jake's halloween costume '08

jake's halloween costume '08, originally uploaded by baileygenine.

Ha! I just found this photo, and it is just priceless! A cat in a shrimp sushi costume!

Bacon Sushi!

Bacon Sushi!, originally uploaded by blazink.

This looks quite intriguing. Bacon sushi with avocado and rice.

Why not?!

Bento for Halloween

Bento for Halloween, originally uploaded by tragicstitches.

Another version of a Halloween bento:

Note:

"This Bento I made sometime last October.

Inside :
Goyza, Carrot Sushi, Cucumber Rolls, mini egg rolls, Tamago, Chocolate Pumpkin and these Ains (sp?) cookies that are German or Swedish I forget but they are amazing!!!!!!!!!"

Yum!

Trick or Treat Bear Bento

Trick or Treat Bear Bento, originally uploaded by texasmomof4.

Ooh - this one looks great right about now.

Photo note:

"Hard to see his wings and antenne but Mr bear is dressed up as a Bee for halloween.....Trick or Treat!!!!!"

Demon's Eyeballs

Demon's Eyeballs, originally uploaded by SuziJane.

I love devilled eggs, and what a perfect addition to the Halloween party table?

This photographer notes:

"This version of devilled eggs is a Halloween tradition in my family!

Demons' Eyeballs

Hard-boil 12 eggs. Remove shells, rinse and dry. Slice in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in medium bowl. Use a pastry cutter to mash yolks well. Add Mustard and Miracle Whip in a 2-1 ratio to create a paste. Add drops of Tabasco to your heat comfort level, then a few more. Fill eggwhite halves with yolk mixture, rounding and smoothing top of each. Push a whole pimiento-stuffed green olive into the center of each yolk well, stuffed side up. Use a toothpick dipped into red food dye to draw tiny wiggly red lines on whites, to simulate capillaries.

Variation (shown): Add blue food dye to yolk mixture to make it a creepy green. Use black olive slices to create the eyeball effect, with a small piece of pimiento for the pupil. '

Dracula Cupcakes - Halloween 2005

Dracula Cupcakes - Halloween 2005, originally uploaded by kimwebb25.

Photo note:

"Dracula Cupcakes with vanilla and chocolate buttercream icing. Lots of work, but great results!"

My Halloween Cheesecake

My Halloween Cheesecake, originally uploaded by leftylaney.

Photographer's note:

"Oreo cheesecake I made for Yahoo! Halloween baking contest.
Oreo cheesecake with chocolate spiderweb and marzipan spider. I made the eyes out of Hot Tamales candies.
My first time playing with Marzipan, man, it takes a lot of food coloring to make it black!"

Peanutty Halloween Cookie Pizza Recipe

Peanutty Halloween Cookie Pizza Recipe, originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com.

This looks too good to pass up! To see more, click on the photo.

With a chocolate-chip cookie crust, peanut butter "sauce" layer, and peanut and candy toppings, this sweet pizza treat will have them scrambling for more!

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup Halloween-colored candy-coated chocolate candies
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting (from 1-lb container)

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12-inch pizza pan with foil; grease foil with shortening. Break cookie dough into 2-inch pieces; arrange evenly in pan. With floured fingers, press to form crust.
2. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Use foil to lift crust from pan. Carefully remove foil from crust; place crust on serving platter or tray. Spread peanut butter over crust. Sprinkle with chocolate candies and peanuts.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle. Transfer to small resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut small hole in 1 corner of bag; drizzle over cookie pizza. Cut into wedges or squares.

Halloween Food

Halloween Food, originally uploaded by laurasmoncur.

What a great idea! I love all the different things you can do with the versatile pumpkin. Why not sloppy joes?

Photo note and link:



"Pumpkin sloppy joes won for Best Potluck"

laura.moncur.org/archives/2009/10/31/halloween-party-2009/

Halloween Food 4

Halloween Food 4, originally uploaded by sporkwrapper.

Gummi worms in dirt (brownies)

Photo note:

"One suite at work had a large spread of Halloween themed food items this year. Yum Yum!"

finger food!

finger food!, originally uploaded by jojoebi.

Another view of finger food!

Photo note and link to blog:

"learn how to make them here
jojoebi.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-finger-food.html "

Halloween Food - Chocolate cherry mice

Halloween Food - Chocolate cherry mice, originally uploaded by emergencyfan2000.

