Hat!

The hat I won from Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween arrived yesterday. It's so freaking cute! I wore it to my first class. :) Thanks to Irish at www.bratboutique.net for making such an awesome witch hat! I absolutely love it.

Non-food Crafties

As I've stated before, finding anything that could pass as a Halloween decoration isn't easy to do in a country that doesn't know much about Halloween. Sometimes this works out because if you have time and are creative, you can make some pretty groovy things on your own. I, however, am not terribly artistic or skilled, lack patience and definitely lack the time and organization for larger projects. That and I'm just really, really bad at following directions. Some sort of temporary dyslexia takes over, I swear.

Anyway, a site that I really like is The Anti Craft (www.theanticraft.com). Many of the projects on the site involve knitting, which I cannot do, but there are other projects as well. The archives are grouped together by Sabbats. Scrolling through the Samhain archives, I came across a project that takes cheap, mass-produced badly-painted figurines from the dollar store and turns them into creepy works of art.

Example:



Exhibit A is a badly-painted magnet from a cheap store in town. The picture isn't very good but the lighting kind of sucks. The magnet is stuck to the can of black spray paint that I used to cover the peaches-and-cream flesh of this happy couple on their special day.

A little black spray paint and some ceramic or acrylic paint is all it takes to turn that into this:






Isn't that better? Well, the photograph isn't, but the results are. I started repainting nativity scenes while I was home for the summer and plan to finish the next time I get to the U.S.

So here's the plan

A lot of bloggers have been hosting incredible giveaways lately. Mrs. B has kept it up all throughout the month of October and I think she should be commended. She's put a lot of hard work and a lot of thought into this month. Plus, the people who sponsored giveaways have donated some amazing stuff. I won a great hat and will post pictures of myself wearing it as soon as it arrives.

All these giveaways have made me think about getting on the bandwagon. I live in Turkey, as most of you probably already know. That means shipping things costs a good bit and it takes 2-3 weeks for things to arrive. However, I send a box home for the holidays and will be sending out the annual box o' goodies sometime next month. What I do is included addresses and lists of who gets what and my mom is kind enough to send things to their final destinations once the box reaches the United States.

I would like to send a few Turkish goodies to someone. I was thinking of doing this if I reach 100 followers by, oh, mid-November. I'll send the box around the end of the month so it gets to the States on time. I have about 55 followers via Facebook now, I think. I don't know much about the random choosing and such but I can learn about proper giveaway hosting as time goes on. So, what do you all say? Care to spread the word about my silly little blog? I know it's not much, but I really don't know a lot about the world of technology. I just do the best I can and try to include pictures and stuff when I think about it.

I'm still working on my cookbook idea, but now that I've started teaching again, I've been using all my spare time to decompress and not think about classes! Plus, several recipes still need more testing and I can't test all of them where I am, due to lack of proper ingredients.

Y'all think about it while I go attempt to teach reading skills to my chilluns and I'll be back later. Ta!

Quick Question

I have a question for the more computer savvy of you. How does one go about making a blogger button? I have some buttons for the other sites that I visit, but I've no clue as to how or where they were made. How is it done?

Fanx! :)=

Fruits of the Season - Pomegranates

I am so happy that pomegranate season is here! I adore those lovely little seeds surrounded by juicy, garnet flesh. I've been meaning to get to a pomegranate post for a while now, but I first wanted to find a pomegranate seed meditation to share with you all. The one I had in mind is by Cait Johnson and it's in her Witch in the Kitchen book, which I don't have with me. I brought a few of my books back from the U.S. with me this summer, but I didn't have room for them all.

Anyway...pomegranates! In Turkish the word is "nar" and freshly-squeezed, antioxidant-rich juice is available all over the place these days. It's a beautiful deep ruby, deeper than blood.

Pomegranate juice is a symbol of blood, of life. The fruit itself is reminiscent of the womb, while the inside reminds me of an ovary, with the seeds representing the eggs. Seeds and eggs are both potential life forms, waiting for something to allow the life force within to burst forth and grow. It's no wonder the pomegranate is a symbol of fertility.



