Happy Halloween! As you put the finishing touches on your kids’ costumes and load up your cauldron with candies and other treats, you might also be getting ready to drive your kids to another neighborhood to go trick-or-treating in. Many parents claim that their neighbors don’t get excited about the Halloween spirit, or that they simply don’t trust their neighbors to take care of their kiddies while they parade around the neighborhood. As a result, they send their kids to other neighborhoods to partake in the festivities.

Do you take your kids to another neighborhood to trick-or-treat? Have you seen kids being shuttled into your neighborhood? Does it enhance the spirit of Halloween, or does it leave you feeling frightfully upset? You tell us!

To kick off one of the few Halloween celebrations happening at Tiny Prints this week, we held our first-ever Iron Chef Pumpkin competition in which every department submitted appetizers, entrees and desserts to be tasted by a panel of “special judges.”  All of the employees went the extra mile to prepare amazing dishes. In fact, these dishes were so good that we thought we would show a few photos from the event and share the winning recipe, which was submitted by Lily Liang who works in Product Management.

Marketing Won the Overall Competition:

The Winning Dish: Rachael Ray’s Pumpkin Lasagna

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 pounds bulk sweet Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey, whatever you like), casings removed
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk (eyeball it)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
Few dashes fresh nutmeg
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or Romano)

For cooking instructions, visit Rachael Ray’s website.

Before you and your family set out trick-or-treating this Friday night, you might want to read up on some Halloween safety tips from these great sites. It’s a fantastic way to make sure your little ghouls and boys have a frighteningly fun time this Halloween!

• Before you slather white makeup on your son’s face to turn him into the Joker, check out these tips on makeup, candy and more from the FDA.
• Make sure your munchkins have a safe and stress-free night with a little advice from the Los Angeles’ Fire Department.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics has an exceptional list of Halloween safety tips for the kids of all ages in your family.
• Worried that your pets might get spooked or sick from all the Halloween festivities? The ASPCA Blog offers a variety of tips for keeping Fido and your felines healthy and happy throughout the holiday weekend.
• aPARENTly Speaking offers some great tips that we wouldn’t have thought of, including using a glow stick instead of a candle to light your jack-o-lantern.

Did you head to the pumpkin patch with your family this weekend?  Not sure how to make the perfect pumpkin carving to knock your neighbor’s socks off? If so, below are some beautiful ideas from Ladies Home Journal that we hope inspire your inner- Martha:

Photos by Aimee Herring

One of the best things I did was buy a journal for my husband and I. We take turns writing to one another which brings us closer and allows us to share our days with each other. I thought this might also be a great way to involve family members! That’s why the holiday kid-friendly journal from Paper Source is this week’s pick as one of our fabulous Friday finds!

Ice Bat Uglydoll Journal from Paper Source. Black Damask Hostess Apron from Sur La Table. Season Scroll Holiday Gift Tags.

One Halloween when I was a child, I carried around a plastic pumpkin basket and wore a Strawberry Shortcake costume.  I remember feeling hot from the mask I wore and thinking that the container was too small.  In fact, it was so small that we had to keep emptying the candy out in a plastic bag.  But nowadays there are so many adorable and more practical trick or treat bags to get this year.  Here are a few that I found and fell in love with.  Now, if only I could return to Trick or Treating as an adult!

The Trick or Treating Orange Jack pail from Amazon.com, looks a lot like the one I carried around during Halloween as a kid, but check out these more modern alternatives such as the Candy Wrapper Buckets from Martha Stewart and Pottery Barn’s Puffy Treat Bags:

Dress them up for the upcoming holiday. Whether you’re getting ready to take those Christmas photos, or just want to get your pets in gear for Halloween, there are so many adorable costumes for your dogs this season. So sit back, relax and check out what’s hot in pet fashion this year. Football Fever and Pumpkin Pooch costumes from DoggieVogue. Taco Dog costume from Calling All Dogs. And Santa Paws Clause Christmas Dog Costume from Whiskers and More Wags.

I’m a little late in planning this, but I recently decided to throw a Halloween Party. Visions of costumes, Halloween punch, decor and treats, got me thinking, why should kids have all the fun?

1. INVITATIONS. First things first. Have fun choosing your Halloween Party invitations. Here are a few adult-friendly ones from Tiny Prints.

2. FOOD & DRINKS.The best part of planning a Halloween party? All those delectably themed food and drinks. Serve up spooky fun with Semi-Homemade Sandra Lee’s Vampire Kiss Martini and Martha Stewart’s Spooky spirits. Recipes for both can be found on their websites.

Present an elegant yet eerie feast of Midnight Moon cookies and No Bake Spiderweb Cheesecake from Martha Stewart and Deviled Chicken Lollipops from the FoodNetwork.

3. DEVILISH DECOR. Transforming your home into a party that will be loved by kids and adults. Hang up this sweet Candy Wreath and light up the way with these Cookie Cutter Pumpkins from Martha Stewart. And Pottery Barn’s fall-inspired tablescape is simply beautiful.

We were excited to learn that our Halloween Invitations were featured on Redbook magazine’s blog “Serving Dish.”   To check out this post, click here.

Besides the usual trick or treating, know of any other fun and unique ways to celebrate Halloween? Well I didn’t either, until I did a little research. Enjoy the fruits of my labor and no matter what you do, here’s hoping you’ll have an awesome Halloween!

1. Budget Travel has come up with Halloween-Themed Hotel deals that start from $59. Travel to Scottsdale, Arizona to visit their Rawhide Western theme park with its annual Doomtown Halloween theme event packed with haunted houses and Halloween decor.

2. Not as inexpensive but loads of fun, Disneyland and Disney World boasts their annual “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” which is filled with kid appropriate fun activities like trick or treating in the park, parade and fireworks all in honor of Halloween.

3. Throw your own Halloween party! Serve up ghoulish treats and invite guests to this scary soiree with one of these Halloween party invitations.