Coconut-Pumpkin and Orzo Stew

Fall harvest and Halloween festivities always inspire me to try a new pumpkin soup recipe. This Coconut-Pumpkin and Orzo Soup, inspired by a recipe from Six O'Clock Scramble subscriber Laurie McLean of Pueblo, Colorado, was especially fun for us because my 13-year-old son was head chef. We all loved it, but Solomon reserved the right to take the leftovers to school for lunch the next day. While we're getting in the Halloween mood, it's time to start thinking about making costumes for our little goblins. When I was trick-or-treating as a kid in the 70s, we didn't spend $20 or $30 on costumes. The go-to, last-minute costume was a white sheet with holes cut out for eyes. We little ghosts spent much of the evening trying to make sure the holes stayed in place so we could see well enough to grab lots of candy.

Making your kids costumes can save money (usually) and be a greener option than buying from a store, and it's a really enjoyable project to do together. In fact, designing and making the costume is often almost as much fun as showing them off on Halloween. Start by asking your child(ren) what they want to be, and have them describe the costume or draw it for you. Then, work together to come up with ways to make their vision a reality. For inspiration, you can search for ideas online by typing in the keyword and clicking on images in your favorite search engine. Here's one more reason to make our kids costumes this year: KIWI magazine is sponsoring a Make-Your-Own-Halloween-Costume contest . Winners receive $250 and their kids and their costumes could be featured in the magazine's October 2012 issue.

Our friends at KIWI magazine are also giving away subscriptions to three lucky Kitchen Explorers readers this week. To be eligible to win, see the instructions at the end of the post.  I hope you enjoy this soothing soup on Halloween.