There are very few seasonal Oreo flavors that get me excited, but there really is something special about the orange-and-black sandwich cookies that you can only get in October. Trader Joe’s makes a jack-o’-lantern-esque cookie with the same bright filling. These cookies are a super-deluxe addition to brownies and make the dessert a two-for-one deal: a brownie with a cookie inside. Or crumble up the cookies for a taste in every brownie bite.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/brownies-go-boo-with-seasonal-sandwich-cookies-236513′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

This vegan sweet potato chowder delivers everything you want in a warm fall soup. It has a velvety broth laced with seasonal spices like sage and paprika, and chunks of tender root vegetables. It’s delicious the day you make it, but like most soups, it’s even better the next day. So make a big batch of the plant-based chowder and enjoy it all week long.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegan-sweet-potato-chowder-234109′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

From Apartment Therapy → Proof that IKEA’s TOBIAS Chair Works With Any Style

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/the-ikea-dining-chair-that-works-with-any-style-237348′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

Let us get this out of the way right now: You do not have to bake cupcakes. You do not have to run the office birthday calendar, volunteer to organize happy hour, or consistently pick up the slack for the same mysteriously absent coworker. Being too nice at work comes with a whole host of (extremely well-documented) pitfalls, especially if you happen to be female — this isn’t about that.

This is about the fact that working in an office means working in relatively close quarters with a bunch of stressed-out people thrown together by circumstance, and that experience is generally more pleasant when people attempt to demonstrate some appreciation for the basic humanity of their fellow workers. Which you do already, obviously! We are all just doing the best we can in this life.

But since it is usually possible to be better at most things, here are six small things we could all be doing to be just a little bit kinder to the people who work with us, vent with us, and may someday endorse us on LinkedIn.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/6-tiny-ways-to-be-thoughtful-at-work-236551′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

There’s already something retro and charming about a meatloaf. Under usual circumstances, this loaf-shaped supper doesn’t care whether it’s a looker or not, because everyone knows it’s going to fill you up with classic comfort food. But that doesn’t mean we can’t change up the presentation.

In this recipe for meatloaf, we take a break from the loaf pan and bake it up in a Bundt instead. But a quirky, charmingly retro presentation isn’t the only benefit of this swap. Baking the meatloaf in a Bundt pan means more surface area for the glaze of your choice and even easier portioning (this recipe delivers 10 generous servings). All you’re missing is the mashed potatoes and green beans to make it a meal.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-classic-bundt-meatloaf-235024′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

From Apartment Therapy → Curious Questions You Might Not Realize Sound Rude (And How to Rephrase Them)

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/your-guide-to-asking-personal-questions-without-sounding-rude-237346′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

Even if you’re not a person who loves Halloween — the costumes, the candy, the commercialism — there is an aspect of the holiday that’s actually really nice. On this one day, people open up their doors and welcome you into their homes (or at least onto their stoops or porches or driveways). People who might not, on any other given day, even nod hello will greet you with a basket or a plastic pumpkin full of treats.

Unless, of course, you’re thinking what Judith Klemesrud was thinking when she penned a cautionary article for the New York Times on October 28, 1970: Trick or treating on Halloween, she warned, is likely to result in “more horror than happiness.” That “kindly old woman down the block” has probably been busy all week stuffing apples with razor blades.

And that’s not all: “The chocolate ‘candy’ bar may be a laxative, the bubble gum may be sprinkled with lye, the popcorn balls may be coated with camphor, the candy may turn out to be packets containing sleeping pills,” Klemesrud wrote.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/is-it-safe-to-eat-homemade-halloween-treats-236527′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

Do you feel twinges of nostalgia every time you see a recipe for cherry pie? Does the very smell of diner coffee make you want to hum the intro music to the best TV show of all time*? Well, I have good news for you: The very unofficial Twin Peaks cookbook is set to be released on November 15 this year — just in time for Thanksgiving.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/the-twin-peaks-cookbook-will-be-released-right-before-thanksgiving-237466′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

Want to know what goes together like chocolate and peanut butter or apple and cinnamon? The earthy-sweet combo of coconut and ginger. Here the two join forces to create the creamiest bowl of richly spiced oatmeal sure to warm up your morning routine.

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-coconut-and-ginger-oatmeal-234427′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>

From Apartment Therapy → A Definitive Ranking of The 25 Most Popular Halloween Candies

<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/these-are-the-25-most-popular-halloween-candies-237344′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>