Trick or Treating Savories

It's not all about the candy!  Before the trick or treating, it's equally festive to have savory snacks to fuel the big night.  I teamed up with Jenni Kayne and Amy Blessing to make a pumpkin themed party with a menu perfect for a holiday gathering.  While my family tradition is chili on Halloween, it was fun to do a twist with pumpkin soup.  The kids carved out their pumpkins to use as bowls and then picked from an array of toppings: avocado, corn chips, pepitas & dried cranberries.  To compliment their soup, I made ghost toasts (with the kids placing currants for eyes) and pumpkin and almond butter tea sandwiches.  Nothing quite says fall like apples which were served in the forms of spiced cider and caramel covered.  It turns out, eating pumpkin soup is really just a transaction a child will make when promised the reward of the sweet caramel covered apples (my recipe, featuring maple syrup can be found here).  Amy and Jenni, both masters of making all things chic and beautiful, created pretty decorations to make the day special.  Check out all of my recipes and more photos of Amy and Jenni's festive table on Rip Plus Tan.  Happy Halloween!!

The Menu

Sips

spiced cider

Snacks

apple slices

ghost toasts

almond butter & pumpkin butter tea sandwiches

pumpkin soup with 

cranberry, pepitas, corn chips & avocado

Sweet

caramel apples

caramel corn 

Trick or Treat...Give Me Something Good To Eat

In the current issue of Living, Martha Stewart describes two approaches to holiday meals: sticking to identical menus each year or changing it up. Martha is of the latter camp, aiming to always be "more interesting, more creative, more inventive." While I love experimenting with food year round, when it comes to holidays, I'm a traditionalist, with a slight twinge of Martha. Every year growing up, my mom made beef chili on Halloween, which warmed us up, and curbed the sugar highs. I can't imagine not having chili on Halloween. And while ingredients now come from the farmer's market and the beef may be grass-fed, the model is the exact same (with an expanded toppings bar!). This year, I helped my friend Marina put together a chili buffet for her friends & family before they embarked on trick or treating. There was cookie decorating, spiced cider and plenty of princesses & superheroes (another thing that never changes). As for the desserts, thank god I didn't attempt any spooky creations, or I would've been totally upstaged by Lucy (a Martha in training) with her eye-ball cupcakes & creepily life-like finger cookies. Heading into the holiday season, I'll continue to uphold traditions. I'll play with new menus for dinner parties & bake a new cookie recipe, but Christmas morning will always be that crazy casserole, always with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, possibly seeking an upgrade for the sausage that comes out of a tube...

The Menu

sips

spiced apple cider

snacks

rosemary pumpkin seeds & caramel corn

savory

beef & bean chili

white bean chili with butternut squash

fresh corn cornbread with butter & honey

toppings bar: scallions, sour cream, avocado, jalapenos, cilantro, tortilla chips, sweet onion, red rooster, medium cheddar, sharp white cheddar & fritos

romaine lettuces with creamy lemon dressing

sweets

swapped loot from trick or treating

finger cookies

eye-ball cupcakes

Day of the Dead on DailyCandy

We are very excited to be featured on DailyCandy today with our Day of the Dead dinner party!! Dia de los Muertos, a beautiful Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, is a great reason to throw a party. Check out the flip book we created on DailyCandy to read all of our party tips and how-to's for food, decor and theme. And click on the links below for all of the recipes. A big thanks to Evelyn @ DailyCandy!!

The Menu

sip

blood orange margaritas

snacks

rosemary spiced pumpkin seeds

nachos

tortilla chips, monterey jack & cheddar cheeses, salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, green chilis, guacamole, cilantro & scallions

family style

pumpkin mole with chicken, poblanos & kabocha squash

served with corn tortillas, queso fresco, cilantro & lime

cumin scented black & pinto beans

brown rice with cilantro & scallions

sweet

churros with salted dulce de leche & mexican hot chocolate sauces

favor

kah tequila with blood orange margarita recipe cards

Skull and Bones

Hundreds of trick or treaters meant lots of snacks and cocktails, followed by a candelit sit down dinner. This was the way to do Halloween, grown up. Playful appetizers for hours as superheros, witches, cowboys and princesses pawned for candy, often ignoring the 'one piece' rule. The glutton in me can relate. And we did indulge: short ribs and mac and cheese. Our table glowed with black pumpkins, skulls and bones. Happy Halloween!!!

The Menu

passed for 'trick or treat'

spiked hot cider

spinach 'eye' balls with sweet hot mustard

curried 'devilled' eggs

pumpkin filled black ravioli with sage browned butter

lamb meatballs with 'vampire-fighting' roasted garlic dip

black and orange cheese platter

smoked cheddar, mimolette, poppyseed rubbed sheep's cheese, persimmon, carrot sticks, dried apricots, black olives, roasted orange peppers, black grapes, black figs, black plums, roasted pumpkin seeds, quince paste

to start

roasted butternut squash soup with candied pumpkin seeds, asian pear, creme fraiche and fried sage

followed by

"skulls and bones" braised short ribs with horseradish creme

'ghostly gooey' five-cheese mac and cheese

spooky swiss chard

to end

"devilishly" dark chocolate birthday cake

dulche de leche ice cream

pumpernickel toasts