A Cooking in Bloom Type of Halloween

It's Halloween! This year is extra special as last Halloween was during the height of the pandemic, so most of our kids didn't trick or treat. That was the year my neighbor rigged some type of PVC candy cannon and shot the treat to any trick or treater that came to the door. It wasn't the same.

Halloween is a favorite in our house. It’s my daughter’s especially because she is such a creative type. She loves to dress up and create spectacular face art. One of my favorite costumes of hers was when she dressed up as, get this...a princess warrior! We went to a local Goodwill store and she picked out exactly what she felt she needed for this particular creation. She even found a used NERF bow gun. I thought the find made her look like a futuristic princess for sure! This year she is going to be a Pirate. She’s going full force, including the hat, boots, and sword. She’s even dressing our pug Rosie up as a parrot.

Thankfully, there's even a chill in the air this Halloween. In years past, Halloween’s in Little Rock have been hot and muggy. I welcome this cooler weather which allows for my favorite aspect of the holiday: warm comfort foods. Things like chicken casserole and sausage stew have been on our menu. A special family breakfast I’ve made for many years is pumpkin waffles with fruit. These are perfectly made with a waffle iron that allows them to get slightly crisp on the outside but remain soft and airy on the inside. The batter even makes wonderful pancakes if you don’t have a waffle iron! My kids typically use the fruit to make a pumpkin face or whatever spooky art they’re in the mood for. We don’t even use syrup as these waffles are that good! I don’t think you’ll need it either; just a fork, your family, and plenty of time. Try this recipe and enjoy the flavors of the season!