Some people call me a freak...and that's ok by me

When I was a kid, I made it my mission in life to scare the ever loving crap out of anyone I could get my hands on. Actually – I still do that today. No one was/is safe. Not my brothers, my cousins (especially Paula), my friends – no one. Whether it was telling people at a sleepover that my house was haunted or a haven for vampires, or that the old building down the street was the scene of a mass murder involving little children, I reigned supreme in the fright department. My imagination knew no bounds! After watching The Omen (1976 version), I made sure to check both my little brothers’ heads for the mark of the devil. God only knows what I would have done had I thought I found it. Wow, now that I think about it, that’s a little weird.

I still love scary things (and scaring people…especially my cousin Paula) – movies, TV shows, books, music (the weeping in Morissey's rendition of "Moon River" is creepy) - you name it. There’s just something so fun about the other side. I love the chill that travels down the spine and the hair that raises on the arms when you feel that someone’s there in the room with you even though you know you’re the only one in the building; or when an eerie silence is suddenly punctuated by a soft sigh filled with heartbreak and longing; or when you see something out of the corner of your eye that disappears once you finally gather enough courage to turn your head. I won’t go into detail about how my piano once played itself or how Nate and I captured a ghost on camera, but let’s just say I’m a firm believer in the unknown.

So of course, Halloween is my FAVORITE time of the year (along with Thanksgiving, but that's just because of the food). When I’m not busy reading scary stories, going on ghost tours, or watching countless hours of horror shows that make Nate and my parents question my sanity, I am, of course, baking. For today’s Halloween party at work, I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with pecans. I also threw in some chocolate chip pecan cookies, which I think were the bigger hit, but the picture came out icky, so I'm not posting it.

Besides, there is much scaring to be done and so very little time.

Happy trick or treating!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crystals-chocolate-chip-pumpkin-cookies/detail.aspx

Just add pecans and don't overbake (I took them out at 17 mins!)