Pumpkin Pie Porn

I still need to write out the recipe for this pie - it was Frankenstein'd, so it's going to take me a while to figure out the scribbled notes under the caked-on pumpkin. I take notes as I go, and then I spill stuff on the notes. Oh well.

Anyway, this is double pumpkin pie. DOUBLE PUMPKIN ALL THE WAY. The crust is store-bought, the bottom layer is caramel pumpkin, and the top layer is pumpkin cream cheese. It was delicious, so it was gone in a flash.

The layers don't work separately, but together they form a tasty blend of creamy, spicy, and rich pumpkiny sweetness. No whipped cream required.

Alternative gingerbread houses

I've been craving a weird/spooky/haunted gingerbread house, but sadly lack the time to make one.

For now, I'll have to make-do with photos of houses that others have made.

This one is just...so detailed! So much care was put into it. From far away it looks fairly normal, but!...


Lots more amazing pictures at the source.

This one was on display last year at the Haunted Mansion Holiday ride in Disneyland.

It's a "Scary-go-Round"

This has been flying around the internet - a gingerbread crackhouse. (It's probably NSFW)

Haha, well done, JaneMinty! I feel like I can smell it, and it doesn't smell like gingerbread.

Pumpkin Corn Bread

I haven't been cooking much lately, but with pumpkin dinner coming up hot, I'd better hop to it. Here's the last pumpkin thing I made - Pumpkin Corn Bread. I thought they were delicious, but maybe a little too dense. This is my starter recipe, so hopefully I'll be improving on them soon.

Pumpkin Corn Bread

Adapted from All Recipes

Makes 16 corn muffins; takes about 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached flour

3/4 cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

4 oz melted butter (this complicated things. I'd probably just use 1/4 cup vegetable oil next time)

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

4 Tbs dried, chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Method

-In separate bowls, combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients.

-Slowly combine the wet ingredients into the dry bowl, do not overmix

-Divide batter evenly into baking cups or a greased muffin tin

-Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

I used a pumpkin-shaped mini cake tin to make these, and they weren't as cute as I'd hoped (notice there's no picture). Like I said above, they were dry, but I think I should have used oil and not butter (why did I do that?) and added a little extra moisture - perhaps by reducing the flour, or adding another liquid. But I thought the flavor was perfect - herby, oniony, pumpkiny, and peppery with a touch of sweetness.

I'll be making them again and I'll report back.

Philadelphia Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

When I spotted Pumpkin Spice cream cheese at the grocery store, I grabbed instinctively, forgetting my stomach's aversion to dairy.

It's a pretty orange color, it smells nice, and it tastes like cream cheese heaven. It's much softer than regular cream cheese, and it was easy to use over half the container on a freshly-toasted bagel (yep, I'm a pig). It does have a familiar cream cheese taste with cinnamon notes, and a sweet flavor. Not too sweet - just right.

While I'd be perfectly happy spreading this on just about everything, I can also see this being used in lazy baking. It would be easy to whip up some pumpkin cream cheese frosting using just some powdered sugar and milk. Or maybe I could more easily make that pumpkin cream cheese pie with sour cream topping that I've been dreaming of! Either way, I'm definitely going to buy a tub or two the next time I'm grocery shopping. Dairy intolerance be damned.

Pumpkin spice marshmallows

If you want to make a really easy and fun dessert for guests, and impress them by setting fire to your living room, make indoor s'mores with pumpkin spice marshmallows. They're ridiculously easy, and most people are really impressed that marshmallows can taste good and not like those round tubes of plastic sugar (aka commercially-produced marshmallows) from the supermarket.

There's chocolate hiding under all that melted marshmallow.

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

Adapted from Ina Garten's basic marshmallow recipe

Ingredients

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1/2 cold water

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1/2 c pumpkin puree

2 tsp of your choice of:

-pumpkin pie spice

-all spice

-cardamom

-cinnamon

-ground Saigon cinnamon

-nutmeg

Powdered sugar for dusting

Method

-Combine the gelatin and cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment.

-In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the white and brown sugars, corn syrup, and salt, and stir until the sugar dissolves.

-Turn the heat up to high, and cook until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees

-Remove from heat

-Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour in the sugar syrup. (Be very careful as the mixer can spit hot candy into your face.)

-When the syrup is fully incorporated, turn the mixer up to high and leave it until the mixture is very thick and fluffy

-Add the vanilla, pumpkin puree, and spices; incorporate

-Grease a large casserole dish (I used a 13" x 9" Pyrex baking dish) and then dust it heavily with powdered sugar. It's very important to use a LOT of powdered sugar in the dish because it will be easier to remove the marshmallow.

-Pour the hot mixture into the prepared dish, sprinkle more powdered sugar on top, and leave the dish uncovered overnight to set.

-The next day, use a serrated knife to cut the marshmallows into bite-sized pieces, and roll each marshmallow in powdered sugar.

Serve with graham crackers, chocolate, wooden skewers, and a can of sterno in an oven proof bowl. This bowl will get hot, so you should put the bowl on a plate or trivet.

