Ghosts in the Graveyard

Halloween-themed banner featuring an orange background with black silhouettes of haunted houses, bats, and a full moon. In the foreground, a glowing blue ghost decoration stands beside two orange tabby cat figurines wearing witch hats. Black decorative fence posts frame the scene, creating a festive Halloween display with warm orange lighting and spooky accents.

alloween-themed chocolate pudding cups topped with crushed cookie "dirt," white ghost-shaped whipped cream decorations with candy eyes, and small tombstone cookies labeled "RIP." Several dessert cups are arranged on a light-colored surface, creating a playful spooky cemetery effect.Here we are. It’s almost Halloween!

Are you going to a party? Are you hosting one? Do you need a special dessert for this spooky time of year?

Here’s one last ghostly recipe. You might say I saved the best for last. It’s one of my favorites, and the nice thing is that you can make individual servings in plastic cups or one large dessert in a 13 × 9-inch baking dish.

 

So, without further ado, I give you…

Ghosts in a Graveyard

Ingredients

  • 2 packages (3.9 oz. each) instant chocolate puddingHalloween-themed dessert decorated to look like a graveyard. A metal baking pan is filled with dark chocolate crumb topping resembling soil, with cookie tombstones decorated with black crosses standing throughout the dessert. White ghost-shaped frosting figures, small orange pumpkin candies, and pieces of candy corn are scattered across the surface. The dessert is photographed from an angled overhead view against a light background.
  • 3 cups cold milk
  • 1 tub (12 oz.) Cool Whip topping, thawed and divided
  • 15 Oreo cookies, crushed (about 1½ cups)
  • Assorted decorations: 3 cream sandwich cookies, decorating gel, candy pumpkins, candy corn, gummy worms, ghost peeps and any other spooky candies you can think of

Directions

  1. Beat the pudding mix and milk in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in 3 cups of the Cool Whip and half of the cookie crumbs. Spread in a 13 × 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs.For individual servings, divide the pudding mixture among plastic cups and top with the cookie crumbs.
  3. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, decorate the cream sandwich cookies with decorating gel to resemble tombstones.
  4. Insert the decorated cookies into the pudding. Add candies as desired. Use the remaining Cool Whip to make ghosts by dropping spoonfuls on top.

Halloween-themed graveyard dessert in a white baking dish, topped with crushed chocolate cookie "dirt," marshmallow ghosts, cookie tombstones decorated with "RIP" in chocolate, candy corn, gummy worms, and small pumpkin candies. An orange ghost-shaped cookie with a jack-o'-lantern face stands near the front, while additional ghost and tombstone decorations fill the dessert, creating a colorful and playful spooky scene.

Notes

This recipe makes 18 servings, so plan on using 18 plastic cups if you’re making individual servings.

Around our house, we call them Boo Cups!

It’s National Ice Cream Day- Who Wants to Party?!

 Children walking outdoors in cool weather, happily eating ice‑cream cones, with buildings blurred in the background.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Do you know what day it is? It’s National Ice Cream Day! A totally legitimate excuse to pig out on your favorite frozen treat — cones, sundaes, cups, bars, whatever makes your inner child happy.

A Little Nostalgia

Let’s get nostalgic for a minute. Do neighborhoods still have ice cream trucks? They used to cruise the streets with jolly jingles and ringing bells, and we all came running. We had to get our ice‑cream bar or our little “hoodsie” cup.

Anyone remember the old ice‑cream counters, or am I really dating myself? They were usually tucked inside the local drugstore or a Woolworth’s. You climbed up on a stool and ordered a shake or a cone, and life was good.

Right now I’m craving some Caramel Cup ice cream… and of course my freezer is empty.

Freebies for National Ice Cream Day

A bunch of ice‑cream companies are celebrating with deals and giveaways:

  • Dairy Queen: Rewards members get a free Dilly Bar with any order of $1 or more using the DQ App.
  • Baskin-Robbins: Rewards members get $5 off an order of $20 or more, plus a buy‑one‑get‑one free single scoop next week.
  • Friendly’s: Every guest gets a free cone or dish — no purchase necessary.
  • Dippin’ Dots: Participating locations are giving away free mini cups during a designated two‑hour window.
  • Häagen-Dazs: Rewards members can get a Buy One, Get One Free sundae at participating shops.
  • Insomnia Cookies: Get a free two‑scoop ice‑cream cup with any $5 purchase.

And while Boston isn’t hosting an official Ice Cream Day celebration, plenty of shops are scooping happiness today.

So… What Are You Doing for National Ice Cream Day?

I think I’m going to go buy a quart of my favorite flavors. Maybe two. It is a holiday, after all.