Halloween
No Bake Mocha Fudge Pie for Halloween
Recipes in this Post
A few weeks ago, I got a few boxes of chocolate on sale at the local supermarket. I discovered that Spane and his friend, Noelle, had gotten into the chocolate one night when she spent the night. Apparently, neither one of them liked the unsweetened chocolate, but it was perfect for my Mocha Fudge Pie I made as a treat for my friend, Joanna Alexander of Strawberry Creek Crochet.
This has got to be one of simplest pies I have ever made, and it didn't require any baking because I used a chocolate crumb crust I had in my pantry. It was just a matter of melting the fudge. I folded in whipped cream to make the pie silky, otherwise, it would have just been fudge.
Jeweled Vampire Pumpkin for Halloween
I got inspiration from my friend Shem Walker, of Kobelin By Shem, who does amazing things with Swarovski crystals. Talk about Bling, and you talk about Shem. If only I were as talented as she is. I was also inspired by pictures I saw of decorated pumpkins in Pinterest, including on black one with lots of jewels. But, I wanted my pumpkin to be different.
When I was a teenager, my friends and I went to see the live production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Roxy Theater in West Hollywood. I even dressed up as Frankenfurter in my senior year in high school. A red-lipped vampire pumpkin was the only way to go.
Spane's school has a pumpkin contest every year, for those students who want to pay the school money to be in the contest. It's not real money, it's the school's money that they print with a picture of the school's namesake on it. But even so, Spane is just too frugal to spend his hard-earned money on contests, he prefers useful things like pencils, pencil sharpeners, notebooks, etc. It's a good thing, too, because, with all the other stuff I have had to get done, the pumpkin sat unadorned until tonight. The pumpkin found itself in the pictures of our Halloween costumes, Spane's Tarantula costume, and my Well Dressed Black Cat costume. I wanted to serve my Mocha Fudge Pie with a completed pumpkin.
Cat Costume - the Well Dressed Black Cat
I believe that accessories are everything when wanting to look well dressed. Accessories should coordinate by color, and sometimes texture. There is no point getting overdressed, and just a few things can make a simple dress look fantastic.
Tarantula Costume for Halloween - Scary and Easy
This tarantula costume is so easy to make. You can make it for a child or an adult. For a girl or woman who wants to be a "black widow", just add some red ribbon in the shape of an hourglass. Have a great Halloween!
Jolly Roger Cake of the Pirate Rack Rachham with Cannon Balls
I just love marzipan. It is so forgiving, easy to work with, and delicious. As a child living in Germany, I remember every year at Christmas time, the bakeries would put out a nativity scene made from marzipan, with the structures made from gingerbread. These were true artisans. So, when I decided to make a Jolly Roger cake, I wanted to do something in that tradition.
Originally, I was going to make large cannon (rum) balls for Spane's pirate-themed party, but I soon realized that I could not put a candle on them the same way I could a cake. I still made the rum balls, and they turned out wonderful as well.
Making the cake was easy. I used my standard chocolate cake recipe, using Hershey's Dark Cocoa, with the addition of a little Chipotle powder and Saigon cinnamon. Black food coloring made for intensely dark chocolate.
Pirate Party Menu and Recipes
Pirate Party - It's a Pirate Party! This is a fun menu to make for your own pirate party, whether for kids, or adults who are celebrating International Talk like a Pirate Day. Of course, you can use these recipes at any time of the year.
Day of the Dead Brownies
These Day of the Dead brownies have an extra kick from Chipotle and Cinnamon that takes them out of the realm of the ordinary brownie.
Bride and Groom Ghosts
Crafts in this Post
Halloween is my favorite holiday for crafts. There are so many fun projects you can do. Amber is making Zombie Dog Pumpkin for her son's pumpkin contest. I'm sure she'll win. I decided my theme this year was going to be about dead people, as I already have some Styrofoam I am going to use to make tomb stones.
We started our Halloween project this afternoon. A few weeks ago, I found some Polyethylene Foam laying discarded on the side of the road. As I walked past it, I thought, gee, it kind of looks like a ghost. Well, I went right back, picked it up, and took it home. Then when I was helping at the school a few days later, I found some smaller sheets and took those home, too, thinking I could make smaller ghosts.
So, I thought I would make a Bride and Groom ghosts, since I still have a lot of tulle left over from making Spane's First Communion favor bags.
Marzipan People Cake Toppers
Marzipan People cake toppers are easy to make. Learn how to make Tinker Bell and other pixies with marzipan and taffy.