Winsome Wren: October 23, 2012

Halloween Party

Fun Jack-o-Lantern

I have such fun memories of Halloween as a kid, and the best is carving the pumpkin with my Dad. I remember feeling antsy about him getting home so we could get started. Being a man of methods, we always went out to the patio with newspaper to cover the table; the mess then was neatly wrapped up into the newspaper and thrown away. He was, of course, in charge of the knife, but we got to recommend placement of the eyes, nose, etc, and then help with pulling out the slimy insides. Mom often roasted the pumpkin seeds, which I still have a fondness for. The very best moment, however, was lighting the candle and seeing the Jack-o-Lantern face glow.

There seems to be 2 versions of Halloween out there, the terrifying kind, and then the Pottery Barn Kids type. I am a fan of the latter, a fun night out for kids playing dress up, candy and jack-o-lanterns. A couple of families will be coming over for dinner and then heading out to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. It has become mandatory that the adults dress up too. We plan our menu and everyone brings food to share. Three of our kids all have birthdays within 2 weeks of halloween, so my friend will be bringing her famous monster cupcakes she always makes this time of year. I will be experimenting with serving lime sherbet punch (very swamp-like) in a ‘cauldron’ of dry ice, and making Chicken-a-la-Pumpkin (chicken a la king served in a baked sugar pumpkin- more on that, later in the week). But, I am most looking forward to carving the pumpkin, now with my kiddos. I can’t wait to see their faces light up when the Jack-o-Lantern comes to life. Delight.