While the peanut butter is completely optional here, it really adds a whole new dimension to these fudge-like cookies. They won’t heat up your house, either because they are no-bake, which means they are ideal for summer snacks, but we like to make them year round!

The best part is that these cookies are kind of healthy, so you don’t have to feel guilty about making them . . . or finishing off the whole batch in one day! The oatmeal adds fiber and nutrition and they are flavored with cocoa and peanut butter . . . both healthy options.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 2 doz.

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. margarine (1 stick)
1/2 c. cocoa
3 c. oats
1/4 c. mini chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 c. peanut butter (optional)

Mix sugar and cocoa in a pot. Add milk and margarine and cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Stir in the peanut butter and let boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the oats. Add chocolate chips and drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil or waxed paper. You can let them set on the counter (humid days don’t work well), but in our house, we’re so impatient we pop the tray in the freezer for ten minutes to speed things up!

I’ve heard these referred to as PMS Wranglers, Preacher Cookies, Missouri No Bake Cookies and a number of other names. Whatever you call them, know that they are extremely addicting, so watch out!

This soup is extremely simple and while it doesn’t look that exciting, the flavors are sure to make your tastebuds do a happy dance. The blend of paprika with the flavors of herbs and chicken broth mix with the heartiness of the cabbage for a soup that is so tasty, you’ll be asked for seconds.

The recipe came about during a late night hunger attack when I didn’t want to cook anything complicated, but needed the warmth of soup. Try it yourself, it’s not only delicious, it’s cheap!

Paprika Cabbage Soup

Serves 4

1 c. carrot, cut into strips

3 c. cabbage, sliced

2 onions, chopped

3 sticks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp.  rosemary

1 Tblsp. dried paprika

6 c. chicken broth

Add oil, onion and celery to a pot and cook until the onion is translucent. Add garlic, cook one minute.

Pour in chicken broth and veggies. Simmer for 15 min. Add herbs and simmer another 10 min.

Serve piping hot.

It’s nearly the 30th and we’re almost done with the ooky, spooky recipes. But if you still need a last minute sweet fix, these Halloween pumpkin cookies are bound to do it. They’re a mixture of sweetness and spice with a healthy touch. Of course, change the icing color and you have yourself some regular pumpkin cookies for any occasion!

Halloween Pumpkin Cookies

Makes 24
2.5 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1.5 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter (one stick)
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cream sugar and butter together. Mix in egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in pumpkin.

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add to the egg mixture and stir until smooth.

Drop dough by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 min. or until cooked through.

Ice with black and orange icing and sprinkle with colored sugar.

There’s a lot of extra pumpkin to go around this time of year and whether you celebrate Halloween or not, take advantage of the goodness. I love pumpkin everything and these cupcakes are no exception. Ice them with a quick and easy icing (recipe below) and sprinkle with colored sugar to make them extra pretty.

As far as Halloween treats go, these cupcakes are far from scary, but they are so tasty, no one will mind. I suppose, if you wanted to, you could add some gummy worms or plastic body parts to create more of an ick factor.

Pretty Pumpkin Cupcakes

Makes 12

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. margarine (one stick)

2 1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 c. pumpkin puree

3/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a bowl, cream margarine and sugar together. Add vanilla, eggs and pumpkin and mix until smooth.

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, add milk and beat until smooth.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way full and bake for 25-30 min.

Quick and Easy Frosting

Makes 1 c.

1 Tblsp. soft butter

2 Tblsp. mlk

3 c. icing sugar

Blend 1 c. icing sugar with the butter. Add milk and stir until smooth. Gradually add more icing sugar until you have the consistency you want.

This lunch is not only good for the kids, but also the young at heart! Who can resist a rich and creamy tomato soup and hot dog wrapped in dough and baked to a golden brown?

Mummy Dogs

Makes 4 mummies

4 Hot Dog Weiners
1 can Pilsbury Hot Dog Dough (this is a small can that can be found in the refridgerator section of your grocery store where they have the tubes of cookie dough and croisant dough. You can use pizza dough or something similar but for a quick and easy lunch, this stuff works just fine.)

