"YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY"

Celebrate Halloween with festive foods

By Mary Bilyeu AnnArbor.com Community Contributor

Posted on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 : 7 a.m.

Jeremy is 18 now, so Hallowe’en isn’t quite the gala that it used to be. No more costumes (unless you count my headband with the bobbling bat antennae or sequined pumpkin-face t-shirt).

No more watching Jeremy haul home 10-pound pillowcases full of candy and dump it all into the middle of the floor, perusing the bounty and guarding it zealously as his dad tried to steal some. No more trick-or-treaters; there are hardly any kids in the neighborhood … so few, in fact, that we didn’t even bother to give out candy last year. (Our vicious guard pooch, Fuzzybutt, would have just yapped at them anyway.) But some traditions are meant to last, so I will always serve the same food for the holiday no matter what: Jack-o-Lantern Cheeseburgers and Hallowe’en Pizza.

Neither of these is difficult to make; in fact no one will care, in the midst of the sugar fest, whether you use pre-formed burger patties or a frozen pizza -- make life easy for yourself. So rather than providing recipes today, I am only going to give instructions for making very cute and festive offerings for dinner or for a party. Kids of all ages will love these!

Jack-o-Lantern Cheeseburgers: Make as many burger patties as you need, whether beef or turkey or vegetarian. For each one, prepare a slice of American cheese by taking a sharp knife and carefully cutting out a jack-o-lantern face. Stay as close to the center of the cheese slice as you can, and remember that simpler designs are more effective. But most importantly, only place the cheese onto the burgers right before serving -- give them just enough time for the cheese to melt around the edges of the burger, but not enough time to have the cheese melt off altogether. Until your kids or guests are standing in front of you awaiting the presentation, don’t give in to impatience and try to get these ready ahead of time … a lesson learned the hard way.

Hallowe’en Pizza: Take a medium cheese pizza - homemade or frozen. Cover it with 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, and bake as you normally would until the cheese is melted but not very browned. Puree one 4.25-ounce can of chopped olives (thinned with a tablespoon of oil, if needed), then use a teaspoon to create a face on the pizza with the olives. Let everyone “ooh” and “ahh” over how cute it is before slicing.

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures as she tries to win prizes, feeds hungry teenagers and other loved ones, and generally just has fun in the kitchen. The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured next to the blog's title) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15, and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here!

You can contact Mary at yentamary@gmail.com.