A Fangtastic Night

Good evening Ghouls & Goblins!

The Halloween party was a success, from snacks to pumpkin carving & conversation around the bonfire. The costumes were all so fun, we had an Austin Powers, a Snooki, & a tiny Spider-man. Gabe & I were Little Red Riding Hood & The Huntsman. What have you guys been up to this Halloweekend?

The evening started off a little rough, to be honest. It began raining unexpectedly which was frustrating b/c I had been monitoring the weather all week & half the party would be outside. Thanfully,it cleared up just enough for us to build a bonfire & carve some pumpkins. Pumpkin carving was an event, only half of us brought pumpkins but we all helped each other carve! Very goofy. I loved it. By the time the party was in full swing the rain had stopped. The playlist seemed to be a hit, I'll share it here: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2sVde5xFdHhCFO5zjcyDMz?si=62dfa87e14c34007). The snacks did not last through the party, I'll share those recipes below! Decorations were simple but festive, paper bats & balloons & mini pumpkins that I carved to play beer pong out of & festive napkins & I hung up my old Ghostface costume in the bathroom to scare the guests.

The crowd favorite snack was the Mummied Jalapeno's:

1. 8-12 washed jalapenos that are sliced in half & deseeded

2. Shred cheese of your choice (I decided on a sharp cheddar b/c even though I love spice, I didn't know how everyone could handle spice) & fill in the jalapeno with the cheese.

3. Slice the croissant rolls (I used store bought b/c obvious reasons) into stripes & wrap the jalapenos & cheese with them. I believe it was two or three stripes per each pepper.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees & bake them for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted & the croissant is golden brown.

A super simple & fun snack, add candied eyeballs for fun!

Another crowd favorite, Tajin & Garlic Popcorn:

1. Pop your choice of popcorn (I used self-popping popcorn b/c I can't eat regular dairy butter)

2. Melt your choice of butter (again, I use dairy-free butter)

3. In a large bowl toss the popcorn with the butter, salt, garlic powder, & tajin. All to taste but I suggest doing less salt than garlic & tajin.

Again, super simple & super good!

Last recipe I'd like to share is one I didn't do but wish I would have instead of the chocolate bark I made (it ended up melting & being a bit mess) Wedge Bites:

1. Slice & core your choice of apples (I used granny smith b/c of how sweet this is gonna get)

2. Melt your choice of chocolate & dip half of apples in it. Place the apple slices on parchment paper & allow to sit in the fridge to harden.

3. While the apples & chocolate is hardening, make peanut butter drizzle. To make PB drizzle mix your choice of PB (I used chunky) with powder sugar & milk (I used oat). I'd share the actual ratios but I ended up changing them as I was making the drizzle for the bark so it's better to wing it imo.

4. Break up a few salted pretzels (sourdough ones work them best) & remove them apples from the fridge.

5. Drizzle the pretzels on the apples & drizzle the PB on top, cool them again in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes before servicing.

6. Sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles!

Again, simple & easy. I'm not sure why I didn't end up doing this instead of the bark but it would have been better.

Anyways, those were the crowd favorites! Those & I made the cider from my last post, with mulled spices & fireball, that didn't last long! It's a good warm drink that is served chilled, great with popcorn & outside by the fire.

Here is a little photo of mine & Gabe's pumpkin! I didn't actually take any pictures of the party like I normally would & I'm not upset about it. I was so focused on enjoying my friends, snacking while hanging out by the fire, laughing at all the festive goofiness, & dancing the night away with Gabe. He's the light to my Jack-O-Lantern. He was so sweet & a big help with the party, so patient with me & supportive of the party planning. Planning & hosting parties tend to stress me out a bit, though I love it, but with him being there has been so helpful. Just him hanging out & running the errands with me has been enough to take away the normal stress.

Anyways, I hope you all have the best Halloweekend & were safe. I do plan on making another post tomorrow on Halloween & talking about my spiritual connection with it, the rituals, & such like that. Education is power, afterall.

Until Next Time,

Haunted Lore