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When I was a kid, almost every vacation involved driving for 24 hours from Saskatchewan to central British Columbia. We came for the scenery – mountains, icy blue lakes, and Bedrock City in Kelowna (why they would close that place I’ll never know). We also came for a few other reasons, namely salmon, blackberries, and peaches. Oh and throw a few apples in there and you’ve got a nice pile of souvenirs for people from the prairies.

Maybe because I’ve always been a fan of a good, old fashioned haunted house and am one of those people who can become unglued by a really scary movie, but Halloween ranks right up there with Christmas as one of my favourite times of year.   I’ve always been slightly envious of people who live in warmer climates during Halloween, because they are almost always guaranteed a nice night for trick or treating and great weather for getting outside and having some scary Halloween fun. But the one great thing about living in a place where the fog and chill sets in around mid-October? You have the opportunity to cook up and really enjoy some delicious hot food to get your Halloween night off to a great start.

When you’re throwing a big party for Halloween, there’s a lot of prep involved. Not only do you have to decorate your party area, you have to come up with a variety of food, drinks, and munchies to keep your guests happy.   This past month I’ve been talking about different Halloween treats you can whip up if you’re having a Halloween party or just need snacks to feed a few ghosts and goblins on All Hallows Eve. From sugar cookies to some seriously gross treats, there are so many different things you can serve. But the one treat I absolutely rely on when it comes to the snack table? Cupcakes!

Even though I tend to keep the family eating on the healthy side of things, I usually throw all of that out the window every October when Pumpkin Spice Scones are readily available and Halloween treats must be created.   Because I’m planning a huge party this Halloween, I’ve been a little more focused on Halloween treats than usual. After all, what’s a party without gooey white chocolate eye balls and buckets of candy corn?

Halloween isn’t just about candy. You can offset the spooky effects of too much sugar with healthy Halloween treats, snacks and toys.   With the alarming rates of kid obesity and hyperactivity, binging on too much candy isn’t a good idea, so why not make this the Halloween where your ghoulish holiday is fun, safe and healthy.

I love to bake, so trying new and cool recipes comes second nature to me. Some people (or so I’ve heard) don’t love it quite as much as I do. Take my sister in law for example – if she needs cookies, she buys them at the grocery store. If she wants to pass off those cookies as her own, she buys them at a bakery. I gifted her with a big bag of flour one year during a visit, and she said its still sitting there 2 years later.   We’re all different, and because of that I realize sometimes, if you’re not into baking a lot, you just need one recipe that will work for you and go the distance. Something that you can make once and throw it in the freezer for an event, holiday, or just a rainy Saturday afternoon.