Saturday, October 18, 2008

Halloween Party and a Giveaway!

Hello and welcome to everyone visiting for the party!
Thank you Vanessa for hosting!
(I just found out about this party earlier this week, so I'm kind of bummed I didn't have time for a few things I wanted to do.. But I'll post them eventually if they work out right!)

I have some fun photos I took last night at a Halloween event, a few recipes and a giveaway.. hope you find something interesting!!

We had a great time last night at Greenfield Village. The dinner at the tavern was pretty amazing.. we ate by candlelight while a fiddler walked around and played music.

And then when we finished dinner, we went out into the night..
We found a bride still waiting for her beloved, he's been dead a long, long time..

We found a haunted mill.. Watch out! There's a black cat!
At Sleepy Hollow we spotted the headless horseman! Spooky!
Late last night I heard cackling outside.. I looked out to see a witch flying by!! :)

And did you all know I grew up in a haunted house? It's true, but it was only my great grandfather and grandmother, so we were family! :) But toys used to start up all by themselves, we'd feel a tapping on our shoulder only to find no one there, cups would fall out of cupboards, our cat would totally freak sometimes and hiss and hide, and we'd hear their dog barking and a man talking on the porch. Well..even if they were family, it was pretty scary when I was little!

How about some recipes?..

pumpkin torte
2 c crushed graham crackers
1/3 c sugar
½ c melted butter
2 eggs
¾ c sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c pumpkin
3 egg yolks (save whites)
½ tsp salt
½ c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ c milk
1 envelope plain gelatin
¼ c cold water
3 egg whites
¼ c sugar

-Mix crushed graham crackers, 1/3 c sugar and melted butter. Line a 9x13 pan with mixture.
-Beat 2 eggs, ¾ c sugar and cream cheese. Spread on top of graham cracker mixture. Bake 2 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.
-Combine pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, salt, ½ c sugar, cinnamon and milk. Cook until thick.
-Mix gelatin and water. Add to pumpkin mixture. Let cool.
-Beat 3 egg whites and ¼ c sugar until stiff. Fold into cold pumpkin mixture. Pour over cooled crust.

Note: Be careful if you're using a pie pumpkin.. one Thanksgiving my dad was cutting the pumpkin up for my mom for this recipe and he cut his hand and had to get stitches! Not fun!

popcorn balls
(I got this one from Martha)

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
10 oz. bag mini marshmallows
¼ cup brown sugar
3 quarts popcorn
1 cup m&m’s

In a large pot, melt butter. Add marshmallows and sugar. Allow marshmallows to melt. Add popcorn and m&m’s and mix. Make balls from the mixture. (Butter your hands first so they don’t stick to all of that marshmallow goo)


apple pumpkin pie
From Mrs. Gardiner’s Receipts, 1763
3 cups pie pumpkin
3 cups apples
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
Pie crust

Peel pie pumpkin. Cut off seedy parts, and cut pumpkin into slices. Peel and core apples; cut into slices. Place bottom crust in 9” pie plate. Sprinkle ¼ cup of sugar over pie crust. Layer apples, pumpkin, and sugar in pie crust until full. Dot filling with butter, and cover with top crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Note: You can find a great recipe for pie crust here.


And my first giveaway!
A fun Martha Stewart banner, a wooden skeleton ready to be decorated, orange hot chocolate, lip balm, bookmarks, vintage stickers and seals and, (something practical!) one of my many lunch bag prototypes that will very soon hit the shop. Oh and a cute little orange drawstring bag that I stamped a bat onto. :)
Leave a comment by 8pm est Monday, Oct 20th and I'll pick a number at random. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday!

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the recipes and what a nice giveaway! A great day for a Halloween party!

Ana Balbinot said...

Wow, and double wow!!! What a nice party you prepare! I love it! And thanks for your comments and visit at my blog!
Happy Halloween from Brazil

Emily Anne Leyland said...

Awesome!! Where was all of that. I wish we had cool stuff like that here *sigh* I seem to be the only nerd into Halloween. Love this post.
I totally wanna win the draw ;)

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

That sounds like fun!!! I love a giveaway!

Lola Enchanted said...

Hello! What a fantastic party!!! Lovely give~away! Do be sure and enter my give away too!!!


Happy Halloween!

3rdEyeMuse said...

what a wickedly fun post - those recipes sund really yummy. :)

Anonymous said...

