A little art inspiration for ya. The sky’s the limit!
PuppyCake!
I came up with my costume for halloween! I have decided on Inspector Gadget. I must say I’m quite proud of my stroke of genius. Costumes from your past really are the way to go, if you ask me. I went as the chef from the Muppets a few years back and it was a blast. Of course, last year’s Calvin (Calvin & Hobbes) was not so successful, but I attribute that largely to the fact that my hair wasn’t yellow so much as it was green. Curses!
Work has been crazy these past few weeks. I started a new project which I really enjoy (for the most part) but right now I feel like one of those babies you throw in the water to “teach” to swim. This week, for example, I have worked 32 hours and talk of coming in on Saturday has already come up! This, unfortunately, has eaten into my culinary (therapy) time.
I really wanted to make a “blood soup” for theme week (I’m sure your mouths are watering), perhaps something along the lines of a borscht but with less cream, but there was too much left to chance. With my limited free time I needed something I had more confidence in so I turned to the noble yet somewhat unloved green split-pea. These things, when pureed look gross enough by themselves. But with eyeballs? Yuck!
I tried using olive slices with no luck as they easily fell out during cooking. I recommend using whole olives instead. With these you can put them in before or after cooking, if no one minds you handling their food (or they don’t know!). 😛
Eyeball Slime Soup
Make split pea soup from just about any recipe where it’s primarily composed of the peas (not a lot of other colorful veggies). Be conservative on the water for a thicker (slimier) consistency.
After rolling dumpling batter into balls, press whole olives in them. Be sure they’re in their well, repressing the batter in so it secure and well formed. Cook as usual. Place your “eyeballs” in your soup and enjoy!
Came across this article from the Consumerist (which in turn summarizes a New York Times article) about the ever present risk of E. Coli in US meats. It talks about some of the cost-cutting measures taken by companies in the food industry, which includes using a variety of different sources for their meat and under-the-table dealings.
Unwritten agreements between some companies appear to stand in the way of ingredient testing. Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies. Slaughterhouses fear that one grinder’s discovery of E. coli will set off a recall of ingredients they sold to others.
Really disturbing stuff. Costco is applauded, however for their high standard and dilgent meat testing. Definitely something to chew on (pun intended). Makes me appreciate my flexitarian ways!
Everyday Food just posted some great Halloween treat ideas. Some of them I wouldn’t go anywhere near – personally I’m not a fan of making food look gory, though I think Edwin appreciates it. Check out –
Ghostly Bat and Cat Cookies (requires cookie cutters)
Ladies’ Fingers (yeah, you won’t see me making this one…)
Brain Cupcakes
Boo-tiful Cake (they’ve had this one around since last Halloween, but I absolutely love it!)
I Scream Sandwiches (very cute and yummy looking)
Ghoulish Petit Fours
Haunted House Cake (for the master decorator!)
Brownie Coffins (what can I say?)
Jack-‘o-Lanterns with Sorbet
What about a spooky dinner? How about –
Mashed Boo-tatoes
Spicy Batwings
Baked Rigaboney (I really couldn’t make these names up myself)
Ladies’ Fingers and Men’s Toes (this may be the worst looking of all!)
Finish off your party with some creepy cocktails!
Bloodthirsty Marys
Swamp Sips
Eyeball Highballs
Shrunken Heads in Cider (nope, THIS is the worst looking one of all!)
Not very halloween-y, but incredibly cool. Waaaaay beyond my skill level, but reminds me of some of the wicked cake decorating my sister has done. Anyone else got some cool cake art? E-mail us!
OoooOOooo! That’s me making a spooky ghost noise…
My favorite pumpkin ale is “pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale” by Southern Tier Brewing. It’s a pretty rich beer, much like eating a slice of pie. But check out this awesome description from the label:
“Pumking is an ode to Púca, a creature of Celtic folklore, who is both feared and respected by those who believe in it. Púca is said to waylay travelers throughout the night, tossing them on its back, and providing them the ride of their lives, from which they return forever changed! Brewed in the spirit of All Hallows Eve, a time of year when spirits can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent. Pour Pumking into a goblet and allow it’s alluring spirit to overflow. As spicy aromas present themselves, let its deep copper color entrance you as your journey into this mystical brew has just begun. As the first drops touch your tongue a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds making it difficult to escape. This beer is brewed with pagan spirit yet should be enjoyed responsibly.”
Are you going to argue with a description like that? Heck no! But if you’re needing something a little more kid friendly, how about ghost cupcakes?
Break out your favorite Devil’s Food Cake recipe, or try Martha’s and cut it in half to make 12. Remember that how many cupcakes you make will be cut in half, because you’ll be stacking two cupcakes to make a ghost. Yes, you can use a box recipe, too.. just don’t tell Edwin!
Bake your cupcakes, cool completely, remove from wrappers and set in the freezer for a few minutes to firm them up. In the meantime, whip up a nice white frosting like Martha’s Fluffy Vanilla.
When the cupcakes have firmed up a bit, frost the top and sides of each cupcake with a thin layer (using more on top) and then carefully stack two. Set back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, making sure that they don’t topple over (you may use one toothpick in the center for added support, but if these cakes are meant for kids then you’ll want to be careful!). Don’t worry if your frosting is all crumby at this point – you’re just making a crumb coat.
When frosting has set, remove from freezer and apply your final layer of frosting so that the cakes are completely covered. Cover the cakes with a layer of shredded coconut (which also helps hide any frosting imperfections that you were unable to get out). Add two bittersweet chocolate chips for eyes – if you’re having trouble getting them to stick just add a little frosting to the back. Use caution when transporting. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Note: My husband thought that these little cakes also somewhat resembled owls – I don’t see you couldn’t add a nice candy corn beak if you’d prefer to showcase owls instead of ghosts. But to make them more ghost like, make sure you put the eyes closer together.
