Halloween this coming Thursday. All Saints’ Day is Friday, Nov. 1. All Souls’ Day is Saturday, Nov. 2. It’s time for spookiness. It’s time for fall flavors, like apple crisps and squash soup.

Halloween comes from “hallow,” which means holy. The suffix ‘een’ means evening — thus we have All Hallows’ Eve. This is the night before All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, when many honor those who have passed on. But by the beginning of the 20th century, Halloween lost most of its religious overtones.

Modern Halloween is a dark night of mischief and terror. Children dress in costumes, trick-or-treating and begging for sugary treats. Grown-ups watch horror movies, tell spooky stories, carve pumpkins and bob for apples.

It was the 1950 Walt Disney cartoon, “Trick or Treat” featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie that made Halloween the holiday it is today.

Pumpkins (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

Candy aisles at supermarkets and big-box stores overflow with acres of plastic-wrapped boxed sweets. Due to 1970s rampant rumors of poisoned candy and razor blades hidden in caramel apples, homemade goodies are reserved for parties.

This is in spite of the fact that there is no proof of either occurring, according to sociologist Joel Best. This is corroborated by David Skal (“Death Makes a Holiday”) and Nicholas Rogers (“Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night”). The only known, verified injury ever caused by a sharp object being placed in a piece of fruit came from a girl who bit into an apple in which another child had placed a razor. Her injuries required just one stitch on the inside of her mouth. And the only case of a child dying from poisoned candy was in 1974, when Ronald Clark O’Bryan laced Pixie Stix with cyanide in order to murder his children so he could collect the insurance money, and his son died within hours of eating the candy.

We owe jack-o-lanterns to Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine in the 1800s. The Irish custom of hollowing out turnips and other fall vegetables such as beets and potatoes, then placing a light inside to ward off evil spirits on All Hallows’ Eve, led to carving out pumpkins.

Halloween ushers in sweet, sugary treats — but we must keep in mind that candy is not a healthy food. Keep portions small by making bite-sized goodies. Always remember that candy is not part of your daily diet. It’s a treat.

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Cinnamon Topped Pumpkin Muffins

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Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/3 cup cooking oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cup pumpkin

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/3 cup unbleached flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

Topping:

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat eggs; beat in oil, sugar, milk and mashed pumpkin. Combine flours with baking powder, and stir into the batter, mixing just enough to blend. Stir in the cranberries. Spoon into prepared muffin tins.

For the topping: melt the butter. Combine cinnamon, sugar, and flour in a small bowl; drizzle in the melted butter and stir with a fork to combine. Sprinkle topping over the muffins, then bake about 25 minutes until golden brown in color and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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Easy Homemade Fudge

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Ingredients:

3 cups chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk

dash of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 – 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Place chocolate chips in the top part of a double boiler, or in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Heat until melted. Stir in milk and salt; stir to combine. Add vanilla and nuts; stir again.

Line an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan with wax paper. Pour in contents and spread evenly. Place in refrigerator until firm (about 2 hours).

Lift out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off wax paper, then cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container to keep from drying out.

Variations: use mint chips for a mint version, or 2 cups Reese’s peanut butter cups for a peanut version (omit chopped nuts).

Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on Twitter: @yvonawrites.