Thursday, 21 October 2021

I am the Pumpkin King!

Tonight's movie could have fit in either the Halloween or Christmas category, but since it's got a skeleton main character and a song called "This is Halloween," it felt like it fit spooky season more. Shockingly, I've never seen this one before. And it was ... weird. I'll admit, I wasn't 100% paying attention, between catching up with my friend and trying to keep track of a screaming toddler, so maybe I missed something? My favorite parts were easily all the ridiculous toys Jack dropped off as Santa and the Ghost Dog (is he getting his own spin-off? 'Cause he should). The pacing felt weird and some of the songs really dragged. We'll stick it in the category of "not really made for my taste" I guess.

The food was yummy though! Halloween Town Hummus + Chips, Jack Skellington Sliders, Sally's Candied Popcorn and Oogie Boogie Mocktails. These were all pretty easy recipes to throw together quickly, so I didn't include prep time. Ingredients are also flexible and customizable for many of these. 



Halloween Town Hummus

Ingredients

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Blue Corn Chips


Directions

  1. Break up corn chips and arrange into shape of 'spiral hill' atop hummus.
  2. Arrange remaining chips around the hummus and enjoy!

Jack Skellington Sliders

Ingredients

Mini Kaiser Rolls (or similar)

Lunch Meat

Deli Cheese

Condiments

Food Marker


Directions

  1. Use the food marker to draw Jack Skellington's face on the top of each bun.
  2. Use your favorite lunch meats, cheeses & toppings and enjoy! 

 

Sally's Candied Popcorn

Ingredients

Popcorn (can be air popped or microwave popcorn)

Chocolate Candies - blue, green + yellow (suggested: M+M's or Sixlets) 

 

Directions

  1. Pop your popcorn. If air popping, add melted butter & salt to taste.
  2. Mix in candies and enjoy! 


Alternatively, you can buy colored popcorn. I found this bag at Party City for $10.  

 

    Oogie Boogie Mocktails

    Ingredients

    Lime Sherbet or Sorbet

    Lemon-Lime Soda

    Gummy Worms (for garnish) 

    Clear Plastic Cups + Sharpie (optional)

     

    Directions

      1. Optional: Using a Sharpie, draw an "Oogie Boogie" face on the side of a clear plastic cup.
      2. Scoop sherbet or sorbet into the bottom of glass.
      3. Top with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with gummy worms (optional).

       You could easily turn this into a cocktail by adding vodka or melon liquor.


      Here's our spread:

      Halloween Town Hummus: 8 / 10

      Jack Skellington Sliders: 8 / 10

      Sally's Candied Popcorn: 4 / 10

      Oogie Boogie Mocktail: 7 / 10

       

      Tonight will be a double-feature of The Addams Family (1991), which I watched for the first time last year and loved, and Addams Family Values (1993), which I haven't seen yet. Here's to the creepy and the kooky!




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      Wednesday, 20 October 2021

      It's Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus!

      The first night of my 13 Nights of Halloween Movie Snack-a-thon conjured up a 90's classic: "Hocus Pocus." I have seen this movie WAY more times than I'd care to admit, and it still makes me smile every time. Something about that magical combination of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker tromping around modern-day Salem as 3 clueless witches just works. It was equally as fun to see my husband's reaction to the movie (apparently he's only seen small snippets here and there and never the whole movie). 

      The menu included: Dead Man's Toes for an appetizer, Witch Hat Calzones with a Blood Dipping Sauce, Peanut Butter Cup Witch's Brooms, a Sanderson Sisters Salty Margarita and Allison's Apple Cider. All and all, pretty tasty -- and not too difficult to make. Recipes are below!

      Be sure to gather all your ingredients first!


      Dead Man's Toes 

      Serves 4

      Prep Time: 5 minutes 

      Cook Time: 5 minutes

      Total Time: 10 minutes 

       

      Ingredients

      1 package Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies

      1 cup BBQ sauce

       

      Directions

      1. Drain liquid from Lit'l Smokies and place cocktail weenies and pat dry on a paper towel.
      2. Cut a "toenail" shape into the top of each cocktail weenie and place in a microwave safe dish.
      3. Add BBQ sauce & stir.
      4. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring after the first minute, until everything is heated through. Let stand for 1 minute, then serve using toothpicks.

