The lights are very low....candles are lit throughout the house...candles of all shapes and sizes. On an end table is a bucket filled with water, with floating apple candles. The coffee table is covered in black and adorned with orange candles and orange cocktail napkins with black bats.
Our main table setting tonight is an orange tablecloth with a black woven spider web overlay cloth. These are readily available in most party stores. We're going to use sturdy orange, plastic plates.
Patty has taken mini pumpkins and topped them with tiny black silk roses. There is one at each one's place, along with a tiny 2 inch jack-o-lantern candle. I overlaid an orange napkin over a black one, grabbed from the center, fluted them, then tied with orange ribbon. I have 2 small pumpkin candle holders, that I will use black candles with. For my centerpiece, Patty has taken a medium size pumpkin, removed the stem and adorned the top with colorful autumn leaves and black roses. Spooktacular! Now...what's for dinner?

Bloody Mary

Most everyone has their own Bloody Mary Recipe. In our house, we like to use Spicy V-8, it seems to have everything you need for a hot Bloody Mary. Here’s a tasty interesting variation on the drink that you might like to try.

Salt the rim of a tall glass
1 oz. Tequila gold
6 oz. of Spicy V-8 or Bloody Mary mix

ice

The Tequila gives it a nice flavor. This is called a Bloody Matador. If you enjoy Vodka Bloody Marys, try salting the rim of your glass with celery salt. This also enhances the flavor of the drink. Just remember…if you’re driving…make yours a Virgin Mary…leave out the alcohol. We don’t want you running into the headless horseman out there!

Now there are tropical blended juices available in your supermarket that will make great mixers for a Zombie, especially those that contain passion fruit juice. Serve up in a tall glass with a jigger of dark rum. That’s the delicious, easy way. For those of you who are purists, here is the traditional recipe.

Zombie

1 oz Unsweetened Pineapple Juice

Juice of 1 Lime

Juice of 1 Small Orange

1 tsp. Powdered Sugar

1/2 oz Apricot-flavored Brandy

2 1/2 oz Light Rum

1 oz Jamaica Rum

1 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (optional)

1/2 oz 151-proof Rum

Blend all ingredients at low speed for 1 minute with 1/2 cup crushed ice. Strain into frosted highball glass. Decorate with a stick of pineapple and one green and one red cherry. Carefully float 151-proof rum and then top with sprig of fresh mint dipped in powdered sugar. Serve with a straw.

Bats Outta Hell

These are simply hot wings or buffalo wings. I buy these already prepared, from the frozen food section or the meat section of my supermarket. There are several leading chicken companies that make hot wings. Just heat and serve

Deviled Eggs

12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. dijonnaise

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

Dill Weed (optional)

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks. With fork, mash yolks; add mayonnaise, dijonnaise, salt and pepper. Divide amount in half. To each half, add the ingredients for one of the variations to the right. Refill whites with yolk mixture and garnish with dill weed. Serve immediately or store, covered, in refrigerator.

Caesar’s Ghost Salad

“Follow me for the recipe!”

GHOULash

This recipe comes courtesy of Maureen’s mother-in-law, and we all know what a good cook she is! It’s Hungarian. Isn’t that where Transylvania is?

2 T. shortening

4 med onions- finely chopped

2 tsp. paprika

4 lbs. beef (thick flank, cut into bite size chunks)

1 raw potato grated

2 tsp. tomato puree

2 qts. veggie stock

1 tsp. of caraway seed

2 lbs. potatoes ( cubed)

2 green peppers- sliced

Sauté chopped onions in shortening till golden and add paprika, beef, caraway and grated potato (raw one). Cover and simmer 10 min. Add tomato and 1 cup of stock, simmer until meat is nearly done. Then add remainder of stock, bring to boil, add cut up potatoes. Add slices of green pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.

Cauldron of Cabbage

“Follow me for the recipe!”

I've mananged to find cast iron dutch ovens with metal handles that resemble cauldrons. I'll use them to serve the cabbage as well as the GHOULash.

Graveyard Pudding

12 oz. Cool Whip (any type)

8 oz. cream cheese (any type) softened

3 pkgs. chocolate pudding (cooking kind)

4 ½ cups milk

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 20 oz. pkg. of Oreo’s (crushed)

1 pkg. Milano cookies

1 square roasting pan

candied or plastic ghosts and skeltons

In a bowl, combine the Cool Whip, cream cheese and sugar. Prepare pudding with milk and allow to cool. Layer the bottom of the pan with some of the crushed Oreos. Top the Oreos with the pudding, and when the pudding has set, top with the Cool Whip mixture. Add the remaining Oreos on top of the Cool Whip mixture and use Milanos for tombstones, and decorate with ghosts and skeletons, or other eerie figures.

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