St. David's Day St. David's Day is the feast day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. It falls on March 1 each year in remembrance of the death of St. David on that day in 589. In 2010 in Cardiff, Wales the celebration will include concerts, a parade and a food festival. Many Welsh people wear one of the traditional emblems of Wales on their lapel on this day...either a daffodil or a leek. Cawl, a traditional Welsh dish (recipe link follows), is usually prepared and served on St. David's Day. http://britishfood.about.com/od/maincourse1/r/welshcawl.htm 
Just in case you happen to have any Halloween candy left over Lisa found a really good recipe to use some of it up. And remember chocolate basically keeps for years as long as its sealed so even if you unearth a bag of forgotten Milky Ways in the pantry after Christmas this will still taste good!
Milky Way Shortbread Cookies
Recipe is from Mom's Big Book of Cookies by Lauren Chattman
Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
7 TBSP unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 14 pieces
20 fun size Milky Way bars
Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminium foil, leaving at least 1 inch overhanging the top of the pan on all sides.
Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium sized bowl and, with an electric mixer, mix on low speed to combine.
Add the butter and mix on low speed until the ingredients just come together in little clumps.
Sprinkle the mixture across the bottom of the prepared pan and press with your fingertips into an even layer.
Place the dish in the freezer for 15 minutes, then bake the crust until the edges are just golden, 18-20 minutes or so.
Place the Milky Way bars in 4 rows of 5 over the hot crust and return the pan to the oven.
Bake for 10 more minutes and remove the pan from the oven and then spread the melted candy into an even layer.
Bake an additional 5 minutes until the candy is all melted and bubbly.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool completely.
Grasp the overhanging foil and lift the cookies out. Put it on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut it into 20 pieces.
These Milky Way Shortbread bars will keep in an airtight container for about 3 days. Makes 20.
Halloween is rapidly approaching this week and we would be remiss if we did not point out some drinks recipes for the discerning party host. Of course most party guests are primarily going to be concerned with the actual alcoholic beverages being available to them. They will be happy so long as the spirits abound, whether or not they look Halloween-ish. So if decorating the booze is not your style I wouldn't worry.
However if it IS your style (and it is ours because honestly how often do you get an excuse to serve people things that look disgusting and expect them to be delighted by it and not revolted) then we have a few recipes we can recommend your way.
Many of the recipes we found looking over this involve the use of black vodka which I had not heard of before this year though it has been around for at least 4 or so. Blavod is one example. I have not tasted it so I cannot tell you how it affects the taste of the drink, although I think it's safe to say that most people will be expecting something disgusting or insane if you actually use this in a cocktail so where's the harm in trying :)
Eyeball Martini
3 oz. Vodka or Gin
(Gin does make the true martini, but vodka is certainly allowed if its more to your liking)
Dash Dry Vermouth
Stuff 2 radishes with olives for the eyeballs after first shaving parts of the red skinned radish down.
Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and then pour into a chilled martini glass that can also be decorated as you choose. Of the course the eyeballs alone are more than enough gross for one drink.
The Headless Horseman
This drink could really make any number of strange looking cocktails because it uses black vodka. So really almost anything you make with it will look Halloween-gross perfect. Again there is a debate about the difference of flavor in black vodka versus a clear, but if you are going for a strange looking brew it certainly beats food coloring alone!
2 oz black vodka
3 dashes of bitters
Ginger Ale to taste
Pour the vodka and bitters into a glass, fill with ice and then pour in ginger ale. The recipe suggests a blood orange garnish but by all means use whatever gross thing you like for your own!
Spooky Screwdriver
2 oz black vodka
3 oz no pulp orange juice
Pour orange juice over ice and then gently pour black vodka overtop to create the orange/black layered effect. Make sure to include a stirrer to blend the two once it is time to drink Because otherwise the taste of the vodka might overwhelm your guests entirely.
The other drink in the image is called a Black widow and works the same way as the screwdriver except it uses Red Bull. I am not a huge fan of energy drinks and alcohol mixing but if you are then this might be the drink for you.
Check out these cocktails and thousands more at Divine Dinner Party. Bottoms up on Halloween!
In keeping with our Halloween tidbits thus far today’s post will offer a smorgasbord of Halloween recipes. Some of them are less gross than others but they are great for parties with kids especially. Who else could fully appreciate the true splendor that is Kitty Litter Cake?
Here are two recipes from The Family Corner that sound disgusting and could very easily be made to look disgusting if you so desire. However they taste delicious so don’t be too freaked out by the thought of eating Kitty Litter. Er. Well at least not this particular kind.
Kitty Litter Cake
(This recipe is in memory of Mrs. D., a great hostess who loved to make dessert an adventure!)
** You will need a new and clean kitty litter tray, plastic liner and scoop for this recipe!!
This recipe comes to us from Kellie Head at ParentingHumor.com
Ingredients:
1 box spice or German Chocolate cake mix
1 white cake mix
2 large packages of vanilla instant pudding, prepared according to directions on the box.
1 large package of vanilla sandwich cookies
green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls
1. Prepare the cake mixes according to package directions and bake in any size pans.
2. Prepare the pudding and chill it.
3. Crumble the vanilla sandwich cookies in a food processor (or in a heavy plastic bag hit with something large).
4. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup of the vanilla sandwich cookies, smashed.