Pomegranates in Myth and Religion

Many of you know the story of Persephone and how she was abducted and taken to the Underworld. Her mother, Demeter, was distraught. She searched everywhere for Persephone, and in her sadness, refused to allow anything to grow. Zeus, in response to the cries of the hungry, forced the god of the Underworld to return Persephone. However, the Fates dictated that whoever ate or drank while in the underworld would have to remain. Persephone, having been tricked into eating a few pomegranate seeds, had to return to the underworld for part of the year - one month for each seed she consumed.

According to the Qur'an, pomegranates grow in the gardens of paradise.

In Judaism, pomegranate seeds are eaten at Rosh Hashana. The fruit is a symbol of fruitfulness. The symbol of the pomegranate is woven into the hem of the robe worn by the Hebrew High Priest. The pomegranate is also used in Christian religious decoration.

For Samhain

The pomegranate is a great food choice for Samhain. Decorate your altar with whole and cut pomegranates. Use the seeds as part of your ritual and simple feast. The red juice symbolizes the blood of life that continues throughout the coming winter.

The seeds can be consumed for physical or spiritual fertility. As you eat the seeds, think about Persephone and her time spent as Queen of the Underworld. Think about how this dark time of year is a time for reflection, a time to draw inside yourself and think about the goals you wish to realize in the coming year.

Here is a recipe that combines pomegranate seeds and nuts, both traditional foods for Samhain. Make these for your Dia de los Muertos celebration if you observe it.


Chiles en Nogada (Chiles in Walnut Sauce)
*Featured in Como Agua Para Chocolate


Chiles en Nogada (Chilies in Walnut Sauce)




You must start this dish one day ahead by soaking the walnuts for the nogada sauce overnight.
Ingredients

The Picadillo:
2 lbs of boneless pork
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

6 Tbsp of lard or the fat from the broth
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
The cooked meat (about 3 cups - note if you use more than 3 cups, you will need to increase the amounts of the other ingredients)
A molcajete (mortar and pestle)
8 peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
3 heaping Tbsp of raisins
2 Tbsp blanched and slivered almonds
2 heaping Tbsp acitron or candied fruit, chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 pear, cored, peeled and chopped
1 peach, pitted, peeled and chopped
Method

1 Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender - about 40-45 minutes. Do not over cook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth.

2 Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat.

3 Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until they are soft.

4 Add the meat and let it cook until it begins to brown.

5 Crush the spices roughly in the molcajete and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. (If you don't have a molcajete, you can use the blunt end of a pestle to crush the spices in a bowl.) Cook the mixture a few moments longer.

6 Add chopped peach and pear to the mixture.

The Chilies:
7 Put 6 chiles poblanos (and you MUST use this type of chili) straight into a fairly high flame or under a broiler and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn right through. (See How to roast chile peppers over a gas flame tutorial using Anaheim chiles.)

8 Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for about 20 minutes. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and the flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam. Make a slit in the side of each chili and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chili, the part around the base of the stem, intact. (If the chilies are too hot - picante, let them soak in a mild vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chilies and pat them dry.

9 Stuff the chilies with the picadillo until they are well filled out. Set them aside on paper towels.

The Nogada (walnut sauce)
The day before:
20 to 25 fresh walnuts, shelled
cold milk

10 Remove the thin papery skin from the nuts. (Note, these are Diana Kennedy's instructions. I have found it virtually impossible to remove the skins from the fresh walnuts that come from our walnut tree. The above photo shows the sauce which includes the skins. I think it would be creamier without the skins, but what can you do? We found that blanching the walnuts did not help get the skin off. Completely cover the walnuts with cold milk and leave them to soak overnight.

On serving day:
The soaked and drained nuts
1 small piece white bread without crust
1/4 lb queso fresco
1 1/2 cups thick sour creme (or creme fraiche)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Large pinch of cinnamon

11 Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until they are smooth.