It sounds like a lot of steps, but I swear it's really easy and satisfying. This recipe is fool-proof as long as you heat the sugar syrup to the right temperature. You might want to put a kitchen towel over the mixer as you whip the syrup into the gelatin. This will stop you from finding marshmallow dots all over your walls.

For my marshmallows I used quite a bit of Saigon cinnamon and cardamom, with less pumpkin pie spice and all spice. Taste the mix before you pour it into the dish to make sure that you like the flavor. The basic recipe can be used to make all kinds of flavored marshmallows.

If you have a lot of leftover 'mallows, you should try dipping some in melted chocolate and then topping them with sprinkles. I did that last year and people were impressed. Sprinkles. That's all it takes.

Indian Pumpkin Candy

During a recent candy raid at the local British-Indian Market, I picked up this box of tempting candy:

Dry Petha Premium Delights - Delicious Pumpkin Sweets

They claim to be traditional Indian sweets, and they look similar to something I remember as a kid, so I couldn't resist them.

They look like soft little pillows with a sparkly sugar crust.

I took a big bite, and it tasted like OH GOD, VOMIT! IT TASTES LIKE VOMIT! I WANT THIS OUT OF MY MOUTH NOW!

And then I jumped around the kitchen squealing before wiping my tongue with a paper towel and running my tongue under the kitchen tap.

It's safe to say that these are traditional, and also possibly a required taste like Marmite.

They don't taste anything like pumpkin. The insides are oily and flaky and the taste is indescribable. Don't go on my account - if this is what people like in India, I am very happy for them. I will stick to my chickpea curries and samosas.

I'm not sure what passes for pumpkin in India; I'm guessing pumpkin means something different. I've had Thai pumpkin curries that contained some kind of squash, but definitely not what Americans consider pumpkin.

Ingredients: Ash Gourd and "Nature Identical Flavouring Substances"

But I won't let this dampen my adventurous spirit. Whenever something bizarre has pumpkin in it, I will buy it.

Pumpkin apple pork chops

Everyone I know hates pork chops; most people were scarred as children by dried-out pork chops topped with cold apple sauce. These pork chops have converted one person, so I hope these will help with the pork hater in your house.

You might be able to tell from this picture that I didn't brown my chops enough. The texture was not quite right this time, but they were still tasty.

Pumpkin Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients

2 pork loin chops

1 onion, chopped

1 apple (I used Gala), chopped

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground dried mustard

hefty sprinkle of cinnamon

tiny dash of cloves cloves

1/4 c stock

1/4 c apple cider

Oil and butter

Salt and pepper

A heavy, lidded pan

Method

-Dry your pork chops between sheets of paper towel, season with salt and pepper.

-Over medium-high heat, brown the pork chops in oil; about 5 minutes each side. Do not cook through. Remove the pork, cover, and set aside.

-On medium heat, sautee the onion in melted butter, salt lightly. Cook until softened and translucent

-Add apple. Cook until fragrant.

-Add the pumpkin and spices; stir until hot.

-Add the juice and stock; stir until hot.

-Add the pork back into the pan. Top each piece of meat with the apple pumpkin topping.

-Put the lid on the pan, simmer until the pork chops are cooked through.

-When the pork is the correct temperature, remove, cover and rest the pork chops again (for about 5 minutes)

-If necessary, reduce the amount of liquid in your pan over medium heat. If the apple pumpkin mixture looks thick enough, just put the lid on until your chops are rested and ready to serve. Keep tasting the mixture until it's right - add salt, pepper to your desired amounts.

The recommended temperature for pork chops is 160. If you aren't afraid of trichinosis (read about modern pork and parasitic infections. There's little reason to fear pork), cook the pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. It will taste better and be very moist, and delicious.

My pork chops were served with a sweet potato and potato mixture, whipped with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and served with a side of green beans.

Link Horde

Zombies are generally grotesque and ugly, but this animated video Zombigotchi! makes zombies seem adorable.

Sears has a way to make XXX-mas shopping more palatable - the Zombie gift guide. Unless you've been living in an abandoned mall, you've probably already seen this. Check out the videos for extra fun and a peek at my pal Jenny (outerwear).

Discovery Channel has a new show called Oddities. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but if all their customers are like this guy, I'm hooked. He's like real-life Dracula. Except not a vampire. Thanks to Merricat Blackwood for the tip.

Alone, in a darkened room...The Count.

Can you find all the monsters in this vintage Muppets illustration? Scooter and Janice need your help!

For those unable to let go of Halloween, there's an ongoing horror art exhibit Horrorwood at the WWA Gallery in Culver City. The show runs until December 4th.

This weekend in Santa Ana, the Bowers Museum is closing their Weird and Wonderful exhibit. The collection boasts shrunken heads, Egyptian Mummy masks, and the last of OC's Grizzly bear population.

Speaking of taxidermy, this Dr. Seuss taxidermy is just awesome.