Who knew mice could taste so good!

Photo notes:

"maraschino cherries dipped in chocolate w/jumbo chocolate chips for noses and almond slivers for ears."

Halloween Party sites

Below are some links to blog sites that have some great Halloween Party ideas and photos.  

http://www.livinglocurto.com/2009/10/halloween-boofett/
Living Locurto
Excellent food photos, and great doable ideas for that Halloween table.


http://www.cutefoodforkids.com/2010/10/halloween-party.html
Cute Food For Kids
This one has some neat kid party ideas.

http://brasspaperclip.typepad.com/brass_paperclip/2010/10/halloween-party-inspiration-dark-food.html

The Brass Paperclip Project "It's all about weddings...and then some."

 Gorgeous photos, in various color schemes.  Not only Halloween, but weddings, too.

 

 

Halloween Party Appetizer - Maggot Sliders

Halloween Party Appetizer - Maggot Sliders, originally uploaded by jakeludington.

Ewww! I love it!

Photo note and link:

"Looking for creepy but good Halloween party foods - the Maggot Slider is an easy addition to your appetizer menu"

Meat Head

the neighbor's "meat head" at their Halloween party, originally uploaded by klebphotos.

This is a much less boring way to arrange deli meats, no?

Photo note: "the neighbor's "meat head" at their Halloween party"

halloween party treats

Halloween food - Mummy Dogs aka Pigs in a Blanket (2008)

Halloween food - Mummy Dogs aka Pigs in a Blanket (2008), originally uploaded by emergencyfan2000.

These are cute - neat idea for that Halloween get-together~

Photo note:

"This year I think I got the wrapping down! Hot dogs, croissant dough & peppercorns. I think the croissant dough was easier to work with than the biscuit dough I used last year."

Halloween Party 2009

Halloween Party 2009, originally uploaded by howtoeatacupcake.net.

Whoo! Love this shot! Great Halloween party look!

Photo note:

"This is our kitchen after about an hour of decorating. I wish I had gotten a picture of the table full of food, but there were people everywhere! :)"

Nice job!

Black & White Halloween Food

Black & White Halloween Food, originally uploaded by brasspaperclip.

Fabulous photo!

Here's a link to brasspaperclip's beautiful blog site, featuring more Halloween party food photos:

Halloween Party Inspiration blogged here: brasspaperclip.typepad.com/brass_paperclip/2010/10/hallow...

Pumpkins

Pumpkins 2007!, originally uploaded by nouQraz.

Another pumpkin shot for today.

Photo note:

"Just some pumpkins chillin' on the stoop... or steps... whatever."

The Pumpkin - a poem

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-pumpkin/

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun, The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run, And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold, With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold, Like that which o'er Nineveh's prophet once grew, While he waited to know that his warning was true, And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain. On the banks of the Xenil the dark Spanish maiden Comes up with the fruit of the tangled vine laden; And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to behold Through orange-leaves shining the broad spheres of gold; Yet with dearer delight from his home in the North, On the fields of his harvest the Yankee looks forth, Where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines, And the sun of September melts down on his vines. Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West, From North and from South comes the pilgrim and guest; When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board The old broken links of affection restored; When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more, And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before; What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye, What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie? Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling, When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling! When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin, Glaring out through the dark with a candle within! When we laughed round the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune, Our chair a broad pumpkin, -- our lantern the moon, Telling tales of the fairy who travelled like steam In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team! Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better E'er smoked from an oven or circled a platter! Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine, Brighter eyes never watched o'er its baking, than thine! And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express, Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less, That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below, And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow, And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie! John Greenleaf Whittier

Food on Film

babette, originally uploaded by chunkysimon.

 A Face Book friend shared a link to a post on Gastronomica, with a rich and wonderful list of movies in which food plays a central role.  Click on the link below to see the list, and a description of each one.  The list is nicely lengthy~

Enjoy!

And yes, Babette's Feast is one of my all-time favorites. 


***


 Food on Film

"Welcome to "Food on Film", some of our favorite cinematic foodie moments. This list was written and compiled by Rebecca L. Epstein, a PhD from the UCLA Dept. of Film, Television, and Digital Media. Her dissertation, entitled Crime and Nourishment, focused on the food and foodways of Hollywood gangster films."

To visit the site, click on the link (Food on Film) above.

