sinful
sweets and savory treats
With feature films decided upon, it’s time to start thinking food. Halloween
wouldn’t be Halloween without indulging in some sugary-sweet treats. As kids,
we had to schlep door-to-door begging for our candy; all grown up now, getting
to that sugar high-inducing goodness is a whole lot easier … just mosey on
over to the store, and load up the shopping basket. For your fright night movie-fest,
then, you’ll want to make sure to stock up on everyone’s favorite Halloween
sweets.
Fun-sized Halloween
candy bars are, of course, a must; you can also set out bowls of candy
corn, mellowcreme pumpkins, and gummy worms. Meanwhile,
if you’re planning any homemade sweet yummies, make sure to go with grab-and-go
foods that can be easily consumed while schlumped on the sofa or floor watching
a movie. Now is not the time for fancy cakes and pastries that require a
fork and knife and steadily balanced plate; think sturdy cookies and
cupcakes, foods
you can eat with your hands.
Because we’re all
about the balanced meal, a few salty nibbles should also be provided.
Movie night pretty much demands popcorn; offer both a plain buttered-and-salted
version and a hellishly hot Fires from Hell Halloween-inspired version (next
page) as
well. Toasted, salted pumpkin seeds also make a tasty and seasonally
appropriate
savory snack.
Meanwhile, if you’re
starting the movie marathon relatively early and a substantial meal
is in order, I have one word for you: pizza. Whether you go with the
take-out version or get all Martha Stewart and make your own, there’s
no better food for getting folks through a long, lazy night in front
of the television.
have
no fear: this way for more! |
the
great pumpkin cupcakes
1/2 cup dark brown
sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, melted & cooled for 10 min.
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Preheat
oven to 350F. Pop liners in a 12-cupcake tin.
2 Mix the sugars,
butter, eggs and vanilla in a big bowl. Stir in the pumpkin. Combine
the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and stir.
Now pour about 1/3 of the dry ingredients at a time into the wet ingredients,
stirring until nearly combined, then adding more and repeating until the
ingredients are just mixed. Don’t be overly zealous.
3 Fill the lined cupcake
cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed
and a skewer inserted in the center comes
out clean. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire
rack. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost. Top with a halved mellowcreme
pumpkin.
cream cheese
frosting
4 oz. cream cheese (generous 1/2 cup), room temp
1/4 cup butter, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
Combine all the ingredients
in a mixer bowl, and blend just until fluffy. |
