There are a lot of creepy things you can do for family friendly beverages, and they can even taste good ; )
Halloween favorites (Swamp Punch, Mulled Cider, and Cranberry Bog) can be made up very quickly, and seemingly, be consumed even faster! Make sure you have extra supplies on hand to make up more batches during the party.
Swamp Punch
Ingredients (warning: this drink is popular! i frequently make 3 batches of this during a party ; )
2 ~ 2 liter bottles ginger ale
*1 liter raspberry soda or juice (optional) (can buy 2 liter and use half at a time)
16 oz. frozen fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or mixture
1/2 gallon sherbet, lime (or rainbow for a muddled look)
MAKE IN ADVANCE frozen molds ~> make the "ice cubes" from creepy food molds
2 ~ 12 oz. cans frozen concentrate, lime and/or lemon
MAKE IN ADVANCE~> any ice/flavored molds!
Choose your ice/flavor molds (e.g. a rinsed latex glove is great for a creepy hand mold, a gelatin mold [brains and hearts are popular right now], or any ice cube mold).
Mix your frozen concentrate up with half of the water used in the directions on the label. Frozen fruit can be added to this also.
Pour the mix into the mold and freeze solid.
Choose your punchbowl.
Put the ginger ale and the *raspberry soda in the punchbowl. Add frozen fruit and stir.
Add large scoops of the lime sherbet.
Float your molded ice/flavor and you are ready to serve!
The punch can be spiked for adult parties, but I tend to leave the punch non-alcoholic so it can be consumed "as is" or individually spiked. If you spike it, I recommend a plain rum or vodka.
Mulled Cider
1 gallon apple juice or cider
3-4 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
10 allspice berries
6 whole cloves
orange or lemon zest strips (~1/4 of the fruit)
*1 tsp nutmeg (optional)
*1/4+ cup brown sugar (optional)
You can make up half of this at a time, but we go through it so fast at parties when the weather is cool that I make it up a gallon at a time and have another on the stove!
Put the cider and ALL other ingredients listed in a large saucepan/ stew-pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Set aside to allow the flavors to merge (at least 30 minutes) and serve hot!
You can sieve or ladle off the top to leave most of the solids behind.
If the (adult) individual wants to spike their beverage a bit of bourbon can be added.
Cranberry Bog
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
31 Days of Halloween! Day19- Make: Basic Frogs & Baldrics!
There are many types and designs of baldrics and frogs, we will discuss the topic in general and give simple directions for A) altering something you likely have in your closet for an easy costume baldric and frog and B) making a baldric and weapon's frog from scratch.
~ Baldric (n) ~ First known use in the 14th century; the modern word derives from Middle English (baudry and baudrik) and Middle French (baudré), originating in the Old French (baldrei). The baldric is a belt worn over one shoulder and slung diagonally across the body, generally worn to carry a weapon (frequently a sword) or a small musical instrument (like a bugle or trumpet).
~ Frog (n) ~ The source of the word is uncertain. The frog is a scabbard, used to suspend an item (generally a weapon, tool, or musical instrument) from a belt.
A) A simple costume baldric and frog can easily be made from a long scarf (or 2) or a couple belts.
A1) Simply drape the middle of the scarf or the buckled joining of the 2 belts over your right shoulder if you're right-handed (left if you are left-handed) A2) then tie the scarf ends to a plastic loop or/buckle the other end across your opposite hip. A3) You may need to adjust the top buckle of the belts in front of your chest to lengthen or shorten your make-shift baldric. The scarf's loop or/lower buckle of the belt is used like a frog to hold the sword. A4) A simple felt or felt and cardboard disc can be made to buffer the top edge of you "sword".
B) Leather frog and baldric
Making the frog: (simple frog)
need:
-leather
-1 large O ring
-2 small O rings
-2 buckles, 1"
-rivets and/or Chicago screws
1. cut 1 strip leather ---" long and 1" wide
2. cut 1 strip leather ---" long and 1" wide
3. cut 2 strips leather ----" long and 3/4" wide
4. punch holes in 1" wide pieces at ---" and ---"
5. punch holes in 3/4" wide pieces at -----" and ----------
6. set buckle
Sorry, something just came up, hopefully I'll have a chance to revisit this!
from the desk of D
~ Baldric (n) ~ First known use in the 14th century; the modern word derives from Middle English (baudry and baudrik) and Middle French (baudré), originating in the Old French (baldrei). The baldric is a belt worn over one shoulder and slung diagonally across the body, generally worn to carry a weapon (frequently a sword) or a small musical instrument (like a bugle or trumpet).
~ Frog (n) ~ The source of the word is uncertain. The frog is a scabbard, used to suspend an item (generally a weapon, tool, or musical instrument) from a belt.
A) A simple costume baldric and frog can easily be made from a long scarf (or 2) or a couple belts.
A1) Simply drape the middle of the scarf or the buckled joining of the 2 belts over your right shoulder if you're right-handed (left if you are left-handed) A2) then tie the scarf ends to a plastic loop or/buckle the other end across your opposite hip. A3) You may need to adjust the top buckle of the belts in front of your chest to lengthen or shorten your make-shift baldric. The scarf's loop or/lower buckle of the belt is used like a frog to hold the sword. A4) A simple felt or felt and cardboard disc can be made to buffer the top edge of you "sword".