To Serve
To assemble the dish, cover the chilies in the nogada sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds.


** Recipe source: www.simplyrecipes.com

Are Your Bones Chilled?

Is your spine tingling yet? Has your blood curdled due to the frightening pre-Halloween activities? Well, if so, I have concocted yet another hot chocolate recipe that will warm you through and through. Warning: This is a seriously spicy brew, so serve it if Samhain is chilly in your part of the world.

Zedral Z's Chocolate (pseudo)Mexicano:

1 1/3 cups milk
2-3 teaspoons sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
2 teaspoons good quality cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed hot chili (a pinch, really)

Extracts:
Vanilla
Almond

Measure these in the little caps from the bottles. You want less than 1/2 a capful, say 1/8 teaspoon or just slightly under

Heat the milk on low heat. Whisk in the other ingredients and warm until bubbles form along the sides of your pan. Remember to heat the milk slowly and whisk often. You don't want the milk to scald and form that weird skin on top.

Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish it with a cinnamon stick, sprinkle of cinnamon, chocolate curls, or whatever you fancy. Me, I drink mine plain. I'm having some right now and getting ready to watch a scary movie.

Bonus: Serve this one to a loved one to increase passion. Cinnamon, chocolate and chili together make a potent combination.

More Halloween Goodies - Eyeball Tacos

Since Halloween/Samhain is almost upon us, I thought I would devote another entry or two to fun foods for your celebration in addition to the posts about seasonal fruits and other edibles.

As I've mentioned before, I intend to put a Mexican twist on my Halloween party this year and sort of combine Halloween/Samhain and El Dia de los Muertos for my own personal celebration as well.

If you are interested in my hot chocolate recipe, Mrs. B has it in her 31 Days of Halloween archives under Oct. 15. You can leave out the instant coffee and add a pinch of hot red chili and a couple of drops of almond extract instead. Voila! Yummy Mexican-ish hot chocolate.

One of my previous entries included the black bean recipe I plan on using. Something else to do, especially if you're a sucker for Halloween-themed spooky/gross recipe ideas like I am is EYEBALL TACOS!

Since I'll be serving the beans wrapped in tortillas, I may just make my "eyeballs" without the benefit of a wrap. You, however, can use corn taco shells if you can find them. I, unfortunately, have only seen them at one store and they were verrry expensive.

For the EYEBALLS

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely minced onion (use a food processor if you have one)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 F (If you need Celsius conversions, please let me know and I can find them for you. I'm sorry for forgetting!) Lightly oil a cookie sheet.

Put your finely minced onions into a skillet with about a tablespoon of oil and saute lightly for 3-4 minutes. Add to the rest of the ingredients. Combine with your hands and roll into 1 1/4 - 1 1/2-inch balls. Bake for about 12 minutes. This should yield somewhere between 12-14 meatballs, depending on how big you make them.

To serve these gruesome tacos:

Spread your taco shells with some refried beans (or my Halloween black bean dip) if desired. Add some shredded lettuce and grated cheese. Turn the taco shell on its side and tuck in two of the taco eyeballs. Add a tiny dollop of sour cream to each eyeball and decorate with a sliced olive iris. Bleack! I mean, Yum! Serve with extra sour cream and some salsa, if desired.



*Photo courtesy of Kraft, who recommends those nasty frozen meatballs.

My Favorite Curry

I decorated my blog for Halloween. Whaddya think? I've always loved zombie movies. I've been looking for the perfect zombie design for a tattoo and I rather like the zombie pinup style, don't you?

Anyroad, in honor of Halloween, I thought I would share with you a recipe for my very favorite curry. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 small can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1in piece root ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
2-3 mild green chilis
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground turmeric
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp yogurt
1 lime (or lemon)
a small bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves
cooked Basmati rice, to serve

And the ingredient that really gives this recipe pizazz:




AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Get it? My favorite 'Curry'? Tim Curry! *wipes away a tear*
Well, I thought it was funny...

