I was watching “Iron Chef America” the other night, and it really inspired me to try to eat more than just macaroni and cheese.

Just months after my 40-day recipe challenge, my eating is in a slump again. My general meals either come from a box or somehow incorporate tortillas and frozen vegetables. What can I say? I’m pretty tame in the kitchen. I never really venture outside my comfort zone of pizza-based foods. They’re good enough, so why try for something better?

At the Baden house, our Halloween tradition is emptying out our cupboards and giving goodies out to trick-or-treaters from the neighborhood.