Halloween Decorating 2016

I know I say this every year but... I LOVE HALLOWEEN!  I plan all year for Halloween and spend countless hours creating delicious Halloween food and festive decorating ideas. My Halloween recipes don't just look creepy for the sake of creepiness, they have to pass the taste test! Every recipe has to be food that I'd eat even without all the ghoulish stage presence. Taste reigns supreme for any meal, but fun Halloween food also has to have a proper stage when you entertain. So let's set the stage shall we...and start in the heart of my home, the dining room.

I went with a laboratory theme this year with lots of glassware, bottles, flasks, test tubes, books and skulls. Many of these items are meaningful to me because they remind me of my dad. My dad was a voracious reader. He literally had thousands of books...and I'm not exaggerating! In fact, I still have a few boxes of his books left in my garage and I pulled out some to use for my decorating this year. :) I used all black and white books for the sideboard but used red books on the dining room table as contrast and to tie in my red salad plates. I love the way it turned out, don't you? With a table this pretty, we need a menu! 

 'BONE' APPETIT MENU

Appetizer

Ghoulish Goat Cheese Torte

Roasted Roaches

Fangtini

Salad

'Beet'ing Hearts Salad with Blood Red Dressing

 

Main Course

Nightcrawlers con Funghi

Dessert

 Black Magic Spellcakes

In this picture above, the very thick 1942 Websters Dictionary underneath the large red book is mine from when I was a young girl of about 8. I bought that dictionary for 25 cents at a used book sale with my dad. My dad loved to spend weekends going to used book stores and library sales and often dragged us kids along. Most times, I was bored to death, but this trip, I found something I wanted. I remember his face so clearly. He was grinning ear to ear watching me lug that hulking book up to him. The thing weighs probably 15 pounds. I said, "Look at this huge dictionary for only 25 cents! Can I get it Daddy?" 
...Nearly 40 years later and I still have it.

Sideboard

The sideboard was really fun to decorate. From my dad's old chemical bottles and glass lantern, to my test tubes, graduated cylinder and Erlenmeyer flasks; All my dad's beautiful old books and my candles and silver trays, together looks amazing! It took me two days of moving, rearranging, and swapping items until I got the layout just right. 

Cocktail Area

I re-purposed my old skull topiary from two years ago to set the stage for the small cocktail area. I pulled out my old silver, aluminum and stainless trays and layered them in my plate rack to create a cool backdrop for the bar area that adds to the antiquated feel of the room. I added decanters and flasks that will later be filled with potions and elixirs on Halloween night. Cheers!

Lighting

I purchased these plastic skulls from Michael's and cut holes in the top and bottom of them and slipped them over my dining room chandelier for a way cool look. (Don't worry, they are made with a pretty hard plastic so they don't melt when near the hot bulbs...I was worried too!) I ended up using the natural skulls in my dining room because I thought they went better with the overall look of the table and sideboards. But my original plan was to use the gray skulls with draping, gauzy, creepy cloth hanging down from the light fixture like this.

I love how these came out, however, they just didn't go as well as the natural skulls with my table and sideboard. The natural skulls glow and add a eerie light to the room. 
But not to fear, I already have a great idea on my theme for next year and I'll definitely use the gray skulls next year. :)

Crafting Ideas

Raven Wreath

I like to make a new wreath each year and I was inspired by these black and white leaves from Michael's. They went perfect with my black and white theme. The wreath itself is very camouflaged and you may not be able to see very well, but if you look closely, you will spot 5 ravens and many spiders hidden within the black foliage. See if you can spot them.

Halloween Angel Topiaries

I started these beauties last year when I borrowed the idea from AntiCraft on Pinterest. Luckily, I never got around to finishing them last year, because they completely work with my theme of black and white and skulls of this year. These little angels of death are made from old Christmas angels that were spray painted black and turned into skeletons. I painted their faces and the bones of their hands and necks and gave them spots of color and silver wash to give them texture. 
Rather than leaving them free standing, I decided to give them their own little vignettes by making them into topiaries. I designed each based on the angels themselves and then made up little stories about each. I think they turned out great and I may even host a give-away when I open my Etsy Shop for some of my Halloween creations. I'll keep you all posted when that happens.  :)

Mother Nature stands the tallest and is the most powerful as she presides over life and death. In this case, death with a bonfire of skulls at her feet. I included battery operated orange lights to really light the bonfire.


