Happy Halloween! Kids Rule!

Before I post a recipe, I must tell everyone how sorry I am about what is going on on the East Coast. Our poor country. All these people without energy, electricity, communication. Water everywhere. So many lost homes and loved ones. I am so sorry. My heart goes out to everyone. My prayers are with you and your loved ones. Hopefully you can find a bright star in your future, sooner rather than later. 

For those who are not struggling, today is an almost normal Halloween. It's probably a good thing to have children enjoy the day. I have written a post directed to kids and adults who want to be kids. 

(Giveaway below...keep reading.)

Happy Halloween!

Kids rule. I love kids. I love kid food. And there's nothing like a costume. The fun. The anonymity.

Daryl's website

For those giving out candy, smile at those kids.

For those of you wishing you were the kids, dreaming about pillowcases stuffed with loot, continue to dream. Dreams are what help us go on, and on, and on.

I love pretending, creating. I think it's times like these, when kids get to put on costumes and be somebody different that help stir a child's imagination. Forever.

My son loved wearing capes. He still sees himself as a hero. And he is. [And he's safe in New York. He has electricity. We are blessed.]

He also loved picking out pumpkins. The bigger, the better.

Jack at five picking a pumpkin. Oh, the challenge!

I loved putting on all sorts of costumes, too. Princess, Indian, doctor, army man. I tried loads. And then I ended up an actress and then a writer. Go figure. :)

When I'm writing...ahem, I love candy. Chocolate, in particular. And caramels. (Bad for teeth, good for soul). But at Halloween, I love candy corn. There's something so festive about the candy. So I decided to use it in this sweet treat. Not a hard recipe. Something you can probably throw together tonight with whatever "stash" you have in the house. Melted ice cream would even work with this. It's all about sugar.

So...

Make your own party.  A kid-easy party. Ice cream sundaes with a Halloween theme.

My step-kids Craig and Jill, a number of years ago, who loved Halloween.

A Halloween Sundae

Ingredients:

Vanilla ice cream
Chocolate sauce (or your favorite sauce)
Candy corn (or your favorite small candy)
Chocolate sprinkles.

Directions:

[Look how easy this is...]

Put scoops of ice cream in a glass. Douse with chocolate sauce and candy corn. Top with sprinkles. 

Note: The candy corn got really cold very quickly -- not good for teeth.  So you might want to make sure they stay on top of the ice cream or just have them in reserve and pop one in with every bite.  :)

Of course you could remove any of those, add whipped cream, and simply enjoy...according to your own sweet tooth.  Oh, simply have whipped cream straight from the can. Anybody remember doing that?

Enjoy!

GIVEAWAY:

What is your favorite all-time Halloween treat? For one of you who comment, you will win your choice of the first three CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY series. Check back next Wednesday to see who won!

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The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series: 

TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
coming February 2013.

You can pre-order the book HERE. 

You can learn more about me, Avery, by clicking this link.

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Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013

"Like" Daryl's page on Facebook and "follow" Daryl on Twitter.

"She" doesn't say all the same things "Avery" does. Promise.

Say cheese!

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How to Make a Soul Cake + Comment to Win on a Halloween Poll from Cleo Coyle

What is a Soul Cake?

Short answer: The soul cake is the culinary antecedent to the candy treats we give out on Halloween night. Of course, this holiday, which celebrates ghosts and goblins and other scary things, makes little logical sense. I mean, really—if some denizen of the underworld were to knock on your door on a dark October night, would you chase it away by throwing candy at it?

Well, it seems the time-honored tradition requires that we do just that. About fifteen hundred years ago, Druids celebrated the fall festival of Samhain (the dying sun god), by lighting bonfires. They believed the souls of the dead returned to the physical world on Samhain eve and the fires would help ward them off. 

As Christianity spread, Samhain was turned into All Souls' Eve (Halloween) and All Souls' Day (November 1), when the faithful said prayers to honor their dead ancestors. It was during this time that a new tradition was born. On All Souls' Eve, beggars and the children of the poor went from house to house, asking for food and promising to pray for the dead souls of your ancestors in return. As the custom evolved, these “soulers” were given “soul cakes” for their trouble. Each cake eaten would represent a soul being freed from Purgatory. This practice, of giving sweet treats to those who knocked on your door on All Souls’ Eve, is thought to be one of the origins of modern Halloween trick-or-treating.

In 1891, a minister in Cheshire, England, wrote down a traditional song sung by Medieval soulers, learned from a little girl at the local school.

A soul! a soul! a soul-cake!

Please good Missis, a soul-cake!

An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry,

Any good thing to make us all merry.

One for Peter, two for Paul

Three for Him who made us all.

In 1963, Peter, Paul and Mary recorded a version of this traditional song. Here’s Sting’s (very beautiful) rendition, which he blends with the wassail song:

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CLEO COYLE'S
PUMPKIN SPICE

SOUL CAKES

Like many old recipes, soul cakes came in several variations, depending on the region and time period. Some were more like shortbread, biscuits, or scones, others more like yeasty buns. Most were packed with spices and dried fruits and topped with a cross.

