Post Halloween Post

Lovely sunny and breezy day yesterday, ripping the painted leaves off the trees on Ontario Street. Leaves swirling around carved pumpkins and caught in faux spider webs wrapped around manicured hedges. I soaked beans, hung up the Halloween lights and melted chocolate for the graveyard cake. For me, tidying and decorating always seem to go hand in hand, so the closer together the occasions, the tidier the house. Ules remarked "Is someone coming for dinner? Only I've noticed you only clean the table when we have people over." Busted. So busted.

The pressure was on as the night before Halloween at 9 o'clock I was asked where was the mask from last Halloween. Blast. I ended up looking in every plastic tub in both porches until minutes before school the next morning, the pumpkin grimace was unearthed. I started the day with a sore back in a foul mood.

Luckily, things went better from there. The beans cooked and the ingredients I dug out of the pantry and fridge gave it flavour: dried mushrooms whizzed to crumbs in the food processor, bits of fresh tomato going soft, tomatillo salsa and tomato paste. I grated two zucchinis from the garden for the chocolate cake and made the sugar cookie graves.

J brought an excellent salad, blush wine, and bread. I served up a roasted chicken from Choices along with the chili and some "witch's teats"--roasted purple fingerling potatoes. The doorbell rang and I served 6 t&tr's--the only ones all night.

The boys headed out with C's grandma who helps make his fab costumes. Yesterday it was a Bugati. Ules says it neither he or C could see very well, so he used his cane to tap his way up and down the stairs and C's windows kept fogging up. The Bugati was a big hit, with C scoring many bonus candies for his awesome costume.

I stayed home and washed dishes and then Anakana came over and we chatted while she knitted. Knitting is therapeutic even for those who just watch it being performed. Men should knit in prison. It would probably save a lot of grief. Men in the navy used to knit. It probably kept them sane on cramped ships and submarines. Knitting for sanity. Perhaps I should take it up.

Halloween Pix

Oooh mate, you're bloody scary. I was too busy on Halloween night to take many photos. Below you can see the chocolate zucchini graveyard cake. I made a white chocolate ganache thickened with icing sugar for the icing. It wasn't good for piping, but oh well, you get the idea. The cake (from the Rebar cookbook) is really chocolatey with one cup of cocoa and a cup of chocolate chips.

The Day After Halloween

I kind of feel like our little friend Elmo here. Stuck in spider slime. Halloween has left me exhausted and hung over. I like walking through the neighborhood the day after and seeing all the creative jack o'lanterns.

Of course I'd left everything to the last minute and we were still carving our pumpkin when our dinner guests arrived. J brought her fabulous mac and cheese and I made salad and baked salmon. I made the chocolate zucchini cake from the Rebar cookbook and we decorated it like a graveyard with shortbread tombstones.

I dressed as the Chef from Hell and handed out pop rocks to the neighborhood kids including the entire band of Kiss. The heavy rain held off and Ules aka The Headless Horseman came back with his bag full of candy. He magnaminously gave me his bag of mini cheese nachos (which he hates) and I pronounced them inedible.

Today I medicated myself with home made ginger beer and added some tuna to some of the leftover mac and cheese to try to cure my headache and bring my body back into the land of the living. I feel a bit like the headless horseman myself right now.

mini vampire day

Two mini vampires in kindergarten class. The kids these days have such dapper costumes. In one school yard I saw a tiny boy in a silk top hat and cape. I saw a delightful girl ghoul with a silvery costume just flying down the street with glee. I saw a woman with what I thought was a horrible pitted skin condition, but then I realize she'd drawn whiskers with an eyeliner in a not-so-successful attempt at a pirate's five o'clock shadow. The leaves are brilliant today and are flinging themselves to the ground with flamboyant style. Tomorrow is All Soul's at the Mountainview Cemetery so we are putting on the final touches to our shrine. It feels like a significant milestone.

Halloween Preview

We attended the first Halloween party of the year last weekend. It was a good incentive to get making our costumes. Only a week to go until the 31st. What will you be?