Dinner? Who are you kidding?

It's Halloween and you can bet that dinner will fall by the wayside in most homes. Well, at least a home-cooked dinner. I think pizza delivery and pickup does a brisk business tonight. I remember a couple of years ago waiting more than 90 minutes for a large pepperoni. Bad planning. Should have just purchased frozen. And that's not a bad idea for tonight. Pick up a couple on your way home and you can have them ready before the kids hit the streets.

If you're looking for something fun to make for tonight or a party over the weekend, check out these two recipes. The Candy Corn Popcorn is especially yummy. And easy.

Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
1 (3-ounce) bag popped light butter microwave popcorn
1 cup candy corn
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10-ounce) bag mini-marshmallows
Cooking spray

Combine popcorn, candy corn and peanuts in a large bowl.
Melt  butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; stir in salt and marshmallows. Reduce heat to low; cook for 7 minutes or until the marshmallows melt and the mixture is smooth, stirring frequently.
Pour marshmallow mixture over popcorn mixture, stirring to coat well. Let cool slightly. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; shape popcorn mixture into 20 (2-inch) balls.

Source: Adapted from www.myrecipes.com.

White Chocolate Candy Corn Bark
16 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), chopped
1 1/2 cups small pretzels, broken
1/3 cup raisins (see note)
2 (6-ounce) boxes white baking chocolate, broken into squares
2 cups candy corn (regular or caramel flavored)
Orange and brown sprinkles

Spread the cookies, pretzels and raisins evenly onto a lightly greased small baking sheet. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from the heat while there are still a few chunks, and stir until smooth. White chocolate burns easily.
With a spoon, drizzle chocolate over the goodies in the pan, spreading the top flat to coat evenly. Top with candy corn and sprinkles. Let cool until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Note: You may substitute craisins, peanuts or a mix.
Serves 20.
Source: www.allrecipes.com

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Photo by Scott Keeler, St. Petersburg Times

Sean's Key to Childhood Happiness

Despite suffering the ravages of divorce and dealing with a disruptive attraction to Christie Brinkley, I was a fairly happy child growing up in the sleepy-hollow apple-picking town of Westford, Massachusetts.

My fondest childhood memories involve the cozy smells of my mother cooking in the kitchen -- or at least of my mother opening the bag of takeout from the Hong & Kong, a Polynesian paradise in the neighboring town of Chelmsford.

Oh, I'm kidding. My mother has serious culinary skillz, especially when she's whipping up a certain treat from The Pooh Cookbook, just about the best cookbook of all time.

They're officially called POPOVERS FOR PIGLET, but in the Daly household, they're known simply as:

POOH POPOVERS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
2 large eggs

A popover baking pan is needed. Grease popover tins. Sift flour and salt together. Add milk, honey and melted butter and stir to blend. Beat in eggs. Fill each tin just under half full. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 425 degrees or until sides are rigid and the top and sides of popovers are brown.

Do not open the oven for 25 minutes to peek or the popovers will fall and not rise again. If you like popovers dry inside, slit each with a sharp knife and bake 5 minutes longer. Serve with honey butter or plain butter.

Yield: 8 to 12 popovers 

Eat Like THE KING

Hey Foodies! Sean Daly here. Your good pal Janet asked me to keep you guys entertained while she's off gallavanting in the Golden State. I'm the pop music critic at the Times, and because my diet consists mainly of things that would make my mother weep, I thought we'd kick things off with Elvis Presley's favorite snacks. The following trio of treats are from The Presley Family Cookbook, written by his Uncle Vester and various Graceland cooks. You might want to exercise after eating these or, at the very least, buy a white jumpsuit and start a music career. Enjoy! Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich 3 tablespoons peanut butter 2 slices light bread 1 banana, mashed 2 tablespoons margarine, melted Mix soft peanut butter and mashed banana together. Toast bread lightly. Spread peanut butter and mashed banana on toast. Place into melted margarine; brown on both sides. Ham Bone Dumplings 1 large ham bone or leftover ham 2 quarts water salt and pepper Dumplings: 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup Crisco shortening 1 cup cold water Simmer ham bone in water for 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Combine dumpling ingredients to make dough. Add more flour if needed to make dough easy to handle. Place dough on floured board and roll very thin. Cut dough into small pieces and drop into pot with ham. Cook about 20 - 25 minutes more. Baked Apple And Sweet Potato Pudding 4 large sweet potatoes 3 medium apples 1 cup water 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon apple pie spice 1/2 cup butter -- melted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla graham cracker crumbs Wash; peel sweet potatoes and apples. Cut into slices. Cover bottom of pan with graham cracker crumbs. Layer potatoes and apples in dish. Mix brown sugar with water and pour over each layer. Season each layer with cinnamon, apple pie spice, butter, and flavoring. Spread a few graham cracker crumbs over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let pudding stand for 4 or 5 minutes, then serve.

When you're done eating, come on over to the pop music blog. We're terribly unhealthy, but we try to have fun.