween night. There isn’t much traffic so it is a bit safer. My neighborhood begins decorating for the fall holidays as soon as a few leaves start changing from green to orange and yellow. Each house is adorned with pumpkins in all shapes and sizes—and colors. Most have the typical orange pumpkin but this year I am noticing more greens, whites, yellows, browns, and variegated. I was so excited to see that my local Kroger had some of these unique varieties too. Lights also come out and everyone starts gearing up the Big Day—or night as is the case more often than not.

It almost seems like people bring their back yards, decks, and patios out front for Halloween night. There are fire pits, chairs, tables, and, of course, plenty of food and lots to drink. It reminds me of tail gate. There are plenty of pots of chili and finger foods—and everyone is sitting outside waiting for the little goblins and ghouls to begin their trek up and down the street. I have some special recipes on my website that are perfect for just this occasion. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin crostini, pumpkin soup, and spiced pecans make delicious Halloween night treats. I have also included a White Chili recipe to switch out from regular chili this year. It’s delicious and there is a curious ingredient. Can you guess which one it is?

White Chili

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 TBSP. oil

2 4-oz. cans green chilis, chopped

4 cloves (or more) garlic, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1 ½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, more if you like more heat

2 48-oz, cans Great Northern beans

5 cups chicken broth *

4 cups chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces*

1 can beer, your choice

1 ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

· In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, sauté onions until translucent and tender. Add the next six ingredients, sauté 3-5 minutes, stirring.

· Add beans, broth, and beer. Mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for an hour or so—or until it becomes the desired consistency.

· Add chicken and cheese, stir until cheese melts.

Serve with sour cream, extra cheese, salsa or the topping of your choice.

Makes 8-10 servings.

*You could always pick up a rotisserie chicken and shred or you could cook a whole chicken on the stovetop adding onions, carrots, salt, pepper and other spices to make its own broth.

Music is a big part of our Halloween celebration, click the link to get my Halloween Playlist.

Our neighborhood is very popular with children from outside the area, too, which is great. But children in the neighborhood do get an advantage with the goodies. A few neighbors have different treats for children on our street. My daughters, Lily and Haly, knew exactly which houses gave out the full-size candy bars to kids who live in the neighborhood. Outsiders would get treats, too, but predominantly the fun-size or miniature varieties.

I love to see all the children dressed up. Of course, Lily and Haly are far too old to Trick-or-Treat but I remember all of the cute costumes they created year after year: frogs, ladybugs, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and of course the princesses.

Costumes today are completely different than the costumes from my childhood. There is more creativity—for sure. Pinterest and other online sites have helped this tremendously. But costumes back in the day were simpler. We all wore store-bought costumes with the plastic masks with the elastic band. Snoopy, the green witch, Superman, Batman, and every little girl my age had the Cinderella costume with the blonde hair and tiara. There wasn’t much variety but it was an annual tradition to trek downtown to the Grant’s Department Store and pick out the costume. Of course, we always had to get the plastic pumpkin to collect all of our goodies. I am not sure why we had to buy a new one each year…but we did.

Trick-or-Treating was different back in the day, too. Most of my good friends lived in my neighborhood and we would all gather and go around from house to house for hours! No parents, no supervision. We were on our own. Parents were at home passing out the treats. Times were so much simpler then.

My elementary school would always have a fall festival around Halloween time. I remember them fondly. Cake walks with homemade cakes, apple bobbing, costume contests, and games. There were always plenty to games. We would also have a homeroom party on Halloween, too. Cupcakes, cookies, treat bags, and my Mom would always bring popcorn balls. Oh how I loved her popcorn balls. They buttery, slightly sweet molded balls of deliciousness! They are simple to make but oddly enough I have never made them. Maybe I will give it a try this year!

Popcorn Balls

These are quick and easy to make.

7 cups popped popcorn, unsalted

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. salt

½ stick butter, salted

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

· Sift through the popcorn and remove all unpopped kernels. Transfer popcorn to a very large bowl.

· Add sugar, water, corn syrup, salt, and butter to a medium saucepan and mix over medium heat until butter has melted and all ingredients are combined

· Cook to 250 degrees on a candy thermometer or when mixture forms a hard ball when dropped in cold water. Add vanilla to blend.

· Drizzle hot syrup over popcorn. Mix until all popcorn is coated. Using buttered hands, shape into balls and place on parchment paper. Let them sit for about 15 minutes.

· Can be bagged in individual decorative bags with a festive tie.

Delicious!

What are your Halloween traditions? Let me know at mk@inthecuriouskitchen.com.

Oh…this wouldn’t be an In the Curious Kitchen article without a cocktail. Give my Bourbon Spiced Apple Cider a try.

Cheers!

MK

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