What's cooking this Halloween?

With Halloween less than 3 months away, here are some recipes to keep on file: Pumpkin Face Cake, Black Cat Cookies, Ice Cream Jack-O-Lantern, and Witches' Cauldron Soup.

Next is a perfect centerpiece idea: A Vegetable Scarecrow for your dark night...

Some Halloween party suggestions.

And why settle for tricks or treats when you can have Tricks and Treats? (Alright, admittedly the following recipes in which you doctor up cereal with fruit have nothing to do with Halloween, but they're kind of funny.)

And if you know someone who's afraid of clowns, here's a treat that's also a trick: Clown Cupcakes!

Originally, Chris' complete quote was "Greg'll be six...and he's deathly afraid of clowns."

But you don't need to wait until Halloween to throw a party or bake something fun. Here are some cake ideas, including a generic, non-licensed cartoon dog.

Here's a party idea that works any time of the year... a Faraway Places Party, emphasizing geography and global awareness.

Take your guests on a culinary adventure as you explore the diverse cuisine from "round-the-world" by serving.... hot-dogs?

If you couldn't tell by now, I love digging through old (1950s and 60s era) cookbooks. They are like artifacts from a lost culture. It's not the recipes I'm after, but the charming clip art, photographs, and sometimes unintentionally funny serving and hosting advice.

Here's some well-dressed kids ready to party.

Sock it to the drug store with a chocolate fudge soda! (Terrific illustration!)

Nothing says "Movie Night" like... sloppy joes? Carrot curls? Milk?

Here's some advice for children on setting the table.

A challenge to boldly mix your fruits. Integration now!

It seems like a lot of 50s and 60s era cookbooks are hung up on using frozen vegetables. These fresh (and frisky) corn ears don't seem to mind being passed up for their frozen brethren.

Celebrate the Criterion Collection DVD release of Roman Polanski's Repulsion with this vaguely disturbing Bunny Salad.

Finally I love this preposterous recipe, Three Men In a Boat.

Here's what it looks like. Okay, so I've made it. Now what the hell do I do with it?



The above scans came from two cookbooks: Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls (a modern facsimile of the 1957 original), and Betty Crocker's Party Book (1960).