Ellington

"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. ... Eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog."

Yuck! I realize William Shakespeare's witches from "Macbeth" weren't conjuring up a tasty little dish for a Halloween get together, but really? Tongue of dog?

Halloween is creeping up on us. For those of you who, like me, decorate with witches, ghosts, black cats, goblins and pumpkins, it's a frightfully fun time. It is also an opportunity to conjure up some spooktacular food for a bewitching party.

When my oldest daughters were still young, some of us mummies would host Halloween parties for our trick-or-treaters. It was always a fun (and competitive) time to see witch of us possessed the best creative skills.

We also served food and favors, hoping to ex-spell a large consumption of candy the kids would collect. Once, I filled clear cellophane gloves with popcorn; they looked like skeleton hands.

I don't make costumes or walk door-to-door anymore, but when I saw the witch faces on the cover of Taste of Home magazine in 2006, their black hats made out of cookies and candy, it was irresistible. I "haunted" through the magazine for decorating ideas and recipes.

One of my favorite recipes was for pepper popper fingers. Made with jalapeno peppers halved and filled with cheeses, breadcrumbs, bacon and spices, when you add the sliced almonds to the ends of the peppers with a dab of ketchup, they really do look like fingers.

So don't be scared. Go a little batty with some Halloween-inspired recipes. It will be worth the toil and trouble.

Pumpkin Dip
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid pack pumpkin
3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Beat cream cheese and confectioner's sugar. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat until smooth. Serve with apple slices or ginger snaps.

Tip: Serve the dip from a small hollowed-out pumpkin.