Miscellaneous Wednesdays: A Vintage Halloween

A friend of mine sent me this link a little while back.  I find it fascinating how much simpler costumes are just that much more terrifying!  I do wish, however, that I had a little more information on these photos.  If anyone can tell me something about them, especially the year, that would be great!

Enjoy ;)

Make Me Something Sundays: Samhain Sweet Potatoes in a Pumpkin Shell

Another gem from my friend, Madame Defarge!

"When working with pumpkins and gourds , talk to the child(ren) about the things that happen at Samhain. The task of cooking or handicrafting with seasonal items will be forever imbued with the qualities you evoke in these lessons.

Recipes are a dime a dozen and some are just too awful for today's palate but here's a nifty seasonal yummy which kids will love as well as adults. It's decadent and rich and very pumpkiny!"

Samhain Sweet Potatoes in a Pumpkin Shell 

2 quart sized pumpkin
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans 
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup brown sugar 
3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (or canned yams)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk 
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup melted butter 
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini marshmallows (optional and not to my liking but what the heck)

1. Combine potatoes, sugar, vanilla, coconut, spices, flour and pecans. 
2. Mix well. Cut the top of the pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds and fibre. 
3. Fill the hollowed pumpkin with the potato mixture. 
4. Mix the butter, milk, and eggs together. Sprinkle over the top of the potato mixture. 
5. Place the filled pumpkin in a large baking dish. 
6. Replace the pumpkin top. Bake at 375 degrees (F) for forty-five minutes. (45 min) 
7. Remove the lid and place the mini marshmallows on top (if used). Bake until the marshmallows are melted and turning golden. Allow pumpkin to cool for 10 minutes before serving directly from the shell.

Make Me Something Sundays: Pan de los Muertos

Today's recipe comes from a very good friend of mine, who also happens to be an extreme Halloween-ist!

"A page taken directly from my southern California roots when the Hispanic communities celebrated the DAY OF THE DEAD ; a time to remember family members who have passed on. One of the most important Mexican holidays, DIA DE LAS MUERTOS usually begins with a candlelight procession to the cemetery, a picnic on the grave, and the decoration of an alter to the departed. Gifts of food and flowers are left on the grave. These celebrations were magnificent, colorful, thought-provoking …….I found the whole thing quite moving.

"Pan de Muertos is a bread honoring and acknowledging the departed (also eaten by the living), usually set on an altar or if possible at a gravestone as a symbolic and yes, practical gesture of sharing a meal. For practicing pagans this food offering fits our Samhain observations so adding a bit of Pan de Muertos to the occasion makes sense!"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon anise seed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 4 additional cups of all-purpose flour (approximately)

*The ANISE is a key component. I've seen this bread made with the seeds and also with the anise flavoring. The seeds really do make the recipe so avoid taking the easy way out by using an artificial anise flavoring!**

Directions:

Scald the milk, then add in the butter and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 ½ cups of flour with the yeast, salt, anise, and sugar. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Slowly add the milk mix to the egg mix, beating constantly. Then beat the egg mix into the flour mix. Add additional flour 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Once a soft dough forms, knead for 10 minutes. Oil the surface of the dough, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled (about 1 ½ hours). Punch down and form the dough into a ball on a baking sheet. It is traditional to shape the dough with a knob on the top and with bone-like ribbons criss-crossing over. If you are doing this, it is to be done at this time. Let the dough rise again, covered, for about 45 minutes to an hour. Bake at 350º F for 40 minutes.

If you'd like to glaze the loaf with a traditional orange glaze, just boil 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of orange juice until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Brush it on the bread while it's still warm.

Thank you, 'Madame Defarge', for your amazing recipe! I plan on trying this very soon. I'll post pictures of what comes out of it!