Halloween Decorating and Tasting Ideas

Let’s talk Halloween decorating and tasting ideas to enhance and entice a frighteningly festive spooktacular.

gourd-ghosts-pumpkin-entry

Midwest Living Magazine

Tricks and treats in classic themes and tastes, traditional colors, vintage finds, and striking textures and patterns lend the Halloween hostess a helping hand.

National-Tree-Company-24_22-Artificial-Blood-Red-Eucalyptus-Leaf-Half-Halloween-Wreath

Blood Red Eucalyptus Wreath, 24 Inches

Eeks, treats, and sweets welcome all who dare to enjoy.

Pumpkin Outdoor Coir Mat

Pumpkin Outdoor Coir Mat

Setting the scene to impress and beguile with just the right amount of light to cast an enchanting spell.

frosted-glass-pumpkin

Frosted Glass Pumpkin

Welcome the famished to partake in party sips, dips, tastes and treats but first, partyware and party wear.

Velvet Bats Mesh Tulle Midi Skirt in Pumpkin1

boo-tiful-graphic

Velvet Bats Mesh Tulle Midi Skirt in Pumpkin

Velvet Bats Mesh Tulle Midi Skirt in Pumpkin

Mini wreaths play ring around the candle.

Black Bat Branch Mini Wreath by Bloom Room

Black Bat Branch Mini Wreath by Bloom Room

bat-pillar-candles

Halloween LED Pillar Candle

Vintage and in the style of vintage Halloween decorations and tablewares are all the rage this year.

Vintage Halloween Haunted Assorted Accent Plates, Set of 4

Vintage Halloween Haunted Assorted Accent Plates, Set of 4

Whooo ‘s ready to talk owl-some Halloween decorating and tasting ideas?

Plastic Owl Decorative Sculpture

owl-cupcakes-recipe

Owl Cupcakes Recipe

Some would argue it’s just not Halloween without the creepy-crawly while for others there’s no need to conjure up the fear of things that crawl and hiss in the night.

Single Snake Taper Candle Holder Aluminum Gold - Threshold™

Single Snake Taper Candle Holder Aluminum Gold – Threshold™

Note to self:

Add Jim Stafford’s “Spiders and Snakes” to the Let’s Halloween playlist.

Halloween Stainless Steel Candy Bowl Gold

halloween-dinner-ideas-monster-fingers

Long and Short Monster Fingers Recipe

Halloween-frog-decoration

floral-moss

Halloween 10″ Green Frog by Ashland®

Frog and Lily Pad Mochi Cupcakes

Frog and Lily Pad Mochi Cupcake Recipe

Madame-Secretary

Halloween decorating inspiration comes around daily here at Places In The Home.

Purscilla Spooks Halloween Jar

Purscilla Spooks Halloween Jar

Keeping the party a little less creepy brings us to the throwback mystique of vintage Halloween decorations.

14-Ounce 22 Carat Gold-Tone Rim DOF (Double Old Fashioned) Glass Set of 4

14-Ounce Gold-Tone Rim DOF (Double Old Fashioned) Glass, Set of 4

Halloween-kitty-kat

Halloween Black and Orange Resin Cat, 10 in H, by Way To Celebrate

Halloween Black and Orange Resin Cat, 10 in H, by Way To Celebrate

Black Cat Cookies

Black Cat Cookies Recipe

peanut-butter-ball-pumpkins-cats

Peanut Butter Ball Pumpkins and Cats Recipes

Halloween-party-decorating-suggestions

Photo by Frames For Your Heart

orange-pumpkin-glass-dispenser

Pumpkin Glass Container

Transpac Dolomite 10 in. Orange Halloween Circus Jack-O-Lantern Jar

Transpac Dolomite 10 in. Orange Halloween Circus Jack-O-Lantern Jar

Zhuzh up the set up in bone-jour, may I serve you fashion.

