LIFamilies Blog

Adult Halloween Concoctions

Halloween isn't just a favorite holiday for kiddies. Adults should be able to get a little spooky and enjoy Halloween, too (especially with it falling on a Friday this year)! Whether you’re going out partying, hosting a little soiree of your own, or just enjoying an evening of tricks and treats at home, here are a couple ghoulishly fun Halloween cocktails to help you keep in the “spirit” of things. ;-)

Start with a Ghostbuster. It is super simple, sweet and fruity, but it looks disgusting: what more could you want in a Halloween cocktail?! You'll need:

~ 1 ounce of peach schnapps

~ 1 ounce of melon liqueur

~ 3-5 drops of Irish cream

Shake the peach schnapps and melon liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail/martini glass. Add the drops of Irish cream for effect.

What fun is Halloween without candy corn? Here’s a Candy Corn Martini that'll provide a yummy adult alternative. You'll need the following:

~ a chilled martini glass

~ 1 ½ ounces of coffee-flavored liqueur

~ 1 ½ ounces of white chocolate liqueur

~ 1 ounce of orange colored and flavored vodka (such as UV)

~ ½ ounce of triple sec

In your martini glass, pour your liqueurs in order over the backside of a spoon.

Most of the “brains” drinks I find are questionable concoctions that need to be shot quickly before they curdle…no thanks. Here’s a fun one, Zombie Brains, that is tasty to drink and look at without, you know, all of the curdling.

~ 2 ounces of UV Salty Watermelon vodka

~ 1 ounce of triple sec

~ 1 tablespoon of sugar

~ 1 splash of lime juice

~ 4 large ice cubes

Combine your of your ingredients but the 4 ice cubes in a blender full of ice. Pour over the extra ice cubes in a glass and enjoy.

One last phantasmic concoction to try this Halloween is the lovely Vampire’s Kiss.

~ 1 ½ ounces of Midori

~ 1 ounce of blood orange vodka

~ 2 ounces of pineapple juice

~ ½ ounce of cream

~ grenadine

Combine all ingredients except the grenadine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass full of ice. Drizzle grenadine around the glass for a bloody effect. 

Halloween Safety!

With just a couple days until the Halloween holiday, I thought it was a great time for a quick list of safety tips to just act as a reminder. I know, we all know how to keep our kids safe and sound, but it’s good to just be refreshed once in a while! Here’s a quick should do be for the big evening of door-to-door (if you trick-or-treat).

• Be sure to have a big healthy meal before heading out to your festivities. This keeps everyone’s tummies full and will cut down on incessant candy chomping (especially candy that’s not checked).
• Make sure costumes are seeable and safe to wear. Many masks have been updated so that they’re easy to see out of, but not all. If your little one’s costume is topped off with a mask, be sure that they can see. If not, have them wear it on top of their heads or cut bigger eye holes. Also, if the costume is dark and not easily seen, add some reflective tape to the both the front and back. This will make it easier for them to be seen by drivers.
• Be sure to bring glow sticks or flash lights (with brand new batteries). This will also help make sure you’re seen, as well as keep everyone able to see. You don’t want any falls or accidents as the light starts to fade.
• If you're handing out candy, be sure to clear your porch of any excess decorations or clutter for the night. You want to make sure that your little visitors are safe as they come to visit you.
• Try to use battery operated candles for your jack-o-lanterns. This will cut down any risk of fire, especially with trick-or-treaters coming and going from your porch.
• Check all of the candy and goodies received throughout the evening. Be sure to check for any open packages or unsealed items. Scary things have happened so you always want to be on the safe side! You'll also want to make sure all treats are food allergy friendly (I know, it’s a “duh!”) as well!
• If you want all of the fun without all of the candy, look for participating "trade in your candy" programs. Some companies are offering a program for children to trade in candy for toys and trinkets in return. If you're interested, Pediatric Dentistry of Suffolk County is a good example, with one of their own that they offer through November 10!
  
  

Chalkboard Pumpkins

I found a super simple pumpkin idea that’ll not only add a unique touch to your Halloween décor, but also last through a good portion of the rest of your Fall! Instead of carving all of your pumpkins this year, why not make a chalkboard pumpkin or two?! With a chalkboard pumpkin you can have ever changing Jack-o-Lantern faces and welcome signs galore! Now, I would use a real pumpkin (I also have many to spare since I work on a pumpkin farm), but you can buy and repurpose plastic, craft store pumpkins, too! All you need are:

• Your pumpkin or pumpkins that’re getting turning into chalkboards
• Chalkboard Paint
• A paint brush
• Newspaper
• Chalk!

Cover your table/surfaces with newspaper to keep them safe, weighing it down with stones if you're painting outside (so that the paper doesn't move or blow away). Make sure that your pumpkins are clean and dirt free. Allow to dry if you're washing them right before painting. Place your pumpkin in the center of the paper and paint the entire surface that you can reach. Allow the paint to dry for 1-2 hours, and then roll the pumpkin on its side to paint any places that were missed. After allowing that to dry another 1-2 hours apply touch up paint to anywhere that has pumpkin showing through. Once complete you should allow your pumpkin/pumpkins to dry thoroughly overnight before applying any chalk decorations. When you want to change your decorations a damp cloth works great as an eraser so that you can change your pumpkin’s look over and over again!

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A Halloween Reading List for Adults

Halloween isn't just a favorite holiday for the kiddies anymore. I still get just as excited for the season as I ever did, maybe even more so now that I get a month of my favorite classic horror movies of regular TV stations and awesome horror releases to help inspire the season! If you're a Halloween fan, too, and love partaking in the spookier side of life, here are a couple of Halloween Must-Reads to help get you into the festive mood!