Although my little soul cakes look somewhat like the historical versions, I made mine lighter, moister, and sweeter treats to eat. Instead of dry, rather mealy Medieval biscuits (or yeast buns that require rising time), my soul cakes are a cross between quick-and-easy pumpkin muffins and whoopie pies with brown sugar and plenty of fall spices for flavor. The pumpkin provides good moistness; and the combination of pumpkin and canola oil (instead of butter) creates soul cakes that are a tad healthier for you than traditional versions, while still being quite tasty for breakfast or coffee break snacks. 

May you eat them with joy...
and may God bless you! 

~ Cleo

To download this recipe in a PDF document that you can print, save, or share, CLICK HERE.

Servings: about 24 Little Cakes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

½ cup vegetable oil (I use canola) 

1 cup whole milk (use whole for added fat, better flavor and texture)

1 (15-ounce) can of pureed pumpkin (about 2 cups)

1 cup light brown sugar 

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ginger 

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

¼ teaspoon cloves 

½ teaspoon table salt (or 1 teaspoon coarse salt)

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 cup raisins and/or craisins (sweetened dried cranberries).

If you're not a fan of raisins or craisins, try chocolate chips.

NOTE: I make these little cakes in a rustic way (via a simple "drop and swirl" method on a baking sheet, more on how to do this below). If you would like a more finished looking Soul Cake for company or a bake sale, simply use a whoopie pie pan like the one shown here. Mound the dough into the pan tins, and the little cakes will spread and rise more evenly for you.

(1) One bowl mixing method: First preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Place eggs in bowl and whisk. Add oil, milk, canned pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt. Whisk until blended. Finally, add the flour and baking powder. Stir well to blend the flour into a smooth batter. (You can use an electric mixer, if you like, but do not over mix.) 

(2) Prep pan and drop: For best results, line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat the paper with non-stick cooking spray. For each cake, fill the quarter cup (1/4) container of your measure cup set and mound it onto the prepared baking sheet. (Or use a ¼-cup size cookie scoop.) Leave room between for spreading. 

(3) Swirl and decorate: Use the back of a tablespoon to swirl the mound of batter into a relatively even circle that is a little bit flatter than the mound but not too flat. (See my photos as a guide.) Using raisins and craisins (or chocolate chips), create a cross on the cake to represent the prayers that beggars and the children of the poor once offered in exchange for the treat. 

(4) Bake: Oven should be well pre-heated to 400° F. Bake about 10 – 15 minutes (depending on oven and size of your cake). Serve warm with butter or allow to cool and dust with powdered sugar if you like. 

Storage notes: Once cool, store your Pumpkin Soul Cakes in the refrigerator after wrapping each separately in plastic or wax paper. They should keep several days that way and can be reheated in about 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave.

And now for those  

Halloween Trick or Treaters!
Here's a poll for you...

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To learn about
this fun, fast-paced,
holiday-themed mystery,
 click here.


Holiday Buzz

Holiday Buzz is a culinary
mystery that includes
many delicious holiday
and cookie recipes!

For a free
Recipe Guide to Holiday Buzz
Click here.

 

Eat with 

*spirited* joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice). 

Friend me on facebook here.

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The Coffeehouse Mysteries
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murder mysteries set in a landmark

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the added bonus of recipes. 

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Good luck!

*** 

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Witches and Ghostly Wisps -- Oh My!

When I wrote The Diva Haunts the House, I immersed myself in all things spooky and ghostly. To that end, I visited a haunted sanatorium, St. Albans Psychiatric Hospital, in Radford, Virginia. My friend, Amy, who is always game for interesting adventures agreed to go with me.

My father worked in the radiology department at St. Albans when I was a child. I still have a vivid memory going there with him once. The front doors closed behind us and locked before the doors in front of us opened. That's a very eerie feeling. One that I didn't experience again until I visited someone in jail.

The hospital was abandoned some years ago. Originally built as a boys' school in 1892, it's a huge, sprawling building that sits high on a hill. From the other side of the river, it looks, or used to look, like an elegant mansion.

These days, it's downright spooky with broken windows and peeling paint. But remnants of former beauty remain -- the broad main staircase and huge moldings hint at better times for the building.

St. Albans has been the focus of a number of paranormal investigations, some of which you may have seen on television.  It even has its own Facebook page and Twitter page!  

This amazing video was taken at St. Albans by Grave Concerns Paranormal.  

Seven Hills Paranormal Society says St. Albans is the most active site they have investigated.  They specifically mention shadow people and unexplained noises.  Investigators from Seven Hills, as well as many other individuals, have reported that someone touched them when no one else was there.  Hearing voices and footsteps is not uncommon.  Assorted paranormal investigators have recorded eerie electronic voice phenomenon and have seen apparitions.

It's a little bit creepy to visit a haunted site to begin with and St. Albans certainly doesn't need any dressing up to make it scary. There are narrow stairways, and lock down wards, and plenty of stories about water that turns on and off, and people who felt someone touch them. Nurses are said to have spent their shifts sitting on the stairs at night, checking on patients only when necessary. It would be easy for someone unfamiliar with the building to get lost, which would be scary indeed.