Halloween-Brown-Faux-Rattan-Resin-Skull-Tabletop-Decor-5-5-in-by-Way-To-Celebrate

Halloween Brown Faux Rattan Resin Skull Tabletop Decor

King Skull Ice Bucket

King Skull Ice Bucket

Glass Skull Shape Iridescent Decanter, 26.5oz

Glass Skull Shape Iridescent Decanter, 26.5oz

free-printable-skull-pattern

Better Homes & Gardens offers a free printable skull pattern to use for framing, window displays, DIY wreaths, gift bags, scatter decorations, etc…

bayou-cocktail-Halloween

Bayou Cocktail \ Bourbon Street⠀

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces bourbon⠀

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

¼ cup apple cider⠀

2 teaspoons real maple syrup⠀

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger)⠀

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon⠀

5 ounces sparkling hard Honeycrisp apple cider⠀⠀

cinnamon sticks, rosemary and apple slices for garnish

cinnamon sugar for rim⠀

Directions⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Rim an Old Fashioned glass with cinnamon sugar and fill with ice.  In a shaker, combine bourbon, apple cider, lemon juice, maple syrup, ginger and cinnamon.  Shake to combine.

Strain into glass and top with hard Honeycrisp apple cider.  Garnish with cinnamon sticks, rosemary and apple slices.⠀

-Bayou Life Magazine

witches-brew-cauldron

Kitchen Ghosts

Dry Ice Cauldron Punch Bowl Recipe

What you’ll need:

Pair of work gloves

Plastic or metal tongs

Dish towel

Hammer

5 pounds dry ice

1 large plastic or metal punch bowl (or cauldron)

1 smaller plastic or metal punch bowl

Directions

Put on the gloves. In a well-ventilated area, wrap the dry ice in a towel and break it into chunks using a hammer.

Using tongs, transfer chunks of dry ice into the larger of your 2 bowls, creating a flat space in the center. Place the second, smaller bowl inside the larger one.

Pour punch into the small center bowl, making sure no dry ice gets in.

Fill a pitcher with warm water, then pour it on top of the dry ice. Add more dry ice chunks and water to the larger, outer bowl, being careful not to get any dry ice into the smaller punch bowl, throughout the night to keep the fog going.

Tips & Tricks:

Wear thick work gloves when opening the package of dry ice (latex/kitchen gloves are too thin.)

Place the block of dry ice on a towel. Use a wooden or plastic work surface, as dry ice can crack tiles.

Wrap a towel around the block, then break it into chunks using a hammer.

Be sure both of the bowls you use are plastic or metal since dry ice can crack glass. Put any unused dry ice in an open plastic container and store it in a cooler filled with ice. Never store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Five pounds of dry ice will last about an hour. Keeping a nearby fan on low will intensify the effect.

-She Knows

Hocus Pocus Collection

Hocus Pocus Collection

pumpkin-4-quart-Dutch-oven

taco-soup-recipe-Halloween

Tradition in the Places In The Home family served up a night of trick-or-treating followed by a dinner on the deck featuring Trick or Treat Taco Soup.

Halloween Hallows Pumpkin Picnic Basket

Halloween Hallows Pumpkin Picnic Basket

cornbread-spiders-recipe

Cornbread Spiders Recipe

Food to Die For Recipes and Stories from America's Most Legendary Haunted Places

Food to Die For Recipes and Stories
from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places

 

spooky-good-graphic

Morton's Candy Corn Old Fashioned

Morton’s Candy Corn Old Fashioned Recipe

Spooky good eats, drinks, and be scary treats – bone appétit!

Creepy Shirley Temple Drink Recipe

Creepy Shirley Temple Drink Recipe

pumpkin-margarita

Pumpkin Margarita Recipe

Ghostly-Hot-Cocoa

Ghostly Hot Cocoa Recipe

black-cat-charcuterie-board

25+ Spooky Halloween Charcuterie Board Ideas

pico-de-gallo-with-bat-chips

Pico de Gallo with Bat Chips Recipe

Spooky Goat Cheese FingersSpooky Goat Cheese Fingers Recipe

Bacon Popcorn Drizzled with Creole-Spiced Butter

Bacon Popcorn Drizzled with Creole-Spiced Butter Recipe

platters-Cheese-Candy-Corn

Candy Corn Cheese Tower Recipe

Breadstick Rattlers

Breadstick Rattlers Recipe

Graveyard Brownies

Graveyard Brownies Recipe

halloween-cookie-cake-recipe

Halloween Cookie Cake Recipe

High altitude black velvet cupcakes

High Altitude Black Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

Halloween decorating and tasting ideas offer inspiration for tricking out your Halloween monster mash bash.

