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| Our only decoration this year is some bunting I made. Keeping your house ready for potential buyers at a moment's notice doesn't offer much in the way of fun, unfortunately. |
Photos ©Whimsy Bower
[Edited to add photo credit. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
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| Part of the new Pumpkins and Spiders and Ghosts (Oh My) Bunting |
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| Moon button detail |
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| Star Button detail on the new Poe-inspired bunting |
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| New photos for the Bats and Spiderwebs bunting |
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| New photos for the Pumpkins and Ghosts bunting |
Photos ©Whimsy Bower
[Edited to update info. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
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| The hanging loops are decorated with black cat buttons :) |
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| Front |
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| Back. The bunting looks good from both sides, so it can be hung anywhere. |
And it's available in my shop :)
[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
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| See the listing and more bunting pictures |
Wishing everyone happy times and a touch of adventure :)
[2023 Update: Unfortunately a lot happened after this post and disrupted all my plans. The Etsy shop is no more and probably won't be revived, but that's not to say I haven't been busy. Follow me on my official site to find out more: AspasiaSBissas.com]
Since Hallowe'en is this household's favourite holiday, I like to extend the festivities beyond just the one day. All week I've been tweeting about what I've been up to in the kitchen, so I thought I'd share some of the results. Enjoy!
Witch's Fingers cookies are a Halloween staple around here. Creepy Hallowe'en treats are one thing, but creepy and delicious ensures a recurring appearance on the table. Ready to go into the oven:
Baked and decorated (the trick is to not over bake them):
Witch's Fingers recipe here.
Wrapped Mummy Sandwich Loaf was a new addition this year, and one I'll be making again. It's something of an effort but I made my own bread dough--I think it would be a fair bit easier to use frozen dough from the store. Next time I'll try to form a head at one end, so the effect is a little more mummy-like. I'd also love to experiment with different fillings.
Adding the filling:
Ready for the oven (you can sprinkle the bread with grated Parmesan, which I think would have worked better, but I like sesame seeds on my bread so I went with those):
Ready to eat!
Wrapped Mummy Sandwich Loaf
(Better Homes and Gardens Halloween)
3/4 cup chopped green or red sweet pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 tbs butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3 oz package cream cheese or cream cheese with chives
1/2 of a 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 oz thinly sliced Canadian bacon or ham, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
16 oz loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed (I made my own bread dough and used that)
milk
sesame seeds or grated Parmesan cheese, optional
In a large skillet, cook and stir sweet pepper and carrot in hot butter for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook and stir about 2 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese, spinach, meat, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12 x 9" rectangle. Carefully transfer to a greased baking sheet.
Spread the filling lengthwise in a 3-inch-wide strip down the center of the rectangle to within 1 inch of the ends. On both long sides, make 3-inch cuts from the edges toward the center at 1-inch intervals. Moisten the end of each dough strip.
Starting at one end, alternately fold opposite strips of dough at an angle across filling. Slightly press moistened ends together in center to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (about 30 minutes).
Lightly brush loaf with milk. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds or Parmesan cheese.
Bake in a 350F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices.
Makes 12 slices.
Caramel-Marshmallow Apples have become another staple. This year I dipped the bottoms in chopped, salted peanuts and drizzled with melted semi-sweet chocolate. I originally had six apples but the SO got to them before I could take a photo.
Recipe here.
Zombie brain! Now this was fun: jello + evaporated milk + food colouring + a little red decorator gel for the blood. The reactions to the gelatinous brain was so worth the investment in a brain-shaped mold. It was tasty too (if you don't mind the texture), although I think next time I'll just use one flavour of gelatin (and not raspberry, which I think is what made the brain too purple in colour).
Our yearly dinner on Hallowe'en night is Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Soup. Most people shy away from cooking with jack-o-lantern pumpkins. Granted, their flavour is much weaker than pie pumpkins (and I'd never use them for that purpose), but I love the mild flavour, particularly in this soup, which makes good use of something that would otherwise go to waste.
Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Soup
(Ancient Ways by Pauline and Dan Campanelli)
pieces of pumpkin cut from your jack-o-lanterns
water
butter
1 chopped onion per cup of mashed pumpkin
1 1/2 cups milk per cup of mashed pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt per cup of mashed pumpkin
dash pepper per cup of mashed pumpkin
1/4 tsp curry powder, or according to taste, per cup of mashed pumpkin
cinnamon or nutmeg
Peel the outer skin from the pieces of pumpkin and boil them in water until very tender, about 20-30 minutes. Mash pumpkin with a potato masher.
Meanwhile, in a pot of appropriate size, melt some butter and saute chopped onion(s). When onions are ready, add the mashed pumpkin. Add milk, salt, pepper and curry powder.
Cook until heated through.
Bowls of the soup can be garnished with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg just before serving.
I also like to roast the seeds from our Jack o' Lantern.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Rinse and drain seeds and place in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt (I also sprinkled on some cayenne this year). Stir well. Spread on a large, greased baking sheet. Place in preheated 325F oven for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on them as they burn quickly. Best served warm.
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake ended up being a hit! It's moist and delicious and definitely worth the effort.
A few notes:
*You'll have to fiddle with the food colouring to get a decent shade of orange (I ended up using more than the "scant 1/4 tsp" the recipe calls for, and I still couldn't get a bright orange hue).
