Happy Halloween (& Our Party)

It's only a couple of days until Halloween – are you all ready for some trick or treating or guising? 

We decided to host our Halloween Party last weekend and it was SO much fun. I got a little carried away with decorating but it added to the party and got everyone in the 'spirit'!! Unfortunately I didn't manage/forgot to get photographs of everyone all dressed up and of the food (disaster I know!) but I have included some menu suggestions below and lots of pictures of the decorations.

Happy Halloween – I hope you all have a spooktacular time!!

Menu Ideas

Vampire Juice 
(I use my recipe for Cranberry Fizz and omit the alcohol for a Mocktail version)

Slime Dip
Goo
Bat Wings
Trolls Toes
Deviled Eggs (no recipe)
Zombie Fingers (Sausage Rolls - no recipe)

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Witches Hair with Bugs
Ghoul-lash
'Zombie Arm' Meatloaf (no recipe)

Creepy Crawly Mud Pie Cupcakes
Orange Jelly Pumpkins
Pumpkin Cupcakes
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Witches Hair with Bugs {Spaghetti with Prawns}

Try not to be too grossed out by the name (or look!) of this dish as it is the perfect Halloween dish to get you in the mood for trick or treating or to quickly gobble down after! There is something about black spaghetti that just screams Halloween and so I just can't resist making it to mark the occasion. I love this dish as it takes no time to make – literally just as long as it takes for the pasta to cook – it tastes fantastic and has the perfect Halloween look to keep the children happy! Of course when Halloween has past this is still a fantastic meal which can be enjoyed minus the black spaghetti and with whole wheat or regular white spaghetti instead. We eat this dish a lot as it is the perfect quick and easy mid-week meal!

{Serves 4 easily doubled for a crowd}

400g black (squid ink) spaghetti

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, finely chopped (de-seed for a milder child friendly dish)

1lb prawns, cleaned*

Juice of ½ lemon

Sprinkling of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted, boiling water for the time instructed on the packet. While the spaghetti is cooking heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and gently cook the garlic and chilli until softened but not coloured. Add the prawns and toss well and cook until warmed through (or if using raw prawns until they have cooked properly). Squeeze over the lemon juice then take off the heat.

Drain the spaghetti reserving a tablespoon of the cooking water then add the spaghetti to the garlicky prawns. Add the reserved pasta water then mix well. Finish with the final tablespoon of olive oil to give a real 'glossy' look to the pasta then if using scatter over the parsley. Serve at once.

*For this particular dish I used small prawns since I thought they better resembled bugs(!) however ordinarily when I make this I use normal sized prawns. You can use either cooked or raw prawns for this dish, just make sure they have their shells off and have been cleaned. If you do use raw prawns they will require about 4 minutes to cook whereas the cooked prawns literally just need to be heated through.

**If you like you can miss out the prawns and have a super simple pasta supper of Garlic & Chilli Spaghetti – one of my favourites! 

Orange Jelly Pumpkins

A great treat for Halloween for the kids as it's super easy to make and a lot easier to carve than a pumpkin! Perfect for a party these 'pumpkins' will have vanished before you can say Boo!

Makes 3-4 'pumpkins' (depending on how big the oranges are)

3-4 oranges

1 packet of orange jelly/ jello

Cut the top off the oranges then scoop out the orange flesh as best as you can and set aside in a bowl. Squeeze as much juice out of the orange flesh as possible then pop into a measuring jug.

Make the jelly up according to the instructions by dissolving it in boiling water, then instead of using cold water to finish it use the same amount of the freshly squeezed juice (topping up with water if needed to the correct amount). Let the jelly set in the fridge.

While the jelly is setting and chilling carve the oranges to make faces like a pumpkin. Once the jelly has set mix it up a bit then fill the oranges with it (it's easiest to pop the oranges into a cupcake/muffin tin to keep them steady). Keep cold until ready to serve.

