According to the US Dept. of Agriculture, Americans, on average, consume more than 150 lbs of sugar per year.

Please think about that. One Hundred and Fifty pounds of sugar. Per American. In one year. 

In an effort to minimize sugar consumption in our community this Halloween, we will make donations to the 3 schools whose students turn in the most Trick-or-Treat candy (by weight). 

Donations
1st place school: $300
2nd place school: $200
3rd place school: $100 

In addition, we will donate the candy to local senior centers.

Where: Rocke Orthodontics 200 W. County Line Rd., Suite 340, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Time: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Students do not have to be our patients to participate. 

Black-Cherry Fruit-Bats and Citrus Orange Pumpkin Fruity Cutouts

Recipe idea adapted from The Braces Cookbook by Pamela Waterman

Black-Cherry Bats:
2                 3-ounce packages black-cherry gelatin (dry)
3/4             cup water
1/2             cup grape juice
1/2             teaspoon lemon juice

Empty both packages of dry gelatin powder into a large bowl. In medium saucepan, stir together water and juice; bring to a full boil then remove pan from heat. Pour hot juice mixture slowly into bowl, stirring constantly with a large spoon. Keep stirring for two minutes or until all granules have dissolved. Add lemon juice and stir to mix.

Pour mixture into a 9-inch round or square pan and place pan in refrigerator. Chill for at least 3 hours or until firm. Cut into squares with a knife, or into bat-shapes with cookie cutters dipped in hot water. If pieces are hard to get out, set the entire pan for a minute onto a cookie sheet filled with a quarter-inch of hot water. Makes two dozen. Keep chilled.

For the Citrus Orange Pumpkins, repeat the directions with:

2                 3-ounce packages orange gelatin (dry)
3/4             cup water
1/2             cup orange juice (no pulp) or lemonade
1/2             teaspoon lemon juice

Use pumpkin-shaped cookies cutters as desired.

Recipe idea adapted from The Braces Cookbook by Pamela Waterman

Makes 36 – 40 cookies

1 ^1/3  cups all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon baking powder
1/2   teaspoon baking soda
1/2    teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon cinnamon
1/2    teaspoon ground ginger
1/2    teaspoon nutmeg
1   15-ounce can plain pumpkin purée
3/4  cup light brown sugar, packed
2   eggs
1/4   cup vegetable oil
2     tablespoons molasses
1     tablespoon milk
1     12-ounce bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In large mixing bowl, with a mixer or whisk, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, oil, molasses and milk. Add flour mixture slowly into pumpkin mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

The dough is very soft. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Store in a covered container between sheets of waxed paper.

Recipe by Pamela Waterman, author of The Braces Cookbook

This makes an easy (yet impressive) main dish complete with its own side vegetable. Serve as wedges of pumpkin-plus-beef. If pumpkins aren’t handy, use several dark green acorn-squash sliced down the center – the deep orange insides form a dramatic contrast, and guests receive their own halves.

1 pumpkin, approximately 8 inches to 10 inches diameter, or 3 to 4 small acorn-squash

2 pounds ground sirloin (best for its low fat content)

2 eggs

¾ cup ketchup

½ cup water

¼ cup dried minced onion

1 ½ cups bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)

For pumpkin, bake at 350 degrees for 1½ to 2 hours.

For acorn squash, bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1¼ hours.

For a pumpkin, cut out a “lid” about 5 inches diameter, then clean out the pumpkin, throwing away the lid, seeds and stringy parts. For the squash, poke the sides of the squash three or four times with a fork, then microwave them uncut for 10 minutes on high power. This trick makes them much easier to cut and scoop. Using a hot-mitt to handle them, cut them in half, and clean out the seeds and strings.

In a large bowl, stir together the ground sirloin, eggs, ketchup, water and onion. Add bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. With a large spoon, scoop the meatloaf mixture into the pumpkin or squash-halves, filling just about to the brim. Put any leftover meatloaf in a 5-inch x 9-inch bread pan to bake by itself. Place pumpkin/squash a 9-inch x 13-inch pan and pour in about half-an-inch of water in the bottom of the pan to keep the skins from burning. (Six squash-halves fit best into two 9-inch x 13-inch pans.)

Bake at 350 degrees: the pumpkin will take 1 ½ to 2 hours, and squash-halves about 1 to 1 ¼ hours. A pan of extra meatloaf will usually take less time; check it at one hour. Serves 6 to 8.

Chef Amee’s Gourmet Touch:

Replace ketchup with 1 cup diced tomatoes, drained, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 Tablespoon of chopped parsley leaves.

ST. LOUIS —  Halloween is a time when the vampire fangs come out in full force. However, for orthodontic patients – certain sweet treats can bite back. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has teamed up with Pam Waterman, author of The Braces Cookbook, to bring orthodontic-friendly recipes and treats to trick-or-treaters and their parents. It’s no trick - these recipes are fun to make, fun to eat, and they won’t put a dent in the smiles of the nearly five million orthodontic patients currently in North America who wear braces, clear aligners or other orthodontic appliances to help them achieve a healthy, beautiful smile.