The San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park has an exhibit called Strange Bones: Curiosities of the Human Skeleton. And as long as you're in the area, check out Ion Theater's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Both are small, a little creepy, and very good.

Finally, for a little dose of cute, check out Misery Bear in Dawn of the Ted.

Pumpkin Popsicles

This is an idea I've been working on for quite a while - there have been a few other styles of pumpkin popsicles, and they were just awful. First, I thought it would be good to have a popsicle with a coconut milk base. That was a horrendous idea. I tried a few other flavors (note: condensed milk does not freeze), but I finally settled on an apple cider base. I've never been a fan of hot apple cider, but I love cold apple cider. I think these work, and I like the soft, applesauce-like texture that the pumpkin adds.

Overly dramatic picture of a popsicle. It makes me laugh.

Pumpkin Popsicles

Ingredients

1/2 c pumpkin puree

2 c apple cider (I used Bolthouse Farms Gala Apple Cider)

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon molasses

3/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

scant 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

Method

Whisk it all together, pour into molds, and freeze until solid.

As I said before, the pumpkin makes the apple juice have a softer, applesauce-like texture. The popsicles aren't overtly pumpkiny, but they definitely taste like frozen autumn. I'll probably make them again, and re-vamp the recipe a little, but this is a good start, and a far cry from the coconut milk popsicles that I made a few weeks ago.

Barmbrack bread with pumpkin

I recently learned about a traditional Irish bread called Barmbrack that is used as a fortune-telling game on Halloween.

From Wikipedia:

The Halloween Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort of fortune-telling game. In the barmbrack were: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence) and a ring. Each item, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, "to beat one's wife with", would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be wed within the year. Other articles added to the brack include a medallion, usually of the Virgin Mary to symbolise going into the priesthood or to the Nuns, although this tradition is not widely continued in the present day. Commercially produced barmbracks for the Halloween market still include a toy ring.

How could I resist a superstitious Halloween bread? Of course, I left out the wife-beating stick. Yikes.

Barm Brack

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup brewed black tea (see method)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 3/4 cup jumbo raisin mix - golden, Thompson, Red Flame

1/2 cup chocolate-covered raisins

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour (sifted before measuring)

2 medium eggs, beaten

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon ground Saigon cinnamon

2 stars anise

1 cinnamon stick

zest of 1 lemon

Method

-Several hours before baking, measure out the raisins (leave the chocolate raisins out for now), add the anise stars, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, two black tea bags, and add boiling water to cover. Set aside until you are ready to bake.

-Drain the raisins, remove and discard the anise and cinnamon stick. Measure 1 cup of liquid from the drained tea

-In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, soaked raisins, cinnamon, and eggs, beat until just smooth

-add the pumpkin and chocolate-covered raisins

-pour into a small greased pan (I used a 9" meatloaf pan and Bakers Friend)

-bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

-leave in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out to a wire rack

I think it's incredibly easy and delicious, and I was surprised that all my alterations worked (normally, I'd end up with a mess of glop - yay glop). The juicy raisins and rich texture make it perfect for a hearty breakfast - after slathering it up with a lot of butter of course. Yum. I am definitely going to make this bread again, and I think I'll work on making it more pumpkin-y. While it's very good, there's not even a hint of pumpkin. The chocolate-coated raisins really work for me. I love getting surprise chocolate in almost anything. The texture is less like bread and more like a very heavy muffin.

My Barmbrack included a plastic ring (shown in the picture above), a Japanese coin, an ornate button, and a plain button. I told my taste testers that the items meant whatever they wanted - there's no better fortune than that.

This was my first time working with self-raising flour, but I'm guessing that it's an amenable addition to baking. The comments on the All Recipes site indicated that the batter might come out runny. Mine did look a little runny, so I added a extra flour (from 1-1/4 c to 1-3/4 c) and it looked better. The bread is especially dense, but I don't know if it's supposed to be dense, or if it's the additional flour. Like I said, I'll be making this again, to work on making it the pumpkiny raisin bread that I had envisioned.

Pumpkin cupcakes with maple-cream cheese frosting

My second and final birthday baking effort in October produced these little babies.



I love them more than I can say. The crumb is delicate, and the peppery hit at the end makes it more spice cake than cupcake. They aren't super sweet, so the icing is a nice touch, but next time I would probably just dust them with powdered sugar and devour them warm.

Even the batter was pretty - so light and fluffy.

