There are no holiday humbugs in the newspaper business; it's simply not allowed. One week from today is Halloween, a day that is less about good food and more about Mr. Goodbar. And as they do each and every year, the papers have devoted a nice amount of ink to making sure we have what we need to cook up some spooky treats, should the desire arise.

Beyond the sweet stuff, though, this week's offerings show what else is on people's minds: Sweet, spicy, creamy and rich -- anything but quiet, bland or subtle. Tastes that are, like a teenage trick-or-treater smeared with fake blood, right up in your face.

Sweet

A trio of items on sugary indulgences can be found in Florence Fabricant's Food Stuff column this week. The best one, especially because of the accompanying photograph, is about Papabubble, a "candy workshop" and store that originated in Australia and just opened on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They're not making Dum-Dums and Ring Pops, though: Lollies start at $4 and the "finger rings infused with gold" are $25 and up.

Fabricant mentions a couple of good bakeries in the roundup, too, but the bit on Dufflet bittersweet chocolate crackle really does sound like something to keep "under lock and key."

The L.A. Times reviews a book for those with a sweet tooth but who can't abide the ordinary. It's a collection of recipes by pastry chef Alice Medrich, apparently known to some as the First Lady of Chocolate -- but some of the best-sounding stuff isn't in that vein. The corn tuiles ("thin, crisp, wafer-like cookies" with salt and pepper) sound like a dreamy respite from gooey sweetness.

From Dallas, there's a little "ideas piece" in the Morning News on some treats that are easy and fun to make either for a little gathering or just for something to do on a crummy afternoon.

Savory

From New York and Washington, we get two big stories on Tex-Mex and dim sum, respectively. This is kind of interesting, since Hot Plates thinks of D.C. as more of a southern food place and we know New York has no shortage of dim sum spots.

The Times Tex-Mex piece is by a New Yorker who spent a decade in Texas and fell for the food there, and as writer Joe Drape says, "It’s hard to be a Tex-Mex aficionado when you don’t live in Texas." Hot Plates spent some time eating in San Antonio, so when we read that locals there stand in long lines for the "sopa Azteca — a spicy tomato broth filled with chicken, spinach, avocado, peppers, potatoes, cheese and tortilla strips," we felt like booking a winter trip south.

Hot Plates was excited to see a favorite haunt written up in a story about dim sum in the Washington Post: Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard in Wheaton, Md., which might sound like a silly place to eat but is seriously delicious. Walter Nicholls's Post's piece is about, as the title says, "Dim Sum Dynamics." It's more an explainer on dim sum than a restaurant review, though the article provides Washingtonians with a stack of recommendations on where to get the real thing.

This L.A. Times story on spaghetti and meatballs will inspire aficionados of this comfort meal. It's not just about the classic dish, though: What about rabbit and duck meatballs? Or meat that's braised instead of browned? Monkfish meatballs with capers and kalamata olives? We love this paper's jovial approach!

Since we are partial to any green that can be sauteed for an easy side dish, we have to note, as the Washington Post does, that Romanesco cauliflower (take a look at this stuff!) -- with its "green, alien, sculptural topography," can still be bought in Washington-area Magruder's markets, but not for long.

OK, is burrata really the "molten chocolate cake of cheese," as today's Washington Post article alleges? The paper says right now is this sought-after creamy cheese's "breakout moment." It is on menus everywhere, and its increasing popularity can only mean it won't be an "it" cheese for long.

And we'll mention this one, but not without grimacing: a cute Washington Post item on "Dinner in a Pumpkin." This is, of course, "kid-friendly," but nobody at Hot Plates will touch anything that includes a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed up with chopped meat.

All right -- we're off to the supermarket, but not before we sneak a Snickers from next week's stash.