It’s our favorite time of year

It is fall and that means that we are entering my very favorite time of year.  Now out here in sunny Southern California we miss out on the cooler temperatures and falling leaves, but football has started, they are playing playoff baseball, hockey season is beginning and that means that Halloween is now upon us…not to mention Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah just around the corner.

This is officially my very favorite time of year.  I get to cook and decorate like a mad woman for months on end.  I love it!  What can I say, I have problems…But the first step is admitting that you have one right?

This is what we are all about this time of year.  That’s right, I love the white trash walmart decorated yard.  I love it so much that we have contests on our block to see who can out do each other every year!  This is what welcomes you into our happy home…

That of course is after you’ve made it past the graveyard on the way to the front door…

Past Bob & Snorty Gordie

and the haunted side yard.

So this year we are throwing the usual Halloween bash, a bit smaller this year due to this economy we are all suffering through.  People are always asking me for ideas for their own Halloween parties so I thought that I would throw some out there and start with some things we’ve done in the past.  Starting with some decorating ideas for inside your spooky pad!  I like to go all out and I’ve been collecting bits and pieces for years but here are some of the things that I put out each and every year.

I always start in the powder room.  With little bottles of potions and cute halloween hand towels.  I also add some spooky candles, spiders, and my little witch that sits atop the loo…You want this room to look cute because if you’re serving plenty of pirates grog and witches brew at your ghostly get together then this is where all your goblins end up!  

Last year these terrified Keegan and he wouldn’t go potty alone until we took them down in November.  This year he’s toughened up a bit and has resorting to telling them all to cover their eyes when he, uh, does his thing in there.

So once your powder room is all spruced up you can move on to other accents in the house.  This is one of my favorite decorations.  I got these “changing” prints at a halloween store, then bought inexpensive frames to put them in.  They are like those portraits in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, when you look at them one way they are fine, then move a little to the side and they are all bloody and scary.  They’re awesome!  And the spiders drop down suddenly when there is a noise and slowly creep back up the wall.  Scare the hell out of unsuspecting trick or treaters!

So now we can move to the family room where I set the mood with spooky accents and fun pieces that move and talk and make some noise.  This is where much of the action takes place during our Halloween party. I set up crafts for the kids to do on the table before trick or treating and after dinner.  This just sets the mood, along with some cool Halloween music, and begins everyone’s night on a good note.  Once you’ve got the house good and spooky, it’s time to start thinking about the good stuff…the food!

The real reason I throw a shindig every year is so I get to make fun food with wacky names!  I’m such a weirdo…

My Dad & Stepmom

But I like to have themed food, and it’s a way to get the kids to try something fun and new that they might not try on just a regular day.   We always have pigs in a blanket though on Halloween we refer to them as Dead Pigs in a Coffin. I have also been known to stick little pretzels sticks into the sides and paint faces on them and call them dead bugs too.  It’s a personal choice.  The pigs are always a hit and they fill you up.  I usually make a big batch of terrifying turkey chili on Halloween too.  It’s a warm hearty crowd pleaser and it can feed an army.  Serve it up with some chips and toppings like sour cream, chopped onions, and shredded cheese and everyone is happy.

I have two go-to Rachael Ray recipes that I use almost every year.  If I don’t make the chili as the main dish then I use her Chicken and Mushroom Goulash but serve it up as Ghoulish Goulash.   It’s a hit if you’re not in a chili mood.  Also one of her great appetizers are her Steak(or Stake) Bites with Bloody Mary sauce. I serve those with little swords as toothpicks, so cute…but make a lot, they go really quick!

A big hit last year was the Flayed Flesh on People Pancakes. A yummy combo of smoked salmon on mini potato pancakes.  And this year I’m adding homemade tortilla chips to the table in the shapes of pumpkins, bats, and ghosts.

The Family Fitz - Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily, Captain Hook & Peter Pan

I also always like to serve up some sort of Witches Brew for the grown ups to take along trick or treating.  And I brew some spiced cider on the stove so when everyone comes back a little cold they can warm up with a big mug full.  Yes, it can get a bit nippy even here in CA…

The kids hitting the streets in search of ghosts...and candy

A couple of hint to keep everyone safe and happy.  Be sure to have some games and crafts on hand to keep everyone entertained until it’s time to hit the streets.  Have extra bags on hand in case someone forgot a treat bag!  Try to gather up some flashlights or glow sticks so the kids can see.  Be sure to wear some light colors so cars can see you in the dark and always make sure the kids are with an adult.

Me, last year, as Wasilla Prom Queen. Get it? Bristol Palin?

Finally, when the kids get home, gather up the candy and look through it to make sure it’s safe.  I don’t know if people are putting razor blades in apples anymore, but this was a big deal back in the day when I was a kid.  Better to be safe than sorry, and come on, it’s how I score the good stuff like the snickers and butterfingers for myself!

So leave me a note in the comments box if you’d like me to start uploading these and other Halloween recipes.  Or send me some of your own ideas and recipes and I’ll post them.  Send me pics of you and your family in your costumes.  Or just let me know what your favorite candy is that you steal from your kids’ treat bags.  I’d love to hear from you…and somebody please tell me how to deal the little monsters when they go on their post Halloween sugar rush!?!?

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