Battle Rose stands among swirling rose bushes that echoes the movement of her gown and her hair;All while the casualties of love lie at her feet. 


Pushing Daisy stands alone in a cemetery over the body of her beloved, who even in death, cultivates love in the flowers that grow around his grave. 


Freyja stands alone among skeletal trees and thorny bushes, as she looks with no luck, for her one true love.  

And that is all for this year. I hope it was inspiring!  
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Check out more Halloween decorating ideas here:
Halloween Decorating and Entertaining Ideas 2013
Halloween Decorating 2014
Halloween Decorating 2015

And more Halloween Food ideas here.

Spiced Couscous and Carrot Salad

After dropping my oldest son off at Middle school the other day, I noticed the houses that once showcased tired, brown lawns during our three year drought, miraculously had green lawns! 
Last I heard, we were still on water rationing here in SoCal, but these lawns were gorgeous! Green and landscaped to perfection. When did this happen? At first I thought it was because I was in a better neighborhood with much bigger lawns to notice, but as I turned down my very own block...I saw green lawns everywhere? I couldn't believe my eyes.
Unfortunately, I also noticed as I pulled into my driveway, that our house had the only brown lawn or shall I say, grass made of dirt...on the entire block! Hmmm...I don't believe I got the memo that said we can have nice lawns again. 
I'm embarrassed and determined to not have a yucky lawn anymore. But what do I do? There are those extremely dedicated folks doing their part to conserve, who opted for drought tolerant desert motif and even those who coughed up the mighty sum to get the new Astro-turf lawns, but I not going to do those things. No, I'm simply going to water my dirt again and hope something grows! :)

This recipe is a quick and delicious side dish that can be served warm or cold. As a salad, I wanted the carrots to be a little crunchy, so I steamed the carrots briefly, when I added them to the couscous while making the dressing. However, the next time I make it as a warm side dish, I'll coat the carrots with a little of the dressing and roast them in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes to caramelize them a bit for added sweetness. Either way this salad is delicious and decidedly fall-inspired! Enjoy!

Spiced Couscous and Carrot Salad

(recipe inspired by Happy Hearted Kitchen)
Serves 4-6

1 1/4 cups Trader Joe's® Harvest Grains Blend (substitute with Israeli Couscous)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1/4 t. ginger
1/8 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, peeled into ribbons
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
cilantro, garnish

Dressing
3 T canola oil
1 T Honey
juice and zest of one orange

In a large skillet, add chicken broth and spices and bring to a boil. Add couscous and cook according to package directions. Prepare carrot ribbons and add carrots to the skillet, placing the carrots on top of the cooked couscous. Replace lid and let carrots steam for 5-8 minutes. Prepare dressing. Add pumpkin seeds and cranberries to the couscous and carrots. Toss with dressing, add additional cranberries, pumpkin seeds to taste and garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Other recipes to try:

Balsamic Mushroom Quinoa

Indian Spiced Lentils

Spider Caviar

I have a real fear of spiders. Spiders creep me out. I squeal like a little girl when surprised by them. My nightmares are usually about spiders. When I was younger, in my 30's, I used to have a recurring nightmare about tons of spiders coming down all around me while I slept at night. I'd sit up in bed, yelling and swatting the spiders away...I seemed awake, but I was still very much asleep. This came much to the surprise of my husband when we first started dating. The first time it happened, he leap up out of bed, flipped on the light, ready to kill the spiders I was pointing at. As I woke up from my nightmare looking at my 'then' boyfriend in attack-ready sleepy confusion with a flashlight and a flat-soled shoe in hand. I was relieved as I realized it was a dream. I rolled over and said, "Sorry, I was just dreaming."  
He was so not happy to be standing and not sleeping. The good news is that he eventually got used to being startled awake by his arachnophobic girlfriend and he still married me. And luckily for me, I don't have that recurring spider dream anymore.

Knowing I hate spiders, I'm a little surprised that the three things I've purchased this year for Halloween are all spiders. I got this cute little dish pictured above from Ross Dress For Less. Then, I bought three wrought-iron spiders and a pair of spider earrings from Roger's Gardens Halloween Boutique. I like to think of it as therapy really. I'm desensitizing myself through retail therapy. Yeah, that's it. 

Anyway, my husband called this dish, Spider Caviar after he saw how I plated it and it stuck!  He said, "It looks like spider eggs...what's that fancy fish eggs stuff called?"  
It's super easy to make and super delicious with a garlicky olive flavor. It can be made any time of year not just for Halloween. Enjoy!

