Today is the day and my daughter is the most excited of anyone. We’re hosting a little movie night at our house tonight complete with all of the spooky foods, cocktails, and mocktails. Here’s a snapshot of what we’re doing!

For your drinking pleasure…

Corpse Reviver no.2 Cocktail

Super kid (and kid at heart) friendly

Halloween-ies with ketchup blood

It’s delish and a little elegant

Apple Cider Skull cakes

Spooky enough to eat a handful

Eyeball Meringues

For a Harry Potter binge

Butter Beer Cookies

For the kid’s at heart

Ice cream floats made with purple & green sodas

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There’s something about a spicy, smoky margarita that feels perfect for Halloween! These are something you can make in a pitcher too - so you can serve them at a party and not have to keep shaking. Just mix the ingredients and then let guests shake to order. Better yet, find a friend who likes to work the bar - it’s usually someone who wants to chat with everyone, but also needs to keep their hands busy. I know who I always choose - it’s a great friend to have!

Try a few mezcals before you settle on one. Everyone likes something a little different and mezcal is unique because it’s so smoky. Like when you pick a scotch, they all taste a little different. It’s handy to buy the tiny little bottles first to try out the varieties. Those big bottles seem even larger when you don’ like what’s inside!

Mezcal Margarita

serves 2

4 ounces mezcal

1/2 ounce jalapeno syrup

1 dash triple sec

juice of 1/2 a lime (2 ounces)

lime wedges

coarse sea salt

STEP 1

Rub the ridge of one glass with the lime and dip half of the rim in salt. If you dip the whole thing, you can end up with a mouth full of salt and no one needs bloated fingers tomorrow. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.

STEP 2

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour mezcal, jalapeño syrup,, triple sec and lime. Shake aggressively for a few seconds. Strain the cocktail into the salted glass. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top and serve.

ALTERNATIVLY

I often will not fill the glass with ice in the beginning, but pour the ice the cocktail was shaken with into my glass. There’s a little melt that happens when you shake and I like to capture all of the flavors. But it’s not traditional, so you do you.

to make the jalapeño syrup

Combine together in a saucepan, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 jalapeño, sliced but not seeded. Simmer until the sugar has melted and the liquid has reduced. Let cool before using.

What’s better than pigs in a blanket? The correct answer is nothing.

This time of year we are eating quite a few pigs in a blanket thanks to the football season - it’s the perfect food for grab and go eating. Which makes it the perfect food for grab and go Halloween eating. I don’t know about your house, but this holiday doesn’t exactly lend itself to sitting around and eating a large meal.

To make these, I used crescent rolls and lil’ smokies. It’s so simple. I don’t really think this needs a recipe, but I’ll type one out anyway. Usually I serve a lil’ smoky with mustard because ketchup is gross. But in this case, it needs to look like blood. So ketchup it is! (I put mustard in a bowl on the side when serving)

Halloweenines

1 package lil’ smokies

2 packages crescent rolls

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll one package of crescent rolls. Use one of the triangles to make the base of your hand.

STEP 2

Slice the remaining rolls into strips. Start wrapping the lil’ smokies and laying them out to form a ‘hand'.’ Use the remaining strips to drape across the top of the lil’ smokies to hold them all together. Repeat with the second roll of crescent rolls and the rest of the lil’ smokies to form a second hand.

STEP 3

Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown on a lined baking sheet. Serve with ketchup!

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There is nothing the kids love more than when I make meringues. It’s a fan favorite - and one of the simplest treats you can make! They are literally three ingredients. The secrets are:

1. Don’t make these when it’s pouring down rain, the humidity kills them.

2. Don’t go too fast with the sugar. Be slow.

3. Watch your oven temperature and don’t rush anything.

These are super elegant for this holiday that doesn’t always inspire elegance!

Eyeball Meringues

Makes about 1 dozen

4 large egg whites

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon meringue powder

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with sil-pat or parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and salt until bubbly.  With the mixer running slowly add sugar and meringue powder. Whisk until stiff peaks form - about five minutes.

STEP 2

Fit a piping bag with an Ateco number 12 piping tip. Paint stripes on the inside of the piping bag using red food coloring. Carefully fill the piping bag with white meringue.

STEP 3

Gently pipe out giant dollops. Place a candy eye in the center of each circle to flatten out the piping point.

STEP 4

Bake meringues two hours until crisp to the touch.  Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes. Store in an airtight container (I use a ziploc bag) for about a week.

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This is one of my favorite cakes to make this time of year! When you have cute cake molds, you need a cake that doesn’t need a frosting so you don’t cover up the design. I found this cute skull mold earlier this year - Pearl’s favorite holiday is Halloween - so I had to buy it when I found it!

This cake can be made in any shape. I usually choose a regular round cake mold. But you can change it up for the holiday. I hear there are turkey molds so this could be darling for Thanksgiving too.

APPLE CIDER CAKE

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup apple cider

½ cup chopped apple

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the skull mold cake pans and dust them with flour. It’s super important to flour the pans when there are details like this!

In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and spices.  Set aside.

STEP 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Whip together until it lightens slightly in color (about 1 minute).

STEP 3

Add half the flour to the sugar mixture in the stand mixer.  Stir until just barely combined.

STEP 4

Pour in apple cider and mix.  Add remaining flour and stir until just barely combined then incorporate the apples.

