Treat Bags Ready To Go!

 The number of bags is based on the number of last year's trick-or-treaters.

If we get more, I may have to dig into the secret stash of M&Ms . . .

Or York Peppermint Patties . . . 

Halloweening With Madame Spider

 A book of haunting poems . . .

Some apple cider donuts, and a mug of freshly pressed hot apple cider to ward off the chill in the air.  Madame Spider approves.

Halloween Musings

I'm posting some Halloween photos that I shared on Facebook throughout the month of October this year.  These are things that made me smile, remembering Halloweens past.  Perhaps because this was not a tradition that I grew up with, Halloween has always felt a little foreign to me, but I celebrated it when the kids were little, and this year, as I consider shutting down this blog permanently, I dug out what remains in our Halloween box, and took them out to play once more.

Here are my favorite goblins.  Creepy and Spooky have sat in just about every window ledge in the house, except my bedroom.  There's no telling what this couple of busybodies, would have to say about my face cream!

Brunhilda usually wants to hang out in the kitchen, but she's guarding the pumpkin pies she has in the oven.  No ghosts or goblins are going to get past her!

Fiona is once again fluttering about the chandelier.  Despite her Celtic ancestry, I consider her my emotional doppelgänger.  You see, Fiona doesn't travel light — and she always wears her pearls.

There were enough odds and ends in the Halloween box, that I decided to make a centerpiece out of them.  I keep thinking about investing in one of those tiered trays and creating a display, but I'm waiting to be convinced.  I'm very careful nowadays about what new things I bring into the house.

And then, the day was finally upon us . . .

So my mind turned to treats, of course!

With the boys at home, it was so easy to go overboard!

I decided to try something new this year:  Vanilla Pudding Shooters, with Oreo Cookies and Candy Corn.  The recipe called for using Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding.  But, I prefer my own Vanilla Custard.  I wish I had made them sooner!

This year, because of the pandemic, candy was distributed differently in our subdivision:  The treats were pre-packaged in recyclable bags, and placed on a table in the driveway, a few bags at a time, to encourage social distancing and safety.  It was a resounding success and we will probably do it the same way next year!

We are currently in the middle of what may the most important election of our lifetime, but I can't watch TV, or follow the news on social media.  It's not like watching a train wreck.  A train wreck is a detached event, where you feel sympathy for the victims, and are horrified by the damage, but you feel it in a removed sort of way.  The elections, however, impact all of us directly in so many ways, and I just can't be objective.  The anxiety is too real.  At this juncture, it appears that Joe Biden is leading in electoral votes, or so I've heard through co-workers, and that makes me happy, but it's too soon to know for sure, so I'm not tuning in to the news.  Now, that is some spooky stuff!

Halloween Beets!

Orange beets?  I've never seen the like!  Aren't they gorgeous?  Actually, they are called Golden Beets.  I spotted them at Whole Foods on Sunday morning while browsing in the produce aisles.  Every time I do that I get in trouble.  There's always a new veggie that wants to jump into my cart!  I showed them to my husband who immediately proclaimed:  Halloween Beets!  We had to bring some home, of course!

Slice up a red onion, for even more Halloween color!  And, why do they call it a red onion when anybody with a decent set of eyes can see that it's really purple?

I layered the salad on a beet leave.  It's so pretty - and completely edible, too!

We love this salad!  I shared the recipe here,  but this time I used Montrachet Goat Cheese with Garlic and Herbs for a change of pace.  It was so light and creamy!  I'm going to have to use that cheese again soon!  Isn't it fun to change up a recipe now and then?  It's such an adventure!

Doesn't it look good?  Lately, I find that I prefer dotting salads with a Balsamic vinegar reduction, instead of dousing them with salad dressing.  A little restraint really allows for the flavors to come through.

I toss it with my hands, so as not to break the slices.  Sure, broken pieces would be just as tasty, but where is the art?  The tossed beets, with onions, olive oil, salt and pepper are stored in the refrigerator in a covered dish, then the remaining ingredients are added when I'm ready to serve.

With some chicken roasting in the oven, and the salad ready to serve, we turned our attention to the main event for the night - answering the doorbell!

A Shakespearean Halloween

A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.

                Enter the three Witches.

  1 WITCH.  Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
  2 WITCH.  Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.
  3 WITCH.  Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!

 

   

 1 WITCH.  Round about the caldron go;

  In the poison'd entrails throw.—

    Toad, that under cold stone,
    Days and nights has thirty-one;
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!

       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble; 
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

      
2 WITCH.  Fillet of a fenny snake,
    In the caldron boil and bake; 

    Eye of newt,

 

and toe of frog,

 

Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,

 

    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—

    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. 