Darleen-signature-love

Sweet Treats No Tricks Halloween Goodies

Coming soon to a serving tray or cake plate near you is the sweet treats-no tricks Halloween goodies sure to tempt and delight.

jack-o-lantern-on-column-1

Flickr

I’ve selected several recipes, ideas, and suggestions for making the Halloween goodies baking process a delicious, easy, and wickedly fun endeavor.

Halloween goodies

Country Living Magazine

Presentation is key, and the vintage cutouts, bendables, honeycomb decorations, candies, and tin tray spell trick or treat.

Vintage Halloween Tissue Dancer Witch Hanging Decor

Vintage Halloween Tissue Dancers Hanging Decor

I loved our annual Halloween shopping trips to Kmart, TG&Y, and Gibsons for decorations.

Selections were limited compared to today’s offerings, but did the trick.

black melamine serving tray

A honeycomb decoration served as a centerpiece, a bendable scarecrow or warty witch a front door decoration, and two plastic jack-o’-lanterns lights to light the Halloween night and living room windows completed the look.

Vintage Halloween honeycomb cat

My mother showed a cake mix who was boss in the original Places In The Home test kitchen.

Duncan-Hines-dark-chocolate-cake-mix

Rae Dunn Large Mix Mixing BowlRae Dunn Large Mix Mixing Bowl

Her bag of tasty tricks included adding candy bar pieces, flavoring extracts, calorie rich whole milk, and food coloring combinations transformed a store bought cake mix into the taste of homemade.

There’s Halloween goodies magic in a bag of Milano cookies and white chocolate chips.

Milano milk chocolate cookies

Milano mummy cookies

M’mm M’mm mummy cookies are easy to make with a bag or two of Milano cookies, white chocolate chips, sprinkles, or candy eyes.

Milano cookie ghosts

Start by placing 2 cups of white chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon shortening  in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 90 seconds.  Stir to incorporate. Microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is fully melted.

For extra smooth chocolate, add another ½ teaspoon of shortening to the melted chocolate; stirring well to mix.

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Test kitchen experiment with mint chocolate chips (not a favorite in the Places In The Home test kitchen) proves the times and ingredients accurate.
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mint-chocolate-chips

melted-chocolate-chips

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place Milano cookies on cookie sheet.

Spoon melted chocolate over the top half of each Milano cookie and allow to set.

Reheat the remaining chocolate for 10 seconds to melt.  Carefully spoon melted chocolate into a resealable plastic bag.   Zip or seal the bag and snip off the bottom corner off the bag.

Drizzle chocolate over each cookie to create the bandage look.  Finish by adding candy eyes or sprinkles for the eyes to each cookie while chocolate is soft.

Refrigerate cookies to allow chocolate to set.

Halloween graveyard cake

Halloween Graveyard Cake from Country Living Magazine

Milano cookies make excellent tombstones.

Classic-Chocolate-Creamy-Home-Style-Frosting

Spoon canned frosting in your choice of color into a resealable plastic bag.

Seal or zip the bag and snip off the bottom corner off the bag.

Pipe RIP on top half of a Milano cookie, and that’s it.

halloween-cookie-recipes-black-cat-cookies

These Black Cat Cookies from Good Housekeeping immediately caught my eye.

Granted, there’s several steps included in this recipe, but the finished product makes it worthwhile.

Black Cat Cookies

Ingredients

Basic Sugar Cookies – recipe here

Black Cocoa Cookies – recipe here

Royal Icing – recipe here

Vodka or other clear alcohol (you might need to add a dram or two for the baker!)

Black and silver luster dust

Directions

Prepare cookie doughs as directed.  Use flour-coated circle cutters to cut out circles from sugar cookie dough, and use cocoa-coated cat cutters to cut out cats from black cocoa cookie dough.  Bake as directed and let cool completely.

Use royal icing to decorate sugar cookies and attach cat cookies on top.

Mix a small amount of clear alcohol with silver luster dust and use a paint brush to paint small brushstrokes on the royal icing of the sugar cookies. Repeat with black luster dust to paint bats.

Makes 1 dozen.

-Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen

witch-cupcakes

These witch cupcakes are so ugly they’re darling.

