Make an artistic front-porch pumpkin display. Hollow out pumpkins of various shapes, sizes, and colors. Drill small holes in them to create spiral or bull's-eye designs. Add votive candles and arrange in a cluster near the door.

Fill clear gloves with popcorn, using candy corn for fingernails. Tie the end with ribbon or skinny black licorice.

How do you preserve a Jack-o-lantern?
To keep a pumpkin from drying out, cover it with a damp towel when it is not on display. To make your pumpkin last longer, wait for half an hour after you finish carving, then rub the cut areas and inside with a dry cloth and apply a protective coating such as petroleum jelly, clear furniture wax, or vegetable oil painted on with a brush. Some expert pumpkin carvers use several coats of lacquer or hair spray, which gives it a nice glossy finish.

Witches Brew....Mix up a batch of lemonade from concentrate. Add green food coloring to the lemonade to give it a spooky look. Get a plastic witch's cauldron and place a piece of dry ice in it. Pour the brew over the dry ice and watch your kid's delight.
 

Freeze punch in rubber gloves that have been washed out. Thaw by running warm water over gloves and add to punch bowl.

Miniature pumpkins make impressive individual baking and serving dishes. Cut a circle out around the stem (as you would when carving a Jack-O-Lantern) and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Scrape out some of the flesh from the sides of the pumpkin as well, in order to make room for your stuffing. Keep the lids in tact. Place pumpkins and lids in a baking dish and add about an inch of water. Bake at 350�F for about 30 minutes. You want the pumpkins to be somewhat cooked, but still firm. Carefully stuff the pumpkins with corn pudding, vegetables, such as green beans or peas or even corn bread stuffing. Return stuffed pumpkins to the oven and bake until stuffing is cooked. Serve each guest their own stuffed mini-pumpkin.

Festive Spiced Cider

14 cinnamon sticks, 3 1/2 inches each, divided
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
3 quarts cider
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 orange
Ground nutmeg for garnish

1. Tie 2 cinnamon sticks, the cloves and allspice in a cheesecloth bag. In a large saucepan combine the cider and sugar; heat 5 to 6 minutes. Add the spice bag and simmer gently 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag. 2. Cut the orange into 6 slices and cut each slice in half. Place 1/2 slice orange in each cup, pour in the hot cider, sprinkle with nutmeg and add a cinnamon stick for a stirrer.  12 Servings.

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