Adapted from David Leite, found via Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 20 cupcakes

Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons molasses

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups sifted cake flour (I sifted before measuring)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground Saigon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

scant 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup pumpkin (I used fresh - the last of my garden pumpkins)

1/2 cup Trader Joe's Organic Whole Grain Drink, original

1 Tablespoon vanilla (add to "milk")

1 Tablespoon lemon juice (add to "milk")

Frosting

12 ounces cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup maple syrup

hefty splash of "Maple Concentrate"

enough powdered sugar to get the right consistency - at least 2 1/2 cups

Method

-beat the sugars, molasses, and the butter together until fluffy

-sift and measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a bowl

-add the eggs 1 at a time until fully incorporated

-alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, starting and ending with the flour mixture

-add pumpkin until smooth

-fill the liners

-bake in pre-heated oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake

I used a few cupcake baking tins lined with Halloween wrappers and sprayed with Bakers Friend. To get the right amount of batter into each cavity, I used a #20/3T disher like this. (love that thing, and it's leftie-friendly)

For the frosting, mix the wet ingredients, then add the powdered sugar until it is the right consistency. I would cut the frosting recipe in half next time, and I would not use maple syrup at all. I don't like to use things like creepy generic bottles of MAPLE FLAVOR, but as some people in the Smitten Kitchen comments suggested, real maple syrup did not add enough flavor. There was no maple hint after adding 1/4 of syrup, and that stuff is expensive. The bottled Maple Flavor tasted fine and added exactly what I wanted.

To make these cupcakes birthday-appropriate, I piled on a little too much frosting. I'd recommend a light swirl of frosting on top.

Southern California Halloween activities

If you've waited until now to start thinking about a frightening Halloween activity for the weekend, you've come to the right place. Here are my favorites, listed in no particular order.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios

Year after year they have highly-themed, quality mazes as well as some scare areas around the usual Universal Studios park. The backlot area is particularly scary since it does seem like a free-for-all in the woods, and crazed killers lurk everywhere. Tickets are $59 at the gate. Here's last year's review.

Knott's Scary Farm Haunt in Buena Park

Read my Knott's Haunt review for details. Tickets are $46.00 at the gate. It's an old standby that won't disappoint, and this year had several great mazes.

Night of the Living Dead / Zombie Love at the Maverick Theater in Fullerton

I was lucky enough to attend both this year - Night of the Living Dead gets better every year, and I couldn't recommend it more. Each year they add a little something to the show that makes it different and better than the previous year. But let me say that if Scott Johnson ever stops playing Ben, it won't be the same for me. I now trust him - and only him - with my zombie-killing needs. Read my review for Zombie Love over at Spooky Little Girl's blog. It was also entertaining, though nothing can compare to NOTLD, and I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like musicals. Tickets for both shows are most likely already sold out, but it never hurts to call and ask.

The Olde Towne Music Hall in El Segundo

I went to their showing of Dracula and loved it. The Mighty Wurlitzer is front-and-center in the theater; before the movie we heard everything from traditional, carousel-style organ music to a cover of the Beatles. It's a treat, and a glimpse at a simpler time. Every Halloween weekend they show the original silent Phantom of the Opera, and the organ is played as the score to the movie. Personally, I never need to see anything Phantom ever again, but if I hadn't seen it recently, I'd go just for the live music. It's a cheap evening too - tickets are $8 and concessions are about $2 each.

The Dia de los Muertos event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

I understand that it gets crazy-busy, so if you can manage the horde, you'll love the altars, the Day of the Dead processional, and beautiful costumes. Tickets are $10, parking is non-existent. It's an L.A. tradition, so maybe the chaos is worth it.

Old Towne Haunt in Pasadena

When I visited, it was great - truly scary. The Old Towne Haunt doesn't have the same quantity of mazes as a theme park haunt, but they make up for it by scaring the crap out of you for the 15-20 minutes that you're there. They find clever ways to breathe new life into their mazes, and the scare-actors are usually pretty dedicated. Tickets are $14, and there's a front-of-line pass for $19.

Zombie Joe's theater in North Hollywood

Currently showing Attack of the Rotting Corpses. I haven't seen this particular show, but I like the small theater, and the I-could-die-here vibe that I got when the doors were closed and the lights went out. There's artwork on display in the lobby, and concessions are cheap. Tickets are $15.

There are also lots of lovingly-crafted home haunts - and there are even probably a few in your neighborhood - but it takes some looking to find them. If you want to stick close to home and you don't want to pay a lot of money, I recommend searching your city's website, and these sites:

Alley Cat Scratch - they meticulously list haunts from Burbank to San Juan Capistrano. I'm sure you can find something on that site that is in your neck of the woods.

HauntedHouse.com - they also have a list of many of the smaller attractions. Use the top navigation if you're not in CA.

If you don't like my suggestions, here are a few reviews from my friend Spooky Little Girl:

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park; tickets are $25-$60

Reign of Terror in Thousand Oaks; tickets are $13-$20

Or if you just want to stay home and watch a scary/corny movie, don't forget about Elvira on Saturday night, and your Netflix subscription. Netflix Instant has some great movies, with my personal favorites being the old-school monster movies, and the campy classics.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space - a campy tradition. With terrifying clowns.

Dracula A.D. 1972 - a bizarre spin on Dracula that focuses on a group of beatnik kids in England in the 70s.

The Munsters: Season 1 - If you want to make Halloween a light, family affair, you can't go wrong with the Munsters.

Them! - my personal all-time favorite creature feature. It's a classic B-movie that does tend toward hokey-dom, but I think it holds up surprisingly well.

