Saturday, October 30, 2010

Tricks and Treats

I've been working on THE DIVA HAUNTS A HOUSE. Hmm, you didn't guess that it takes place at Halloween, did you?

There are so many fun recipes for Halloween. One of my favorites in THE DIVA HAUNTS A HOUSE is Chicken Scaryaki. But don't look for it just yet. It won't be out until next fall!


In the meantime, you can have fun playing with Hard-Boiled Monster Eyeballs. If you're a Southwestern food fanatic, substitute sour cream for the mayo, lime for the lemon, and add a dash or two of cumin.

They passed muster with my adult tasters. Mileage with children will depend on fussiness about certain ingredients. The good news is that they can be made earlier in the day. They still looked fairly good about six hours later.


Hard-Boiled Monster Eyeballs

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 an avocado
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon lemon
3/4 teaspoon mustard (I used horseradish mustard)
1/2 teaspoon salt (really to taste, start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more if necessary)
3-4 olives (black or green, whatever you like)

1 drop ketchup
1 drop light corn syrup

Slice the eggs in half. Puree the egg yolks with the avocado, lemon, mustard, salt, and mayonnaise. Spoon into egg whites and smooth with your finger. Place a slice of olive in the middle of each.

Mix the ketchup with the corn syrup. Use a toothpick to draw lines on the "eyeballs." If you squiggle the lines, they'll look like blood, if you make them straight and uniform, they'll look like eyelashes, which might be less scary for very small children.




After all that hard work handing out candy, you might find that you need a little treat. (How cool is this picture? Why are black and white pictures scarier than color ones?) So I'm including two drinks to try. Make Julie's Bloody Shirley for the kids, but try a Green Ghoul or Night Rider Cider for the adults. The Green Ghoul is a spooky lime color, but quite sweet and fruity. Night Rider Cider packs a little kick. It's less sweet, but very refreshing. In the mood to play a trick? Peel a grape "eyeball" and drop it in the Night Rider Cider. It will disappear at the bottom of the drink and won't be visible until your victim has consumed nearly all of his drink. Bwahahahaha! Oh! And don't miss Cleo's Ghostly Car Ad, just scroll down a bit. Hehehehehe.



Green Ghoul

Ginger Ale
Hypnotiq Liqueur
Cointreau

Pour a cup of Ginger Ale into a wineglass. Add two ounces of Hypotiq and one ounce of Cointreau. Stir and enjoy!


Night Rider Cider

Apple Cider
Goldschlager Cinnamon Schnapps Liqueur
Green Apple Vodka
grapes (optional)

Pour cold Apple Cider into an average size martini glass. Add one ounce of Goldschlager and one ounce of Green Apple Vodka. Stir and drop in one peeled grape.





Happy Halloween!


13 comments:

  1. This post is so much fun. Love the photos and the drinks are a spooky good time. THE DIVA HAUNTS A HOUSE is a fantastic title, too. I'm already looking forward to reading it -- and making Scaryaki, lol! (Your lucky THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE is coming out in just one month so we don't have to wait a whole year for a new KD book.)

    ~ Cleo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those eggs look great, and sound tasty as well.

    Glad to hear there is another DIVA book underway. I'm also glad that it has a holiday theme. I love it when authors have books that center around holidays. I LOVE seasonal reading.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love what can be done with old standbys such as deviled eggs.

    Yeah on another Diva book coming next year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Juju! It was fun to set up.

    Cleo, thanks for mentioning THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE. It's coming soon!

    Pattie, sometimes I think I shouldn't write so many seasonal books, but they do lend themselves to diva activities.

    Dru, I'm amazed, too. The funny thing is that those classics are still in demand. I guess that kind of staying power proves how tasty they are.

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  5. I bet the avocado makes these really good. I could do without them looking like eye, though, LOL! The drinks sound yummy too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Janel, the avocado adds a little surprise in the flavor. It makes them such a nice green. LOL!

    I have to admit to trying out the drinks. The things we do for this blog! The Green Ghoul packs a punch. Very fruity and pleasant, but there's quite a bit of liqueur in it. The Night Rider Cider isn't quite as strong, but I love that seasonal cider taste.

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, Krista, I *love* these recipes. Makes me wish I was hosting a party here tonight. What wonderful pictures, too. You really captured the Halloween spirit! You know, I may make the deviled eggs just for us. We do love them here, and what a fun variation! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the scary eggs! And the temptation of Scaryaki...oooh, can't wait for that book, but don't you have another book coming out soon??? As in December? Do we get a peek at those recipes before long?

    ~Avery

    ReplyDelete
  9. Julie, Monster Eyeballs are fun and easy. A great way to add a little bit of festivity, even if it's just for family.

    Avery, I *do* have another book coming very soon. THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE will be released in 37 days and 31 hours -- but who's counting? ; ) There's a recipe in it for Cinnamon Buns that can be made with a bread machine, frozen, and baked when you need them. I've tried them out on visiting friends and they always disappear fast!

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree with Pattie. I love holiday cozy mysteries, especially those set in the fall & winter--they make being stuck inside much more interesting!

    Hooray for THE DIVA HAUNTS A HOUSE!!! I have to wait a year? How? HOW?

    I'll pre-order THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE so I'm sure to have it as soon as I can.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for pre-ordering THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE, Janet! I hope you love it. I know it seems like a long time before Halloween rolls around again, but I'm always amazed by just how fast the time between books passes.

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh, those eyes look excellent (I avoided the pun that was just begging to be typed)

    The drinks look fab, but I work the next day, so I will stick with my boring caff free diet Pepsi with my pizza.....

    ReplyDelete