*The recipe makes way too much glaze. Be prepared to alter the quantity or to find a use for the extra amount (shouldn't be too difficult--it tastes like truffles).
*The frosting and glaze stay very soft and creamy--nice for eating, not so nice for moving the cake. I had planned on transferring it to a cake stand or prettier plate, but I couldn't figure out how to do it without messing up the frosting (more than I already did, that is). Next time I'll just frost it on the serving plate.
*I sprinkled the finished product with Hallowe'en candy sprinkles (ghosts, bats, and pumpkins).
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake recipe here.
Because things got so hectic yesterday, I didn't get a chance to make everything I wanted. I'm going to play catch-up today and tomorrow with Haunted Shepherd's Pie (instead of spreading the mashed potatoes over the Shepherd's pie I'm going to form them into ghosts with peas for eyes) and my perennial favourite Bubbling Cauldron:
Bubbling Cauldron
16 oz pkg processed cheese with jalapeno peppers
2 x 15 oz cans black beans, well drained
1 cup medium or hot salsa
2 loaves (18 oz each) round marble rye bread (or pumpernickel), unsliced
pretzel rods
cocktail rye or pumpernickel bread
Melt cheese in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in beans and salsa.
Carefully cut center out of the bread, leaving 1 1/2" shell.
Cut bread center into pieces for dipping. Reserve 1 pretzel rod.
Arrange remaining pretzel rods on serving plate to resemble campfire logs. Place bread cauldron on pretzels; fill with cheese dip, allowing some to spill over top of cauldron.
Arrange bread pieces and cocktail bread around cauldron.
Place reserved pretzel rod in cheese dip; serve immediately.
Serves 18 [If you can find smaller loaves of bread you can easily halve the recipe]
Hope you all had a fantastic Hallowe'en! See you next year...
[Edited for formatting and to update title and links. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
'Tis the season for the veil between our world and the spirit world to thin until one bleeds into the other. Or so some believe. In any case I thought I'd share, on the day that the veil is supposedly at its thinnest, a few photos I've taken at cemeteries.
I'm sure anyone who reads my blogs won't be surprised to find out that I like to hang out in cemeteries, particularly at this time of year. Not only is the foliage amazing (if I didn't live someplace where the leaves changed colours in autumn I'm positive I would be an obnoxious leafer a la New Yorkers in Quahog...) but you can also see some pretty impressive--and unique--art. People tend to get creative when it's the last thing they'll ever do. Besides, for those of us who like our space, cemeteries are generally free of crowds...at least when it comes to the living.
Click on photos to enlarge...
The first set of shots were taken in the newer part of Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. Usually I'm more drawn to the older area of Mount Pleasant but I was happily surprised to discover how lovely the new part also is.
"In memory of those who lost their lives, 5 July 1970, Flight 621, Woodbridge, Ontario."
The newer cemeteries are more like gardens than graveyards...
In some cases they are gardens:
Turkish Oak:
The rocks are grave markers:
Each side has a different design:
Speaking of art, this monument is a signed sculpture:
We were lucky enough to see this guy. He very kindly posed for photos, although they didn't turn out that great. The same kind of bird (haven't figured out yet if it's a falcon or a hawk) has been visiting our yard (and bird feeder)!
I'm sure the Bishop would be pleased that he's near the Lord:
My weird sense of humour compels me to photograph monuments with names from books/pop culture. Bueller?
Another pop culture reference (this time to one of my all-time favourite characters, Mason from Dead Like Me). This one actually works well as Mason is dead and would have a grave somewhere (although knowing him it's probably unmarked...)
Next we move on to York Cemetery, in Toronto's north end...
This is why I love to go for walks and take photos in Autumn:
The cemetery is built on what was once someone's yard. They use the house now as the cemetery office. See the next photo for the full story...
Ontario: where we pardon our rebels and give them land!
Exceedingly cool lamp post next to the house (it seems to have been placed on the original road that was once there--now an extra wide driveway into the cemetery):
This is a very cool monument--sundial on top and engravings all around:
I'm also a fan of graves with interesting/bizarre inscriptions. The Street family apparently has had its share of problems: "God knows...keep in touch. See the other side of everything."
"Typhoon - Tycoon!" Baffling...
There are lots of military graves and monuments in this cemetery:
You meet some interesting people in cemeteries. In this case, it was a Russian Grand Duchess (Olga Alexandrovna):
In an interesting coincidence, when I went to the ROM back in the summer to see the Wedgwood Exhibit, just before the beginning of the exhibit I saw this:
It turns out it's a Russian ice bucket (cut lead glass and silver) that had belonged to the Grand Duchess. The rim is engraved with the presentation date (1915) and the Duchess's Imperial cypher. Small city!
By the way, the Wedgwood Exhibit has been extended until August 2010, for anyone interested. I highly recommend it. More info here.
Not Jack Harkness, but still Captain Jack (Doctor Who, Torchwood):
Couldn't resist. And check out the highly reflective surface too!
Still can't believe that people need to be told this:
Does anyone else visit cemeteries and graveyards? I'd love to hear about it!
Happy Hallowe'en!
(All photos by Whimsy Bower)
(Edited for formatting and to update/add links. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com)