But what about the rest of the week—or the entire months of October and November—when you want something a bit lighter than pie?

King Arthur Flour solved our dilemma with their delicious Pumpkin Streusel Cake Mix. We stocked up last year after Thanksgiving, when it was half price; but it’s $9.95 full price at KingArthurFlour.com is still worth it.

Why pay triple the price of a supermarket cake mix? It’s all in the quality of the ingredients.

The King Arthur mix is made with real pumpkin and Vietnamese cinnamon. Even the flour in the mix—the highest grade milled—is better, as fans of King Arthur Flour can tell you.

The mix includes a packet of cinnamon-streusel filling to make the swirl in the cake. You add butter, eggs, sour cream and water.
 
 
TO MAKE A COFFEE CAKE

 
As an alternative, you can turn the mix into a pumpkin streusel coffee cake (photo #3).

[2] The cake made in a Heritage bundt pan, also called a swirl bundt pan, from Nordicware.

Streusel is a crumb topping made from butter, flour and sugar. It can also contain chopped nuts or rolled oats.

It’s used on cakes and pies alike.

Pronounced SHTROY-zul, the word derives from the German “streuen,” meaning to sprinkle or scatter. The American mis-pronunciation “STROO sul?” Fuggedaboudit.

Streusel is used as a topping for a variety of pies, fruit crisps, cakes and pastries, most notably coffee cakes. A pie with a streusel topping is sometimes referred to as a “crumble pie.”

Some people like big streusel crumbs, others prefer fine crumbs. The choice is yours as you pinch the crumbs together.

[4] …Pumpkin Streusel Cake Mix (photos © King Arthur Flour).

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. With a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form.

2. USE your fingers to squeeze the fine crumbs into large clumps (or smaller as desired—we like large crumbs). Sprinkle over the top of the pie and bake per the recipe instructions. That’s it!
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BUNDT CAKES

First, there was the Austrian kugelhopf, a sweet yeast bread similar to brioche and panettone, made in a pan shaped like a chef’s hat or a turban.

A Viennese specialty, it was a favorite of the Austrian Archduchess Marie Antoinette, who became the wife of King Louis XVI of France in 1770.

Fast forward 180 years: Some Jewish ladies in Minneapolis couldn’t find any kugelhopf pans in the U.S., pans with pleated folds that their families had in the Old Country. They turned to a local manufacturer and convinced him to create a version of it. The bundt cake was born.

The name bundt is a derivation of the German word for a gathering of people—exactly what you’ll have when there’s a bundt cake to be enjoyed.

Here’s the history of the bundt cake.

No plans for Halloween? You can still invite the gang for a Halloween cocktail party with these special cocktails:

There’s still time to invite friends to a Halloween cocktail party—costumes optional. Create your cocktail menu from these cocktail recipes:

 
 
NEXT STEPS

1. SEND out the invite. Costumes optional?

2. DEVELOP the menu: 4 or 5 cocktail options, plus a mocktail and soft drinks for the designated drivers.

3. CHOOSE some recipes that can be made in advance, and make multiple quantities in pitchers.
 
 
HALLOWEEN MOCKTAIL

The easiest: a mix of apple cider, pomegranate juice, and club soda, with an optional candy pumpkin, notched to fit on the glass rim, or a lime wheel.

Mix the juices in a pitcher, and add club soda to the glass after pouring. Vary the proportions as you prefer, starting with a 2:1 or 3:1 proportion of juice to soda.

Alternatively, there are hundreds of Halloween cocktail recipes online.
 
 
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Vampire Martini. Here’s the recipe (photo © Betty Crocker).

[2] Bloody Eyeball Martini. Here’s the recipe (photo © Kris Plazek | What To Drink).

[3] Black Magic Screwdriver. Here’s the recipe (photo © Elegant Affairs Caterers).

[1] Try baked eggs in bell pepper halves (photo courtesy Foodie Crush | Go Bold With Butter). [2] Eggs Benedict on a croissant instead of the classic English Muffin (photo courtesy Peach Valley Cafe). [3] A fried egg sandwich, elevated with a whole grain seeded roll (photo courtesy National Pasteurized Eggs).

World Egg Day is October 21st.

Most of us have grown up with the incredible, edible egg; and we are egg-static to celebrate this little protein powerhouse.

With over 6 grams of high-quality protein, nine essential amino acids and only 70 calories, , it’s one of the least egg-spensive sources of high-quality protein per serving.

It’s a staple food as well as an indulgence (caramel custard, French ice cream, hollandaise sauce, mousse…).

