With a full moon in the cards this October 31, Halloween fiends are sure to be in for a spook-tacular time. And yes, we know Halloween puns might warrant a few eye rolls due to their excessive cheesiness, but in this case, the more dairy goodness in Aimee Broussard’s bacon-and-pecan cheeseball “pumpkin,” the better. These mini pumpkins would be killer at any Halloween party, giving people “pumpkin” to talk about for years to come … OK, sorry. We simply couldn’t resist.

BACON AND PECAN CHEESEBALL “PUMPKIN”

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 to 5 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

½ bunch green onions, chopped

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 bag pretzel sticks

Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until creamy and smooth. Add bacon, green onions, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Using plastic wrap, form cream cheese mixture into a ball, wrap completely, and place in refrigerator for about 1 hour to firm. Place chopped pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet or large plate. Remove plastic from cheeseball, and roll it in the chopped pecans to completely cover. Place a single pretzel stick in center of cheeseball. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve, at least a couple of hours to allow cream cheese to re-harden. Serve with assorted party crackers or additional pretzel sticks, and garnish with a bit of green for the pumpkin leaf.