2 teaspoons cinnamon

1  1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 ounce cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons butter, softened

4 tablespoons margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1.  Oven 350 degrees.  Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan.

2.  Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until well blended in a large bowl.

3.  Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda together in a separate bowl.

    Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture gradually and beat well.

4. Spread in greased pan evenly and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

   Cool completely.  Then cut into bars.

5.  For icing:  Cream together cream cheese with butter and margarine.  Add vanillan and sugar.   

    Beat until smooth.  Spread on cooled bars.  Decorate if desired with sprinkles, etc.

6.  ENJOY – What a “TREAT” to come home to on Halloween Day!

Trick or treat!  I’ll take the treat, thank you very much.  These pumpkin bars really are a treat, and I make them all year around.  The kids usually decorate the bars by themselves, which is also a lot of fun, and you can really get creative.  One suggestion, add some candy corns on top if you like, but I prefer them plain.  The cream cheese icing is delicious too, and I also use the recipe for the icing when I make my carrot cake.

My son was a Boy Scout years ago, and my friend and I were the Den Mothers.  Well, you know how boys are, very physical and mischievous.  We tried to think of a fun thing to do for Halloween with ten eight-year-old boys.  The idea we came up with was very successful.  First, we told a scary story, which was also very gory, just to get the kids into the Halloween spirit.  We then guided them into a room with the lights out.  On a table, we had some boxes and bags that you could not see into.  We had them put their hands into the boxes and bags which were filled with different items.  One box contained cooled Jell-O; one with cooked spaghetti, and various other surprises.  As their hands dropped into the boxes and bags, we would be telling them that the contents were the brains or the guts of the villain from the earlier horror story.  The boys loved this as well as feeling scared.  Of course, when everyone was done squishing the bag and box contents, we turned on the lights and showed them it was only Jell-O and spaghetti!  There would be no nightmares over Jell-O or spaghetti.  This get-together was one of the best Boy Scout meetings we had.  Try this at your next Halloween party!  I bet you’ll be the big hit of the block.  Happy Halloween!