I could spend a small fortune in Target....

So tonite I had to run to Target as an emergency to get Dog kibble that we ran out of because no one bothered to tell me that they filled up the kibble container from the basement yesterday and emptied the large tote.... NOT good when you have 3 large hungry boxer babies....(pictured left to right, Voodoo, Dempsey, Lola) so off I flew on my steady broomstick.

Whilst there I managed to squeeze in a nice Starbuck's pumpkin latte and decided to take a stroll through their Halloween fare... last time I was there I wasn't truly impressed, a lot of costumes, and candy but no real usable decorations. But ALAS, I found a treasure of goodies this evening... I can already see my table scape next year.

I adopted a cute little skull and crown earlier this year when I began making my own potion jar labels under the ALL TOGETHER DEAD name....Target is just LOADED with skeleton/crown goodies... below is the ceramic cookie jar my PERSONAL favorite. So they had it all within this theme, plates, cups, napkins, carved pumpkins, tableware, linens, even a flask! WOOT WOOT... surprisingly with only 11 days until the dark holiday they have tons of stock, my guess is because they put it out so late.... I can hear the holiday savings in my wallet on November 1st already....and yes.. if you are wondering.... I couldn't wait until after the dark holiday to purchase this little exquisite cookie jar so I quickly scurried up the the register to check out with him and skipped like a giddy child all the way to the car with my new treasure. I got so over excited with my skeleton finds, and my pumpkin latte, I got halfway home and realized I needed to turn around, go back and get the sack of dog kibble.....

The Menu is Set

With only 5 days to go I am glad to say the menu is FINALLY set.....The main attraction will be the MONSTER MASHED POTATO bar. I just LOVE the idea of serving them in martini glasses too, I love love love a great martini any day, but fill my martini glass with mashies and my favorite toppings... I am in pure bliss....Ingredients on the bar will be ...
Fluffy White Mashies
Butter
Sour Cream
Fresh Chives
Grilled Sliced Flank Steak
Grilled Sliced Garlic Butter Chicken Breast
Bearnaise Sauce
Bacon
Broccoli
Sweet Corn
Mushroom Gravy
Mini Shrimp with Alfredo
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Jack Cheese
Crumbled Blu Cheese
Can you say YUMMMMMOooOooooo


The biggest decisions came with the drink menu this year... I wanted something a little creepy, mixed with really good ingredients. I am tired of buying all kinds of new concoctions and getting stuck with leftovers because what looked cook didn't taste so great.. even if it is Halloween. So each of the cocktails below have been tried and tested and enjoyed quite well and I am excited to be sharing them with our guests this year. The only one not shown below is the Brain Hemorrhage we are still going to offer it, but as a "shot" in an actual 60 ML plastic syringe, I will have the syringes filled with the peach schnapps and grenadine already and the guests will suck in the Baileys to create their hemorrhage.... wicked cool!

The Zombie

Ingredients:

1 oz. apricot brandy
1 oz. light rum
1 oz. dark or Jamaican rum
1 oz. lime juice
2 dashes grenadine
Orange juice
1 oz. Bacardi 151 rum

Preparation:

Mix light and dark rum and brandy in a cocktail shaker, add lime juice and grenadine. Shake well and strain into a higball glass filled with cracked ice.

Fill glass with orange juice but leave enough room to float the 151 on top. Garnish with a cherry and orange slice.

Witches Brew

Ingredients:

2 oz. mixed pineapple and cranberry juice
2 oz. 7-Up
1 1/4 oz. shot Malibu Coconut Rum

Preparation:

Mix juices and 7-Up in a highball glass. Pour shot down the side of the glass right before drinking.

You can even mix up a batch of this Halloween Moon Hue inspired drink in a large cauldron and let your guests ladle it out into cups.

Liquid Ghosts

Ingredients:

2 oz. vodka
1 oz. vanilla simple syrup
1 oz. cream
2 oz. soda

Preparation:

Mix vanilla simple syrup, cream, vodka and soda and serve in a martini glass.

Warm Carmel Apple recipe for a Single Serve

Ingredients:

6 oz. apple cider (heated)
Shot of Butterscotch Schnapps
Whipped cream
Pinch cinnamon and nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

In a glass coffee mug or heat-resistant goblet, combine your heated cider and Schnapps. Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add cinnamon stick.

Vampire Ritual

1 1/2 to 2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. triple sec
1 1/2 oz. blueberry-beet syrup (recipe below) careful this STAINS
10-15 blueberries
3/4 oz. lemon juice

Crush blueberries and syrup together, then pour mixture and all other ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass. For garnish, use a lemon slice colored with beets.

For syrup: Boil equal parts water and sugar along with several slices of raw beet and small handful of blueberries. Strain out solids and let liquid cool before use.

Stairway Banister Deco....

With only 17 days to go until our bash I am very quickly realizing I am so running out of time, everything else with daily life is taking priority away from my decorating and well frankly I am just not very pleased about it... However, I did manage to get a few more things up yesterday including the banister decorations. Above is the arrangement for the lower level. The black fabric is none other than black landscaping fabric, I LOVE the texture it has and for $12.99 for 50 feet, you can't go wrong. The arrangement is simply made up of 3 orange tipped black roses, some black ostrich feathers, decorative orange ribbon with spiders and webbing on it and a black tassel dangling from the bottom to which dear Oliver just is tickled black that I added, it keeps him busy for at least an hour or so a day. The arrangement is at the top and bottom of the stairwell. (Notice my messy bar in the background... not having a studio it has become my "work space" as we prep for the dark holiday.
Our Psychic is going to be in the upper level where we can close her off so she can focus on her readings and tarot cards without other "interference". So leading up to this level we used the same black landscaping fabric, but this time added some little buckies hung from their necks a black and white striped bow and another black tassel... I am a tassel fiend....


A couple of poofs up I inserted some little hanging ghouls that I found at the Dollar Tree... A BUCK people... how can you go wrong... I am going to hang my large wooden "The Witch Is In" sign on this wall which JT just freshly painted in a nice warm chocolate truffle color a couple of days ago..

All in all price breakdown for 2 stairways
Landscaping Fabric $12.99 Donzells
Buckies set of 4 1.00 Dollar Tree
Ribbon 3 rolls 3.00 Dollar Tree
Roses 6 total 6.00 Walmart
Ostrich Feathers Pkg 3.98 JoAnn Fabric
Ghouls 2 2.00 Dollar Tree


Total for 2 staircases $28.97 and I have about a third of the fabric left to cover the witch's table with....