I’m taking baking liberty here by suggesting you make the cupcakes using cake mix.  Where the cake mix calls for water, I use milk for a richer homemade taste.

How to make the witch hats:

Place a wire rack over a baking sheet.  Use a serrated knife to carefully cut 3 in. from the point of the sugar cones.  Place the chocolate wafers on the rack.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave according to package directions. Spoon the melted chocolate over one cone at a time making sure to evenly cover each cone.

With a spatula, spread the chocolate to cover the wafer, adding more chocolate if necessary.

How to make the frosting:

Using an electric mixer, beat 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1 ¼ cup butter (2½ sticks), 1 tsp vanilla and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.

Tint frosting green by mixing two drops of yellow food coloring with two drops of blue.

How to make the witches:

Spread a small amount of frosting onto each cupcake, top with a doughnut. Frost sides and top of the doughnut.

Place the jelly beans, cut-side down, into the frosting for eyes.

Cut each taffy into 4 pieces, shape each into a nose and place under the eyes.

Pipe the brown frosting ( two drops of red and two drops of green) onto the jelly beans for pupils and over the jelly beans for eyebrows.

Pipe a mouth with the red frosting.

Break the shredded wheat into strands and place on top of each doughnut.

-Woman’s Day

The homemade and the taste of homemade Halloween goodies trick is to treat the eye and the sweet tooth.

love your style

 

A Most Fetching Friday Halloween Edition

fetching-definiton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s Fetching Friday Halloween edition is appropriately inspired by the occasion of the day.

ff-black-pumpkinSweet Paul Magazine

ff-Halloween-chandy

1stdibs

halloween-decorArchitectural Digest

ff-halloween-matts-gustafson-kitchen-stockholm-remodelistaRemodelista

ff-pumpkin-in-barber-chairSur La Table on Facebook

ff-traditional-kitchen-alison-spear-dutchess-county-new-york-201306_1000-watermarkedArchitectural Digest Design File- Alison Spear Design

ff-halloween-statueAtlanta Homes & Lifestyles

When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.

– Author Unknown

 

halloween-black-service-areaHouse Beautiful

Halloween-fabric

I hope you have a most fetching Friday.

Love your style!

The Tradition At Our Haunted House: Trick or Treat Taco Soup

This taco soup recipe post is an updated version of last year’s post. It’s that good and worth a second run! Tradition lives on from Halloween to Halloween at our haunted house aka Places In The Home.

Trick or Treat Taco Soup is on the spooktacular supper menu  as per the request of family and friends who have come to expect it over the years.  It is the perfect and easy make ahead soup– one that warms the bones after a day of ghoulish fun and a night of busy trick or treating with the kids and/or handing out Halloween candy.

Trick or Treat Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion chopped

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 package dry ranch salad dressing mix

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cans pinto beans

2 cans whole kernel corn, undrained

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can Mexican flavored tomatoes

2 ½- 3 cups water

 

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onion; drain off grease and add dry seasonings. Add the tomato sauce, beans, corn, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a low boil to allow all flavors to blend. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour.  Serve with corn chips or hot cornbread.  Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese or green onions.

enjoy

 

Trick-Or-Treat Taco Soup

Trick-or-Treat Taco Soup is the traditional Halloween night meal at Places In The Home.

hand-hammered-antique-copper-cauldron

Easy.

Delicious.

Halloween season crowd pleaser.

Quite the wonderful make the night before dish, trick-or-treat taco soup is the traditional Halloween night supper we’ve long served to the after trick or treating crowd.

taco-soup-recipe

trick-or-treat-taco-soup

Trick-or-Treat taco soup is fantastic the day of, but even better the next day.

Trick-or-Treat Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 package taco seasoning

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cans pinto beans

2 can whole kernel corn, undrained

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can Mexican flavored tomatoes

2½-3 cups water

Directions

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and chopped onion.  Drain off grease. Add dry seasonings, stirring to incorporate.  Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.

Simmer for one (1) hour.   Garnish with shredded cheese, chopped green onions, sliced avocado and/or a dollop of sour cream.

Serve with tortilla chips or hot cornbread.

White chocolate dipped strawberry ghosts-BOOeautiful!

Enjoy, My Little Pretties!

wicked-good-times-invitation

enjoy