Great party! I loved all the photos...that was a fun dinner/walk you had last night. Thanks for sharing!
And now...I'm thinking I need to make some popcorn balls! That's something we don't have at our party, but c'mon over...there may be some candy apples left! :o)

AwtemNymf said...

I'm Blog Hopping from Vanessa's "A Fanciful Twist" Party <{:O)
Oh- please enter my name in the give-away! Ya know- you didn't need to get anything more.... your Party post is wonderful! That dinner looks like a lot of spooky fun! This is one of the best blogs I've visited!
Stop by my place too... I'm having a couple of give-aways!
Have a bootiful day!
Be Enchanted!
~A~

Erica Herbert said...

fun party! GREAT photos!
BOO to yOU!
e

Kari said...

What great pics. Looks like fun. I enjoyed visiting your spooky post. Please put my name in the witches hat.
Happy Halloween!
Kari

Elizabeth said...

Thank you for the wonderful recipes. I'm making those popcorn balls tomorrow!!
Happy Halloween!
Elizabeth

Amy said...

Your dinner looks like it was alot of fun!
Your blog looks fun, I'll have to check out more of it later!

Anonymous said...

What yummy popcorn balls you made!
Thankyou for the wonderful recipes tooo!!!
Bootiful tea party:)

kayellen

calamity kim said...

Did you make the pie? I wonder about the fresh pumpkin- I did that one time and it just turned to water pie! That was scary, come to think of it! LOL! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love that little mouse you have holding the book on Etsy! I might just have to have that! She looks like a mouse that would live at Holly Hobbies house!
Happy Halloween! Watch out for that headless horseman! He might just spirit you away!
The ghosts sound scary too! Did your parents sell the house? are they still there? Thats wild!
I think I might have cried! yikes!anyway! Happy Fall!
xxxooo
calamity kim

Cindy said...

Great photo's! And love the recipes too!

c

Anonymous said...

Love the Halloween pictures you have there! And I loveeee Sleepy Hollow and Johnny Depp! =P This party is really rocking it!! =D Thanks for sharing your wonderful Halloween story on your blog =)

Sulz

Anonymous said...

What a great Party!...Wonderful Give-a-way!..Happy Halloween!...

Thanks!

Laume said...

What a lot of goodies at your party post. That dinner at the tavern sounds like a lot of fun!

NyteRayn said...

I was just hanging out over at a Fanciful Twist’s party and I thought I’d check out your blog! Thanks for the recipes!!

You can call me Betty, or Bethany, or Beth ...Just don't call me late for dinner. said...

The Tour was great. I wish we had as much "spirit" in our neighborhood!

*~TWo PiXie DoLLs~* said...

It was a wonderful party indeed. :D
And that giveaway looks so fabulous!

Visit my magical world..

http://twopixiedolls.blogspot.com
toopixiedolls@yahoo.com

xoxo
~K

Anonymous said...

Goodness - what a spOOky life you've lead!! Thank you for the recipes!

Witchy Blessings,
Kelley

Sandra Evertson said...

The photo with the witch and the moon, Amazing!
Happy Halloween!
Sandra

Unknown said...

ohoh I see the ME (the artist known as Mary) I love the colors too. I am parshal to them for being an October baby myself I always had a halloween theme b-day. Yet living in the S.F. area as a kid people just thought I was a huge S.F. Giant (baseball) fan with all of my black and orange. How I can already taste of the coco now.
Happy Halloween.
Katrina in AZ

http://afancifultwist.typepad.com said...

So much goodnessss!! I copied all your recipes!! i can't wait to make them, I just love baking in Autumn!!

You are so much fun, thank you for that!! Great giveaway!! Cackle Cackle!!

bionic said...

ME ME ME...PICK ME!!! =)

Anonymous said...

Spooktacular party!! Love the Sleepy Hollow photos....so fun!

Please enter my name into your lovely drawing. Thank you!

~Michele :)
frogshell@mac.com

lori said...

Uhh...yeah, I thinking being haunted by anyone, even loved ones, would be pretty creepy.

Thanks for sharing the recipes.

xx

ittybittyandpretty said...

i am still partying... it is hard when my day is your night and i have to work blah blah blah. anyhow great post and great recipes. visit me if you dare. xx rosey

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Awesome photos! I LOVE the Headless Horseman. One of my favorite stories and subjects.

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed my visit to your lovely party - Hope you have a Happy Halloween.