So, the first thing you need to do is catch your Curry. If you go to Los Angeles you stand a pretty good chance of bagging the Curry. Once you have coerced (or forced at gunpoint, whatever) the Curry into the trunk of your car, you must dispatch of it quickly. Curry is like lobster, almost. You really have to have it fresh. I recommend a quick blow to the head.

Next, you will have to wash your Curry. Rinse it well under warm running water. Don't scrub or you'll lose some of the flavor.

After the Curry has been rinsed and patted dry, you will have to shave the Curry. It can be a bit fuzzy, and wiry beard hairs are *not* good eating. Shave the Curry well and give it another quick rinse.

Next, take your sharpest, heaviest cleaver. You will also need your everyday kitchen chainsaw and/or hacksaw to cut the Curry into manageable pieces. I recommend 1 1/2-inch rounds for the arms and slightly larger on the legs. Don't worry about the bones, as they will be easy to remove once the meat is cooked.

As for the torso, I like to save half of it for stock and cut the rest into 2-inch cubes. This will take some time, as the meat will most likely be rather tough. Discard as much of the fat as possible. Save the organ meats for giblet stuffing for Thanksgiving.

Once your Curry is cut into nice cubes, you can begin preparing your sauce.


Finely chop your onion and fry it in a heavy pot for about 10 minutes, until it is soft and slightly golden. Add the garlic.

Grate the ginger or use a food processor. Finely chop the chili, removing the seeds if desired. If the chilis are very hot, you may wish to wear a disposable pair of latex gloves.

Add this mixture to the onions and garlic. Fry for a minute or two, then add the spices and fry for an additional 2 minutes. Don't let the spices stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Tip in the tomatoes and water. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add your Curry, cover and allow to cook for 30-40 minutes until tender. Stir in the yogurt and lime juice and taste for seasoning. Serve over cooked Basmati rice.

*Please note your Curry may taste faintly of Marlboro Reds. This is normal. He would enjoy being served with a full-bodied red wine.

A Note of Thanks

I would like to thank Mrs. B for allowing me to participate in the 31 Days of Halloween. I was so happy you added me as a guest blogger! I think your blog is wonderful and the giveaways have been outstanding. Thanks to all who have visited my blog through hers as well. A very blessed Samhain to all. Stay tuned for more food information and recipes.

Halloween Treats

Oh, how I love Halloween! When I was younger it was all about the costumes and the goodies - caramel apples, popcorn balls and candycandycandy! Then as I got older and started exploring Paganism, it also became about the last harvest, about remembrance, divination, the thinning of the veils between worlds. Oh, and candy. :D

I love browsing Halloween magazines and websites and looking at all the disgustingly named foods - Swamp Dip, Brain Pate, Witches Fingers, etc. I'm not sure when Halloween changed from being about the spooky to the gross, but it's kind of fun.

What I like to do is put a Dia de los Muertos twist on my Halloween festivities, since the two holidays have so much in common and are so close together. El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) is observed in Mexico on November 1-2. Families visit the graves of their loved ones, clean the stones, place fresh flowers there, and spend time visiting, eating, praying and sharing. Skulls made of pressed sugar and decorated with icing and non-edible items such as sequins and feathers are a popular symbol of this holiday, as is Pan de Muerto - Bread of the Dead. This bread is flavored with orange and anise (which symbolizes love), and decorated with bones made of dough.

Not being a fan of anise myself, I probably won't make the bread this year, although I have made it before. I still plan to put a Mexican twist on some of the foods I plan to provide for the party. The menu, so far, includes:

Black bean rollups
Toasted, spiced pumpkin seeds
Hauntingly Good Hot Chocolate
Jell-O shots - it isn't a Zedral Z party without them

I'd also like to make popcorn balls but I think that would be too much of a hassle. Caramel apples are another choice, and I did bring a bottle of corn syrup back from the U.S. with me, so I could do that.

