Halloween

Fall happens to be my favorite time of the year. The leaves start to turn, it's cool enough to sleep with the windows open and I eagerly look forward to Halloween. We always had a great time with our kids on Halloween. I think we had more fun decorating the house, than planning their costumes. They always helped me drag the pumpkins, homemade headstones and put together scarecrow cowboy guy. We have always had a bench by the front door and every Halloween we'd pull out a pair of Jerry's old jeans, a cowboy shirt, shoes, gloves and a cowboy hat and stuff it all with newspaper. We'd sit him on the bench so it looked like someone real was sitting there. We'd use an old devil halloween mask as a face. It scared all visitors on Halloween.

The kids in the neighborhood got used to seeing our guy sitting on the bench. Most of the little ones always thought he was real. In fact, one year we had Jared sit there, posing just like the scarecrow cowboy guy, but as the kids walked away he's stand up and touch them on the shoulder. ROFL Talk about screaming kids. We actually made some of them cry. Oh well. lol

I have a new bench on the front porch, but no scarecrow guy. It's just not the same since the kids are older and live elsewhere. I put up decorations and play scary music out the window on Halloween. The neighborhood kids like our decorations. I haven't made anyone cry in Texas. Yet.

Last year, Emily brought Gabriel over to go trick or treating in our neighborhood. He looked great in his bumblebee costume.



The only bad thing of the night was as we were waving goodbye to them, I stepped on a scorpion barefooted. Talk about major pain. We ran inside and called poison control who basically told me to relax I wasn't going to die. I survived, but that first half hour was MAJORLY painful. I guess it serves me right for going barefoot on Halloween. Never again.

We also carved pumpkins last year with Gabriel. It was so wonderful.



We won't be able to do that this year, as Jason, Emily and Gabriel are staying in Abilene for Halloween. Emily will have to take lots of photos. This year, Gabriel is supposed to be Lion King. I can't wait to see the photos.

I love making Halloween goodies for Jerry and I and sitting around watching old, scary movies. I don't go for the new gore-filled horror movies. I like either Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein or something else along those lines. We don't get as many kids here in Texas as we used to get in California, but we live at the end of a long street in a cul-de-sac. I'm just glad no one buses kids to our area. lol

I've done my share of scary things on Halloween--walking through cemetaries, being in a seance room at midnight, and touring ghost towns. We had a blast doing it all.

I always say it's not the dead that worry me on Halloween, it's the living.


Mwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Here's a recipe for those brave enough to try them. They taste so yummy.

Severed Fingers Halloween Cookies

SERVES 15 , 30 cookies

Ingredients
2 tablespoons red food coloring
30 blanched almonds
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper, and set aside.

2. Place food coloring in a shallow bowl. crack each whole almond into halves. and toss them into the bowl with the food coloring and stir them until the color is evenly distributed. leave them in the bowl and stir them every so often until the color is as dark as you like.

3. Separate 1 egg. Set aside the white. In a small bowl, whisk together yolk, remaining egg, and vanilla. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add egg mixture, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic, and chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Divide the dough in half. Work with one piece at a time, keeping remaining dough covered with plastic wrap and chilled. Divide the first half into fifteen pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece back and forth with palms into finger shapes, 3 to 4 inches long. Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. Score each knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife. Transfer fingers to prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

6. When all fingers are formed, brush lightly with egg white. Position almond nails; push into dough to attach.

7. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

8. note: To make the knuckles more creepy just shape them big and uneven. To keep them from puffing out too much roll the fingers extra skinny (skinnier than you want them to look if that makes sense). I also try to get them out of the oven before they brown. I sometimes add a bit of almond extract to dough.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Severed-Fingers-Halloween-Cookies-135850