The Lush Life: Yummies to Make You Scream
Okay, well, simply put, I can’t do any sort of special without including my obligatory cocktails. As a matter of fact, I’m going to do one better…how about yummy cocktails and wonderful spooky-foods? You know your favorite Lush delivers. 😉
And, if you were wondering what the heck the weird bold initials stand for, check out the first part of my Halloween series featuring party ideas, or even costume ideas and crafts!
ATU
One of the coolest ideas I’ve seen for the Halloween season looks very out of this world…
The folks at Dabbled came up with cool treats using tapioca pearls. They give you a few ideas, but this one I’m going to tell you to use your imagination to make sure the drinks fit your theme perfectly! I know one thing, though: I can’t wait to try this one for myself this year.
VGD
It might be a little late for them, but you can always set out Health Potions and Mana Potions. Be sure to garnish with little action figure pieces for extra fun!
Health Potion
In a large bowl, mix 1 bottle of Vampyre Vodka with 1-2 2L bottles of lemon-lime soda (to taste/strength preference) and ice. I suggest using Vampyre Vodka because it is a good, dry vodka with no flavoring and has an awesome bloody look that’ll make any health potion seriously look like some sort of crazy concotion. Serve using various bottles rather than glasses.
Kid-Friendly Health Potion
In this alternate version of the health potion, mix two packets of cherry Kool-aid per 1 2L of lem0n-lime soda with ice.
Mana Potion
In a large punch bowl, mix 1 bottle of Hpnotiq with 1-2 2L bottles of lemon-lime soda (to taste/strength preference) and ice. To make it really cool, you can add a glow stick or two (or a bunch of mini ones) at the bottom of the bowl. Serve using various bottles rather than glasses.
Kid-Friendly Mana Potion
In this alternate version of the mana potion, mix 2 packets of berry blue Kool-aid per 1 2L of lem0n-lime soda with ice.
CB
I’ve given ideas over the past here at SciFi4Me, so for some inspiration go check out my Green Lantern Party Ideas or, in honor of Captain America, my Red, White & Blue Party for You.
WH13
Simply put, you cannot forget Artie’s Oatmeal Scotchies.
You will need:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
- 3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
- 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) Butterscotch Chips
Preheat your oven to 375°F and get to work! Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture and then mix in oats and butterscotch chips. Drop rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for either 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9-10 minutes for crispy cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then move them to wire racks to finish cooling.
1*The Number of Guests (TNOG) oz Vanilla vodka
½*TNOG oz Licor 43
1*TNOG oz Pumpkin liqueur (Hiram Walker makes a good one)
½*TNOG Irish Cream
A couple of splashes of butterscotch schnapps, to taste
Ice
To serve, either prepare a plastic jack-o’-lantern by washing and testing it for leaks or place a pitcher down the center of a carved pumpkin and pour in the cocktail. You can prepare glasses by using a bit of lemon juice to rim glasses with crushed graham crackers or just have a few little pumpkin cups around (you can find fun ones at the dollar store or party stores this time of year). Alternately, you can replace the ice in your punch with pieces of frozen pumpkin or frozen pumpkin pie filling. You can also keep the drink cold by packing around the pitcher with ice (dry ice looks especially cool). Serve with a small ladle and have pumpkin pie spice on hand.
GHP
For this, research the drinks popular at the time. For example, the sidecar was popular in the 1920s whereas the martini can traces its roots back to the civil war era. You can also do a classic like a zombie (if you’re doing Zombies of Halloweens Past) or the Ghost.
Mix ingredients in a large bowl or pitcher with ice and strain into a serving bowl.
1¼*TNOG oz Vanilla vodka
¼*TNOG oz half and half
¼*TNOG oz Simple syrup
½*TNOG Godiva white chocolate liqueur
A fun way to serve these is in “blood drip” glasses, a fun candy project over at Hostess with the Mostess.
Other
One of my favorite cocktails to date is the Mad-Eye Martini (as in Mad-Eye Moody!).
In a large bowl or pitcher, mix:
½*TNOG oz Hpnotiq liqueur
1*TNOG oz vodka
2*TNOG oz lychee juice
Ice
Strain into a punch bowl, or, alternately, you can fill a bunch of flasks (in true Alastor Moody fashion!).
To prepare the eyeball garnish you will need:
1*TNOG canned grade AA lychee in syrup, drained
1/4*TNOG tsp cherry, strawberry or raspberry preserves
1*TNOG blueberries
Dry the lychees and fill with preserves. Then place the bluberry, with the “blossom” end facing outward, into the lychee. Skewer with a cocktail pick and stack on a creepy platter. Place the platter in a dish with dry ice for an extra-cool effect and to keep the lychee eyeballs cold.
I guess I’m feeling a little Potterish, because I couldn’t resist sharing this super-cute idea from Pillsbury: Wizard Hats!
1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
3 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll pie crust on work surface. Cut into 16 wedges. For one hat, spoon about ½ teaspoon chocolate chips along narrow edge of one wedge. Starting from same edge, roll toward point, enclosing chocolate chips and leaving 4 inches crust unrolled between roll and point. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 1⁄2 inch apart. Bend and shape hat as desired. Repeat with remaining dough wedges and chocolate chips to make 16 hats. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over hats. Bake 11 to 14 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove to cooling rack. To ensure the sugar and cinnamon sticks, you may want to brush the hats with water first.”
This is by no means a comprehensive list…some of my favorite websites are especially fun this time of year. Even Martha Stewart has some great ideas (I know, I know…I feel cheap even saying it, but her website isn’t bad for Halloween)!
Be sure to check out The Drunken Moogle, Hostess with the Mostess, and Dabbled if you’re still strapped for ideas!
And now, onward with the history!
Do you know why candy apples are served around Halloween? Because, traditionally, the holiday fell near the apple harvests. Another Halloween treat, candy corn, date back to the 1880s when the Wunderlee Candy Company created and began manufacturing the sweet kernels. Originally, it wasn’t the pumpkin associated with Halloween, though- it was basically any vegetable (but most commonly the turnip) that was carved. Pumpkins were just generally associated with the harvest here in the US. And, speaking of pumpkins, candy pumpkins are a little treat made using the same process as candy corn. They grew in popularity from about the middle of the 20th century until they exploded through Brach’s in 1988 (the rest of the major candy companies had decided to not make any specialty Halloween candy- biiig mistake). There are lots of other food based traditions throughout the world- Barmbrack (a type of bread) is commonplace in Ireland, bonfire toffee can be found in England, and roasted pumpkin seeds are found in many houses. Whatever the tradition, it’s just important to dig in and enjoy!
Stay tuned for the next installment…Jack-o’-lantern ideas and tips!
The Schedule
October 17th: Party Ideas
October 19th: Costumes
October 21st: Decorations and Crafts
October 23rd: Recipes (Food and Drink- Alcoholic and Non)
October 25th: Jack-o’-Lanterns
October 27th: Last Minute Makeup Tips
October 29th: Halloween in Geek Culture
October 31st: An Extra-Special look at Halloweens of this Lush’s past…yeah, I’m going to bare my costumed soul for you all!