If you want to make the black bean rollups (which I cut into little pinwheels), I suggest using a tomato/sundried tomato-flavored tortilla so you can have the orange and black colors together for the holiday. I can't get flavored wraps here, though, so I will have to make do with plain.

Ingredients: (adjust for the number you are feeding, of course)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
big handful cilantro
1- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder OR 1/2 a canned chipotle plus a good dollop of the sauce - depends on how hot you like it, but remember that chipotle is a strong smokey flavor
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

To prepare the tortillas, I lay the tortillas on a cutting board and slice off about an inch on two sides. That way you don't have beanless "overhang" when you roll. You can slather those ends in leftover bean dip and eat them. Cook's privilege!

Spread the tortillas with a layer of the bean mixture. You should get 4-6 tortillas' worth.

Topping options:

Sliced green onions
Grated cheese
Thinly sliced tomato and/or avocado

I normally just sprinkle on some sliced green onions and grated cheese. Use Cheddar or Monterrey Jack if you can get it. I use gouda with cumin seeds, which is delicious. Roll the tortillas and chill for at least 30 minutes. Slice into pinwheels and put a tray to serve. Oh, and stand back! These things move fast.

Halloween Recipes, part 1

Head on over to Mrs.B's at silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com where I'm one of her guest bloggers today. I have a recipe for a warm, spicy drink that will chase the chill from your bones!

Pumpkin Recipes

I would like to share with you one of my favorite pumpkin recipes. It's also one of the easiest things to make. It takes a little time for the pumpkin to set, but during that time you don't have to do anything. It's a Turkish dessert called "Kabak Tatlısı", or "Pumpkin Dessert".

For this dessert you need:

1 Pumpkin, removed from the shell and cut into cubes
Sugar
Couple of whole cloves if you want them

To serve:
Clotted or whipped cream
Ground walnuts or pistachios

The ratio of pumpkin to sugar is 2:1. If you have 3 cups of pumpkin, use 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Place the pumpkin into a pot and sprinkle with sugar. Let it sit overnight. It will release water so you don't have to add any when cooking. The next day, add your cloves to the mixture (you can add a cinnamon stick too if you want), and cook everything until the pumpkin is soft, about 30-45 minutes. Let it cool and garnish it with the nuts and serve with cream. It's usually served with kaymak, which is Turkish clotted cream. It's simple and delicious. They also make a quince version here as well.


Pumpkin Seeds

I love pumpkin seeds. Some people crack the outer shell and eat the inner kernel like with sunflower seeds, but I eat the whole thing. I do the same with sunflower seeds! It won't hurt you and you might even get a little extra fiber.

Pumpkin seeds are very nutritious. They're chock-full of magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc, which we all need for healthy bodies. If you're going to be cutting into a pumpkin or two this season, you might as well save and eat the seeds. You'll be creating less waste and doing something good for yourself in the process.

The easiest way to prepare them is to wash off as much of the gunk as you can, dry the seeds off on some kitchen paper or a tea towel, and pop everything into the oven. The little strings and leftover bits of pumpkin "guts" will come off very easily once the whole shebang is toasted.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spread the seeds out in an even layer on a cookie sheet or baking sheet and roast until the seeds are dried out. Watch them, though, and make sure they don't get brown. They'll taste like burnt popcorn and won't be any good. Unless you like burnt popcorn, that is.

Once they're toasted and you've separated out the non-seedy bits, pop them into a bowl and drizzle with a bit of oil and salt. After that, get creative!

Sweet and spicy: Olive oil, salt, brown sugar, cayenne and/or chipotle chili powder (love and protection, no?)

