The Mute Supper

Picture courtesy of www.shelterness.com


Hosting a mute supper for Samhain is practiced by some Pagans and Wiccans of various traditions. I think it’s a lovely tradition and would like to have a group with which to hold one. My plan would go as such:

Set the table with a black cloth, black plates, and black utensils. Place a white candle at the head of the table. Place black votive candles at the place(s) of the ancestors. Your guests may wish to place candles for those they are honoring. The chairs should be shrouded. You could use anything from fake cobwebs to a black trash bag. Use whatever you have on hand. If you have some black sheets, those would work nicely.

Before the guests arrive, the host or hostess should cast a circle, light the white candle, and invite the divine (however you see it) into the space. After this point, no talking is permitted.

Standing at the head of the table, the host/ess should light the first black votive candle to the left from the spirit candle. The guests should light each other’s candles in a clockwise motion.

The host/ess should serve the plates of the dead first, and then the guests from oldest to youngest. Since no one may speak during the supper, food may then continue to be passed family-style around the table. Before guests begin to eat, they should join hands and silently welcome their ancestors to the meal, and to ask for blessings upon the food and the ritual, if desired.

After the meal is over, guests should leave the table silently. They may take their ancestor candles with them, or leave them on the table. The host/ess should then silently close the circle in his/her usual manner. Leave the spirit candle to burn.
Everyone may then go on to practice divination, or hold a separate ritual.

Mute Supper Menu
Persephone’s Salad
Butternut squash cannelloni
Rosemary remembrance cookies
Chai-spiced Cider

Persephone’s Salad
8 cups mixed salad greens (whatever is in season and looks good)
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup candied walnut pieces (recipe follows)
Seeds of 1 pomegranate (about ½ cup)

For the dressing, combine:
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Mix first three ingredients together. Whisk in olive oil slowly. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss the dressing with the greens, onion, apple, and nuts. Toss well to combine. Top salad with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Candied Walnuts
2 cups walnut halves or pieces
2 egg whites
½ cup brown sugar

In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites. Toss the walnuts to coat. Sprinkle on the brown sugar. Mix well with your hands until the nuts are all evenly coated. Spread the nuts onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.


Butternut Squash Cannelloni**

1 butternut squash, roasted, scooped out and mashed (instructions follow)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3 small shallots, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt, white pepper
12 lasagna noodles, cooked until almost al dente (flexible)

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
Salt, white pepper
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the shallots on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and sage and cook 2-3 more minutes.
Scoop out the halves of butternut squash and mash in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the shallots, garlic, sage, thyme, and ricotta cheese. Season with salt and white pepper.
Take one of the drained noodles and lay flat on an oiled baking sheet. Spread some of the butternut squash filling on the noodle, leaving some space at both ends. Roll the pasta and place seam side down into an oiled 9 x 13 dish. Repeat.
In a saucepan, melt the butter for the béchamel. When the butter is melted, stir in the flour. Cook 4-5 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Simmer the sauce until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
Pour the béchamel over the rolled pasta. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is brown.

To roast a butternut squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Heat the oven to 400 F. Brush a tablespoon of oil over each half. Roast, flesh side down, until tender, 40-45 minutes. Cool, scoop out the flesh, and transfer to mixing bowl. You can mash the squash with a potato masher or a fork.

Rosemary Remembrance Cookies
1 ½ cups softened butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vaniila
5 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vaniila. Mix in the rosemary. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes with seasonal cookie cutters, or use gingerbread men and women-shaped cutters so the cookies resemble people. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6-8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Chai-Spiced Apple Cider
This warming libation is full of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. This makes a good love blend and is a perfect match when combined with a food of love – the apple.
1 gallon apple cider
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup brown sugar
In a cheese cloth or piece of muslin, combine:
7 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (or you can use ½ teaspoon ground cardamom)*
1-2 star anise
4-5 peppercorns
9 whole cloves
2-3 cinnamon sticks (or use 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon)


Pour the cider into a large pot and begin heating on medium heat. Dissolve the ground ginger and sugar into the cider. Tie the other ingredients in a piece of muslin or cheese cloth. Tie closed, whack lightly with a rolling pin to crack some of the pods, and pop into the pot. Simmer the cider and spices together for 10-15 minutes. Remove the bundle of spices with a slotted spoon and discard. Serve hot.
• If you’re using ground spices instead of whole, simply add them when you add the sugar and ground ginger.


