Every Halloween, I have a beautiful plan. Dinner at 5:00, outside lights on at 5:30, ready for trick-or-treaters by 6:00. Every Halloween, at 5:15, the dog doesn’t cooperate in his costume, someone is already eating the candy, and dinner is a bag of chips over the sink.

Not this year. 🎃 This year dinner is handled before anyone gets a wig stuck to their head, and it’s done in the slow cooker, ready to eat when we’re hungry. And of course, we can’t forget about the spooky treats and appetizers!

1. Set it and forget it

In the morning, add your chili (or taco soup, or pulled chicken) to the Home & Away Slow Cooker, set it to low, and go live your life. For a pumpkin twist, stir a scoop of pumpkin puree into the chili. You can’t taste it, but it makes the chili thicker, richer and a little more fall.

2. Use keep warm for trick-or-treat shifts

This is the real hero. When dinner’s ready, flip it to keep warm. Now everyone eats whenever they get there: the early kids, the late kids, and the grown-up who gets home from work at 5:45. Nobody eats cold chili, and nobody has to stand at the stove while a tiny pirate asks if it’s time yet.

3. Skip the mess

The built-in spoon rest and lid holder mean no sticky spoon on the counter and no lid balanced on the cereal box. On a night when the house is already full of loud noises and candy wrappers, the last thing you want is another mess to clean-up.

4. Take it with you

Going to a neighborhood potluck or a friend’s pre-trick-or-treat party? The lid locks for easy transport, so the chili makes it there without decorating the passenger seat in the car. Or pour into an insulated tumbler and enjoy while walking the neighborhood with your kids!

5. Don’t forget the pumpkin dessert

Bake a pumpkin pie, or a pumpkin baked oatmeal if you’d rather not deal with crust, in the stone pie plate while the chili finishes. Pumpkin cornbread in the Brownie Bowl Pan is my favorite to pair with pumpkin chili! For spooky appetizers, wrap hot dogs with crescent rolls for mummies or ghosts.

Double duty leftovers

The leftover chili becomes tomorrow’s chili dogs, nachos, baked potatoes or a pot of chili mac. Cook once, eat twice, and tomorrow’s dinner is already done. Future You, still full of candy, will be grateful.

Your turn: what’s your Halloween dinner plan: slow cooker chili, pizza because you’re tired, or candy as a food group? No judgement here