Just in time for Halloween.  Check out my scary appetizers for your Halloween party.    Click here and go over to Babble to see the step by step instruction for these Ghostly Boo Sticks….

Need a good, hearty meal for Halloween?  Check out this bubbly baked rigatoni dish that’ll be great for any family dinner.  Click here for the step by step pics on how to make it on Babble…..

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post; however, I did receive complimentary entry into the park.  All opinions are 100% my own. I Love being a part of the Disney family. 

Yes… I am a California girl, a native of Los Angeles, and a Disneyland devotee. There are several things in this life that excite me, and Disneyland and the holidays are definitely at the top of that list. When you combine those two things together the feeling becomes electrifying, like a bolt struck by lightning in Frankenstein’s neck.  With that being said, I was so thrilled to be invited to Mickey’s Halloween Party this past Friday night for the mark of the first of 13 Halloween parties celebrated Disney style. The park was decked out from head to toe in “spook-tac-ular” fashion.

I opened my trick or treating bag wide and marched down the candy trail, I had a little ghoul named Maxie following close behind me with an equally eager desire for candy . The magical kingdom sparkled in hues of purple and blue while music played in minor chords making the park feel eerie and ominous like a bad guy in the room kinda feeling.

I looked over my shoulder  to find Jack Skeleton inviting me into the Haunted Mansion Holiday. Talks of his gingerbread house in the center of the mansion ballroom was how he lured me in…revealing 13 different Jack Skeleton faces in each door.

I ran out of there spooked and straight into the arms of the Dia De Los Muertos exhibit where I was comforted by memories of loved ones lost but not forgotten.

Cadaver Dans Ghoul quartet filled my ears as they sang loudly on the rivers of America.

I could see a little red light floating above the castle when I realized it was Zero (Jack’s dog) he was letting the people know “Halloween Screams” firework spectacular was about to start. I watched showers of lights fill the sky in the dead of night as I munched on another treat.

What I ate while I was there is another story….go to Babble for a peek of the GORE- met apples and other treats!

Mickey’s Halloween Party, a separate-ticket event for trick-or-treating families, will expand to a spooky total of 13 special nights in Disneyland Park. Tickets for Mickey’s Halloween Party are on sale at the Disneyland Resort main gate and by phone at 714-781-4400.

Tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party purchased in advance are $59 each for selected nights, while tickets purchased on the event days are $67 each.  Tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party on Wednesday, Oct. 30, and Halloween Night, Thursday, Oct. 31, are $74 each.

The dates: Friday, Sept. 27; Tuesday, Oct. 1; Friday, Oct. 4; Tuesday, Oct. 8; Friday, Oct. 11; Tuesday, Oct. 15; Friday, Oct. 18; Monday, Oct. 21; Wednesday, Oct. 23; Friday, Oct. 25; Monday, Oct. 28; Wednesday, Oct. 30; and Thursday, Oct. 31.

A photo of all the lovely Disney guests/ bloggers/ story tellers….. taken in Town Square. 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post; however, I did receive complimentary entry into the park.  All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for the invite Disneyland!

The Ooooie Goooie chocolate will draw you in.  The worms will tickle your tongue. This Halloween cake will be the slime of the party.  I made this dessert with rats banging at my back door to get a bite of my worm cake.  I didn’t answer but one managed to get in just in time for cake cutting. Let the festivities begin.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN…….

Ingredients for worm cake:

2 – boxes of Devil’s food chocolate cake mix

eggs, water and vegetable oil

2 – can of milk chocolate frosting

1 – bag of gummy worms

chocolate cookie crumbs

Bake cakes according to instruction on the box for a total of four 8 inch cakes. Allow to cool completely.

Place first layer on a cake stand and frost with 1/2 of can of milk chocolate frosting, then add second layer and repeat till done with all cake layers and both cans of frosting.

Then poke holes into cake with a straw and insert gummy worms into holes so they can pop out. Then dust entire cake with cookie crumbs.

SCARY HALLOWEEN CAKE …. made easy.

Halloween holds such joyous memories for me.  I equate October with creativity, imagination, family closeness, traditional sweet confections, and the kick off to the official holiday season. However you decide to mask your face, as a ghost, mummy, witch, sexy nurse or last years vampire…. make sure you leave enough room to stuff your face with my Halloween Caramel Apples.  Why? Because they are FREAK-ing delicious and simple to make!

Ingredients for Halloween Caramel Apples:

7 – Melissa’s Produce Granny Smith Apples or Pears

7 – popsicle sticks

2 – tablespoons milk

1 – package of caramels (about 50 unwrapped pieces)

melted chocolate of your choice

royal icing or frosting

 Directions:

1. Wash and dry apples and/or pears

2. Insert stick into apple or pear

3. Over a medium low flame in a sauce pan add milk and caramels. Stir until completely melted.

4. Line a platter or cookie sheet with a piece of buttered wax paper.

5. Dip apples into caramel until completely covered, and place on lined platter.

6. Place apples/pears in refrigerator for 1 hour to set.

7. Melt chocolate of your choice, White works well for decorating purposes.

8. Dip caramel apples/pears into chocolate and place back into the fridge for an additional 45 minutes.

9. Once the apples/pears are set remove from fridge and decorate with royal icing or frosting to make a spook-tacular frightfully delicious apple!