To make the mummy dogs, just unroll the Hot Dog Dough and cut it into thin strips. Wrap randomly around each hot dog to achieve the mummy look. Place on a cookie tray and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until they get nice and golden brown. You can add cloves for eyes if you like.

Spiderweb Tomato Soup

No one wants to spend all day in the kitchen just to make some tomato soup and least of all me! I have way better things to do…so I came up with a super quick creamy tomato soup that takes less than 15 minutes to make and tastes like you spent all day on it!

1 clove of garlic
1 small onion
1 28 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 stalk celery
1 red pepper
1 cup half and half cream
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything except cream into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Add half and half and salt and pepper and heat through.

To garnish like a spider web, put some sour cream into a piping bag or a zip lock bag with a small hole cut in one corner. Pipe the sour cream into a spiral on the top of each bowl and drag a toothpick or skewer through it starting from the centre and working your way outwards like in the picture below.

Halloween is one of the best nights to have some good old fashioned hot chocolate after an evening of trick or treating in the cold. Why not add a little halloween twist to the classic treat by making it with white chocolate and using food coloring to make it orange? It’s a quick and easy recipe that you can make ahead and throw into a thermos until you are ready to pull it out at the fireworks!

Halloweeny Hot Chocolate

Serves 2

2 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
8 oz white chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour milk and cream into a heavy- bottomed pot and heat it over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in white chocolate, sugar and vanilla extract until it is melted. Add red and yellow food coloring until you get the desired color…just remember, you will need to add about 6 drops of yellow for every drop of red because the red can be a little bit over powering. Garnish with chocolate whipping cream and chocolate sauce for a real Halloween look!

Green Goblin Smoothies

Makes 2 smoothies

1 cup Apple juice
1 cup Pinapple juice
1 Kiwi (peeled)
1 banana
1/2 avocado
Large handful of spinach

Put everything together into a blender and puree until it is all smooth. Serve with eyeballs!

With jack-o-lanterns being carved about this time of year, it’s high time to start toasting those pumpkin seeds! I never liked tossing them when chopping up a pumpkin to make pie with, but it wasn’t until last year that I realized I could turn them into a healthy snack for my kids! My boys both love them and they are chock full of nutrition and fiber.

Toasted Garlic Pumpkin Seeds

Makes 1-2 cups

Seeds from 1 pumpkin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tblsp. sea salt

Rinse the pumpkin seeds well, to remove all the pulp. Pat dry with paper towels.

Heat a frying pan (cast iron works well) to fairly hot and add the seeds, no oil. Stir them with a wooden spoon to keep them from burning.

It will take 15-30 min. to toast the seeds completely. When they start to pop and jump around, you are nearly done. You want the majority to pop, since this makes them easier to eat.

Toss with salt and garlic powder and serve as a tasty snack.

What could be better for a Halloween party than a big old bowl of monster snot? This particular gunk happens to be fairly healthy, as well and kids love it. For moms, it takes minimal work and just a few hours of chilling.

Monster Snot

Makes 3 cups

1 package lime Jello
4 bananas, mashed
2.5 c. hot water

Puree the bananas with 1 c. of water. Stir the lime Jello into the remaining hot water and let dissolve for 5 min. Then stir in the banana puree. Pop into the fridge to set up. You should stir it every hour or so to make sure it takes on that lumpy, snotty appearance.

If this dish sets up too much, just leave it out at room temp for a bit to let it melt a bit. Enjoy!

These hardboiled eggs are so simple that you can’t even consider them a recipe. As such, they aren’t really gourmet, but they are perfect for busy moms who need something spooky in a hurry.

Essentially, all you need to do is take some peeled, hardboiled eggs, cut the bottoms off (about 1/2 cm) and then make some jagged cuts to give them a tattered appearance along the bottom.

Use black food coloring and a skewer or small paintbrush to paint on the eyes and mouth. Tradition says to go with the gaping eyes and screaming mouth, but my favorite is the smiley ghost!