       

      Witch Hat Calzones with 'Blood' Dipping Sauce

      Serves 4

      Prep Time: 10 minutes 

      Cook Time: 15 minutes

      Total Time: 30 minutes  

       

      Ingredients

      1 package crescent roll dough 

      1/4 cup pepperoni (plus 5-6 slices for decorating)

      1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

      2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

      2 oz ricotta cheese

      1 egg, lightly beaten

      1 tbsp water

      Italian Seasoning to taste

      Marinara Sauce (warmed)


      Directions

      1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (prevents sticking and promotes even browning).
      2. Cut pepperoni into small triangles using kitchen sheers. Set about 5-6 cut slices aside for decorating.
      3. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni in a medium bowl.
      4. Unroll crescent rolls and place four on the baking sheet.
      5. Mix egg and water in a small bowl, and brush edges of each crescent roll.
      6. Spoon approx. 1 1/2 tbsp of cheese & pepperoni mixture onto each crescent roll.
      7. Top each crescent roll with another crescent roll triangle and press edges firmly together to seal in the cheese mixture. Fold up the bottom once to make it look like the brim of a witch's hat. 
      8. Brush each calzone with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
      9. Add remaining pepperoni to the brim of each witch hat.
      10. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crescent rolls are golden brown.
      11. Serve with warmed marinara sauce.

       

      Peanut Butter Cup Witch's Brooms

      Prep Time: 5 minutes 

      Cook Time: 0 minutes

      Total Time: 5 minutes 

       

      Ingredients

      Pretzel Sticks

      Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups


      Directions 

      1. Unwrap mini peanut butter cups.
      2. Gently insert pretzel stick into base of each peanut butter cup. Enjoy!


      Sanderson Sisters Salty Margarita

      Ingredients

      2 oz  tequila

      1 oz triple sec

      1 oz lime vodka

      Lime

      Colored Salt


      Directions

      1. Slice lime and rub it around the rim of a margarita glass.
      2. Dip edge of glass into colored salt. I wanted to use black, but couldn't find it, so ended up using orange instead.
      3. Mix tequila, triple sec and vodka in a cocktail shaker with ice. 
      4. Pour and enjoy! I also added edible glitter, which you couldn't see as well as I wanted, but was still fun. 


      Allison's Apple Cider


      I feel like this one's kinda self explanatory.

      We garnished with a thin slice of apple and sprinkle of cinnamon for fun.


        Here's our final spread!


        Dead Man's Toes: 9 / 10

        Witch Hat Calzones 7 / 10

        PB + Pretzel Broomsticks: 7 / 10

        Salty Margaritas: 8 / 10


        Wednesday night's movie is one I haven't seen before: Nightmare Before Christmas. I know this one is kinda Halloween / kinda Christmas, but it felt spooky enough to fit this marathon.



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        Monday, 18 October 2021

        13 Nights of Halloween Movie Snack-a-thon

        Once again this year, we are forgoing our Halloween Party for safety reasons (although we hope to be back bigger & better than ever next year!), but once again, I am channeling my ridiculous energy and love of Halloween into a 13-night movie and food extravaganza.

        I tried to include a mix of family-friendly films, and some more adult ones. I'm not a huge fan of horror movies, so they're mostly comedies or lighter-hearted spooky movies. There are some repeats from last year, as well as some new ones. Let me know in the comments which ones I should tackle next year!

