Friday Five-Halloween

Songbird at over at RevGals posted this Friday Five, so here goes...
1. How did you celebrate this time of year when you were a child?
I did the typical 1960's trick or treat in the neighborhood in our small town in Indiana. One year there was the razor blade in apple scare which I really could not understand since we knew everyone in all of the houses. There was also a Halloween dress up party at school and one year a mom made these iced Pumpkin cookies on sticks. And it is not Halloween without the Peanuts show about the Great Pumpkin.
2. Do you and/or your family “celebrate” Halloween? Why or why not? And if you do, has it changed from what you used to do?
Our girls, the Lutheran Chicks, are now in their teens. Before this, they would get dressed up and we would take them around to the few houses in our part of town that gave out candy, and then we would drive over to the large development where their best friends lived to join the swarm of trick or treaters there. We only carve our pumpkins the day of Halloween, at dinner time and then the fun begins. We have a bat and a spider and a raven that we hang at the front door. The girls now dress up to hand out candy at our place. But we are not the people for whom Halloween decorations have become like Christmas, up for a month. With one exception each, I have always made the kids' costumes. Here is a list of some of the things they have been: a turtle, a witch, Scarlett O'Hara, Pocahontas, the Little Mermaid, Minnie Mouse, a princess, a witch, a Japanese lady, a clown, a vampiress, a cat. We like to go to the thrift shop to get pieces we can use. One year we found great sheer fabric that was orange with black glitter spider webs that made a great skirt.

2. Candy apples: Do you prefer red cinnamon or caramel covered? Or something else?
Caramel with nuts
3. Pumpkins: Do you make Jack O’ Lanterns? Any ideas of what else to do with them?
We make jack-o-lanterns and roast the seeds. I have several different seed recipes
4. Do you decorate your home for fall or Halloween? If so, what do you do? Bonus points for pictures.
Sorry no pics. We have the things I mentioned above, and usually some Indian corn. I also have a wooden painted pumpkin that is a jack o lantern on one side and plain on the other. Fall also means big pots of mums which then get planted somewhere else on the property.
5. Do you like pretending to be something different? Does a costume bring our an alternate personality? Dressing up can be a great outlet for creativity and a chance to explore.

Bonus: Share your favorite recipe for an autumn food, particularly apple or pumpkin ones.
Pumpkin Seed variations:
2c pumpkin seeds
2c sunflower seeds ( shelled)
2c dry roasted peanuts
1c raw almonds
1c raw cashews
2 T canola oil
1 packet dry ranch dresing mix
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Mix and toss well all ingredients in a large bowl.
Put mix into shallow roasting pan and roast 45-60 minutes
stir occasionally.
Yields 16 servings

Asian Seeds

2c pumpkin seeds
2T soy sauce
1/2 powdered ginger
2tsp Splenda

Preheat oven to 350 and use same process as above for about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!