All recipes are from the autumn cookbook I am currently working on. They may not be reproduced without permission. All that copyright hoopla that's over here ---> applies.

** You can just layer the lasagna noodles and make butternut squash lasagna if you don't feel like rolling up each noodle. They're slippery with oil and usually pretty hot!

Samhain Pumpkin Seeds

Wondering what to do with all the leftover seeds from your pumpkin carving? Pumpkin seeds, known as pepitas in Mexico, are a tasty, nutritious snack that is easy to prepare. You can be as creative as you wish. Here I have included two recipes for pumpkin seeds - one with Indian spices and one with the warm, fragrant spices of a pumpkin pie - ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Pumpkin seeds make a delicious addition to your Samhain festivities, and if you're the type to stay up all night in remembrance, these will give you the energy you need to keep going.



Toasted Pumpkin Seeds with Indian Spices

1 cup pumpkin seeds, washed and dried
1 – 2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Lay the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and drizzle with the butter or olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle on the garam masala and salt. Toss again to coat with the spice mixture. Place in the oven and roast until crunchy, about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.


Sugar and Spice Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds, washed and fried
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
1 to 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Lay the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and drizzle with the butter or olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle on the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Toss again to coat. Place in the oven and roast until crunchy, about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

The Apple, Part II

In folklore, apples have many different powers. These include immortality, eternal youth, love and divination.

On All Hallow's Eve, it is believed that an apple peel thrown over the shoulder will land in the first letter of the name of your suitor. Another method of divining the name of one's suitor is to name apple seeds for each suitor. The apple seeds are then placed on the forehead or cheeks. The last seed to fall represents your love.

As Witches know, the apple has a five-pointed star within. Slice the apple horizontally and place in a cup of warmed apple cider to add a little extra oomph to this warming love potion. Add cinnamon and cloves for extra warmth.

More apple lore from homesteadarts.org:

# The golden apples of the Hesperides were sought by Hercules for their ability to give immortality. In Scandinavia, the perpetual youth apples were kept by Idhunn in Asgard.

# An apple tossed to Conie, son of Conn, by the woman from the Land of the Living provided sustenance to him for a month, but made him long for her and her land, as was her plan.

# Gna, messenger of the Scandinavian Frigga, dropped an apple to King Rerir who ate it with his wife, who then bore a child. Frey sent eleven golden apples to Gerda as a marriage offer.

# The Greek goddess Atalanta was won by a suitor who threw down golden apples to distract her from their race, which he then won.

# An apple in the Arabian Nights cured every ill.

# In Black American folklore, apple-shaped birthmarks can be cured by rubbing with an apple and eating apples.

# In Danish, German, and English folklore, and in voodoo, apples are used as love charms.

# A Danish fairytale uses an apple as a chastity test. The apple fades if the owner is unfaithful.

# Apples are used in divination in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In fact, the custom of diving for apples and catching one on a string is a remnant of druidic divination.

# The Apple of Discord, inscribed For the Fairest, was given by Paris to Aphrodite, causing a quarrel among the goddesses and helping to bring about the Trojan War.


Mulled Cider

1 gallon fresh, unfiltered apple cider
1 orange, washed and sliced
1 apple, washed and sliced horizontally to reveal the star
15 cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4-5 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh is best)

Pour the cider into a pot and heat on medium-high. Stud the orange slices with cloves. Add the fruit, cinnamon sticks and spices. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Strain to remove any sediment. Serve with a cinnamon stick in each cup, if desired.

For the adults: Add a touch of rum or brandy.

Food of Love: The Apple

Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Energies: Love, health, peace

Apples have been eaten since the Paleolithic era. To the ancient Egyptians, they were a highly valued food. Baskets of apples were offered to Hapy, the Egyptian god of the Nile. Iduna, a Norse goddess, guarded a store of apples that, when eaten, gave the gift of perpetual youth to the other goddesses and gods. The Yoruba still offer apples to Chango.

Apples are linked with spirituality in the British Isles, particularly with Avalon.