Thanks to Jen for sending me these creative pumpkin recipes from Better Homes and Gardens. I’d like to try all of them, but here are some that looked best to me:
Pumpkin-Filled Cream Puffs with Maple-Caramel Sauce,
Pumpkin Sandwich Cake,
Spiced Pumpkin Dunking Sticks,
Pumpkin-Cherry Upside-Down Cake,
Pumpkin Fudge,
Pumpkin Pie Drops,
Pumpkin Tiramisu,
No-Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake,
Pumpkin Bourbon Pudding,
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Toffee Sauce,
Pumpkin Spice Whoopies
Ahhhhhh, Halloween! Quite possibly my favorite holiday of the year. When else can you act (and dress) completely wacko without being considered a social pariah or candidate for a padded room? I still haven’t decided on a costume this year and time is running short. A friend and I are throwing a super hero and villians themed party and I haven’t been able to come up with an original, entertaining idea (suggestions welcome). Alas!
With most hallween-style foods, it’s all in the decoration. You take a cookie and make it an eyeball, or a pumpkin, perhaps going extreme with a tombstone topped cupcake. All cool (and tasty), but there are but there are some pretty cool inventive stuff out there as well.
This was a cool idea someone shared with me some time ago; taking use of pretzels in a non-chocolate-covered way. Plus, the 3D aspect I’m a fan of. Cookie witch hats and brooms! A great activity to do with kids. Treat these as guidelines. Use whatever cookie you want; just be sure it’s one that doesn’t “spread” too much during baking. Shortbread is a great option.
Witch Hats and Broom Cookies
Prepare any cookie dough you’d like. For the hats, just bake some flat cookies. Once cooled cover with a chocolate icing or ganache. Top with a hershey kiss and pipe some frosting around the base. Voila! Super Shortcut: Take fudge-striped cookies from the grocery store (the ones with the chocolate covered bottoms) and simple top with a hershey kiss and piping.
For the brooms, take some pretzel rods and break them in half. Roll some small, flat balls of dough and poke the pretzel in it. Set is on your pan and press the teeth from a work to make the broom bristles. The taller these balls are the more they will spread, so be warned. Bake per the recipe (if you don’t bake till hard, you can repress the indentions a bit when they comeout). Once cooled, drizzled chocolate frosting or ganache where the cookie and the pretzel meet. Enjoy!
Day 1 of Halloween Week – Happy Anniversary & Spicy Toasted Seeds!
October 19th, 2009
by Heather (Ghost Baker)
It’s an exciting week at DinnerCakes! We’ll be doing a Halloween theme this week with some fun and festive ideas. Also, yesterday was DC’s 1 Year Anniversary!
It’s hard to believe it’s been one full year of adventures in the kitchen (we’ve had great success and some real flops!). We’ve tried to broaden our horizons.. I work a little harder to add veggies to my dinners (see Pineapple Mango Chicken Curry, Ravioli with Asparagus, Spinach and Peas and Taco Salad with Drunken Black Beans). Edwin learned that he can go on vacation, eat things that would make Ronald McDonald blush and still call himself a flexitarian when he gets home (see Greetings From The West – Day 1, Travel Day 2 – A Little Mexican, A Little Hype and Food Photography – Ribs and Cactus Fries). 🙂
We also completely overhauled our site design and banner, and added several new features such as Our Favorites, an archive of our Kitchen Tips and Food Photography and an About Us page. Hopefully the quality of our photos will also continue to improve (I got a new camera after a few months of blogging and man, it’s hard to look at some of those early photos with the point-and-click camera!).
Have I gotten Edwin to enjoy pumpkin yet? No, but he does seem a little more open to the idea of trying some things? Do we have a perfectly seamless recipe archive yet? No, but I can tell you that it’s in the works!
Clearly the upcoming year will hold new adventures and new challenges. What kinds of everyday recipes will I come up with to make my clinical rotations in the hospital a little easier? I’ve received a lot of requests for crock pot dinners, so you can probably look forward to more of that here. Will Edwin learn to embrace healthy and lean meats like fish? Just how many cookies will both of us eat at this year’s Third Annual Bake-A-Thon (and how disgusting will we feel afterwards…)? Only one way to find out!
But back to Halloween Week –
Probably a lot of you will be carving your pumpkins soon (and following our tips to make your Jack-o’-Lanterns last!). Don’t just throw away all that goo inside – you can make some tasty and healthy treats that are actually fun to eat. Pumpkin seeds contain both of the “good” fats – omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They’re a great source of iron, too.
Spicy Toasted Pumpkin or Acorn Squash Seeds
adapted from Simply Recipes
adapted from Simply Recipes
1 small/medium pumpkin
salt, chili powder, cayenne
oil
After carving and scooping out the insides of your pumpkin, preheat your oven to 400F. Separate the seeds from the pulp (be careful if you have contact dermatitis with squash like I do!) and rinse.
While oven preheats, boil seeds from one small/medium pumpkin in 2 cups of water with a dash of salt. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then drain.
Line cookie sheet with foil and brush with oil. Add the drained seeds to a small bowl and season with desired amounts of salt, chili powder, cayenne (easy on the cayenne, heavier on the chili powder) and a drop of oil. Stir until combined. Spread over the cookie sheet in one layer and bake for 12-15 minutes. Be sure not to overcook (they’ll start to get pretty dark if overcooking). Cool before serving.
Notes:
I like to eat mine whole, but some people prefer to remove the outer shell.
This recipe will also work well with acorn squash seeds (that’s actually what I used in these photos).
Enjoy Pumpkin Seeds plain, in salads, added to granola or in breads! For some fancy spice combos, check out 101 Cookbooks.