STEP 5

Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch round pan.  Pop into the oven and bake 35 minutes – or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool. Mix together the powdered sugar and cider - then pour it over the top of the cake slowly and let it drip off the sides.

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If there was a better name for a Halloween cocktail than this, I can’t think of it. I have friends who adore this drink. They are constantly ordering it at the bars and I haven’t really seen the allure.

Then I made my own. Here’s what I discovered - the amount of lemon juice traditionally called for (1 ounce) is too much. It curdles your stomach. I made this with both fresh lemon juice and the stuff in the carton. Both ways, it needed less than the original recipes called for. With fresh lemon juice 1/2 ounce is plenty, with the juice in the carton, I recommend a little less than 1/2 an ounce.

The absinthe rinse seems optional because it’s a rinse, but it’s totally not. The slight licorice flavor with the absinthe and the citrus from everything else is a perfect combination. You can’t beat it when it’s done right. I buy a tiny bottle of absinthe because I don’t really need more than a little bit for this drink. And I don’t need more than a little for the rest of the cocktails I make either.

You will not regret shaking one of these up for Halloween - or really any time! Cin cin!

Corpse Reviver no. 2

makes one cocktail

1 ounce lillet blanc

1 ounce cointreau

1/2 ounce lemon juice

1 ounce dry gin

1/4 ounce absinthe

STEP 1

Pour the absinthe into the cocktail glass and swirl it around. Then dump it out. Or dump it in the next glass if you’re making more.

STEP 2

Pour all of the remaining ingredients into a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake until chilled. It’s about 21 times.

STEP 3

Strain into a cocktail glass and serve cold.

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The original James Bond drink

The perfect Friday night clink-clink

It’s a little lillet and vodka and gin

Pour it in a pitcher - add ice - and begin

Not shaken, but stirred

More than one and your vision is definitely blurred.

Vesper Cocktail

1 ounce vodka

2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce lillet blanc

lemon peel

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail pitcher. Add ice and stir gently. Strain into two cocktail glasses and garnish with a lemon peel.

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This is the perfect quick cook dinner!  It takes almost no time to cook and still seems fancy.  Which is exactly what we need for Halloween night! I am sure your house is just as hectic as mine with kids needing last minute costume pieces (which of course they can’t find), everyone being hungry, my husband just coming home, and some over eager parents who’s kids are ringing my doorbell at 4:30pm.

All you need to do with this is boil the water, add onions and shrimp to a skillet - they cook quickly - and then toss it all together! It’s simple, looks fancy, and is way healthier than the pizza we often order!

Vampire’s Noodles

Squid Ink Pasta with Caramelized Onion & Shrimp

Serves 4

½ lb squid ink pasta

½ cup butter, divided

1 onion

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 sprigs thyme

1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ cup white wine

1 lemon, zested

STEP 1

Over low heat, cook onions, garlic, and thyme in 2 tbs butter.  

STEP 2

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.  Reserve ½ cup of pasta water when draining.

STEP 3

Add remaining butter to the onions and melt until toasty and bubbly.  Add shrimp and toss to coat with butter.  Pour in white wine.  Add lemon zest and salt and pepper.  Cover and cook 5-10 minutes until shrimp is fully pink.

STEP 4

Toss noodles in shrimp pan.  Add pasta water if noodles appear dry. 

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My daughter loves Harry Potter. She loves everything about it. Every time we go to the grocery store, we pick up a bottle of a ‘butter beer’ look alike and she pours it into the cup we bought at Harry Potter land in California.

It seemed only necessary that I turn her favorite soda into a cookie. It’s the perfect Halloween/fall cookie flavor since butterscotch naturally lends itself to fall. Adding the pudding adds a dash of flavor but more importantly, it keeps the cookies really soft.

Butter Beer Cookies

1 cup butter, room temeprature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3.4 oz butterscotch pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

12 oz butterscotch chips

STEP 1

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat until combined.

STEP 2

Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat well until the mixture gets lighter in color and is fluffy.

STEP 3

In a small bowl, combine flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and baking powder. Add it to the stand mixer and blend until mostly combined.

STEP 4

Pour in the chips and turn the mixer back on. Let it run until the dough looks like a cookie dough.

STEP 5

Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue to cool.

Years ago I hosted a pumpkin patch party at my in-law’s farm house. Everyone had tiny babies and they rolled around in the pumpkin patch and ate cookies. It was so darling. When I was looking back on some old photos I decided these were too darling not to share. Especially that little face of Lars?! Are you kidding me?

This party is also timeless. These babies can be tiny and eating sugar cookies or ten years old and let them carve pumpkins on their own. You can host this anytime and all of the kids will love it. Serve some spiked punch and the adults will love it too.

5 tips for a dessert bar

1. Create a backdrop. It makes everything look more professional & like you planned it. I used an old Pendelton blanket (I have a collection) but you can use almost anything.

2. Make your favorite desserts that you have tried a million times and you know they work.

3. Fill in with store bought favorites. I adore Trophy Cupcakes and can’t think of a reason why I’d make my own when Trophy is done and delicious.

4. Napkins! Plenty of napkins.

5. Have something that’s “non-dessert” like a bowl of apples or cheese sticks or something that can take down the sugar high.