Hurricane Sandy Ravaged Hoboken Finally Celebrates Halloween

Halloween in Hoboken, NJ a mile square town battered by flooding from Hurricane Sandy, finally came on November 12.

Enjoying the unseasonably warm 65 degree weather, hundreds of families upheld the Hoboken tradition of marching down in costume along Washington Street, once voted "Top 10 Great Streets in the Country” (American Planning Association), in the Annual Ragamuffin Parade.


Princesses, superheroes, witches and zombies went trick or treating prior to the start of the parade. By 4 pm, many Washington Street storefronts, the primary source of Halloween candy in "the most walkable city in America (WalkScore.com)" were posting the "sorry no more candy" sign.

As numerous residents evacuated after Hurricane Sandy submerged parts of the town in flood water and left a Herculean clean up task and week-long power outages, Halloween celebrations had to be rescheduled thrice, adding to some confusion. Several businesses missed the memo, which was publicized on City of Hoboken (@cityofhoboken) Twitter account and via email, and many parents had already packed costumes away. Working parents who had missed a week of work lamented the Halloween parade should have been held on a weekend instead of a Monday. A few stores, like Aspen Marketplace, had given out candy on October 31, when the flood waters from Hudson river still submerged parts of the town and most of Hoboken was dark.

Stores on First Street, which were ravaged by crippling floods, generally opted out of the festivities. Since Hurricane Sandy, a handful of businesses on First and Newark street, have decided to permanently close.

Still Halloween spirit was on display as kids beamed in their costumes, and businesses, especially the realtors, handed out high value chocolate goodies instead of mints and sugar candies. Since early November, bagged candy had been on sale at neighborhood retailers like Target for 70% off.

The daylight savings time change likely cut into the participation in the costume contest, which awards trophies in various age categories, as well as for best dressed family and carriage. Even then families from Hoboken and out of town decked out in creative costumes such as “Pirates of the Hudson,” “Beekeeper and his bees,” and “Sesame Street.” New to the mix was a vintage car reminiscent of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

In a town that still has FEMA and American Red Cross outposts scattered along with dozens of utility vans and sanitation trucks, Hoboken's belated Halloween celebration was one more step towards residents moving on from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. To donate to rebuild Hoboken, please visit the Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund website.

Note: Also published at Yahoo Voices. Author retains copyright.

Super Easy Mother's Day Treat Recipes for Kids

With Mother's Day just around the corner, dads and older siblings are probably trying to find what to make for mom. Here are some simple treat ideas to surprise and delight your mother or grandmother for mother's day. Although adult supervision is needed, they can be prepared by kids three to five years old, using readily available items from the supermarket. So encourage your budding sous chef to whip up these mother's day treats. No prior cooking experience is necessary. The recipes are ranked in order of difficulty, even though my 4 year old son was able to make all of them, and boy was he proud!

Heart Shaped 3 Layer Strawberry No-Bake “Cake”

Active cook time: 10 minutes

Nothing says “I love you, Mom” like a breakfast in bed. While dad can make tea, have your preschooler make this special “heart shaped 3 layer strawberry cake.” It is not really a cake, but pretty and eminently edible, it is bound to bring smiles to your kids and mom. You will need two slices of mom's favorite sliced bread (something that goes well with jam), strawberry or mixed berry jam (I love Smucker's Orchard's Best, which is free of high fructose corn syrup), and a heart shaped cookie cutter.

Help your child use the cookie cutter to cut out four heart shaped pieces of bread. Using a spoon or knife, spread strawberry jam on three pieces of the bread. Arrange carefully on top of each other to make the cake. Happy Mother's Day!

Chocolate covered strawberries

Active cooking time: 10 minutes, post prep time: 30-60 minutes

Peak strawberry season is fast approaching, and they are my favorite fruit for dipping in chocolate. Strawberries are also the right size for kids to handle. You will need to purchase dipping chocolate, such as Baker's and a pound of strawberries, preferably with stems. If dad is a fancy cook, you can use any chocolate (or a couple of varieties) you want, and use a double boiler or stovetop. For everyone else, the microwave is the way to go. For easy cleanup, use parchment paper.

Wash and pat dry the strawberries. Follow package directions to melt the chocolate in the microwave, making sure not to overheat. Stir. Using a fork or a toothpick, have your child dip the strawberries, one by one, twirling as they go. Then carefully shake off excess chocolate and place on parchment paper. Repeat until done (dad might need to take over). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour until the chocolate coating is set. Carefully lift from parchment paper (usually comes off easily), and serve to your happy mom.

Icecream sundae Mini Phyllo Cups

Active cooking time: 15 minutes

This is a triple delight, with chocolate, ice-cream and a cherry to top off your fabulous Mother's Day treat. You will need chocolate chips (any kind, say dark chocolate for mom, milk for the kids), Athens Mini Fillo Shells or another brand of pre-made phyllo dough cups, mom's favorite ice cream and and a jar of maraschino cherries. You will also need a cookie sheet and some parchment paper.

Set oven to preheat to 350 degrees. Arrange parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then place frozen phyllo cups. Place 3-4 chocolate chip cookies in each cup. When oven is ready, bake phyllo cups according to package directions, usually 3-5 minutes, keeping an eye not to burn the cups or the chocolate. When cups appear to just start getting crisp, remove. Spoon one teaspoon of mom's favorite ice cream. Add sprinkles. Top off with a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.