When the girls were barely old enough to go trick or treating, I (Kate) decided we needed to develop a traditional Halloween meal that could 1) be prepared ahead of time without inducing decision fatigue; 2) be sufficiently substantial to offset the day’s candy intake; and 3) taste so delicious that it could tempt bellies already satiated with sweets (back then, I naively thought they’d be eating treats at school Halloween parties as I had. I did not forsee parents who would buy pencils, plastic jewelry, and stickers instead of candy. Nor had I an inkling that I myself might collude with them).