Like any good dentist, Linda King of Locust Grove, Georgia, is handing out toothbrushes and pretzels for Halloween. Additionally, as a godsend to parents, she's buying back candy after Halloween is over. For $1 a pound, she'll take kids' extra candy and send it to military members overseas through Operation Gratitude. Last year she bought back about 60 pounds of candy. Imagine yourself as a kid. Would you sell your candy back to Dr. King?... More

Photographs from Halloween Mart and Fire Box I came across this brain Jello-O mold while searching for decorations for my Halloween party. It's pretty creepy looking, and I'm not sure I would eat it, but I bet it make a great centerpiece. If a human brain isn't your thing, consider a zombie brain, an anatomical heart, or a hand. Related Photo of the Day: Rainbow Jell-O This Is What the Internet Was Made For: Jello Time... More

Who knew that Doritos even had an online virtual universe? Well, the nacho-snack-chip folks there have added a virtual haunted hotel to it. Hotel 626 is only open from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., otherwise you have to make a reservation to visit later. It's best to visit with headphones, a webcam, and a microphone—they help you complete challenges once inside. [via AdRants]... More

Hel-lo, pumpkin. As Helen of Ready Steady Go points out, this is a good reason to love October and Japan simultaneously. The Japanese stick snacks Pocky have been spotted in such flavors as banana, green tea, and milk, but pumpkin? Even lifetime Pocky eater Robyn was speechless. Good News: The ingredients contain actual pumpkin. Bad News: They may not taste like actual pumpkin.... More

Photograph from rochelle, et. al. on Flickr Halloween candy allegiance is so subjective. An Almond Joy can inspire love or nausea in different people. Same with Laffy Taffy, Milk Duds, and Whoppers. Please reveal your favorite candy, and fight for why you think it's so good. Related: Top Ten Worst Halloween 'Candies'... More

Evil Mad Scientist has a detailed guide on making edible googly eyes for cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods. The trick lies in using edible gelatin capsules cut down into eye domes, with jumbo round sprinkles as pupils. Sprinkles go in the cut-down capsules, and capsules are affixed to an appropriate substrate: It "needs to be sturdy, so that it can support the rest of the eyes, light in color, and completely dry and free of oil. At the same time, it needs to be soft enough that we can press the gelatin capsules into it." Whoppers cut in half seem to make an ideal substrate. For the complete how-to, step into the EMS laboratory.... More

"[Steve] Connolly's pumpkin weighed in at 1,568 pounds, just 121 pounds shy of the world record, at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Grower's Annual Weigh-Off. But he was disqualified because of the hole, located along a rib of the pumpkin." [Boston Globe via Bostonist]... More

Photograph from nycblondieandbrownie on Flickr Food blog Blondie and Brownie discovered a Halloween doughnut at the new Krispy Kreme in New York City's Penn Station: this cute pumpkin-shaped Jack-o'-Lantern doughnut (or as we prefer to call it, the Jack-o'-Doughnut)! Blondie says the icing was incredibly sweet and turned her mouth orange. Halloween lovers can grab these doughnuts at participating Krispy Kremes until October 31. Krispy Kreme is also offering pumpkin spice cake doughnuts until November 30.... More

Carving ideas from pumpkinway.com You've already proven that you're good with knives in the kitchen (chopping and dicing), but now let's see what happens when a pumpkin is involved. We're holding our first Serious Eats Pumpkin Carving Contest to see what carving talents lurk out there! Just upload your photos to our easy-to-use Photograzing (you'll need to log into your Serious Eats account, or sign up for free). We want to see your orange masterpieces, be they funny, creative, or scary! Deadline: You have until October 29th Saturday, November 1 at 6PM (EST) to upload photos. We'll announce the winners Halloween morning Monday afternoon (November 3). What we're looking for: Originality, creativity, and craftsmanship. Try to take the best... More

Editor's Note: To continue our Halloween coverage, Matthew Amster-Burton shares this holiday cupcake idea for the kids: black cat cupcakes. "My corporate overlords at Serious Eats have demanded a Halloween post," I told my daughter, Iris, 4. "What's something we could make together to eat for Halloween?" "How about an edible cat?" she replied. "That sounds hard." "We could use cupcakes." This is her solution to everything. We wanted them to be black cats, of course, but my wife Laurie reminded me that black food coloring tastes terrible, so we decided on dark chocolate frosting. (Chocolate is my solution to everything.) For tails and whiskers, we'd use black licorice whips. For the ears, wedges of York peppermint patties. And for... More