Our Favourite Coleslaw

I LOVE coleslaw and I always have done! My mum loves it so it was always in the fridge and a necessity when it came to eating Cheese Toasties/ Grilled Cheese when we were growing up! Whenever my friends came to our house for lunch the one thing always requested was a Cheese Toastie (Mum had a great toastie maker!) with coleslaw! Generally though coleslaw was not something I made myself....back home in the UK it was just as easy (and delicious!) to buy it from the supermarket. When I moved to Canada however I discovered that the coleslaw from the supermarket was something completely different and I wasn't a big fan so it didn't take me long to start making my own when I needed a coleslaw hit!

This is by far the simplest recipe you will find for coleslaw but it is amazing how many times I'm asked to bring it to a potluck party and for the recipe! People are even more astonished when I tell them how easy it is to make and what's in it. For best results I like to make it an hour or 2 before serving as it allows the flavour of the onion to really come through and mingle with everything, which in my opinion is what makes this coleslaw taste so good. Try it and you'll see!

Flower Pot Ice Cream Sundaes

When I was doing some research and looking for ideas for my sister's Harry Potter Grand Feast I came across some pictures on the internet of these fantastic Flower Pot Ice Cream Sundaes and I knew I had to make them. They look amazing – the perfect touch to a whimsical feast – but even better, they are super easy to make and of course, who doesn't want some ice cream during a feast!?!

For the party I was unfortunately unable to get some traditional terracotta pots so instead used some gold cups (which were used for the feast anyway) and they looked pretty good. But as soon as I bought these super cute individual flower pots (actually muffin cases which I'm sure you will see a lot more of on upcoming posts!) I knew I had to use them! So now I can make 6 individual flower pots – the perfect treat for a party for both children and adults alike!

The 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day 11: Smoked Salmon Dip

Day 11 of my 12 Days of Christmas and it's back to savoury with my Smoked Salmon Dip. Like a lot of people we always have Smoked Salmon at Christmas and so this is just a slightly different way to serve it. Even better, you can make it in advance so it's one less thing to do on Christmas Day! This is a perfect addition to your lunch or it makes an elegant and beautiful starter, especially when served with some extra smoked salmon on the side. Delicious.

100g cream cheese, softened

50g sour cream or Greek yogurt

Squeeze of lemon juice

1 tsp horseradish

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 heaped tsp fresh dill, plus extra for garnish

Salt & Pepper

125g Smoked Salmon

Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a KitchenAid (or other electric mixer) and beat using the paddle attachment until completely softened and creamed. Add the sour cream (or Greek yogurt), lemon juice, horseradish, parsley and dill and beat until everything is well mixed. Finely chop the smoked salmon then add to the cream cheese mixture along with a little salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix one last time so that the salmon is evenly mixed in with everything else then taste to check the seasoning. Adjust if necessary, adding more lemon if needed then put into a serving bowl and keep in the fridge until needed. Serve with a little extra dill sprinkled on top and some crudites, crackers or even some thinly sliced crostini on the side. Perfect!

Or how about my Smoked Salmon on Spring Onion Pancakes,

or my hot and oozy Spinach and Artichoke Dip.

Smoked Salmon on Spring Onion Pancakes

Not quite a traditional blini, but these mini pancakes are just as delicious and are easy and fast to make using ingredients you are likely to have at home. If you like you can make them in advance and then top with the smoked salmon, creme fraiche and dill just before serving.

Makes approx. 36 pancakes

For the pancakes:

100g plain or all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

150ml milk

1 egg, separated

25g/ 1oz butter, melted

2-3 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

To serve:

Smoked salmon

Good spritz of fresh lemon

Fresh dill

Creme fraiche

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and mix. Add the milk, egg yolk and whisk well then add the melted butter along with the spring onions, dill, salt and pepper. Whisk the egg white until you have stiff peaks then gently fold into the pancake batter until evenly combined. Heat a flat griddle or frying pan and drop tablespoons of the pancake batter. Cook until bubbles start to appear on the top of the pancakes then flip over and cook until golden. Remove and set aside on a wire rack and repeat until all of the batter is used.

To serve the pancakes top with a small spoonful of creme fraiche. Spritz the smoked salmon with the lemon juice and a grinding of black pepper then add a small slice of salmon on top of the creme fraiche and finish with a small sprig of dill.