        I'll be posting full recipes here each night. My planned schedule is below, along with menu cards for each movie. If you'd like to join for a watch party, let me know which night(s) you'd like to join. Or you can do watch these on your own ... if you dare. 👻


        Tuesday, October 19th: Hocus Pocus (1993) 

        Wednesday, October 20th: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

        Thursday, October 21st: Double Feature: The Addams Family (1991) + Addams Family Values (1993)

        Friday, October 22nd: Young Frankenstein (1974)

        Saturday, October 23rd: Sleepy Hollow (1999)

        Sunday, October 24th: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

        Monday, October 25th: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

        Tuesday, October 26th: Beetlejuice (1988)

        Wednesday, October 27th: Clue (1985)

        Thursday, October 28th: Double Feature: Monsters, Inc. (2001) + Monsters University (2014)

        Friday, October 29th: Knives Out (2019)

        Saturday, October 30th: Coraline (2009)

        Sunday, October 31st: Double Feature: Ghostbusters (1984) + Ghostbusters (2016)


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        Saturday, 5 December 2020

        Holiday Movie Marathon

        Just like at Halloween-time, it's looking increasingly likely that the Holidays won't be the same as in years past. And while I will miss getting together in person with friends and family around warm fireplaces, unwrapping presents and sipping cocoa (or wine), I'm doing my best to start new traditions and make the best of a tough situation. So, just like at Halloween, I'll be doing a Movie Marathon, complete with themed snacks and drinks.

        I've learned (somewhat) from my first experience, and went for simpler recipes this time, and I even cut down on the number of movies (from 13 to 12...) The list includes many I've seen (or watch every year), as well as some that I've somehow missed. Narrowing down the list was near impossible and there are several classics (old & new) I know I'm missing, but perhaps that can be saved for next year's marathon (I put a few of them at the bottom of the post if you're curious what just missed the cut).

        I also picked up a "12 Daze of Xmas" beer pack from local brewery, 3 Heads Brewing, and did my best to pair their brews with the movies I had picked out. Some matched up better than others, but either way, I'll enjoy the brews!

        Feel free to join along for the merriment!


        Friday, Dec. 11th: Double Feature: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 & 2000) (Freeform, Netflix)

        Saturday, Dec. 12th: Double Feature: A Muppet Christmas Carol & Mickey’s Christmas Carol (Disney+)


        Sunday, Dec. 13th: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Live on PBS at 7:30pm)
        Monday, Dec. 14th: National Lampoon's Christmas (Amazon Prime or Freeform)
        Tuesday, December 15th: The Santa Clause (Disney+)

        Wednesday, December 16th: The Polar Express (Amazon Prime or Freeform)
        Thursday, December 17th: Miracle on 34th Street (1974 or 1994) (Disney+)
        Friday, December 18th: Elf (Hulu)
        Saturday, December 19th: Double Feature: Home Alone & Home Alone 2 (Disney+)

        • Snacks
          • Large Cheese Pizza - ordering Takeout
          • Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
          • Ice Cream Sundae
        • Drinks
        Sunday, December 20th: Double Feature: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Frosty the Snowman (Freeform)

        Monday, December 21st: A Christmas Story (Hulu)

        Tuesday, December 22nd: It's a Wonderful Life (Amazon Prime)

        And as promised, here are a few that narrowly missed the cut (like I said, narrowing it down was hard!). We'll save these for next year!
        • Die Hard
        • Scrooged
        • White Christmas
        • Klaus
        • Arthur Christmas
        • The Man Who Invented Christmas
        • Krampus
        • Gremlins
        • The Nightmare Before Christmas (too Halloween-y?)
        • Planes, Trains & Automobiles (I know, more Thanksgiving than Christmas, but still)

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        Monday, 12 October 2020

        Halloween Movie Marathon Fun

        Quarantine has taught us all things. Many have learned to cook. Others have tried bringing TV shows & movies to pass the time. Others have had an extra cocktail (or two) to deal with the added stress (who wouldn't?) This Halloween, when we can't celebrate with a big costume party, I'm embracing what quarantine has taught me and making the best of this general hellscape of a year.


        For 13 nights, I'm going to attempt to watch a Halloween movie, complete with a movie-themed snack and drink. Initially, I thought I'd only tackle one or two, but there are just too many good Halloween / spooky movies out there. I know the list is missing some classics (when I came up with the original list, there were 30-some-odd movies), but there aren't enough days left in October. Plus, with a new baby, 13 is probably crazy enough.

        For my list, I stuck to some tried-and-true classics, some newer or (slightly) more obscure films, and some that, surprisingly, I just haven't seen yet. I steered clear of horror and slasher flicks (just not my thing) and tried to include a range of ratings.