       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

    3 WITCH.  Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
    Witches' mummy; maw and gulf 

 

  Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
    Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;



    Liver of blaspheming Jew;
    Gall of goat, and slips of yew
    Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;

   Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;

 
Finger of birth-strangled babe
    Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—
Make the gruel thick and slab: 

Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingrediants of our caldron.      

ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

       2 WITCH.  Cool it with a baboon's blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

—Act IV, Scene 1, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

The cast:

Witches Brew Linens and Salad Plates:  Pottery Barn Online
Black dinner plates:  The Dollar Tree
Water and wine glasses:  The Dollar Tree
Short candlesticks:  The Dollar Tree
Tall candlesticks:  Wedding gift from Marshall Field's, 30 years ago
Flatware:  Treble Clef by Gourmet Settings
Dessert glassware, candles:  Bed, Bath and Beyond
Black tablecloths:  Bed, Bath and Beyond
Mercury glass pumpkin and crow:  Pottery Barn
Mini salt and pepper shakers:  Crate and Barrel
Slate servers:  Crate and Barrel

I'm linking to the following parties:

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen
 

A Pumpkin Halloween

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”

— Henry David Thoreau

Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern . . .

You are such a funny sight . . .

As you sit there by the window . . .

Looking out at the night.

You were once a sturdy pumpkin growing on a vine . . .

Now you are a Jack-O-Lantern, see the light shine.

Happy Halloween!

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, Photo of the Day at Two Peas in a Bucket and Cuisine Kathleen

Jack-O-Lantern Salad Plates and Mugs - HomeGoods

Black Dinner Plates - The Dollar Tree (Thank you, Patti!)

Flatware - Treble Clef by Gourmet Settings

Salt and Pepper Shakers - Hallmark (last year)

Tablecloth and Napkins - The Vermont Country Store

Napkin Rings - Bed, Bath and Beyond

Pumpkin Centerpiece and Candle Holder - Marshall's

Water Goblets - I've had these forever!

Featuring Patti C.

Patti and I came together for the first time as room mothers for our then 2nd graders - her son, Joey, and my son, John - and in the process, I found a kindred spirit in the art of entertaining.  We were so awesome as room mothers, all modesty aside, that parents began asking, not who their child's teacher was going to be for the coming year, but who the room mothers were going to be.  We gave those kids some wonderful parties and Patti and I had a blast.

Each of us, I think, could be creative and resourceful, but together we were simply dynamite.  Patti brought the fun to the team:  From Santa hats at Christmas, to personalized cakes that read "Happy Birthday, Jesus" (this was Catholic school, so we were able to do that); from an ice cream and candy buffet at the end of the school year- which we did even before ice cream and candy buffets were the in thing, to huge bouncy balls for everyone.  There wasn't a holiday in which she and I didn't put something together that was unique and slightly over the top. 

My own contributions, in light of Patti's exuberance and energy, were rather mild.  I was the funds keeper for a little while, until our money ran out, which happened, oh, I don't know . . . around Halloween, I think.  Oh, I also contributed the idea of putting together a tea party for the kids on Valentine's Day, complete with silver service (one of the parents caught our enthusiasm and volunteered her set). 

This was also the year in which our sons made their first communion, so Patti and I seamlessly continued our newly begun tradition of comparing our plans, and borrowing good ideas from each other.  We have never stopped.

Here is a picture of Patti with her two amazing children, Joe (alas, he's no longer Joey), and Francesca.

So, it wasn't all that unusual when Patti called me last week to brainstorm.  She was giving a Halloween party for 20, taking advantage of the fact that her daughter, Franki, was going to be home from college.

With less that a week to plan and shop, and putting in countless hours after work, these are the tables she somehow managed to put together:

This was the kitchen table, set up for Franki and her friends.  Yes, indeed, this was only the kid's table.

It looks like the first guest has arrived . . .

This was the adult table, or rather, "The Witches Table" . . .

A closeup of the place setting . . .

Treats for all visiting witches and warlocks . . .

Her beautiful collection of orange serving bowls . . .

This one was used for polenta . . . Did I mention that Patti is also a terrific cook?

My favorite . . .

And last, but by no means least . . . dessert.  Pudding shots, cupcakes, cookies, candies of all sorts . . . These treats look delightfully wicked!

So . . . Budget:  Ridiculously low . . . Creativity:  Endless . . . Fun:  Oh, yeah.  This is one for the books.

Here are some of the details:

Zebra Plates:  Anna's Linen

Orange Chargers:  Michael's

Tablecloths:  K-Mart and Target

Black Plates:  Dollar Store

Napkin Rings and Napkins:  Anna's Linen

Thank you, Patti, for letting me feature your deliciously ghoulish table on my blog.  You are such an inspiration to me!