B) Leather frog and baldric
Making the frog: (simple frog)
need:
-leather
-1 large O ring
-2 small O rings
-2 buckles, 1"
-rivets and/or Chicago screws
1. cut 1 strip leather ---" long and 1" wide
2. cut 1 strip leather ---" long and 1" wide
3. cut 2 strips leather ----" long and 3/4" wide
4. punch holes in 1" wide pieces at ---" and ---"
5. punch holes in 3/4" wide pieces at -----" and ----------
6. set buckle
Sorry, something just came up, hopefully I'll have a chance to revisit this!
from the desk of D
Friday, October 18, 2013
31 Days of Halloween! Day18- Made: Oculars, Ears & Tails... oh my!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Bonus Post! The Night Before the Penumbral Eclipse
 |
| Not quite full moon, the night before the penumbral eclipse. |
October 18-19 is the night of the penumbral eclipse, the last eclipse of 2013, and happening during the Hunter's Moon. The Hunter's Moon is the northern hemisphere's moon after the Harvest Moon, the moon nearest the autumnal equinox.
A penumbral eclipse is where the moon is not within Earth's umbral shadow; in other words it will not look like a bite has been taken from the moon, but the moon will be partially darkened by Earth's penumbral shadow.
This effect will be most easily seen from Europe and Africa, due to the moon's height in the sky at the time of the eclipse, but it will be visible across the US too.
The next easy lunar eclipse will be April 15, 2014, visible from Australia and eastern Asia to North and South America.
*I probably should have grabbed the tripod, just wanted to grab these shots quick. All of these images were shot using a handheld Canon SX 280 HS.
Enjoy!
DeWyk
31 Days of Halloween! Day17- Recipe: Guacamole 'dy with Creepy Crunchings
guacamole mold ingredients (*optional):
1 packet gelatin, plain
cup water
3 avocados, chopped
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped small
1 tsp chile powder or cumin
pinch of cayenne*
1/4 red pepper, cut very thinly*
salsa ingredients*
salsa ~> fresh or store bought
4 medium tomatoes
2 peppers (hot or mild, to taste)
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
fresh tortillas (assorted packets)
oil or butter
seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic, chile powder, etc.
Guacamole Foot (increase recipe for large molds):
These molds are available at most craft and party stores.
Combine the avocados, lime juice, salt, cilantro and spices in a bowl and blend well.
*Add red pepper and stir until well mixed.
Mix packet of plain gelatin using 1/2 the water stated in directions on the box.
Let gelatin cool a bit and add 1/2 of the gelatin into the avocado mixture, blend thoroughly (you ONLY use half of the gelatin mixture, so you can make a half packet, double the recipe and use the entire packet, or have another recipe ready to go... our brain mold is larger than our foot mold
; ) .
Brush the mold lightly with olive or vegetable oil. Pour your guacamole mixture into the mold. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
Remove from mold by dipping mold in warm water and break contact along the edge with a knife, then put the serving plate over the mold and turn the mold over onto the plate.
Salsa:
If you have time roast or lightly char/grill (in pan/ baking sheet to retain fluids) the tomatoes, onion, peppers, and garlic cloves, about 10 min.
Combine garlic and peppers and coarsely puree together in a food processor. Add the tomatoes and juices to the mixture and chop.
Chop the onion and put the onion and tomato mixture into a bowl and stir thoroughly. Season to taste with salt, generally ~1tsp.
Garnish around/ over the guacamole foot.Tortilla Chips:
You can serve with regular tortilla chips or make these baked or fried creepy crunchings at home!
Start with packets of fresh tortillas (we like to include assorted flavors/ colors: multi-grain, spinach, tomato, etc.)... you could make your own tortillas, but we usually cheat on this step! If baking, pre-heat oven to 350°F and brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil or melted butter (ignore this step if deep frying : ) . Use Halloween cookie cutters to cut the tortillas, on a cutting board, into creepy shapes. Set aside the shapes and the scraps as you cut, you will use both.
Baking: place the shapes and scraps in a single layer on cookie sheets, season, and bake for ~12-15 minutes (until browning lightly).
Frying: follow directions on your deep fryer. Fry shapes and scraps lightly (until crisp) and remove to dish for immediate light seasoning.
Enjoy!
DeWyk
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
31 Days of Halloween! Day16- Make: Mini Mummies!
What could be more Halloween than.......the dead!
But the dead can be so messy. Zombies leave bits of themselves everywhere (and they squish! xp), Vampires are constantly at everyone's' throats, and Ghosts have this nasty habit of throwing furniture around every time they want to get your attention. The best way to incorporate the dead into your Halloween plans? Mummies! Occasionally they may wander around and leave bits of bandages places, but given proper treatment of their canopic jars most Mummies are quite well behaved.