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup, originally uploaded by bananagranola (busy).

Yum!

Photo note:

"pumpkin, onion, milk, bouillon cube, salt, white pepper, black pepper, parsley, formed milk"

From bananagranola

Pumpkin cream spaghetti

Pumpkin cream spaghetti, originally uploaded by bananagranola (busy).

Photo note:

"pumpkin, onion, bouillon cube, fresh cream (soy), salt, black pepper, olive oil, bacon, haricot beans, shimeji mushrooms, parsley"

This looks so good! Would love to try it~

where is my pumpkin? =}

where is my pumpkin? =}, originally uploaded by kennymuz.

This is a gorgeous photo~

The photographer has this to say:

"My pumpkin patch activity over last weekend put me in the jack-o-lantern mood. I have always wondered why? So, the friendly guide in the farm gave me a little bit of explaination over the history.

The origin of Halloween dates back to 3000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain, means Summer End. Glowing jack-o-lanterns were set on porches and windows to welcome deceased loved ones, and also protect against malevolent spirits.

End of Summer was believed that the souls of the dead were closest to this world and was the best time to contact them to say good bye. It was also a celebration of harvest.

When Irish arrived in America, they found the native pumpkin to be larger and easier to carve, as to be the perfect choice of jack-o-lanterns.

Happy Halloween friends =} trick or treat?"

Halloween Pumpkins - before the pie

My son's Transformer pumpkin from last year~

brownie monster

brownie monster, originally uploaded by easement.

Wonderful!

Photo note:

"Kate and I made some brownies for the Cheeks' party.

Brownies:
Duncan Hines Brownie mix and 1/2 dark chocolate bar.
Add chocolate chips to the brownie mix and prepare as directed.


Decorations:
marshmallow
food coloring
duncan hines whipped Frosting.
red hots

Microwave the frosting for 10 seconds.
Add food coloring.
Dip marshmallow in fosting.
Allow frosting to cool down and set.

Uploaded by easement"

Halloween party table

Halloween party table, originally uploaded by goddess of chocolate.

This is very nicely done, all the details accounted for.

Note:

"Debbie's table. All of the paper goods were handmade, as well as the food."

Halloween Food - Cheese/fruit/vege tray w/apple bites

Halloween Food - Cheese/fruit/vege tray w/apple bites, originally uploaded by emergencyfan2000.

Check out the fierce looking apples! Great alternative to all the sweets~

Photo note:

"Had to Halloween up the fruit/vege tray too, right?"

Cheese Pumpkins

Cheese Pumpkins, originally uploaded by Betty Crocker Recipes.

These are adorable, and would be great for any fall party, not only Halloween.

Photographer's note:

"Ingredients:

8 tablespoons smoked Cheddar cold pack cheese food (from 8-oz container), well chilled
2 teaspoons finely chopped peanuts
4 butter-flavored pretzel spindles or sticks, broken in half
16 tiny pieces fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Line small serving plate with waxed paper. Roll each level tablespoon cold pack cheese food into a ball; place on waxed paper-lined serving plate. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes for easier handling.

2. With end of toothpick, draw ridges around balls to resemble pumpkins. Dip bottoms of cheese balls in chopped peanuts.

3. Just before serving, insert pretzel halves into cheese balls for pumpkin stems. Decorate with parsley for leaves. Store in refrigerator.

Uploaded by Betty Crocker Recipes "

Body Part Punch

Body Part Punch, originally uploaded by howtoeatacupcake.net.

No party is complete without the punch!

Photo note and recipe:

"2 liter ginger ale
2 liter sprite
1 frozen lemonade hand
gummy eyeball ice cubes
lime sherbet (not shown)

the BEST party punch!"

From howtoeatacupcake.net

Halloween party Food

Halloween party Food, originally uploaded by kinwart.

I love the mummy head, the pomegranates, and the little wizard cupcakes with inverted ice cream waffle cones as hats.

Halloween food - used q-tips 09

Halloween food - used q-tips 09, originally uploaded by emergencyfan2000.

The photo note explains it all!

"We were inspired to do these when we saw someone who had put mini-marshmallows on the ends of lollipop sticks and dipped them in peanut butter. With the idea that grosser is always better, we adapted the technique and melted the marshmallow and dipped the sticks into them. (You can shape them a bit if you wet your fingers so the marshmallow doesn't stick as you work with it). People had to dare each other to eat them. Mom even add a little red gel to some of them to make them look bloody. ICK!"