10. Enjoy and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I would like to thank Melissa’s Produce for suppling me with all the apples and pears.

Video and photos by: Mando Lopez

While the rest of the United States was busy dressing up for Halloween parties on Saturday night, my little family and I decided on some crafty fun.  We carved our pumpkin and scooped out the seeds to make spicy curry pumpkin seeds.  We had a few left over kernels and went big in the maraca direction making noisemakers!

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez and Nicole Presley

Here’s how we did it….

Ingredients for spicy curry pumpkin seeds:

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

enough water to fill a pot halfway

3 tablespoons of salt

juice from 1 1/2 limes.  Should make about 3 tablespoons

1/4 teaspoon yellow curry powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/4 teaspoon Tajin (chile and lime pepper)

non-stick cooking spray.

First cut into pumpkin and scoop out all the seeds…

Pour water into a medium sauce pan to fill halfway, then add salt. Bring salted water to a boil over medium flame.  While you are waiting for your water to boil.  Clean gunk off of pumpkin seeds by running under water.

Once water is boiling add pumpkin seeds and boil for 7 to 8 minutes.  Remove from flame and allow seeds to soak in hot water for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Then drain seeds and dry off on a paper towel.

Next mix  lime juice, yellow curry, chipotle pepper, Lawry’s, and Tajin in a small bowl together well.  Then add in dried off pumpkin seeds.  Mix to coat.

Spray a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray and spread the coated pumpkin seeds on top in a single layer.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden/dry. Keep an eye on your pumpkin seeds because they have a tendency to burn quickly.

Things needed for maracas:

– Empty 8oz. water bottle

– A round stick to fit opening of bottle

– Pumpkin seeds ( about 10 to 15)

– White spray paint

– Glue water (1 part glue, 1 part water)

– Felt

– Tissue paper

– Construction paper

– Foil tape

– Aluminum foil

– Sharpies

– White water-color paint

Start by spray painting the outside of the water bottle white.  Allow it to dry a bit, then add pumpkin seeds inside.

Next take some glue and apply to the inside rim of the bottle.  Then insert the round stick for a firm fit.  Last wrap the foil tape around the opening and the stick.

What you do after this is entirely up to you.  Create your spooky maracas anyway you wish.  I used tissue paper to create the color of skin I desired.  Take your gluewater and brush it on the entire bottle, then take strips of tissue paper and place them around the bottle.  Next brush gluewater over the tissue strips.  Repeat till you reach the desired hue.  Then decorate it with felt, construction paper, paint, aluminum foil or sharpies to create the face of the maraca….. Here are a few examples of what we did.

Happy Halloween! Hope it’s a SCARY one!

Halloween came out of nowhere for me this year.  I am known in my circle of friends as a Halloween queen…..  I always have my costume ready weeks in advance and try and make it myself.  I’m NOT the store bought kinda Halloween gal.  This year time sideswiped me and I am slightly behind on my ghoulish duties.  Over the weekend I decided it was time to play catch up…. fast.  I started by decorating the house, and getting my son’s costume in order.  Then I wanted to do a fun edible graveyard scene for my kitchen.  Well let me tell you it certainly turned into a project.  I had never made rice krispie treats and thought it would make for a good graveyard….. that’s until I started melting the vegan marshmallow.  Holy Moly!  That stuff sticks to everything.   So there I go….. I used Pam on my rice krispie treat graveyard, and it was so much easier to manage.  Don’t laugh, I had to make them twice, the first time was a complete disaster, it was like being stuck in a spider web.  Once that was settled, we built a little haunted house and let some ghost come and squat there. Gosh…. I love Halloween.  Now I’m on a roll.  The festivities in this house have not stopped.  Here’s a little play by play incase you want to make a spooky graveyard in your kitchen too!

Ingredients for graveyard rice krispie treats:

Pam non-stick cooking spray

4 – tablespoons butter

10.5 – ounces of vegan marshmallows

food coloring

5 – cups rice krispie cereal

1 – cup pretzel sticks

3/4 – cup plain m&m’s

1 – 13×9 pyrex dish

Spray pam in a large sauce pan, then place pan over a medium flame and add butter. Allow butter to melt, add vegan marshmallows and mix until completely melted.  Quickly add food coloring color of your choice ( I used red, blue and a little black to make a dark purple) to marshmallow mixture and mix until color is completely incorporated.  Now add rice krispie cereal, pretzels, and M&M’s to marshmallow mixture and mix to combine.

Take your 13×9 pyrex and spray with pam.  Then place all rice krispie cereal mixture into pyrex.  Spread with a spatula (sprayed with pam) and even it out to fit the pyrex dish.  Let cool for 1 hour and then turn it upside down and watch it plop right out onto your working surface.

Now for the fun part, you get to decorate your graveyard.  I added a haunted house to give it an extra hair raising feeling.  I used cookies and chocolate for the headstones, and ghost peeps to spook you.  I decorated the haunted house with an assortment of candy and painted the hand coming out of the grave with red food coloring.  This graveyard is going to taste as good as it looks!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

       Here’s the SCARY part, the mess this project made in the kitchen. Trick or Treat!!!!