To draw money: Olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

For non-magical purposes:

Olive oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese
Olive oil, salt, a dash of garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and coriander
Olive oil, salt, garam masala, cumin, cayenne (optional)



Pumpkin Soup

6 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces (optional if making a vegetarian soup)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds pumpkin, roasted at about 400 F until tender (or you can use canned in a pinch)
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup half and half (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cook the bacon, if using, in a soup pot until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions in the drippings (or in olive oil/butter) until soft. Add the garlic and cook 3-4 minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin, liquid (except dairy), seasonings and spices. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Blend with a stick blender or place in a blender in batches. Return to the pot and add half and half, if using.

Garnish with bacon and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Fruits of the Season - Pumpkin

Okay, technically pumpkins are vegetables, but "Vegetables of the Season" didn't sound as good.

What's more autumnal than pumpkin? Who can picture October, especially Halloween/Samhain, without a carved pumpkin or two on the front porch? What would Thanksgiving be without pumpkin pie? When many people think of fall, they think of pumpkins.

Pumpkins, round and orange like the Harvest Moon, are ruled by (surprise, surprise)the Moon. Their element is earth, and the energies associated with the pumpkin are money and healing. They are also used for protection, especially when a spooky face is carved into the flesh.

As many of you probably already know, the modern jack o'lantern is a take on the turnips that were carved and used to scare away evil spirits. The Irish didn't have pumpkins until they emigrated to North America. I guess they made the switch because pumpkins are a lot easier to carve than turnips!

The round, full shape of the pumpkin is symbolic of the Mother Goddess and represents fruitfulness. Decorate or carve a pumpkin for prosperity or protection, and then use the seeds as divination tools on Samhain. The seeds can be toasted and eaten as a tasty snack, or you can use a felt-tip marker to draw runes on them.

From a culinary perspective, pumpkins are good for more than just pie. Pumpkin soup is a warming, nourishing dish to serve at Samhain. Remember to leave some for the spirits of your ancestors if you set up an altar. A pumpkin pie can be a delicious way of attracting money when cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are added to the mix. I will share a few pumpkin recipes in the next post.

Sorry, sorry, sorry!

I haven't updated in a while, but I have a good excuse, really! Tomorrow is the first day of the new school year. We have a new (unfinished) campus to get used to, new students, and no office printer yet. The students won't have their textbooks for a few days either.

Now, for the good stuff. October!!! My favorite month is here and well underway. I can't believe how quickly this month is passing. Halloween will soon be here. I'm hosting a party on the 30 and for the 31 I will probably prepare a plate of simple Samhain foods and set it outside for the spirits. I'll probably set out some walnuts and hazelnuts and apples.

For the Halloween party, I'll make some Halloween Jell-O shots and some of my nummy black bean pinwheels. If I could find sun dried tomato tortillas it would be perfect because I'd have the orange and black colors together. Unfortunately such things do not exist here, so I will have to use plain white tortillas. If the package from my mom arrives on time, I will make a cake in the shape of a pumpkin. I wanted a skull cake pan, but Mom could only find a pumpkin-shaped one, so that will have to do.

Stay tuned for some more Fruits of the Season posts, including my favorite, the pomegranate.

On the Ninth Day of Halloween

Mrs. B is sponsoring lots of giveaways this month, with lots and lots of groovy booty! Among today's prizes are a set of gorgeous Day of the Dead postcards from NatashaBlue.


Visit http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com for more details

Natasha's Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5240295

My Halloween Playlist

This list was made at playlist.com. I'd prefer to share the list itself, but I'm not good at figuring out this computer crapola. I sorta had the list over on the right side, but you couldn't see the groovy skin that I picked for it, nor could you see the songs' artists. Instead I am just going to give you a list of the songs themselves, along with the artists. I hate it when websites start playing annoying music when you navigate to the page, so why would I want to do that to someone else?