Spider Caviar (Mixed Olive Tapenade)

Makes ~1 cup

2 cups olives (I used a mix of black and green olives)
2 T capers
2 T sun dried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup basil, fresh
1 t oregano, dried
1 t lemon juice
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Sliced Bread Points

Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Serve with fresh baguette slices.

I made this tapenade originally to roll it into some fun Halloween inspired tortilla roll-ups or pinwheels using extra large orange tortillas. My idea was to add the black (tapenade) and some orange colored veggies and roll it up for a really cool looking Halloween colored appetizer. The roll ups I ended up making were so delicious with the tapenade, prosciutto, cream cheese, roasted red peppers, basil and crunchy red cabbage that they ended up looking more like a rainbow than my original idea of a black and orange pinwheels. And the photos turned out so gorgeous that I wasn't sure if the pinwheels were Halloween-ish enough...So instead of making these roll-ups it's own blog, I've included them below as a bonus recipe to the tapenade. Enjoy!

Halloween Roll-ups

Makes 14-16 slices

2 extra large orange tortillas
1 package cream cheese
8 slices of prosciutto
12-14 fresh basil leaves
2 T Roasted Red Peppers, thinly sliced
Red Cabbage, thinly sliced
1 T Spider Caviar (Mixed Olive Tapenade)  
  
Using a butter knife, spread about 1/8" layer of cream cheese to the tortilla, make sure to cover the whole tortilla up to the edges. Starting on one side of the tortilla, place a thin row of red cabbage. Leave about a half an inch of space between each ingredient. Next place 6-7 leaves of basil in a line next to the cabbage. Then add 4 slices of prosciutto followed by the bell peppers and then add a narrow line of the tapenade. Now you're ready to roll...Starting at the tapenade side, begin rolling tortilla until tightly rolled. Use additional cream cheese to secure the end of the tortilla to the roll as needed. Cut into 8 slices and serve. Repeat with the other tortilla. Enjoy!

Other Halloween dishes to try: click here

Auntie Dianne's Pea Salad

As summer winds down and the kids head back to school, I can't help but feel a little sad that the long hot days of summer are a thing of the past. Another summer is in the books, so to speak. Our fun memories were made and forever imprinted in our minds. So why do I feel sad? I should feel great, because the kids are back in school and they love it so far! I should feel great because we're right on the cusp of my favorite season, FALL! 
Maybe sad isn't the right word, but more like regretful because it's an ending. When summer comes to an end, I always feel a little regretful because I think, maybe I didn't do enough with my kids this summer. Maybe I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Maybe I was too preoccupied with other things to really live in the moment...to feel grateful and at peace. I certainly didn't do all that I had planned to do this summer, but as I'm turning 47 next week, I know all too well that, time waits for no one. Anyway, I need to let go of all this regretful thinking and realize I did all I could this summer and that is enough and that is okay.
I decided to end my summer recipes with my Auntie Dianne's Pea Salad. It is simple and super delicious and can be made a day ahead for your Labor Day weekend BBQ. My aunt usually serves this in a large glass salad bowl, but I thought it would be fun to layer them and serve in individual mason jars. Mix well before serving and enjoy! 
 

Auntie Dianne's Pea Salad

Serves 4
 
2 cups frozen baby peas,
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
salt/pepper (to taste)
1/4 t celery seeds
4 cups of iceberg lettuce (I used Romaine)
4 T lite mayonnaise, divided
1 cup cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese, shredded
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 

In a medium bowl, combine peas, celery, green onions, salt and pepper and mix together. 
Layer in mason jars or in a glass salad bowl.

1. Add about 1/2 cup of the pea mixture to the bottom of a mason jar. Sprinkle some celery seeds over top. 

2. Layer about 1 cup Romaine lettuce on top of pea mixture.
3. Spoon about 1 T of mayonnaise on top of lettuce layer.
4. Using the back of a small spoon, carefully spread mayonnaise on top of lettuce as if icing a cake.
5. Sprinkle and cover mayonnaise with 1/4 cup cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese.
6. Sprinkle top with crumbled bacon.
 
Place lids on Mason Jars and chill until ready to eat. Toss when ready to eat. 

Other Salads to try:
        

Summer Fruit Salad with Ginger and Lime

Zucchini Ribbon Summer Salad