Tuesday, November 2, 2021Halloween Retrospective
I think it's time we come to terms with the fact that I'm terrible at remembering to take photos on Halloween. It's true. I manage to get a few of the girls in their costumes together, but that's it. I guess that's enough? It's certainly WAY less than it seems other people take, but whatever. At least I manage to capture the history that is these two.
This year it was Mila who chose their costumes and let me tell you, that child took immense joy in dressing her sister. She gleefully picked out every detail from the Hawaiian dress to the green leis to the socks (which had Stitch on them) and even the shoes. It made her all of the happy to be in charge, which is interesting because if I had been in charge, I would have gone more all in. I mean, there is an inflatable Stitch costume on Amazon. It's pretty spectacular. Alas, Mila picked the more practical "pajama" version and she wore it herself. She could have been Lilo and left Alexis to be inflatable Stitch, but what she decided on works as well.
I mean, Mila -is- Stitch. It makes sense.
Overall, Halloween was weird this year. Our township moved trick-or-treating to Saturday, which made it just in time for a solid two hours of drizzle and cold. Even if the weather is decent, I will NEVER like Halloween celebrated not on Halloween because it definitely throws off the vibe. This time, it seemed about 1/3 of the houses that usually give out candy in our neighborhood didn't. Whether that was because of the altered times, the crappy whether, or because they're just jerks, I don't know. Regardless, it didn't have the same neighborhood block party vibe that it did a few years ago. Mila was still fine because Halloween is basically her Olympics, so whatever. It was a good time.
Which, every year is a good time with these two partnering up.
Yeah, this partnering up for costumes thing is pretty great.
Memories of Slime-Filled Cupcakes
Remember when you were allowed to make cupcakes and send them with your kids to school? Man, those were the days.
Reposting a recipe from four years ago as evidence that it really was a thing.
****************************************************
I did a thing.
That thing (times 24, really) was the result of Mila saying she wanted "spider cupcakes" for school and Alexis begging for edible slime. On my way down one path and to the next, I discovered a few things:
1. Edilble slime is a pain in the butt. I tried melting gummy bears and adding powdered sugar. It turned out AMAZING in that it made for a super yummy cupcake filling, but it was sticky and hard to work with. Alexis had fun playing with it, though.
2. Pudding man. Pudding is the way to go if you want to "slime up" some cupcakes.
3. Jello-O makes a terrible cupcake filling.
4. Every recipe on the internet for "edible slime" is a lie.
5. Did I mention pudding? Because pudding rocks. Especially if you add a pound of crazy food coloring.
Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup peach filling
Filling
Vanilla pudding (or, if you're brave, 1/2 cup gummy bears and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar)
Frosting
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with super cute liners of your choice.
2. Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir them up with a whisk.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla.
4. Put the wet ingredients in the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix at low speed until just combined. I tinted mine with lime green gel food coloring because WOOOOOOO! HALLOWEEN!
5. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when you stab a cupcake. Not that I would stab a cupcake. Obviously.
6. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before you cut the little circle in them. To do that, just cut a circle with a knife and pull out the chunk of cupcake. It doesn't matter if your circle isn't perfect. You can hide the evidence by eating the cupcake middles.
7. Prepare the filling, be it pudding or gummy bear slime. If you're doing the pudding, follow the package instructions. That's good enough, but feel free to add some food coloring if you're rocking the Halloween thing. If you're going all in on the gummy bear thing, melt them in a glass bowl in a microwave. It takes about 20-25 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Before trying to handle the stuff, make sure you line the entire universe with powdered sugar. It's better that way.
8. Fill the little cupcake holes with slime.
9. To make the frosting, place your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for about 30 seconds or until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Then mix it at high until well mixed.
10. Decorating time! My eyes were made with fun-colored chocolate melts and white M&Ms. Everything else is tinted frosting.
11. Halloween is the best.
