... And finally, for those of you not sure what to give out to the neighborhood trick or treaters. I always hated the houses that gave out tootsie rolls or dum-dum suckers. They were the baby candy. I was hungry for the full size candy bars and homemade popcorn balls. Those days are long gone. We used to scout out the best neighborhoods and made the car trip to fill up our bags there. And they were not always equivalent to the wealthiest houses either. Since I live on a cross street, the bulk of kids opt to go north and south and don't make the extra trip to catch the single house on the alley. So my ground rule is to buy candy that I am fine with eating myself after. This year it is Reese's PB Cups and Butterfingers. We will see if the nicer weather brings out a crowd. But - here is a glimpse of high-end goodies. From a designer baker in England called Nevie Pie Cakes. Her wedding cakes look barely edible. These are Halloween cookies and cookie pops. The fungus toes look so real I'm not sure I would care to put one in my mouth. The painting on the bloody ears is cringe worthy. Bwahhhhh!
Jeff & I are lucky enough that I work at a theater company and scoured the shelves for a silly wig or mask. I can't really say what we are - but it will be fun and in spirit as we stay at home and hand out candy with a few lit pumpkins. For those of you still in need of a costume - a few "creative" possibilities to keep you festive and not compromise your fabulous arty self.
Here are a human Van Gogh portrait, a colorful Lichtenstein, A bunch of Picasso's and a Frida Kahlo for inspiration
I don't think a year has ever passed that I didn't carve a real jack o'lantern or decorate a real Christmas tree. Possibly a few along the way in college where priorities were other places. But it is an ingrained part of my personal traditions that I enjoy. My pumpkin carving skills have advanced the last few years with stencil designs and more intricate tools. Last year was a learning curve for both Jeff and I. My ghostly ghoul had a few odd twists and his Mona Lisa resembled Jesus Christ when lit. This year my dark Dracula face is pretty impressive when the lights go down. But... in addition to the decorative, I was flooded with a wealth of pumpkins via my farm share, so I tried to be creative in the recipe department as well. I painstakingly boiled down one and used a food processor to harvest my own puree. I made a great creme brulee with it that was easy and worth sharing.
Chef John's Pumpkin Creme Brulee Another recipe was forwarded from a friend via FB and is an oven casserole. You carve out a baking pumpkin and make a stuffing of stale bread crumbs, cubed cheese, onions, bacon and other spices or fillers. You lastly fill with 1/3 cup cream and put the top back on to slow bake for 2 hours. I think we could improve on the ingredient list, but the effort was notable and seasonal. We will try it again. Lastly - not to let a single part of the gourd go to waste, are the pumpkin seeds. This year I tried a caramelized recipe that had modest success. It roasts the seeds first and then tosses them in a burnt sugar. It is a mix of sweet and spicy and great for movie munching. I had issues with the coating actually melting and covering the seeds, but think it could be easily improved upon next effort. Pick a recipe and give it a shot. 'Tis the season.
More Halloween fun today. We usually think of witches as forces of evil and dark doings. I would reckon that most girls and quite a few boys have costumed themselves up as a witch at least once during their lifetime. But I stumbled onto this blog via Smithsonian that takes a look at retro witches. These harken back to the days of girly girls and pin-up queens from the 20's - 40's. They are coy, cutesy and hardly dangerous. I would say almost campy and short of drag - I now a few men that could model a costume off one of these vixens.
This will be the next in an ongoing stream of timely Halloween posts over the next few days. I seem to have stumbled onto a few conversation pieces that are going to be fun to share. This one is from Boing Boing and is a small video tutorial in the art of smart candy trading. Step 1 coaches on how to find the "best" trading partner. It encourages those with lactose intolerance, chocolate or peanut allergies or just plain stupidity. Step 2 sorts all treats into three categories for strategic bartering; Fruits & Sours/ Soft Filled/ Nuts & Crunchies. This step hints at eventual drug issues dependant on category of choice. Step 3 plays into organizing your stash and presenting it to make the best value of your trades. Note that raisins are the bottom of the Halloween candy trade market = saying they should be burned and then peed on. Well done.
Before Elphaba in Wicked and Voldemort in Harry Potter, there was this atrocity of Tim Curry as the Grand Wizard in a made-for-TV disaster called The Worst Witch. And I can only imagine that she is!!! It is around the time of Rocky Horror in 1986 and probably trying to capitalize on his bad boy image as Frankenfurter. It also starred Diana Rigg & Charlotte Rae. I know nothing about it other than this clip I unearthed on You Tube. But I have a feeling it's a likely highlight of this Hallow Horrrible. The lyrics are ridiculous at best. The special effects are cringe worthy by today's standards. I especially love his soaring cape and his bat bow tie. I would love to make an Oct. 31st appearance in full costume - but no one would know who I am. Best that he stays in his video grave of television mishaps and career detours.