5. Take the 1/4 cup smashed vanilla sandwich cookies and mix it with a bit of green food coloring. Set aside for later.
6. When the cakes have cooled, crumble them into a large bowl.
7. Toss the cake crumbles with 1/2 of the remaining vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Put in just enough pudding to moisten it. Don't make it too soggy. Gently combine.
8. Line the new kitty litter box with a new plastic kitty litter box liner.
9. Put the cake/cookie/pudding mix in the lined kitty litter box.
10. Put three unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft but not mushy. Shape the ends of the Tootsie Rolls so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie Rolls and bury them in the mixture.
11. Sprinkle almost all of the rest of the vanilla cookie crumbs on top of that and then sprinkle the green cookie crumbs on top of the whole thing.
12. Heat 3 more Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted.
13. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with some more cookie crumbs.
14. Make one more almost melted Tootsie Roll and hang it over the side of the box.
15. Place the box on newspaper and serve with the clean kitty litter scoop to disgust your friends and party guests!
Putrid Pumpkin-Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2-8oz. containers of sliced mushrooms, rough chop one box
1/4 cup flour
1 lb. .5 oz can of pure canned pumpkin (21oz can)
4 cups of chicken broth or stock
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup (4 oz) honey
1/8 cup chicken base or 8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup of milk
1 cup of light cream or 1/2 and 1/2
1. Melt the butter and saute the onions until they are soft (10-15 minutes). Do not brown.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour and then gradually add the chicken stock, keeping it smooth and creamy.
4. Now add the remaining ingredients except the milk and cream.
5. Simmer for 15 minutes until the flavors are well blended.
6. Add the milk and the cream. Do not boil.
7. Pour the soup into quart containers.
Lisa has had that recipe for so long that she really doesn't know where it came from. It is rumored to have come from The Back Burner, but she can't prove or disprove that!
Eyeball Cupcakes
Courtesy of Epicurious
Ingredients:
1 recipe batter for white cupcakes
white cupcake liners
1 recipe buttercream frosting
1 tube of red jell food coloring
life savers gummy candies (I used the green ones)
mini chocolate chips
1. Line the cupcake pan with the liners.
2. Bake and frost the cupcakes. Pile some of the frosting up a bit in the center, sort of like an eyeball.
3. Place the lifesaver in the middle of the eyeball.
4. Put the mini chocolate chip in the center of the lifesaver upside down.
5. Make squiggly red lines from the lifesaver out to the edges of the cupcakes, sort of like bloodshot eyes!
Bloody Eyeball Cobbler
This recipe is in honor of our friend, Russell S., who always knows how to throw a good party!
Recipe from Gourmet Magazine, July 1997 (filling) and Bon Appetit, August 2004 (topping)
Ingredients:
(Cherry Filling)
1 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 TBSP Cornstarch
6 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries
1 TBSP Frangelico
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground allspice
(topping)
2 cups all purpose flour
5 TBSP sugar, divided
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP whipping cream
1 large egg
To Make Filling:
1. In a large heavy saucepan whisk together the sugar and the cornstarch. Add the cherries, liqueur, vanilla and allspice and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer this mixture, stirring, for two minutes and then transfer to a shallow two quart baking dish.
To Make Biscuit Topping:
1. Whisk the flour, 3 TBSP sugar, baking powder, salt and 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a large bowl to blend.
2. Add butter and rub in with fingers until coarse meal forms.
3. Whisk 3/4 cup whipping cream and egg in a small bowl to blend.
4. Stir cream mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.
5. Gently knead just until dough comes together, about 5 turns.
To combine:
Break off golf ball sized bits of dough and put on top of cherry mixture in the baking dish. Keep the balls of dough from touching each other.
Brush the dough with the remaining 2 TBSP whipping cream. Mix 2 TBSP sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough.
Bake this in 375 oven for about 30-35 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned. A tester inserted in the middle of the biscuit should come out clean.
serve warm.
Hope none of that made you lose your appetite! (Clearly a lie. We hope it made someone lose their appetite even if it was just for a minute) Enjoy!
We are back after a mini-break for back to school beginnings and just in time for the leaves to start falling it would seem. Which I think makes it more than alright to start posting Halloween blogs even though it is still September. We will be writing at least one related Halloween post a week from now until the actual day so please feel free to share your own tips and ideas with us!
Today we thought we would focus on invitation ideas and that is something that you will actually need to do soon if you are having a party so that everyone has time to realize they are invited. It's on a Saturday this year afterall so why not?
Mypunchbowl is one of our established favorites for all things entertaining and they don’t disappoint in the invites department. It just takes a few clicks to get started on planning your party.
Tinyprints offers personalized invitations using your own photos. These can be great for any occasion but it opens up a lot of possibilities for the creative minded at Halloween!
Finestationery is offering a 15% off sale until September 30th for all holiday invites including Halloween. They also have a fun blog about their stationery and all things beautiful here.
Let us know if you decide to go with any invites from any of the above and tell us how they come out and we’ll keep you posted about all things Halloween!
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