Music to Spook By:

“Thunderhead” The Ghastly Ones
“Hell’s Bells” AC/DC
“Peek-a-Boo” Siouxsie and the Banshees
“I Was a Teenage Werewolf” The Cramps
“The Beast” Concrete Blonde
“Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)” Concrete Blonde
“I Put a Spell on You” Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
“This is Halloween” from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
“Remains of the Day” from “The Corpse Bride” (both by Danny Elfman)
“Every Day is Halloween” Ministry
“Riders on the Storm” The Doors
“Monster Mash” Bobby “Boris” Pickett
“Welcome to my Nightmare” Alice Cooper
“Bad Moon Rising” Credence Clearwater Revival
“Highway to Hell” AC/DC
“Living Dead Girl” Rob Zombie
“Spooky” Daniel Ash
“Rhiannon” Fleetwood Mac
“Hell” Squirrel Nut Zippers
“Thriller” Michael Jackson
“Time Warp” RHPS
“Boris the Spider” The Who
“Season of the Witch” Donovan
“Witchy Woman” The Eagles
“Black Magic Woman” Santana
“El Monstruo” Los Shains
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” Blue Oyster Cult
“Sympathy for the Devil” Rolling Stones (Laibach version)
“Frankenstein” Edgar Winter Group
“End of the World” The Living End
“The End” The Doors
“Tubular Bells”
“The Raven” Alan Parsons
“Black Sabbath” Black Sabbath
“Bela Lugosi is Dead” Bauhaus
“Grave Digger” Dave Matthews
“This House is Haunted”
“Halloween” Siouxsie and the Banshees
“Jack’s Lament” Danny Elfman
“Jack the Ripper” Morrissey
“They are Night Zombies!” Sufjan Stevens
“Death at the Chapel” The Horrors
“The Return of Evil Bill” Clinic
“Children of the Grave” Black Sabbath
“Witch Queen of New Orleans” Redbone
“I Walked with a Zombie” Wednesday 13
“Brains!” Voltaire
“Human Fly” The Cramps
“Gallows Pole” Led Zeppelin
“Night of the Vampire” Roky Erikson
“Halloween” theme
“Superstition” Stevie Wonder
“Creepy Doll” Jonathan Coulton
“Cannibal” Vast
“Mummy Rock” Future Pigeon
“Bat Out of Hell” Meat Loaf
“The Vampire Club” Voltaire
“Lotion” The Greenskeepers
“Psycho Killer” Talking Heads
“Zombie Prostitute” Voltaire
“Lone Wold” The Eels
“Halloween” Stephen Lynch
“House of 1000 Corpses” Rob Zombie
“People are Strange” The Doors
“Werewolves of London” Warren Zevon
“Zombie Dance” The Cramps
“The Halloween Dance” Reverend Horton Heat
“Ghastly Stomp” The Ghastly Ones
“War Pigs” Black Sabbath
“Dead” Voltaire
“Headless Horseman” Starr, Kay & Billy Butterfield Quintet
“The Reaper” Mannheim Steamroller
“House on Haunted Hill” Kenny and The Fiends
“When You’re Evil” Voltaire
“Diabolo’s Theme” The Ghastly Ones
“Skinned” Blind Melon
“Mississippi HooDoo Man” Omar and the Howlers
“Dead Babies” Alice Cooper
“Haunted House of Rock” Whodini
“Grimly Fiendish” The Damned
“Old Man Down the Road” John Fogerty
“Nightmare on My Street” DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
“Torture Me” The Damned
“Children of the Damned” The Softies
“It’s Halloween” The Shaggs

Just a quick update

I haven't been updating lately and I apologize. My friend Daniel is visiting Istanbul this week and I've been taking him around the city. He arrived Tuesday evening. Today was a lazy day at home, but we've been on the run since Wednesday. I've been making Turkish breakfasts before our adventures, and we've had our other meals around town. So far he has sampled Iskender kebap, biber dolma (stuffed peppers), and chicken doner, among other things. I made a Turkish-style lunch today with beef cooked with tomatoes, tomato paste, and green pepper. I've tried to get him to sample some of the wonderful eggplant dishes but he won't touch eggplant. Ah, well. More for me! :)

Check Mrs. B's blog for her 31 Days of Halloween. I'm a guest blogger and my post, a recipe, will be featured October 15. I'll be back soon!