Yummy mozzarella Eyeballs

Yummy mozzarella Eyeballs, originally uploaded by Dot D.

Eye love it!

Photo note, and link:

"Just marinated mozzarella with olives, but yummy and nicely creepy!

blogged here: http://dabbled.org/2008/09/halloween-food-delicious-eyeballs.html

Harry Potter Party cupcakes

Harry Potter Party cupcakes, originally uploaded by thecupcakecauldron.

I can totally taste these right now! And, just in time for the latest Harry Potter movie, due out in November~

Photo note:

"I recently held a Harry Potter party at my home. I made devil's food cake and topped it with ribbons of peanut butter frosting. Each was decorated with a handmade fondant pumpkin."

RECIPE: Halloween Party Pops

RECIPE: Halloween Party Pops, originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com.

From Pillsbury.com:

Halloween prep is super fun when you invite your little gobblins to help decorate adorable cookies on sticks.

INGREDIENTS
Cookies
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
16 craft sticks (flat wooden sticks with round ends)
White Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
Chocolate Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
Assorted candies (gumdrops, candy corn and licorice)

DIRECTIONS
1. Freeze cookie dough 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 350°F. Cut frozen dough into 16 (1/2-inch) slices; roll each into ball. On ungreased cookie sheets, arrange balls in circle, 3 inches apart and 2 inches from edges. Securely insert a craft stick into each ball with end pointing toward center of cookie sheet.
3. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. In small bowl, stir white frosting ingredients until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk 1 drop at a time for desired consistency.
5. In another small bowl, stir together all chocolate frosting ingredients except assorted candies until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk 1 drop at a time for desired consistency.
6. Frost half of cookies with white frosting; frost remaining cookies with chocolate frosting. Arrange candies on frosted cookies to create jack-o'-lanterns, cats, owls or ghosts.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft):
Bake 14 to 18 minutes.

Halloween party food

Halloween party food, originally uploaded by kinwart.

Love the squid ink pasta! Another, not so sugary, option for your Halloween party~

Black beans, guacamole, blue corn tortilla chips, salsa, bruschetta, Cuban shrimp and squid ink pasta.

Rest in Peas

Rest in Peas, originally uploaded by ginparis2002.

Photo note:

"um, Peace. Halloween party food."

Dread Spread

Dread Spread 2008, originally uploaded by boopsie.daisy.

A wonderful Halloween table~ A tasty feast for your Halloween party.

Looks great!

Miniature Food - Halloween Desserts in 12th Scale

Miniature Food - Halloween Desserts in 12th Scale, originally uploaded by Miniature Food by Paris Miniatures.

This looks good enough to eat~

Photographer's / artist's note:

"Here's a set of six restaurant-style desserts that I made with a Halloween / autumn feel.

Includes a cupcake (with come cute gummy frogs!), cheesecake, tartlet and much more.

I made the food items from polymer clay and the plates from ceramic.

Halloween isn't celebrated here in France, so it's kind of my own 'imagined' version of some classy Halloween desserts! How did I do?

Each of the plates measure just 2cm in diameter. These pieces were created for use in a 12th scale dollhouse or roombox setting."

Zucchini Butterbean Soup

Today is a nice fall day around here.  The colors are gorgeous, and the sun is making more than just a cameo appearance.  Rumor has it that will all change soon, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

I came home after teaching (Pilates) for lunch, and was faced with a few leftovers.  With these, I began constructing today's soup:  Zucchini Butterbean Soup.  Here's what went into it:

4 C. chicken broth
1/2 C. ground beef (leftover)
1/2 C+ peas (leftover)
Zucchini, chopped (about 1 C)
1/4 C. dried couscous

1 small can of butterbeans, drained
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Hot Mexican Style chili powder
pinch of salt (to taste)
6 or 8 good grinds of fresh pepper


*   *   * 

All these ingredients went into a large pot (moved up from a medium saucepan) which then simmered for about 30 max.  Just enough time to soften the zucchini, cook the couscous, and absorb the seasonings.  You can easily substitute leftover chopped chicken or ham for the ground beef; either of those would go well with the other ingredients.

I have to say, it was quite good~

Enjoy, and if you make it, let me know what you think.