Hearty pumpkin soup with bacon

Weeks ago the craving for pumpkin soup with bacon entered my head, and I finally couldn't yearn for it anymore. Here is worked-all-day, nothing-measured pumpkin soup with bacon.

Sort of looks like baby food, but it was delicious served with buttery toast

Ingredients (nothing was measured. I guarantee no accuracy!)

1 medium onion - finely diced (I used sweet onion)

3 strips bacon - chopped

1-1.5 ish cups pumpkin puree

1 medium sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed (the microwave is easiest)

1.5 ish tablespoons honey

chicken stock (until the puree is thinned, but not runny)

sea salt

freshly cracked pepper

thyme

cinnamon

ginger

(all herbs/spices dried)

Parmesan cheese (for topping)

- Cook the bacon until it is crispy, remove the bacon pieces, but leave the drippings

- Sauté onion in the drippings until it is translucent and the edges brown

- Add mashed pumpkin and sweet potato and a little salt; cook until everything browns

- Add some stock and dried or fresh herbs, honey, and more salt

- Simmer and taste until you can't wait to eat it

- Stir in bacon, serve, and top with reserved bacon crumbles and Parmesan cheese

I used this pumpkin blossom honey. It probably won't make any significant difference over clover honey, but I like to use it with my pumpkin dishes anyway to cram as much pumpkiny-goodness as possible into every dish.

A Halloween-themed birthday cake

There is almost nothing that I love more than cake. While I have never destroyed property just to greedily scarf down someone else's birthday cake, I have done quite a lot in the name of cake. Baking and decorating cakes isn't my strongest suit, but when I saw this crazy, beautiful, sprinkle-encrusted cake on Sprinkle Bakes, I knew that my favorite Spooky Friend was going to get an interpretation of it for her special birthday - complete with a giant gummy bear topper.

(No) thanks to some ill-timed baking, I had to throw away my from-scratch cakes and sub them with two boxed mixes that were on hand for cake emergencies. The frosting is pretty simple - butter, shortening, vanilla, salt, and lots of sugar.

Because Spooky Friend loves Halloween, I used only Halloween sprinkles - black, orange, purple, tiny pumpkins, non pareils, terrible-tasting-but-cute ghosts, candy corn, bizarre edible glitter, stars, Reeses Pieces, and (my favorite!) mellowcreme pumpkins.

It was my first time decorating a cake in...a year? It's not the best, but I think it fits the bill for a sprinkle and glitter fan like Spooky Friend.

Here's a hasty photo of a slice, topped off with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream. For a little surprise, I filled the cake with orange frosting and the middle layer was baked with orange and brown sprinkles. It paid off! When I served Spooky Friend a slice she said "Halloween through and through!" Yay!

Dreyer's Pumpkin Ice Cream

The hub loves ice cream, so we picked up this container of Dreyer's Pumpkin Ice Cream. It was available last year, but I couldn't remember the taste.

I double-checked, and the container really does make the ice cream look like a salmon color. In reality, it's more of a natural yellowy pumpkin color.

It has a nice pumpkin flavor with a hint of spices. It's very creamy, but it's lacking something. After a few bites, the hub was bored with it. I suggested sprinkles.

Muy festive. He was happy with it, and the sprinkle texture helped a lot.

While this pumpkin ice cream is very good for straight-up pumpkin ice cream, I found it too dull to eat an entire scoop. Next time, I'd probably tart it up with crushed graham crackers, spiced whipped cream, and sprinkles.

3.5/5

Yep, I'll get to actually making things soon. I started last week, but I've had a lot of flops so far. I'm trying to be more adventurous this year.

Reverse Trick-or-Treat

Please enjoy this hilarious thing found via Reddit:

Click for the original, readable size.

It's a comic drawn from an old Ask Metafilter comment, and it made me laugh so hard that I couldn't breathe.

Looking for more laughs?

-The Oatmeal explains how different age groups celebrate Halloween.

-Here's one of those infographics about Halloween from Halloween Express.

-The 25th anniversary of Back to the Future is bringing out all kinds of information about Eric Stoltz's involvement. Best Week Ever has a list of the other movies Stoltz got fired from.

-Guys, Woot wants to tell you what your Halloween costume says about you.

-The Snickers "lady" scares the bejeezus out of everyone. (I'm waiting for news of Jocelyn Wildenstein's lawsuit)

-My first guest post over at Spooky Little Girl's blog is about Fullerton theater The Maverick. I attended a performance of the musical Zombie Love. Check it out!

Pumpkin pie for breakfast

The supermarket had Dickinson's Country Pumpkin Butter, and it was quickly added to my other pumpkin purchases. I wasn't sure what to expect - the dark orange color made me think that it might have a gritty texture or overwhelming spice flavor. I'm such a pessimist - always convinced that new pumpkin treats will be awful.

Not this stuff, though, because it is delicious:



Dickinson's Country Pumpkin Butter

It is like smooth, thickened apple sauce with honey notes. It's very pumpkiny, and it has a lot of flavor, and the spices are nice but they don't overwhelm the pumpkin.

