We carved our Obama and Biden-o-lanterns last night while watching Sweeney Todd. I loved that music when I was in junior high, but have never seen the musical and am a big Tim Burton fan. Helena Bonham Carter makes me a bit nauseous, though, and I still prefer Patti Lupone as Mrs. Lovett. I bet she could still pull that character off, but Helena DOES look like she came straight out of Tim Burton's sketch book.

This morning I toasted the salvaged pumpkin seeds and have already eaten way too many.

The only cure for this is to eat too many cookies -- Steam Punkin Cookies -- and read Boogie Knights by Lisa Wheeler and Mark Siegel again.

Steam Punkin Cookies
adapted from John & Caprial's Kitchen
I've never made cookies where you melt the butter and it is soooo easy this way! One bowl and one spoon, no mixer.

1 cup butter melted and slightly cooled
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (not necessary to pack)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Pour melted butter into a large bowl. With a spoon mix in sugars until incorporated. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg mixing well. Add oats and mix. Add chocolate chips and mix. Spoon onto a parchment or silpat covered baking sheet.

Bake for 11 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 3 minutes before eating or moving to a wire rack to cool.

If you are the one person I know that doesn't like chocolate you can add dried cranberries and nuts in place of the chocolate. But I would never do that willingly.

Have you SEEN Boogie Knights? It is adorable. A perfect Halloween would be that book, Boo, Bunny!, Bunnicula, a Joan Aiken book, some spiked apple cider, pumpkin foods and Disney's Halloween Treat (why can't they put that on DVD instead of contraband youtube clips?)