This year for Halloween Raine and I went to a party at a friends house that is all about putting in the effort to make it spectacular, or should I say spooktacular. We of course dressed up for this event as a Retiring Fairy Godmother (Me) and a Fairy Godmother in Training (Raine). A lot of thought and creativity went into our outfits so that not only would they be original, but also not cost us an arm and a leg. For mine, I recycled my old gypsy/witch (I've used this dress many times) costume and used fabri-tac to glue on some fabric patches that I cut out from my old sewing scraps. I then added my own pretty pearl necklace and the amethyst earrings that my dad got me a few years ago because I thought that any retired fairy godmother worth her salt ought to have a few sparklies. I purchased black and silver wings on clearance from a local craft store for 5.00 and bought some gray hairspray and gold granny spectacles in the costume section for just as cheap. Old black nylons and some gold slippers out of my closet completed the ensemble. Raine's dress was the one that we had gotten for the renaissance fair earlier this fall which we tricked out with some spunky black boots and fake silver spectacles. Finally we tied little see through pouches full of glitter (fairy dust) to our wastes and made wands from a cut branch off our birch tree. I loved how we looked and the gray hair for me was a hoot! The costumes got rave reviews and made all the effort worthwhile.
There were lots of other great costumes there as well like a levitating vampire and good old father time.
Plenty of friends that we hadn't seen for a very long time.
Everyone was instructed to bring a dish for the huge ghoulish feast and I who just so happen to love any reason to pull out all the stops in the kitchen and have this awesome brain mold that is perfect for this type of occasion was thrilled at the request. Now a few years back I threw a Halloween party and catered it myself so I spent an obscene amount of time and research on scary and gross recipes of every kind. One of the ones I came across this shrimp pate' that I have used ever since, because not only is it completely real looking but it tastes fantastic too! I got it from an equally enthusiastic Halloween lover by the name of Britta (http://www.britta.com/hw/hwr.html). So without further ado here it is in all it's g(l)ory!
Completely fantastic isn't it! Here is the recipe courtesy of britta...
Bizarre Brain Pate
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 (.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 1/4 cup water
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 pounds cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
(or 1 pound crab meat)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Tabasco or creole seasoning to taste
Heat soup, undiluted, and mix in the cream cheese. Stir in softened gelatin and blend well. Fold in remaining ingredients and pour into a lightly-oiled mold. Chill until firm and serve with your favorite crackers.
Since the brain mold is only about 3 cups, I halved this recipe except for the amount of gelatin, left out the green onions, and finely chopped the shrimp in a food processor (a rough chop will do) into more of a paste for the sake of making it look more smooth-textured like a real brain.
No comments:
Post a Comment