I spread a good amount on wheat toast. It's delicious with and without butter, but the butter adds a richness that seems especially indulgent for breakfast. I'm considering going back to stock up on it so that I have enough to get me through the zombie uprising.

5/5

Knott's Haunt 2010 Review

Earlier this month I made my annual pilgrimage to the Knott's Berry Farm Haunt, and I thought this was one of the stronger years. It seemed really tired last year, and many of the mazes were sorely in need of a face lift. It seems like they noticed because there were several great changes to the park. I won't go into great detail about all of the mazes, but there were a few stand-outs.



Sleepy Hollow Mountain: The Log Ride has finally changed themes from the very tired Pyromaniax. It was so exciting to see new decor and monsters! If you're a pumpkin enthusiast, you'll love the dozens of glowing jack-o-lanterns, and the moody, misty woods were perfect for setting a believable Sleepy Hollow theme.

The Labyrinth is always good for pretty things - pretty costumes, pretty decor, and silly, tittering spooks. It's not scary, but it is fun to walk through. The stairs and uneven terrain help with the outdoorsy, fairy forest theme.

Virus Z in Fiesta Plaza. As we were walking through I said It's exactly how I always pictured the Zombie Apocalypse! The maze starts out in an abandoned 1950's-style diner and winds through a zombie-filled suburban town. It wasn't the scariest maze, but it was the most satisfying. How often does something deliver exactly what you'd hoped for?

The Corn Stalkers is a good one for me, but only because I've never seen a real-life corn field. I love the smell of the hay bales that stack up taller than my head; the thought of really being in a spook-filled corn field is plenty of scare for me.

While it is nowhere near the bottom of my list of favorites, I do have to say that Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizarre was better this year. It didn't make me roll my eyes and sigh the way it did last year.


I just wanna talk! Image courtesy of Knott's.

And a dishonorable mention to the Black Widow's Cavern (Calico Mine Ride). Every year, I cross my fingers and hope that the giant spider in the middle of the cavern will finally move or do something, and I am always disappointed. As a spider-enthusiast, I'm sad to say that it is really time for this one to go. Knott's is pretty good about changing it up, so I hope to see something new in the Calico Mine next fall.

If you've never been to Knott's for the haunt, or if you haven't been in years, but are thinking about it, I think this is a good year to get back into the Haunt Groove. The Virus Z zombie maze alone was worth it for me, and the Sleepy Hollow log ride got me in the mood for the rest of autumn...if it ever shows up.

Review: Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights

This box of Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights caught my eye at the grocery store. There were several Little Debbie treats on the bottom shelf in the seasonal aisle; I chose these because they were the only snacks that contained actual pumpkin puree.

I'll admit to having never had a Little Debbie snack before. These are "filled soft cookies" with a jack-o-lantern face. Each cookie is individually wrapped, 150 calories.


The cookies are cute - especially if you like things that appear cute, but are actually terribly evil. These cookies look evil. The too-wide smile is a sure sign of insanity.


You eat me, I eat your SOUL.

The cookies are quite flat and they smell like apple pie. The bite is soft; I would liken them to a very moist, dense fig newton. They don't have a strong pumpkin flavor, but they are nice enough. After the initial cookie flavor, they're overwhelmingly sweet, and then overwhelmingly salty. I remember caramel and cinnamon being the strongest flavors.

Overall, the Pumpkin Delights were fine for midnight munchies, but if I'm in the mood for this type of cookie again, I'll probably just buy some fig newtons.

3/5

Zombie defense

It's time to get real and train for the inevitable zombie uprising. The zombies won't take pity on you, and neither will these guys:



UDAZ-DO: The Way of Unarmed Defense Against Zombies

Real zombies at every event!

Learn skills to STAY HUMAN!

I don't know these guys, but I salute their efforts. LA folks - check it out and report back...if you survive.

Pumpk-introduction*

I’ve been obsessed with pumpkins for a long time, so I decided to finally create a place for all my pumpkin love. I love pumpkins, carving pumpkins, pumpkin foods, and pumpkin drinks so much, that you might even call me a pumpkin tart.

The first pumpkin-themed dinner I made was in 2003. It was a relatively simple meal:
-Savory pumpkin and tart apple soup
-Filet mignon with pumpkin and sweet potato puree
-Pumpkin crème brulee

It was my first time really cooking with pumpkin, besides some soups that were made by faithfully following recipes. My husband said it was delicious, but it wasn’t very good. The soup was watery, the pumpkin puree was mushy, and the crème brulee had little pumpkin flavor. The only thing I did well was the filet – also the most expensive item on the menu, so at least I got that right.


From Flickr user Teo

I’ve grown since then. My last pumpkin dinner had something like 8 courses and three rave reviews (thanks, friends!). Nowadays, my annual pumpkin dinner requires about 2 months of test cooking, and a solid week of prep before the big night. I’m starting late this year, but when I finally get to it, I hope to share my annual pumpkin dinner with you. I’m still learning new techniques and my taste in foods and flavors is always changing. I get bored by following recipes, and I almost never measure (unless I’m baking, of course).