However, the difficulty of obtaining natron and the caustic-ness of certain other embalming agents can make the creation of mummies in the home a less than family-friendly process...not to mention certain other complications associates with mummy making (see above: squishing).
Our solution to this issue is quite simple: Flour dough mummies! They are quiet, clean, and take up very little space! Also, this project is completely food safe and great for kids.
What you'll need:
-Flour
-Water
-Salt
-Cheesecloth or thin cloth bandages
-Cookie or candy molds
1. Find an animal shaped cookie or candy mold. For example, the Wilton's mummy candy mold, or chocolate animal molds, are perfect!
2. To make the dough, mix 1 cup flour with 1/2 cup salt. When these are thoroughly mixed together, add 1/2 cup water and mix that with the flour/salt mixture. If the dough seems too thick, add more water in VERY SMALL INCREMENTS. You don't want too much water.
3. Press or pour the dough into your mold. If the mold is heat safe, you can put it into the oven on low heat to accelerate the drying process. If the mold is not heat safe, you will need to allow the flour dough to air dry. Do not remove the dough until it has dried hard. Note that the more water you add to the dough (beyond 1/2 cup), the more the dough will shrink as it dries. This will become your mummy base.
4. Get the cheesecloth or bandages. If you have cheesecloth, tear it into very thin strips 5-8" long. If you have thin bandages, just cut them into 5-8" long strips (though the mummy will look less ragged).
5. Make another flour/water/salt mixture. This time, use 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup water. What you're going for here is more of a traditional papier-mache paste.
6. Soak the strips of bandages in the papier mache paste, and wrap them gently but firmly around your mummy base. Wrap the bandages in a crisscross pattern for the most mummy-like effect. Make sure to cover your entire mummy, and do not get the papier mache paste too thick onto the bandages. You're using it to stick the bandages to the mummy and make them look distressed, not to cover up the bandages!
7. Allow the mummy to dry. Once it is dry, you can do one of a few things to finish it off:
-You can leave it as is, as an off-white mummy
-You can "antique" the mummy. Brew a very strong cup of tea, using loose-leaf tea (or break open the bag). Use a paintbrush or cloth rag to apply the tea stain to the bandages.
-You can paint your mummy using acrylic paints.
Enjoy!
DeWyk
But the dead can be so messy. Zombies leave bits of themselves everywhere (and they squish! xp), Vampires are constantly at everyone's' throats, and Ghosts have this nasty habit of throwing furniture around every time they want to get your attention. The best way to incorporate the dead into your Halloween plans? Mummies! Occasionally they may wander around and leave bits of bandages places, but given proper treatment of their canopic jars most Mummies are quite well behaved.
However, the difficulty of obtaining natron and the caustic-ness of certain other embalming agents can make the creation of mummies in the home a less than family-friendly process...not to mention certain other complications associates with mummy making (see above: squishing).
Our solution to this issue is quite simple: Flour dough mummies! They are quiet, clean, and take up very little space! Also, this project is completely food safe and great for kids.
What you'll need:
-Flour
-Water
-Salt
-Cheesecloth or thin cloth bandages
-Cookie or candy molds
1. Find an animal shaped cookie or candy mold. For example, the Wilton's mummy candy mold, or chocolate animal molds, are perfect!
2. To make the dough, mix 1 cup flour with 1/2 cup salt. When these are thoroughly mixed together, add 1/2 cup water and mix that with the flour/salt mixture. If the dough seems too thick, add more water in VERY SMALL INCREMENTS. You don't want too much water.
3. Press or pour the dough into your mold. If the mold is heat safe, you can put it into the oven on low heat to accelerate the drying process. If the mold is not heat safe, you will need to allow the flour dough to air dry. Do not remove the dough until it has dried hard. Note that the more water you add to the dough (beyond 1/2 cup), the more the dough will shrink as it dries. This will become your mummy base.
4. Get the cheesecloth or bandages. If you have cheesecloth, tear it into very thin strips 5-8" long. If you have thin bandages, just cut them into 5-8" long strips (though the mummy will look less ragged).
5. Make another flour/water/salt mixture. This time, use 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup water. What you're going for here is more of a traditional papier-mache paste.
6. Soak the strips of bandages in the papier mache paste, and wrap them gently but firmly around your mummy base. Wrap the bandages in a crisscross pattern for the most mummy-like effect. Make sure to cover your entire mummy, and do not get the papier mache paste too thick onto the bandages. You're using it to stick the bandages to the mummy and make them look distressed, not to cover up the bandages!
7. Allow the mummy to dry. Once it is dry, you can do one of a few things to finish it off:
-You can leave it as is, as an off-white mummy
-You can "antique" the mummy. Brew a very strong cup of tea, using loose-leaf tea (or break open the bag). Use a paintbrush or cloth rag to apply the tea stain to the bandages.
-You can paint your mummy using acrylic paints.
DeWyk
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
31 Days of Halloween! Day15- Made: Harnesses!
DeWyk personal harnesses are excellent for holding weapons or tool holsters. They are also designed to carry our test tube carriers, some pouches, and knife / multi-tool sheaths. [we also make blade holders/ harnesses!]
DeWyk
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