Don’t Go Inside. Trick-or-treaters always seem to run across a house or two where someone invites them to “come in”. Remind your little ones that they should never go inside anybody’s home while trick-or-treating. They can easily get the candy they seek from the porch or if the homeowner is persistent, inform them to simply turn and walk away.
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Knock On Doors That You Know. Encourage your children to only trick-or-treat at homes where they know the inhabitants. If they know everyone on the street, except for one house, they could ask the neighbors about that one house. If a home is dark or has no Halloween decorations, that is typically a good sign that they are not up for trick-or-treaters.
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Walking Tips. Be sure that your children understand simple traffic rules, such as stopping and looking both ways before crossing the street, and staying in a crosswalk if one is available. If you have to cross at a light, make sure you have the proper “walk” signal before you proceed. Inform your children that they should never assume that they have the right away when crossing the street, especially at night on Halloween.
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Never Go Alone. It is important that your children have an adult chaperon at all times while trick or treating. You should also discreetly add some emergency identification information such as the child’s name, address & phone number to their costume or on a bracelet in case your child happens to get separated from the group.
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Be Visible. If your kids will comply, choose costumes that are brightly colored so that they are easier to see in the dark. If they really want a dark costume, apply some reflective strips to their costume. You could also have them wear glow necklaces or carry glow sticks and flashlights.
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Steer Clear Of Masks. While masks are a fun part of many costumes, do your best to recreate the mask with face paint. Having a mask on can sometimes impair the vision of the child wearing it. With face paint, it is easier for your child to see where they are going and they won’t have to lift their mask to have a conversation with a fellow trick or treater. If your child absolutely must wear a Halloween mask, make sure it’s a snug fit, is ventilated and has large enough eyeholes so they can see all around them.
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Go Safe During Trick Or Treat Times. You don’t have to wait until it is pitch-black outside to go trick-or-treating. A good trick or treat time is right after an early dinner and just before dusk when you can keep better track of your children and you are able to see the others that you encounter on the street. Besides, if you are the first person there, you will have the best selection of candy!
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Make a Holiday schedule! Plan a cooking schedule for yourself. Take note of dishes that can be made a day or two ahead, those that can be frozen, and those that need to be cooked at the last minute.
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Planning a Holiday meal? Cook in advance! To save time and kitchen space on the day of the event, cook what you can ahead of time. Cookies, pies and cakes can be made a week in advance, frozen and thawed out the night before the big meal. Cranberry sauce, casseroles, side dishes and vegetables can all be prepared the day before and refrigerated.
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Skip the roast and grill steaks instead! Steaks require minimal cooking time compared to their whole-cut counterpart. Throw them on the grill for some extra depth of flavor, and elevate the meal to feast status by serving with a rich sauce.
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Downsize from the Holiday goose and try Cornish hens. Not only will these mini birds take a fraction of the time to cook, they’re perfectly sized for individual servings and they still offer special occasion flair.
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Skip vegetable casseroles and whip up a rich sauce instead. Top a cooked vegetable — boiled, roasted or grilled, as they all work — with a rich flavorful sauce, and do away with any elaborate or multistep prep previously required for decadent vegetable sides.
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Cut up vegetables before cooking to save on time! Fall vegetables that are a mainstay at the holiday table — think winter squash or root vegetables — take a while to cook, especially when left whole. Whether a dish requires boiling or roasting, the smaller the vegetables are cut, the less time it will take for each piece to cook through.
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Assemble salads in advance! Try a salad that uses escarole and frisee, for example, won’t wilt into a soggy mess. Or try this pro trick that doesn’t require assembling a salad a la minute: Start by adding some dressing to the bottom of the salad bowl, then top with the heartiest ingredients that aren’t prone to soaking up dressing, like cucumbers and tomatoes. Layer the fragile ingredients on top, such as the lettuce or herbs, and top that layer with garnishes like cheese or croutons. The salad will keep for a few hours without wilting or soaking up any dressing; at the table, toss the salad and season it with salt and more dressing, as needed.
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When adding ground spices to bread or cake batter, cream the spices with the butter and sugar instead of adding them with the other dry ingredients. The fat in the butter helps disperse the flavors of the spices for a much more intense taste.
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A runny-yolked fried egg adds instant richness to pasta, rice and grain dishes, even pizza.
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When sauteing onions, add a pinch of baking soda. It speeds browning and cuts cooking time practically in half.
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Replace the bread crumbs in pasta dishes with finely chopped nuts for extra flavor and a shot of protein. Try almonds on top of bechamel-based mac ‘n’ cheese.
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Avoid messy stains and get at a pomegranate’s arils faster by slicing it in half, then submerging it in a bowl of water. The seeds will sink while the pith floats, making them easy to separate.
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When you’re not sure what to do with an exotic veggie, roast it! Everything from sunchokes to rutabaga tastes great tossed with a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked in the oven at 400°F until tender.
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Store fresh herbs as you would fresh flowers: in a jar of water on your countertop. Pluck off what you need, change the water daily, and they’ll last two to three times longer than they would in the fridge. You’ll get the most extra mileage from flat-leaf parsley.
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Learn how to sharpen your knives and do it often. The most dangerous thing you can have in your kitchen is a dull knife. You’re more likely to cut yourself because you have to press harder.
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To cut avocado more easily, slice it while it’s still in the skin. Not using the whole thing? Leave the pit in the remaining avocado to prevent browning.
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When making a whole roast chicken, salt it, then chill it, uncovered, in the fridge for the day. This helps season the bird and dries out the skin so it crisps perfectly when cooked. Remove it from the fridge an hour before you plan to put it in the oven, and add herbs and aromatics like garlic or shallots.
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When making dough, freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients. You’ll handle the cold dough less, resulting in more tender and flaky piecrusts, biscuits, or scones.
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