In the meantime, I’ll be trying all the tasty pumpkin treats at local restaurants and stores, and occasionally writing about my obsession with weird Halloween activities and horror-themed plays.

The Monster Cereal Trifecta is here!

With Elvira having aired her first comeback show, and this early Autumn heat wave in full swing, it’s officially Halloween Time. Every local store has been thoroughly scoured for Halloween things, and there's something new in one of my annual purchases.

The Monster Trifecta cereal has new artwork. Take a look:


It's a nice change, and a good update on classic characters (though I hope they don’t completely abandon the old artwork), and there are a few subtle hints in the new background that tell us more about our favorite monster cereals.

Notice the castle in the background of each box? It’s the same castle. This can only mean one of two things:

1) The monsters all live in the same castle. Presumably it is Count Chocula’s castle, FrankenBerry is his pet monster/roommate, and BooBerry is the ghost that inhabits their home.
2)The artists are lazy.

I’m sure the good people at General Mills would not get lazy with their artwork, so it must mean that the three monsters have been roommates all along. Or perhaps the recent housing crisis has made them consolidate expenses - haunted houses are expensive to keep up.

The Halloween season officially starts

This gorgeous, gloomy weather can only mean one thing: an imminent SoCal heat wave. It happens every year when it seems that Autumn might have finally arrived. This Saturday night I'll be cranking up the A/C, popping a big bowl of popcorn, and settling in for the return of Elvira's Movie Macabre.



Elvira, the bawdy, boob-y hostess of b-movies is kicking off the 2010 Halloween season with the classic zombie movie Night of the Living Dead. This season promises lots more good things - including a new intro from living legend Jack White.


Can we talk about how amazing she looks?

My only complaint is that the show is not DVR friendly (it's listed by the movie title, not as Elvira's Movie Macabre), so take a look at the schedule to make sure that you don't miss a minute.

Local spooky-ish stuff to do

It's springtime so there are very few entertainment options for spooky lovers like me (and you), but there are a few things worth mentioning.

Last week I attended a performance of The Miracle of Mary Mack's Baby at STAGEStheater in Fullerton.



Imagine if you will, a small west Texas town, it's a normal Friday night, M*A*S*H* playing on the T.V. Out of the dark, Texas sky falls to Earth a silver vessel, lands on the front lawn, steaming from what appears to be entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Up in the sky, a series of brilliant, shiny lights, pulsing in an almost hypnotic manner to a rhythmic, otherworldly beat. From the vessel emerges your child that went missing 6 months earlier...or is it?

Mary Mack is a hilariously weird, and highly entertaining popcorn play. It's exciting to discover a place like STAGEStheater because I know I'll be back. Some of the upcoming shows are Steel Dragnolias (a drag re-imagining of Steel Magnolias) and an entire evening of Twilight Zone episodes acted out on stage. Hopefully they'll be as entertaining as Mary Mack and the other townies from West Texas! Oh, and tickets range from $15-$18, and they charge $1-$2 for refreshments. It's a wallet-friendly evening out.


Most recently, I attended Dr. Cerberus at South Coast Repertory.



Expecting it to be another weird horror-themed performance, I was surprised to find that it was a thoughtful and somewhat painful to watch play about a young closeted boy growing up in Washington DC. The horror aspects were never fully worked into the plot as I had expected, but it was laugh out loud funny in some parts, and emotionally moving in others. I expected horror and got an awkward adolescent, but I loved it. If you're a fan of '80s family sitcoms, B-movie show hosts, gay issues, family issues, and the ignored and overweight geeks of the world, I think you'll like Dr. Cerberus. There were enough classic monster/horror movie references to know that the playwright, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is "one of us".


If you want a monthly spooky fix, why not check out GHOULA? The Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles. I haven't attended a meeting yet (curse you, traffic), but I will someday. The co-founder of the group wrote a book called Disneyland After Dark. You know I'm a fan of the House of Mouse, so I hope to get my hands on a copy soon!



Oh, and speaking of Disneyland, Halloweentown is going to be hosting a new art exhibit this summer - A Tribute to the Haunted Mansion. I can't wait! I'll be there with my checkbook (hopefully)!

The Nightmare Before St. Patrick's Day

What would happen if Jack Skellington visited St. Patrick's Day Town instead of Christmastown?

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Here's the link if that doesn't work for you.

Monsters show off their sexy sides

This commercial shows why you should never trust profile pictures, and it uses monsters to make the point. Look for Medusa, a witch, Nosferatu, Frankenstein, and an alien.



Monsters! And it's not even Halloween yet! Good job, Samsung!

Last night I dreamt...

I have always wanted to make the trip to Zombie Joe's in North Hollywood, and this weekend I finally got the chance. Urban Death: Once Upon A Nightmare is a series of nightmares that you've had, heard of, or seen in books and movies. Some are humorous, some are gross, and some are downright scary. The unpolished theater added to my panic level - the bare walls and no-frills lighting left me wondering if I was sitting in the lair of some maniac theater owner who likes to skin people and wear them as coats (I like to let my imagination run wild). Fortunately, no bodily harm was done (to me), but I have made a resolution to never to absent-mindedly undress while a madman waits in my closet.



