We are lucky if we get any trick-or-treaters at all on Halloween. I’m assuming many children are strolling through downtown or the mall, hitting up the students at the U of I Tower, or having private parties. Gone are the days when parents felt completely safe taking their children door-to-door. The exception to that loss of tradition is small towns where everyone knows everyone.
I grew up in a town of 1,200 people, and on Halloween it was not unusual to have 150 children knock on our door. We were raised in a great old house. The previous elderly owners had installed an elevator in the front entryway so they would not have to climb the stairs. We mostly used it to send baskets of laundry up the stairs, but on Halloween, local children knew that in addition to getting candy, they would be offered a chance to take a ride in the elevator. It made us one of the more popular houses in town.
My own children looked forward to dressing up at Halloween as much or more than receiving candy. My daughter, Jenny, who ended up being a drama major in college, enjoyed trying on new personas from an early age. So Halloween was one of her favorite holidays. The year she dressed in a black veil and a black flowing dress with fake spiders attached all over and called herself Spider Woman, her brother, Andrew, not to be outdone, created an Elastic Man outfit complete with multicolored spandex tights and a swim cap. Their creations never ceased to entertain me.
Another Halloween tradition in my family was my Mom’s “dinner in a pumpkin.” The recipe is similar to stuffed peppers, but a stuffed pumpkin was much more impressive to us as children. I have revised my mother’s recipe substituting tofu for hamburger. This recipe is not only fun, but gives you one of your vegetable servings for the day since you eat the pumpkin along with the filling.
To make breakfast fun, try out the pumpkin waffles. They have a lovely aroma that will fill the house and smell like pumpkin pie. These waffles are hearty and will keep you satisfied for quite a while. Served with warm maple syrup, they make one think of autumn in Vermont. The waffles would also be good served with yogurt and apples, cream cheese and walnuts, or even vanilla ice cream.
If you eat gluten-free, purchase a package of frozen gluten-free waffles from the Co-op and put a pumpkin sauce on top of your waffle instead. Just mix some canned pumpkin with honey and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
After you eat your tasty pumpkin meals, there is an entertainment option for those of you who still enjoy dressing up. Each year the Palouse Folklore Society sponsors a Halloween contra dance and most people come in costume for the occasion. It is a delight to go and see all the unusual outfits people have come up with. All the dances are taught and it’s a lot of fun. The dance will be on October 25 this year in the 1912 building. To learn more, check their website: www.palousefolklore.org.
Terri Schmidt also encourages those who like to try on new personas to get involved in our local community theaters.
Dinner in a Pumpkin
by Val Churchman – adapted
1 ½ cups chopped celery
1 cup onion, chopped
1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 Tbsp. butter
1 package firm tofu, crumbled
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cooked rice
1 medium pumpkin
In a medium skillet, sauté celery, onion and mushrooms in 1 Tbsp. butter. Remove from skillet and set aside. In same skillet, cook crumbled tofu in remaining butter till slightly crisp. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, tofu, soy sauce, brown sugar, soup and cooked rice. Mix well. Cut top off pumpkin. Clean insides well. Spoon tofu-rice mixture into pumpkin. Replace top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until pumpkin is tender.
Pumpkin Tofu Waffles
(adapted from several recipes)
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup molasses
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla
8 ounces soft tofu (½ package)
1 ½ cup milk (or milk substitute)
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup canned pumpkin
6 Tbsp. butter (or substitute) melted
Preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. Beat egg whites till they hold soft peaks. Blend tofu till smooth. Whisk together vanilla, tofu, milk, egg yolks and pumpkin. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites gently. Brush waffle iron with oil and pour in batter. Cook till done. Enjoy with your favorite topping.
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