With the way 2020 has gone so far, you wouldn’t think there would be any need to celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year. I think we’ve all been frightened and haunted enough by now, especially with those of us in England on the brink of lockdown…again.
But, as an American who absolutely unashamedly uses the excuse of being American for my OTT decorations and enthusiasm for holidays, there was no way that a pandemic (pffft!) was going to stop me celebrating All Hallows Eve. The spirits really would never forgive us for it – all three of them: Jack Daniels, Barcadi, and José Cuervo!
So, what did I do? Well, I spent far too much money on decorations, food and drinks, so that I could give my boyfriend and myself the most spooktacular celebration.
Sadly, due to government restrictions, we were not able to have our friends over to partake in the fun. This didn’t make me go easy on the party food, however, except that the original plan of using our big plastic cauldron as a punch bowl seemed a little excessive for just the two of us.
After hours of scouring the web searching for some themed food inspiration, I had finally put together our menu.
- FOOD MENU
- Tangerine “pumpkins” with a cucumber stem
- “Mummified” hotdogs (puff pastry brushed with egg)
- Chocolate covered strawberries
- “Ghost” peppers
- Olive spiders topping our dips
- Spooky cheese and meat board
- Oreo bats and zombies
- “Mummified” baked camembert (puff pastry brushed with egg)
- Pretzel stick witch brooms
- DRINKS MENU
- Satan’s Sangria (Red wine of choice, dark rum, blackcurrant cordial and Schweppes lemonade)
- Pumpkin Orange Spritz (really just an Aperol Spritz)
- Witch’s bubbling potion (Prosecco and blackcurrant cordial)
- Goblins and Ghouls juice (really just a Pearl Harbor cocktail, but with a twist. Midori melon liqueur, vodka, prosecco and a dash of pineapple juice)
- Optional for all of the above is to add maraschino cherries (my personal favourite) and gummy worms!
Ok, I know. This is a lot of stuff for two people. But I couldn’t help it. Go big or go home is the ringtone to my life.
As for how the day panned out…
I woke up too hungry to stick to my original plan of going out for pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween themed donuts, so instead I made pumpkin porridge for myself and fried eggs for my boyfriend.
My porridge was made with oats, cinnamon, and maple brown sugar protein powder from PEScience. I topped it off with a layer of pumpkin purée, natural peanut butter, and a sprinkle of my homemade granola. Then I attempted to draw a spiderweb using chocolate icing, but the porridge was so hot that it melted the design. So I ended up with a “spiderblob” instead. I did, however, manage to make out the word BOO.
For my boyfriend’s breakfast, I used two eggs and separated the egg whites from the yolks. I fried up the egg whites as an omelet and carefully placed the yolks on top in a way that would make them look like eyeballs. Once cooked, I placed sliced green and black olives on top to make it look like a zombie with eyes and a stitched mouth. I think it ended up looking a lot like Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!
After breakfast, I prepared the chocolate covered strawberries and marshmallows and put them in the fridge to solidify. I truly could’ve licked the bowl clean (which we all know I totally did!).
Then, I got changed into my costume. I’ll admit, it was nothing special this year. There was zero point in buying a new costume when no one would really get to see it.
For the last three Halloweens running, I have been Little Red Riding Hood. The first year, I had the full costume and a cute little basket. I even drew a wolf on my face with eyeliner! The second year, I was basketless and didn’t bother with drawing a wolf – but at least I still had the full costume. This year….well, I don’t think I can really get away with calling it Little Red Riding Hood without having the hood. It seems on my adventures last year I lost my cape. So, basically, my costume was just the dress. Bit of a fail, but a little effort is better than none! Though I think next year it’ll definitely be time to buy myself a new costume.
2018 
2019 
2020
When all the food was made, we sat down on the couch and watched some scary movies and started a new series on Netflix called The Haunting of Hill House. If you liked The Haunting of Bly Manor, you’ll love this!
Overall, I think I nailed Halloween this year if I do say so myself! I just wish we could’ve shared the fun with our friends!
*Also, yes, the “mummified” baked camembert was 100% meant to explode like this ^^^ #NotReally
SEE: Sip Eat Enjoy 