        So, if you want to join along on this crazy adventure for one, two or all of the nights, below is the schedule I'm planning on sticking to, along with snack recipes & drink recipes. Most of the drinks are all non-alcoholic, but can easily be turned from mocktails into cocktails. I'll be posting on Instagram and Twitter (possibly live-tweeting, we'll see), and may even host some watch parties if enough people are interested. Stay tuned & stay spooky!


        Monday, October 19th - Hocus Pocus (1993) - PG

        Tuesday, October 20th - Ghostbusters (1984) - PG

        Wednesday, October 21st - Monster's, Inc. (2001) - G

        Thursday, October 22nd - The Addams Family (1991) - PG-13
        • Streaming: Netflix
        • Snacks:
        • Drinks:
          • Uncle Fester's Electric Shock
            • 4 oz Mountain Dew
            • 2 oz Sprite
            • Splash of lime juice
            • Garnish: lime wedge, pink Pop Rocks
          • The Morticia Addams
            • 7 oz cranberry juice
            • 1.5 oz black Vodka
            • Garnish: Maraschino Cherries
        Friday, October 23rd - Clue (1985) - PG
        • Streaming: Amazon Prime
        • Snacks: 
        • Drinks:
          • Miss Scarlet Spiced Cranberry
            • 4 oz cranberry juice
            • 2 oz ginger ale
            • Garnish: fresh cranberries
          • Professor Plum Punch
            • 4 oz grape juice
            • 2 oz lemon-lime soda
            • Garnish: lemon slices

        Saturday, October 24th - Casper (1995) - PG

        Sunday, October 25th - Scooby-Doo (2002) - PG
        • YouTube (rent: $3.99)
        • Snacks:
        • Drink: Great Dane Cocktail
          • 2 oz gin
          • 1 oz cherry brandy
          • 1/2 oz dry vermouth
          • 1 tsp kirsch
        • Drink: Little Hug Fruit Barrels

        Monday, October 26th - Young Frankenstein (1974) - PG
        • Streaming: Amazon Prime or Hulu (with free 7-day STARZ trial)
        • Snacks:
          • Puttin' on the Ritz Crackers & Cheese - exactly what it sounds like
          • Franken-guac
        • Drinks
          • Frankenstein's Monster's Mocktail
            • 4 oz lemon-lime soda
            • 2 oz Torani green apple syrup
            • Splash of cherry juice
            • Garnish: Maraschino cherry
          • Franken-wine - pour your favorite wine & enjoy

        Tuesday, October 27th - Shaun of the Dead (2004) - R
        • Streaming: Amazon Prime or Hulu (with free 7-day Cinemax trial)
        • Snacks:
        • Drinks:
          • Zombie Mocktail
            • 4 oz pineapple juice
            • 2 oz lime juice
            • 1 tbsp grenadine
            • Garnish: lime wedge & maraschino cherry
          • Pint from the Winchester - grab your favorite beer, head to the Winchester and wait for this all to blow over


        Wednesday, October 28th - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - PG
        • Streaming: Peacock TV (free)
        • Snacks:
        • Drinks:
          • Butterbeer (Hot)
            • 1 cup apple cider (warmed)
            • 2 tbsp caramel sauce
            • 2 tsp cinnamon
            • Garnish: whipped cream & more caramel sauce
          • Butterbeer (Cold)
            • 8 oz cream soda
            • 2 tbsp caramel sauce
          • Pumpkin Juice
            • 1 cup pumpkin puree
            • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
            • 1 tbsp maple syrup
            • 1 quart apple juice

        Thursday, October 29th - Knives Out (2019) - PG-13

        Friday, October 30th - Beetlejuice (1988) - PG
        • YouTube (rent $3.99)
        • Snacks
        • Drink:
          • Beetlejuice
            • 1 oz sweet & sour mix
            • 2 oz limeade
            • 2 oz lemon-lime soda
            • Garnish: maraschino cherry

        Saturday, October 31st - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) - G

        Let's get spooky!



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