The photo above was taken when the lights were turned off in the bowling alley. I thought for sure that if anything weird showed up in my photographs, it would be there. As you can see, there's nothing sinister.

So Amy and I drove home, sad to see the state of the old building. Neither of us heard anything odd, felt a cold entity, or were "touched" by a ghost. End of story, right?

A year later, I pulled out the photos that I took, looking for some to use. It was the first time I had viewed them full screen. Maybe we weren't as alone as we thought!

 

This is radiology. Do you see the wisp in the air at 11 o'clock?

This is the wisp enlarged. You can see that it is partly in front of the open cabinet door, so it's not a stain on the wall.

Fear not, the ghosts haven't made me forget a recipe! This frosting makes enough for witch cupcakes but if you are like my friend who thinks the cake is really only something to hold the frosting, then you might want to double the recipe.

Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)

1 cup flour
1/2 cup high quality unsweetened powdered chocolate like Pensey’s
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract




Reese's Peanut Butter Cups minis

Combine flour, powdered chocolate, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and blend well with a small whisk or a fork.

Cream butter with sugar. Add each egg and beat well. Add the flour mixture in small amounts, alternating with the milk. Beat in the vanilla.

Divide between cupcake papers, filling each about 3/4 full. Insert a Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the center of each cupcake and push down into the cupcake batter just a bit. Bake 15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.



Peanut Butter Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar



Allow butter to come to room temperature. Cream it with the peanut butter. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat until desired consistency is reached.

Witch Cupcakes

These can be made with any cupcake. I added a little bit of turmeric to the frosting to give the witches a yellowish tint, but green would be very cute, too.

I have to say that these were fun to make and very easy. If you baked the cupcakes and made the frosting ahead of time, this would be a fun project for kids. I would just set bowls of the candies on the table and let them create. I bet they would come up with spectacular witches!

Tootsie Rolls
Oreos
Green Mini M&Ms
Red Jolly Ranchers
Peel and Strip Twizzlers
Mini chocolate chips

Twist an Oreo cookie apart. Scrape off the white middle and save. Cut each cookie in half.

Roll out a Tootsie Roll. If it sticks to your cutting board, just slide a knife underneath it to loosen. Cut a triangle for the top of the hat.

Place one half of an oreo cookie about 1/3 of the way down as the brim of the hat. Place the hat above it. I bent them a little bit to add character.

Add two green mini M&Ms as eyes.

 Mold two small pieces of leftover Tootsie Roll as eyebrows. If you place them close together and slant them a little, they look menacing.

 Cut off a tiny bit of the Oreo middle and mold it into a cone for the nose.

 Cut a thin piece off a red Jolly Rancher and mold it into a frown. Add strands of Twizzler for hair, and of course, a mini chocolate chip wart.

 When I was all through, I was disappointed by my grouchy group of witches.

So I turned their frowns upside down and lifted their eyebrows. Much better! These are exactly the same cupcakes.

Witches not right for your little goblins? The instructions for my Vampire Cupcakes are over at Cozy Mystery Book Reviews.

Caramel Candy Corn Apples

by Peg Cochran

I remember when I was a kid trick-or-treating that the elderly couple down the street always gave us the biggest, most beautiful Red Delicious apple you could imagine.  Of course this was before we had to worry about sick people putting things in apples.  At the time I thought it was the biggest rip-off.  An apple?  Puleeze.  Plus they always invited us in, and we had to stand there quietly while they chatted with my mother, wasting valuable trick-or-treating time.

Now caramel apples are a different story!  I decided to try my hand at them with mixed results.  They taste great, but I’m not very artistic (or patient) so mine didn’t turn out looking like the beautiful ones you see in gourmet food stores.  But it was fun!  I decided to use candy corn on them to accent the Halloween theme along with a drizzle of chocolate.  One of the biggest stumbling blocks was keeping my husband out of the caramels before I had a chance to make these!

You'll need apples, caramels, candy corn and sticks

Ingredients:

1-14 oz bag caramels (the kids can help you unwrap them!)

3 apples

sticks for the apples

your choice of toppings

Chocolate chips

Melt about 30 caramels in a pan with a tablespoon of water over low heat.  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Submerge apples one at a time in boiling water for a couple of seconds.  Remove and dry vigorously with a towel.  (this will remove the wax coating they put on apples which would make it harder for the caramel to stick.)

When the caramel is melted, hold the apple by the stick and dip in caramel.  I found it was easiest to put the apple in the pan and then drizzle on the caramel with a spoon.  When coated, quickly roll the apple in the candy corn or your topping of choice.

I placed the apples on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Note to self, either butter the foil or spray with Pam.  The caramel STICKS and I had to wrestle them free!  Melt a handful of chocolate chips in the microwave (about 1/3 cup) and drizzle over apples. 

I found I had to warm the caramel between apples because it would harden very quickly.

Available now from Berkley Prime Crime

Available now from Berkley Prime Crime