When I have a Halloween party, I like to serve the things I enjoy for party food. They include salmon, skewers, deviled eggs, vegetables and dip, cheese platter, fancy nuts, olives, and wine. For a Halloween party, I’d add pumpkin pie with whip cream and chocolate candy. The Halloween “flavor”... Read more →
The observance of Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts, devils, and hobgoblins. Over the years, Halloween customs and rituals have changed dramatically. When I was young, we made costumes out things we had around the house.... Read more →
Kids these days love Halloween. My grandchildren have been talking it about it for weeks, pouring over catalogs to get just the right costumes. To make sure Halloween is safe for your children and grandchildren, help them choose a costume that is flame resistant, fits well, and is light enough... Read more →
When it comes to Halloween costumes, vampires, princesses, police officers, and pirates are in, while politicians, nurses, and Batman are out, reports the National Retail Federation. About 47 million adults and 58 million children across the country plan to dress up for Halloween this year. Once again, witches take the... Read more →
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is alerting owners of Ford vehicles about a fire hazard involving an additional 4.5 million vehicles in the latest in a series of related recalls. Including the latest announcement, there has been a total of eight safety recalls involving approximately 16 million Ford vehicles... Read more →
Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide. I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes. Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week: My best consumer experience: Ordering a... Read more →
Leafy greens, eggs, and tuna are on the top of a list of the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Those and seven other foods account for nearly 40 percent of all foodborne outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated food. That's no reason to forgo salads, says the... Read more →
With Halloween just around the corner, nothing’s more fun than taking the kids or grandkids to a pumpkin patch. Here are tips for picking out great pumpkins: Buy the pumpkins three days to a week before Halloween, depending on the weather in your area. Determine in advance what kind of... Read more →
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be extremely wary of pervasive online ads offering the promise of a whiter, brighter smile. The BBB has received a recent onslaught of complaints from consumers who thought they were signing up for a free trial of teeth whitening products but were... Read more →
After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home. For 2003 to 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received reports of an average of 90 children younger than 5 years of age who drowned in bathtubs (62 percent), baby seats or bathinettes... Read more →