Over the course of an hour, no words are spoken, but each cast member gets his or her moment in the blood-covered spotlight. There are nightmares for everyone packed into to the show. For me, the most poignant moment in the show was when a woman walked out dressed as an older lady in her finest clothes - a hat, a sensible dress, and a fox stole. She stood stoically at first, but sadness soon overcame her and she gently comforted herself by petting her dead accessory. As I said earlier, I like to let my imagination go, so I pictured myself in her place and thought of the saddest thing possible. Voila! My worst nightmare. Thanks, Zombie Joes...I think.



In addition to the nightmare scenarios, I also appreciated their ingenuity. With just a few props, some simple lighting, and some bare-bones costuming, they manage to put on a whole show that feels different every few minutes.

In short, the show is a fun-yet-spooky experience. I support horror-themed theater in all forms, and if you do too, I think it's worth a trip to see Once Upon A Nightmare. Call Zombie Joe's to make your reservation ahead of time. The show has been extended through March 6th.

ZJU (Zombie Joe Underground?)
4850 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 202-4120

Captain EO Tribute - Review

I said that my review of the Captain EO Tribute wouldn’t be up until next week, but yesterday I got impatient and made the trip to Disneyland.

There was no wait for Captain EO (Thanks for the tip, MouseWait!) so we walked right up, got our glasses and started watching the pre-show. The pre-show is supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look at Captain EO, but it looks more like a Hall & Oates music video crashed into an Olivia Newton John song. Cheesy, cheesy music combined with legwarmers (on the backup dancers) and bushy mustaches (George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola). It was exciting hearing the old music again, and it was nice to be back at the “Magic Eye Theater” instead of whatever it was called during Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. (I'm not a Honey fan, sorry!)



On to the show – Captain EO is still great. It is a little corny and the effects are a little rough in comparison to what we see today, but the story is simple, concise, and entertaining. I actually got a little emotional seeing Hooter, the Fuzzball, the robots Major and Minor Domo, and the two headed Muppet things Idey and Ody. I have so many memories of them as a kid! How many opportunities do you get to truly re-live your childhood favorites?

Warning: minor spoilers ahoy! Major spoilers for EO virgins.

Because the theater has been updated since Captain EO last played in 1997, they included some of the newer capabilities into the movie. During the space scenes, “lightning” and other effects flash around the room. When Hooter trumpets, the fans in front of your face blow to make you feel that he’s sneezed in your face. The most noticeable new effect though is the movement of the room. I thought that they did a really good job integrating the room movement during the space scenes – it made me feel more like I was a part of the show. But then, inexplicably, the room moved constantly during the music/dance scenes. The room was heaving up and down with every beat of the music and it was just distracting. I thought it would end rather quickly, but it just kept going throughout all of the music to the point where I started to feel a little seasick. I really thought that it detracted from the overall experience. And I believe that some of the original effects were not in this version. Maybe some of the older folks can comment on that because I was a dumb teenager the last time I saw the original show.

The story is more simplistic than I remember, and I think that’s a good thing. There’s only so much they can pack into a 15 minute movie. Basically, Captain EO and his team are on the outs with whatever organization they belong to, but they’ve been given a mission to find a beacon, find the Supreme Leader, and deliver “The Gift”. They find their beacon in space, but predictably, things go wrong, and they meet the Supreme Leader’s less-than-friendly minions. Captain EO uses his magical, music-driven abilities to turn the drone/soldier types into attractive back-up dancers. The robot turns himself into a full band, but Hooter bungles the keyboard thing and two of the more powerful soldiers approach. It looks like EO is done-for, but little Fuzzball ties the guards’ whips together and this gives EO the opportunity to transform them into backup dancers too (yeah, I told you it’s a little cheesy). The Supreme Leader is now transformed by “The Gift” into a colorful Anjelica Huston; she looks a little like the evil twin genie from I Dream Of Jeanie. Captain EO moonwalks, crotch grabs, and generally dances his way out of the castle (?) and the Supreme Leader is (presumably) better than she was when she was a scary claw monster. And the music is still good! I mean, it’s not MJ’s finest work, but I still liked the “Another Part of Me” song quite a bit. And he was so adorable at the time of filming! Like I said earlier, this was before his plastic surgery got really extreme, and before all the gross rumors of his personal life came to light.



I’m not sure how long the tribute will be around – there was no line yesterday, and there were only a few hardcore MJ fans in the audience. It seemed like most were Passholes (like me) or lucky tourists who just happened upon the Magic Eye Theater. Even if it’s just around for a few months, I’ll probably go see it again before it gets transformed back into the tired Honey, I Shrunk the Audience show. If it stays around too long, I think people will forget about it as they did the first time.

Overall, Captain EO has held up very well, and I think it's worth a trip to Disneyland for the side-trip down memory lane.