This article was in the Sunday paper and struck me as insanely WRONG. In New Hope MN, you can plunk down $150 and take your pot shot at assassinating an actor portraying Osama Bin Laden. The stage sets up the whole Pakistan compound and lets "role players" re-enact Operation Geronimo. Body armor and a semi-automatic rifle loaded with paint balls lets you play Navy Seal as you round corners and take out cardboard mannequins of Osama's wives before ultimately honing in on a bearded figure in a back bedroom and obliterating him. After racking up the prize, participants are encouraged to snap a photo and share it on their FB page.
New local war game: Take your best shot at Bin Laden This is wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin! I have noticed the bombardment of firearms classes coming my way via Groupon and others that used to be trying to sell me BarBQ lunches and dry cleaning deals. This enterprise is the brainchild of a husband and wife team that used to work in foreign policy. There is actually a quote in the article where they say "if we just concentrate on firearms proficiency and personal safety classes, people don't show up." Gun safety and recreational hunting are one thing - but this has nothing to do with that. It pushes the boundaries from reality to fantasy. We used to worry about violent video games and the impact they had on children. This bumps it up into a whole new stratosphere. And then we wonder why we have delusional mass shootings at warehouses in NE Minneapolis and shopping malls in urban WI!!! Stop the insanity.
Tonight finds me in Kansas City and marks the end of another marching band season. I am so very lucky that this activity remains such a vital part of who I am and what I do. After all these years, I am thrilled that I still have something of significance to contribute by judging. The last few years have really broadened both my skills as an adjudicator and my network of colleagues. No longer am I comfortable just in my home Region of MN. But this year has taken me out East to PA & MD. I had opportunities in KY and even GA although it was cancelled last minute. I have been fortunate to see Sioux City, Alonga IA, Sioux Falls and now KC. It is great to rack up some travel miles and see more of the country. But I am never more excited by it all than when I can hear the drums warming up in a parking lot, smell the diesel fumes of a bus or see a color guard tossing flags into the air in unison. Have Bag, Will Travel......
For as many times as I have driven down Hwy 169 to Mankato & South, I have never stopped in to Jim's Apple Farms outside of Jordan. It is hard to miss as a huge yellow roadside barn that screams for your attention as MN's Largest Candy Store. But on my recent trip back from Sioux Falls, I was drawn to it for its great deal in the pumpkin patch and a mere bargain of $4 a jack o'lantern. Since it was Sunday and there was a swarm of a crowd, I made a note to head back when less crowded with Jeffrey in tow. I was not only overwhelmed but amazed. The candy was mind boggling. Every type of vintage childhood treat from Zots to Mary Janes to chocolate Neco wafers - not a mere shelf of them, but tables upon tables. Licorice - more than I would care to try. Chocolate - imports from every corner of the globe. Baking trinkets to impress any Top Chef. Bacon - I couldn't even begin to fathom the varieties from soda pop to bandaids.
And if that was not enough - pantries of countless types of preserves, jams, compotes..... Fresh pies out of the oven were huge and piping hot. Or in the nearby freezer to take home and bake yourself. Every imaginable type of pop including a whole wall of root beers. Party dips, fresh cider, whoopee pies, homemade fudge.... I could go on and on.
What amazed me even more was the ridiculous low prices on every item. I spent almost $100 and came out with boxes full including the cider and the pumpkins. I thought it a steal. Great people and hours of browsing. A shame that they are only open 5 mos. out of the year. I plan on heading back in Nov. to do all my holiday shopping there! Even Waylon had a dandy time playing with the gourds in the pumpkin patch.
For those that follow regularly, last month I posted a link to a sad but cute sight where owners can shame their dogs for the horrible things that only a dog will do. I found this today where it takes it a step further into video form. The dog's name is Maymo and she is apparently a lemon beagle - which I have never heard of before. Nothing she does is terribly bad or naughty. But her poor owners make light of her ridiculous habits and share with us. I find her adorable - rolling in pickles, tangled in a slinky......
I know it has been ages since postings. But Fall has been a full time for me with the new job, Marching Band gigs outstate, and a new venture into cabaret performing. But today I stumbled onto the new Pink video release. I have always been a fan, but the more I see, I am drawn to her even more. She is an artist, an athlete, an individual, a risk taker. So much there! This is the title cut from her new album TRY. It has her typical angst and drama where nothing is as easy or what it seems. And yes there is the hunky guy she is paired up with, no shirt. But when you look at the content of both the song and video - it goes deep. Relationships are about push and pull and messy in their bright colors. The choreography is stunning between the two of them and not your typical MTV flash. It is passionate and difficult. She is a master performer and I am looking forward to likely catch her spring concert here in the TC.
