Saturday 2 November 2013

Halloween round-up...not for the faint-hearted!

Thank you everyone for your comments on my last post, I'm pleased to report that the second Halloween party was a screaming success! 


I cooked an early dinner so we could get out trick-or-treating (truth be told: I was trying to fill their stomachs before the candy feast commenced!). I made spaghetti bolognaise with my hidden-veggie tomato sauce (onion, garlic, carrot, peppers, courgette, whatever else is in the fridge cooked and pureed with tomatoes), so I knew they'd get a good dose of veg, carbs and protein. I topped it with mozzarella balls and black olive eyes, some strips of lasagna noodles, and baked it til the mummy was heated through. The goblins devoured it! 

Notice the change in tableware from the younger children's party in my last post...the older kids are into the blood reds and skulls now, very cool...

We went trick-or-treating for a good long time, lots of children and parents were out and about in the village and we all had terrific fun. The sleepover went well, I heard giggling waaaaaay into the night (Darling Husband was getting a bit grumpy about it, but I remember so clearly being 10 years old and staying up "all night" with my best friend, I told him to let it go!)

Of course one must have a Midnight Feast at a sleepover, especially if it's Halloween! So in addition to raiding their treat bags, I left a cauldron full of goodies in the kitchen and went to bed.

Surprisingly, the veggies were eaten too!
But there were still some shrieks to be heard the next morning, when the girls dined on pancakes with "blood" syrup...

eeewwww!
They loved it, I barely got a photo of a pancake before they were all devoured!

The "blood" is simply maple syrup with some red food colouring added


This looks remarkably like real blood, it's the consistency as well as the colour. My brother and I discovered this when we were children. 

My mother discovered this the hard way when we played a Halloween trick on her...

Now that I am a mother, I must state here, for all to read: Mom, I am *so so sorry* for subjecting you to our pranks! I don't know how you put up with (er...survived?) us! 

The gruesome decorations are being tucked away into their boxes until next year, but the fun memories will be fresh for a long time to come! 

Chrissie x

15 comments:

  1. Loads of fun at your house. All quiet here with just a few dressed up children not really knowing what is going on!! Jo x

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  2. I love it! I'm completely terrified by your food! :) That was a great idea with the "blood" syrup, I need to try it next year. No, I didn't know you were American, how interesting! Where are from and how did you end up where you are? :)

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    1. Ah, I've been here nearly 14 years, so I'm a cultural mix of Englush and American...grew up in Western Pennsylvania, lived in Washington DC after uni, met my British hubby and wound up moving over! It's quite a story, perhaps I'll blog about the entire tale one day...cxxx

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  3. Brilliant Chrissie - so many lovely ideas, it must have been so much fun, and as you say they'll remember these special days for years to come.
    Kate x

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  4. Fantastic post Chrissie really made me giggle, loved your food, so creative. Big hug
    Dorothy
    :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  5. You are a fantastic Mom to make this holiday so creepy and fun.
    hugs,
    Meredith

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  6. Love the idea for the sauce on the pancakes and that you put out things for a midnight snack. You are a great mum! xx

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  7. love, love, love the syrup and colouring idea! superb!
    Hope you had a fab Halloween!
    BH x

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  8. You really are a child at heart lovely Chrissie - if I didn't believe it before I certainly do now - what a time you've organised for your girls and their friends, and what hilarious fun you've obviously all had. Great stuff!!! Warm hugs, Joy xo

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  9. you are very good at parties and hosting sleepovers....I particularly like the spag bol mummy....a stroke of genius!

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  10. Fab decorations and the food was simply wonderful!! I loved the blood pancakes, genius. I am sure the girls had an absolute ball, I know my doh would also be grumbling when this stage hits us, but like you I had many a sleepover and midnight feasts and it all makes for giggles, laughter and staying up super late, that's what its all about right?! I too love Halloween and also like the fun of it all, it makes us all feel young again, well maybe some of us just never grow up. xoxo

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  11. Love the Mummy Pasta great idea, looks like they had a fab time.
    Clare x

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  12. How fun! You made me laugh with your blood syrup story. I just got all my Halloween stuff packed away and put up into the attic this morning...next to the boxes and boxes...and boxes of Christmas stuff just waiting for their turn to come down! Lots of fun yet to come. :) xoxo

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  13. I've got all this to come (my eldest is only 7) - can't wait to use that blood syrup! Such a good idea. It's so lovely to see how everyone else had fun at Halloween...just fab. Well done Chrissie x

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