I just can’t believe how much B.O.B. Bob and I managed to pack into one weekend, and we even managed to have some fun while doing it. We started off Saturday, with a visit to the Herndon Rotary Club’s Pumpkin Patch. Why not help out our community, while satisfying our desire to totally mutilate a pumpkin? Herndon Rotary’s proceeds benefit causes such as scholarships to local high school students. The patch is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and operates on the honor system – pick out a pumpkin, and just put your cash in the cash box. Pumpkins are $5 for a small pumpkin, $10 for a medium pumpkin, and $15 for a large pumpkin. The pumpkin patch is located in downtown Herndon on Elden Street, between Monroe Street and the W&OD Trail, across from Anita’s. Neither of us has carved a pumpkin in several years, but I have several options I’m contemplating. I can’t wait to share them with everyone.
Next up, assembling the graveyards. The Princess Bride Graveyard has returned for a repeat performance. No new graves have been added, but we have some new “flair” surrounding the graves, with more to come in the next few weeks. This year we have concentrated on quality over quantity, we’re beginning to have an eye for what works for us. The addition of six new skeletons has really made a difference as well.
Brenna had her first, second, and third Halloween 2013 photo shoots on Saturday. I don’t think I need to explain how angry this made her. After an hour spent with one very irate kitty, I decided we would just have to space out her sessions over the next few weeks. Here’s just one of the many shots I got of her refusing to look at me.
Sunday started off innocently enough. After going through some of the Halloween party bins on Saturday, I found treat boxes that have been in storage for over at least five years. Instead of throwing them away, or just throwing them back in the bin, I decided this was the year to use them. So, after a trip to Target, and spending over $50 on candy, I now have something extra to give the first 40 kids that show up at our house on Halloween night. The rest of the candy is for The Delawder Matthews Haunted Herndon Halloween Party, and over half of it will be gone by the end of the party. The leftovers will be our backups for Halloween night, just in case we run out of full-size candy bars. After that, anything leftover will go to my work, except for any Reese’s; those go into the freezer for future cookies. By the way, a big thank you to my brother, Matt, for helping put together all of the treat boxes. Also, if you haven’t tried Milky Way Caramel Apple Minis Candy, you’re missing out on an amazing thing. Get them before they’re all gone.
After putting the candy out of reach, to keep myself from eating it, I spent an hour assembling Ham & Cheese Empanadas with Dijon Peach Sauce. These little beauties are now sitting in the freezer, awaiting the Halloween party. Try using GOYA Puff Pastry Dough for Turnovers to come up with a fun combination of your own. They’re simple to use; just allow to thaw overnight in the fridge, fill with your favorite ingredients, crimp the edges together with the tines of a fork, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. B.O.B. Bob and I tested out a few of them to make sure they were edible. (Please note, the empanada rounds that I use come in a similar package, but have a blue label underneath the GOYA logo. I think they have a better texture than the ones that come in the red-labeled package. You can find them in the freezer section of your grocery store.)
I also managed to start working on the third and final retro dessert blog, which will hopefully be ready for publication on Tuesday. Here’s a hint.
After such a long, jam-packed, fast-paced weekend filled with all of these events, as well as many others, I spent Sunday evening winding down, by playing around with some new iPad photo apps. If anyone knows of any that they find fun, unusual, or helpful, send me a message and tell me all about them. I hope all of you had an amazing weekend, and got outside to enjoy a little bit of the wacky hot weather we’ve been experiencing recently. It certainly feels odd to be decorating for Halloween, when it’s over 90 degrees outside.
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
-Colleen