Start with a couple classics. Although it may seem redundant to have Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on a “Halloween Reading List,” it’s amazing how many of us haven’t ever read the real deal. I’m just as guilty as the next, and can’t believe I need to add them to my own Kindle this month. Both are very honestly enthralling reads that will pull you in and keep you beyond “the sake of being a classic.”

Although the movies were a craze a couple of years back, if you still haven’t actually read John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In I highly recommend it. It is truly a unique tale settled in the Vampire genre and will thoroughly creep you (if not skeeve you) out until the very end.

For something a little more unusual for Halloween Fare, I recommend trying out Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s graphic novel, From Hell.  It’s a tale of Jack the Ripper and the events leading up to the Whitechapel killings (as well as the cover-up to follow).

Looking for something with a little more horror packed into the punch? Stephen King is always a safe direction to turn. I've just recently picked up both The Sleep Doctor and The Shining, and am planning a King-a-thon like no other! We all know the story from the cult classic movie, but we all know the book is always better. If you've already had your fill of Jack and his family, try returning to the Overlook Hotel with new characters and plot twists in the sequel Doctor Sleep.

Lastly is a twisted horror movie classic that was also a novel that redefined the genre, Shirley Jackson’s The House on Haunted Hill. I am a Vincent Price (or as I affectionately refer to him, “Vinny Price”) fiend and adore anything that he was in. Even better, I loved the 1999 remake almost as much as the original! Both delve into what happens when a group of strangers are coaxed into a haunted house with the promise of a cash prize if they survive the night. This Halloween I’m going to go back to where it all began with Jackson’s 1959 classic. This is the twisted mind that brought us the short story, “The Lottery,” so you know it has to be good! 

Fast Fall Recipes

It’s time for a super simple and fun fall recipe or two! I'm all about keeping things seasonal and fresh: so I look for new tastes and treats whenever I can! Here are two simple autumn recipes that you may want to add to your own seasonal cookbook.

Pumpkin Quesadillas: now these are great for a quick appetizer, or even a light meatless meal (especially is served with a side salad). All you need are:

•  2 cups of canned pumpkin puree
•  ½ cup of chopped, toasted walnuts
• 4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil

In a bowl combine and mix the pumpkin and cumin. Spread the pumpkin out over 4 tortillas. Sprinkle with your cheese and nuts (adding more of either, if you'd like). Cover with the remaining tortillas. Warm up 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium-low heat in a skillet or frying pan. Cook your quesadilla, flipping it once, until both sides are browned (1.5 – 2 minutes per side). Add more oil between batches. Cut your quesadilla into wedges however you'd like.

Butternut Pudding: this is a super simple and yummy dessert that takes almost zero prep-time! It’s something unusual to spice up your regular Sunday dinners or pot luck parties! All you need are:

• 2 10-ounce packages of thawed butternut squash puree
• 1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup of pure maple syrup
• whipped cream for topping
• Boiling water

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Blend all of your ingredients together and pour them into an 8 inch baking dish. Place the baking dish in a roasting pan and fill your pan half way up the baking dish with boiling water. Bake for one hour. Best served warm with whipped cream on top!

Soothing Fall Masks

It’s a spa pampering kind of night today. It’s been one of those stressful months already, and it’s only the 7^th! To help combat the stress and the worry I’m going to work on a little self pampering. Here’s a fresh fall face mask that'll keep me and my skin happy while I relax to a Halloween inspired horror movies tonight. All you need are:

• ¼ cup of pumpkin puree
• ½ teaspoon of organic honey
• ½ teaspoon of  milk (or milk substitute of choice)
• Optional: a splash of apple cider vinegar if your skin is acne prone

Combine your ingredients and gently apply all over your face (avoiding your eyes). Allow to set for 15 minutes or so, and then rinse away with a wash cloth and warm water. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer.

Not big on pumpkin? Here’s another refreshing fall mask I’m thinking about trying:

• 6-7 fresh, crushed cranberries
• 1 teaspoon of organic honey
• 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt

Combine your ingredients and mix them well. Apply to skin in gentle circular motions, again avoiding your eyes. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, and then rinse away with a wash cloth and warm water. 

Make Your Own Fall Leaf Bowls

Looking for great new (and easy) fall project ideas I happened upon a leaf bowl that I love. Its super simple, only takes a little bit of time, and I think looks amazing when complete! Here’s what you need:

• Decorative fall leaves (from a craft store, like these) or a leaf garland that you can snip the leaves off the strand (like these)
• Matte finish Mod Podge
• Foam brush
• Balloon
• Scissors
• Mixing bowl

Start by gently pulling the plastic stem and veins from your faux leaves. Blow up your balloon to the diameter that you want your bowl. Starting at the middle and working your way to the top, apply a thin layer of mod podge to your balloon cap (again, the size you want the bowl). Wait for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow the mod podge to get sticky. Next, lay a leaf on top of the mod podge, smooth with your finger and then apply a thin layer of mod podge on top. Repeat until completely covered. Use smaller leaves to help cover any gaps. Add a couple extra leaves across the bottom of the bowl for extra support. Set aside (with the bare end of the balloon set in a mixing bowl for support) to dry thoroughly. Once dry put a pin through the end of your balloon, by its tied, to let the air out slowly. If the leaves shrink down as the balloon deflates don’t worry: it should return to its officinal shape after a minute or two. 

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