We adore candy corn with a love bordering on obsession, but maybe your kids want to step it up a bit this Halloween. On Saturday, October 31st between 4pm and 6pm, fancy-pants shop Maison du Chocolat is giving out free mini choco bars to kids under 13 at its three NYC locations. Your child will score either a silky, dark chocolate Akosombo bar or a creamy, milk chocolate Monsera bar—even the names sound so much more impressive than a Special Dark or a Crunch bar.

Our latest food obsession is the line of shelf-stable prepared meals from TastyBite. Normally we’re not fans of packaged food, which is often overprocessed, unhealthy and culinarily blah. But this company, which produces Indian and Thai dishes that often cater to special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher), is rocking our overscheduled, budget-conscious world.

Each delicious dish is flavored with a different mixture of turmeric, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, cilantro and curry leaves. They’re spicy but not hot by any adult measure; adventurous kids can handle them too. We’re still making our way through all the flavors, but so far favorites include Sprouts Curry & Basmati Rice, Spinach Dal & Basmati Rice, Punjab Eggplant and Spinach Soy.

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We thought our round-up of ghoulish goodies was drool-worthy, but we’re in absolute awe of these nine-inch-tall, five pound gummies for sale at vat19.com. One editor described it as part snack, part Jeff Koons-like artwork. We’re pretty sure most tots out there would love to get their little hands (and teeth) on one of these. At 30 bucks a pop, you probably won’t see any handed out as treats on October 31, but maybe you could order one for fun for the entire fam.

At this time of year, the pumpkin craze takes over. There’s pumpkin custard, pumpkin fro-yo, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin doughnuts and even pumpkin coffee (we’ve got those last two on our desks right now). Today you can get in on the pumpkin fever for free: The Street Sweets truck will be doling out pumpkin whoopie pies and coffee, gratis, from 12:15–2pm. Head over to 50th between Sixth and Seventh Avenues to indulge. We suggest showing up on the earlier side, as quantities will likely be limited.

Nothing washes down a chocolate chip cookie—or a bowl of cheerios—like a glass of milk. We’re such big fans of cow juice that we devoted a story to local bottlers of it in our July ‘08 issue. Today, we’re happy to report that, according to the New York Daily News,  one of the dairies we featured—Manhattan Milk, known for milk with a “full and creamy texture”—plans to extend its delivery service to brownstone Brooklyn (i.e. Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope) next month. The farm currently delivers to about 50 households in Manhattan.

Each quart of Manhattan Milk’s USDA-organic-certified-stuff will set you back $5. Our take: It’s a small, albeit slightly extravagant, price to pay to do your kids’ bodies good. And it’s quite a tasty nostalgia trip!

Chocolatier Jacques Torres has a brand-new booth in the already delectable Chelsea Market. The shop, which opened last week, stocks all of his usual cocoa-rich offerings with one special addition: the Bean to Bar. Of course the limited-edition, 70 percent-cacao bar is probably better suited to parents’ taste buds (this isn’t the rich treat kids are used to!) Proceeds from the bar will benefit the Food Bank’s “NYC Goes Orange” campaign, an annual initiative to feed our hungry neighbors.

The only thing I want to do on rainy days like today is hole up in my apartment with a full DVR, my fuzzy slippers and a big ol’ bowl of soup. I don’t mean your standard Campbell’s tomato; I’m talking about something heartier and homemade. I came across this super cool blog called A Thousand Soups, which offers recipes for hundreds of different kinds, from spicy enchilada to chicken gumbo. I’m planning on trying out the Ravioli, Pesto and Spinach Cream this weekend. The site even offers tips for toppings and sides, like croutons and these to-die-for Cheese Biscuits with Rice Krispies (scroll to the bottom). Round up your kiddos, break out the broth and start stirrin’!