Apples were once rubbed before eaten in order to move the demons or evil spirits that were thought to reside within. The mere smell of a fresh apple was once thought to betwoe longevity and restore physical strength.

For love, carve a heart into the skin of a fresh apple before eating it. Visualize yourself attracting love and being in a loving relationship. Share an apple with your lover. Bake a cinnamon-scented apple pie or drink cold or warm apple cider.

This Samhain, or even Mabon, whip up a batch of love-red candy apples or beautiful, creamy caramel apples to share with loved ones. Inscribe symbols of love into the candy or caramel coating before hardening.

Candy Apples:

8 medium sized apples, preferably one with firm, crisp flesh (Granny Smith is my favorite)
8 wooden sticks
3 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

Wash and dry the apples. Remove any stems or leaves and insert a wooden stick into the end of each apple. Set apples aside.

Heat and stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved. Boil until the syrup reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer, or until a little syrup dropped into cold water separates into breakable threads.

Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and food coloring, if using.

Dip one apple completely in the syrup and swirl it around a little with the stick to coat. Hold the apple above the saucepan to drain off excess. Place apple, with the stick facing up, on a well greased pan.

Repeat with remaining apples. If syrup thickens or cools too much, simply reheat briefly before proceeding. Let cool completely before serving.

Variation: Before completely cooled, dip the apples in some heart-shaped sprinkles for love.


Caramel Apples:
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
8-10 wooden sticks
8-10 medium tart apples

Wash and dry the apples, removing any stems. Insert a wooden stick into the end of each apple.

Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and milk in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 30 to 40 minutes, or until syrup reaches 248 degrees (firm ball stage) on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Dip each apple into the caramel mixture, swirling to coat. Set apples on wax paper to cool completely before serving.

Sources: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen
allfreecrafts.com

Samhain and El Dia de los Muertos

Skull of sugar,
Bone of bread,
We offer these gifts
To our beloved dead

I hope everyone had a lovely Samhain. I suppose greetings for the new year are in order. Today is also El Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead. This festival coincides with the Catholic festivals of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which occur on November 1 and 2, respectively. On this day families in Mexico visit the graves of loved ones. The graves are cleaned and decorated with fresh flowers. Marigolds are traditional.

Altars, or ofrendas, are constructed. These will hold a variety of objects including flowers, candles, figures of the Virgin Mary, pictures of the deceased, and the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased. Candy or small toys might be added for children. Offerings of food are also taken to the graves.

Popular symbols of this day are the calacas – skulls made of pressed sugar that are brightly decorated. This is not a festival of grief and sadness; it is a celebration of life and of the end we must all face. La Catrina is another common symbol. José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure that he called "La Calavera de la Catrina" ("calavera of the female dandy"), which quickly became a popular figure.

Traditional foods and beverages include atole, tequila or pulque, tamales and Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead). The bread is often decorated with bones made from dough.

Many of you may have remembered your ancestors in ritual last night, while some of you may choose to continue the observances through November 2. Last year I posted a recipe for Pan de Muerto. For those of you who prefer a different approach, I offer the recipe for Rosemary Remembrance cookies.

Rosemary, as many of you know, is an herb used in purification. It is also good for remembrance. Rosemary is also used for healing and love, making it the ideal herb for this time of year and for the remembrance of those who have passed through the veil.

You can make shortbread cookies with rosemary, but this recipe is more of a sugar cookie. Use gingerbread men cookie cutters to give the cookies human form, or use animal shapes if remembering pets/familiars.

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter or margarine (non-hydrogenated), at room temperature
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional; use 2 tsp. vanilla if not using almond)
1-2 teaspoons very finely minced rosemary
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla/almond extract. Mix well. Add in the flour slowly and mix on low speed (if not mixing by hand) until dough starts to come together. Sprinkle in the rosemary and gently fold in.

Divide the dough into two rounds and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375. Unwrap the dough on a floured table or counter. Work with half the dough at a time. Keep the other half in the fridge to stay cool. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough. Cut out your people and animal shapes, as well as pumpkins, skulls, bats, or any other shapes you desire. Place the cookies onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Give them room to bake by placing them about ½ inch apart.

Bake the cookies 6-8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container if you do not use/eat them all.

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.

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.