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Kitty Wishes for Cookies

It’s Halloween! Since I am writing this post frooooooom theeeeee paaaaaast…wait, that’s to be expected right? It would only be slightly scare if I were writing this from the future, so ignore my lame attempt at a scary beginning.

As I type, the winds of Hurricane Sandy are whipping the trees outside my window into an autumnal frenzy and leaves are scattering about the yard. It’s fun peeking out of the window at the swinging trees…hoping that if the branches do crack and fall, they stay far away from the house.

But enough about la storm Sandy. By the time you read this, let’s hope the Northeast is out from under.

Now, on to Halloween…..who am I fooling? Get the candy corn half-price and make ’em anytime!

I’d like to think Sakaria, who does have a bit of a sense of humor, might serve these in her cafe.

Please note that you will have to refrigerate the dough until it is firm enough for you to work with, about 2 hours.

This recipe is courtesy of Land O Lakes.

2 cups sugar

1 cup Land O Lakes butter, softened

3 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Candy corn

Red cinnamon candies

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until well mixed.

Combine all remaining ingredients except candies in medium bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture to butter mixture. Beat until well mixed.Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten to 1/2 inch. Wrap each half in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch round cookie cutters. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets. I use parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Using fingers, pinch up ears at top of each circle. Place 2 pieces candy corn onto cookies for eyes and 1 red cinnamon candy for nose. Press tines of fork on each side of cookie below eyes to form whiskers.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Blogtoberfest – Scary Stories – Survivor Type

Yes. It’s a Stephen King story. No, it’s not one of the ones that have been made into a movie. However, I will tell you right now, even thinking of the story…it is one that I’ve read twice and not one that I will come back to any time soon.

It’s a story about a shipwreck, just like Cast Away, but King grabs your hand and forces you down a path to make you closely examine the situation: You are stranded on a desert island with little hope of rescue…and little food. How far will you go to survive?

You’ll see what one man’s desperation will lead him to.

The story is not available as a stand alone, as far as I know, but as part of Skeleton Crew, an older selection of stories that are King at his best, at least in my opinion. (Not that it matters, really, right?)

Oh, and look at the creepy cover with the monkey with the symbols. (Shivers). That story, ugh. I can’t even.

Skeleton Crew also contains “The Mist”, “The Raft” (another ordinary day gone terribly wrong), the aforementioned “Survivor Type”, and “The Monkey”.

These older King stories are excellent for a howling night next to the fire. Just check the locks before you go to bed and put that stuffed monkey with the clanging cymbals in the garage.

Blogtoberfest – Magic (and not the Mike kind)

This is a movie that scared the mess out of me when I was a teenager. First of all, I am no fan of ventriloquist dummies. I can’t stand them, they scare the heck out of me. Give me a movie with a dummy and you’ve got me scared.

A looooooong time ago, back in 1978, there was this movie trailer that ran on television. Mind you, this was back in the fun 70s where the cars waiting in line for gas would queue in front of my parents’ house. This trailer wasn’t anything NEAR Silent Hill 3d (which by the way also frightens me with its grotesqueness) but was creepy just in the fact that it featured a dummy.

The movie was directed by Richard Attenborough, the kindly old John Hammond in Jurassic Park. You’ll also find Burgess Meredith, Ann-Margaret, and

Here’s the creepy trailer.

According to Wikipedia (that bastion of totally true facts) : “The trailer for this film was pulled from TV due to calls from parents who claimed that it gave their children nightmares.” Oh, most certainly.

Seriously, it may not scare you now, but imagine a 10 year old watching this on the late night movie or Chiller Theatre (remember channel 9 Chiller with the six-fingered hand?)

This was Anthony Hopkins before he was Hannibal Lector, a failed magician who is basically going off the deep end. Yikes!

The movie is on YouTube if you want to watch it. Warning, it’s 70s cheesy, but the story itself is disturbing.

Enjoy!

Blogtoberfest – Halloween Teapots

Though I am usually a coffee gal, nothing peaks my interest in an antique shop or thrift store than a teapot and/or teacups. My favorite design is anything floral; blue and white being my top favorite colors. However, I am also a lover of the novelty tea pot and here I offer you a few for your perusal. So cute!

Here there be dragons….

Halloween Costumes that Murder Childhood

I let my children dress up. That’s it. I’m beyond the stage where I’m going to put on a purchased costume and parade around. As a woman of a certain age, I know when its time to give the children the spotlight and fade into the background. However, as a woman of a certain age, I’ve lived long enough (thank the good Lord) to witness the diabolical attempt at destroying my childhood with devious sexiness. Note the following horrible sexy costumes that shouldn’t be.

There will be no commentary. Just scroll down, seeing your childhood go down in flames while your eyes melt down your face a la the Nazis at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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Yay! I wrecked your childhood too!