20 RECIPES TO CONSIDER FOR TODAY

Options from breakfast, lunch and dinner through dessert.
 
Breakfast & Brunch Eggs

 
Brunch, Lunch & Dinner Eggs

 
Egg Cetera

 
Next, a recipe that is new to us: Huevos Divorciados, a Mexican breakfast dish that means “divorced eggs.” (We’ve also made it for lunch and a light dinner.)

Sunnyside-up fried eggs are dressed up in different ways and separated on the plate, “each going its own way” (photo #4, below).

The typical direction uses two different salsas: a spicy red salsa for one egg and a cooling tomatillo (green) salsa with the other. The salsa and eggs are set upon two crispy corn tortillas.

But you can use different salsas, toppings and underpinnings, and come up with your signature style.

We adapted this recipe from one by Chef Jeffrey Clark for Davidson’s Eggs.

RECIPE: HUEVOS DIVORCIADOS

As is our won’t at THE NIBBLE, we like to push the boundaries of the original dish and find fun ways to customize it. For Huevos Divorciados, you can separate the two eggs and their different salsas with:

 
Preparation

1. BRUSH both sides of the tortillas with olive oil. Place in baking pan and bake at 400°F for 6 minutes or until crisp. Meanwhile…

2. PREPARE the sunny side-up eggs. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until melted. Gently slide 2 eggs into the skillet. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until the whites are set and opaque, and the yolks begin to firm. Gently remove from skillet; repeat with the remaining butter and eggs.

3. PLACE two tortillas side by side on dinner plates. Place one egg on each tortilla. On each plate, ladle 6 tablespoons of the red salsa around one egg and 6 tablespoons of the salsa verde around the second egg.

4. SPRINKLE eggs with equal amounts of cheese and cilantro. Garnish with onion slices, a lime wedge and guacamole. Serve with breakfast potatoes, refried beans, or black beans, if desired.
 
CHECK OUT OUR EGG GLOSSARY

It’s a view of the different types of eggs, from blue hen eggs to ostrich eggs.

How many of these types have you had?
 
EGG ETYMOLOGY
The French have the ouef, the Italians and Spanish have uovo and ovo from the Latin ovum. The Greeks have oon, the Germans have Ei.

How did we get egg?

Egge appeared in the the mid-14th century northern England dialect, derived mostly from Old Norse and Proto-Germanic ajja, possibly derived from root awi, bird.

[4] Huevos Divorciados from OiYouFood. Here’s the recipe. [5] It’s easy to make egg drop soup at home with this recipe (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[1] Caramel apple dip (photo courtesy Eat Wisconsin Cheese). [2] Rainbow baby carrots (photo Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE).

If you’ll be home on Halloween—either dispensing candy or hunkering down—you need a Halloween treat that isn’t candy.

Thanks to our friends at EatWisconsinCheese.com for this recipe.

It’s easy to make with purchased caramel sauce (or if you’re hard core, your homemade sauce).

The caramel dip is a bit indulgent, but you can:

 
RECIPE: CARAMEL APPLE DIP

You can use this as a dip or a spread, a snack or a dessert.

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Dippers

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the heavy cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks begin to form (about 2-3 minutes).

2. ADD the apple pie spice, vanilla extract, salt and caramel sauce. Mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

3. ADD the cream cheese and mix until just incorporated. Add the diced apple and mix until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve with fruit and/or graham crackers, gingersnaps or other cookies. When ready to serve…

4. TOSS the diced apple in lemon juice to prevent browning. Here are other ways to prevent browning.
  

In prior Halloweens we’ve suggested Eyeball Jell-O, Eyeball Ice Cream, radish eyeballs for crudites and garnish, deviled egg eyeballs.

If your specialty produce purveyor has imported them from Australia, where they’re now in season, fresh lychees (photo #2) make the best eyeball food: nothing to do but peel and eat them.

RECIPE: BROWNIE EYEBALLS

You can eat these as a snack, or use them as cupcake or ice cream toppers.

Prep time is 45 minutes, chill time is 30 minutes.

Ingredients For 16 Eyeballs

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the brownies according to package directions. Bake just until just done

2. TRIM the crisp edges from the brownie while warm; eat them as you wish. Crumble the remaining warm brownie into a medium mixing bowl.

3. ADD the Craisins to the warm crumbled brownies and combine until a thick dough-like mixture forms. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, pressing firmly.

4. DIP the balls into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the chocolate is firm.

[1] Brownie eyeballs for Halloween (photo courtesy Ocean Spray). [2] Fresh lychees, nature’s “eyeballs” (photo courtesy Livestrong).

CHOCOLATE MELTING TIPS