This Halloween, while many are treating themselves to a night of devilish debauchery, many of us are opting to stay in and avoid the mid-week hangover. But in a student-oriented situation, it may be hard to escape the pressures of drinking if you don’t know where to begin to look for alternative celebrations.
There’s always the good ol’ standby of festive baking. Sugar cookies shaped as ghosts or pumpkins are cute, and it’s a delicious treat to enjoy freshly baked pumpkin bread. And why not celebrate the abundance of fall produce and colours? Apples, pumpkins and all sorts of gourds are in season, and, when prepared properly, can add a kick to festivities.
Pumpkin carving
A seasonal favourite, pumpkin carving is always a good time. To carve a pumpkin easily, hollow out the gourd and trace a pattern on paper and place over the pumpkin. Holding it in place with pins, use a pin or a fork to pierce the pattern through to the pumpkin. Remove the paper and start carving! To make your pumpkin last longer, spray with a bleach+water or coat with Vaseline.
Pumpkin bread
Christy Robbins prepared a simple and delicious recipe that is sure to have you baking more. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon and spices with canned pumpkin, oil and eggs. For exact measurements and more ideas, visit http://christyrobbins.blogspot.ca/2011/09/pumpkin-pumpkin-bread.html
Squash spaghetti
the-girl-who-ate-everything.com has a great recipe for squash spaghetti. She recommends cutting a squash in half, piercing with a fork, season it to taste and bake covered with foil for 1.5 hours. When done, scrape out with a fork ad enjoy! Check out http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/02/spaghetti-squash-spag… for more tips.
Pumpkin cookies
A seasonal standby, its always festive to bake up a batch of your favourite cookies and cut into fall shapes. Ideas are endless, and how fun ?! You can chomp on ghost, pumpkin, or even leaf-shaped cookies.
However you choose to celebrate the season, get creative and have fun with it! Indulge yourself with a cozy cup of cider and any of the treats above, and relish in the colours and tastes of fall from the warmth of your home.
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