What is Halloween?

Halloween means different things to different people. To me, it means the opportunity to be silly, dress like a moron, be surrounded by lots and lots of candy, and it's filled with excitement. But, face it, I'm 40-something going on 7-something.

To The Husband, it is something else. Boring, tedious, something to be endured. In case you don't get the picture, he doesn't like Halloween.

I think that this has something to do with his childhood. You see, he was born in Berlin, Germany at the end of WWII. When Berlin was divided, his family ended up on the East side where he stayed until the age of 9. That's when his family snuck across the border into West Berlin. Then, when he was 11, he and his family emigrated to the US. So, he spent his formative years thinking that Halloween was just the evening before All Saints' Day.

As fate would have it, their emigration to the US coincided with the end of October and Halloween. After 2 grueling weeks on a converted troop transport crossing the tempestuous autumn Atlantic, they landed in New York. They were quickly hustled aboard a pre-Amtrak train and transported to their new home....Chicago.

Now, The Husband's Mutti had a little problem with this because the only things she ever had heard about Chicago was about gangsters, machine guns in violin cases, and, especially, Al Capone. Her one true desire was to go back, but The Husband noticed an odd phenomenon and wanted to stay. Apparently, the impression of her first born child meant something, because stay they did.

What my observant husband-to-be noticed was that the kids in the neighborhood were getting free (YES, FREE) candy. Further observation revealed that kids would walk up to houses with something that resembled small grocery bags. They would knock on the door. As the resident opened the door to greet the kids, some squealing would occur. And, then, wonders of wonders, the residents would drop candy into the outstretched bags of the kids.

The Husband thought that this was truly a wonderful country. He had heard all about the streets being paved with gold. But, to an 11 year old, what was gold. The sparkly, yellowish stuff? Or candy????? Definitely, candy!

The problem was that he was afraid that he didn't understand the whole process. What if there was some sort of password involved? The Husband had studied English is Shule. But, let's face it, how much English does the average native-born 11 year old speak in the US, let alone a German immigrant. What if he was rebuked?

He never resolved this initial dilemma. This was his first, and lasting, impression of Halloween, American style. Some kids got candy. Some just watched.

I've tried to change his attitude by showing him the fun things about Halloween. We tried carving pumpkins. But, the first time, he selected the tall, skinny kind. He carved a really scary face, but, unfortunately, after about a week, the scary teeth curled inward as the pumpkin collapsed upon itself and it ended up resembling Moms Mabley more than Freddy Kruger. We tried costumes, but people thought his werewolf costume was a homeless guy. I tried feeding him pumpkin goodies, but that didn't work either......The Husband doesn't like the taste of pumpkin. Oh, well, he may not like it, but I do and I hope you do, too.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Serves 12.

3 cups crushed ginger snaps

1/2 stick butter -- melted

1 cup pecans -- finely chopped

24 ounces cream cheese -- softened

1 cup brown sugar

6 eggs

14 ounces canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine crushed ginger snaps, butter, and pecans and press into a 12 inch springform pan. Press up the side of the pan about 1/2 inch. Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Remove from oven and cool.

Combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix in canned pumpkin. Mix in cream. Mix in vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Pour into springform pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Serve with:

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pour whipping cream into a chilled bowl. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Beat with an electric mixer until mixture thickens and form stiff peaks. Spoon onto pieces of Pumpkin Cheesecake and sprinkle with a little additional cinnamon.