Happy Halloween!

 

My dear Readers Zoulah wishes you a wonderful and safe Halloween!

She has enjoyed her time in the kitchen this year and thanks you for your support.

 

This pumpkin was made with a new, huge cookie cutter.

 

 

It is packaged up and ready to go to a special little girl.

 

 

 

Zoulah has been working on her spraying technique for cookies  It worked for her on the bare cookie below, but not so well on iced cookies.  Fun to try though.

 

 

Zoulah says ta-ta for now and expects to be back next year in Joni's "Bewithen Kitchen!"

 

 



Gardner Village Witch Fest

 

 

 Every year for the past, I don't know how many years, we make the Trek to Gardner Village near Salt Lake City where the witches gather for Witch Fest.   Even though my children are older now, they love to go. The first place we hit is the Sweet Afton's Candy Store.  We always buy some sort of candy.  My kids love junk candy :).  This store can get quite crowded on the weekends.

 

 

Each year they move the witches around and occasionally acquire a new witch.  Most of the pictures are from this year, but I added a few from previous years,

  

This witch is playing baseball -- who knew that witches have their own League?

 

 

This witch is directing traffic, and there is a lot of traffic around this area at Halloween, especially at Witch's Night Out.

 

 

These witches are always prepared, there is even a firefighting witch.

 

 

Of course there is a "Peek-a-Boo" witch!

 

 

Glad this one is on water!

 

 

 

She is a beaut!

 

 

 

 She has been a fixture here for years.

 

Need to rent some ghosts?

 

This old gal never stops doing her hoola hoop.

 

 

A lot of people dress up as witches or wear their costumes.  Sometimes there are "house" witches rambling about.  They have a Witches Night Out,  That is something to behold.  We went one year and didn't have witch costumes on, and we totally felt out of place.  We peaked in the bakery and there were all these people with witches hats on.  Can you say alternate reality?  This is my youngest daughter Talley when she was about five years old with one of the "house witches."

 

 

 

A vintage shot of my children.

 

 

 

Most of the stores are decked out with Halloween witches, pillows, signs, and other goodies.

 

We like to ramble through the stores,  I bought the glittery subway-type sign that says Candy Corn.  We also bought a scarf and three pairs of earrings (all non-Halloween) this year.

 

 

There are pumpkins everywhere, which of course makes me smile.

 

 Hope you have enjoyed our visit to Garner Village.  It is quite close to Salt Lake City.  If you ever are there in October, it is well worth a visit.

 

Zoulah thanks you for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.



Monster Pizzas

 

 

Zoulah made some cute little monster pizzas the other day!

 

 

She wanted to share them with you.  Hope you like them.  They were simple to do.  Just take some pizza dough roll out into blobs and then add the pizza toppings and some olives for eyes.  Bake at 400 degrees from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your monsters.

 

 

Zoulah hopes you make your little monsters some of these little monsters!

 

The Witches Are In Table

 

Today I set a table (giving Zoulah a break) featuring Zoulah and her witchey friends.  There is just something about cute little witches at Halloween.  Some of them have been our friends for many years, made by my sister-in-law Camille, and others are newer additions.  They all give you a warm welcome to sit at the table.

 

 

 

Usually at this point, I would show you the place setting, but I am showing you the witch vase which Beaulah, Zoulah's twin sister, gave to her this year. Now, of course you know that Beaulah is the kitchen witch of Jacqueline.  I don't know what I did in the former life to deserve such a wonderful sister. 

 

 I also was blessed with another wonderful sister, Jean.  She was the one who gave Jaqueline and I Zoulah and Beaulah. 

 

The black and white pattern on the witch shoe reminds me of Debbie, Mountain Breaths and of Sarah, Hyacinths for the Soul.



 

 

Now who would think of a witch shoe vase?

Just a close-up of a flower.

 

 



 

So I put the question to you all.  "Have you been a good witch or a bad witch?"  All of my witches responded that they have been good witches.  I agree.  Hopefully, my children don't even think of me as a witch :).

Although not at the table this year, Witchie-Poo chimed in that she has also been a good witch.  Jaqueline and I made these witches years ago at a class.  A life-sized witch, Witchie-Poo always graces our living room during Halloween.  She is getting old and a little broken down, but we still love her.

 



So here is the place setting.  I bought the orange dinner plates and black salad plates at Tai-Pan Trading this year, and they have been used a lot.  The little square bakers were bought a couple of years ago at Michael's.  I think they still sell them.

 



 

I have three different varieties of the bakers.

 

The pumpkin one....I also have some Harlequin ones.

 

 

The hobnail gpblets were from K-Mart last year.  I love them and use them all the time.

 



 

The orange goblets remind me of the Cozy Cone Motel at Cars Land at California Adventure.  Yes they do!

 

Each guest will have some gumdrops at their place setting.  Have some.  I won't tell.  The guests aren't here yet.  These are just two cupcake liners put together.

 

 

 

 

I like having candy like gumdrops and candy corn cheering up my home at Halloween-- candy my children won't eat.

 

I am showing off my new glittery Halloween sign.  I bought it at Gardner Village which is infested with witches during the Halloween season.  We have been going there in October for many, many years.  My kids are no longer young and we all still enjoy going.  This year we took my daughter's friend Carla; she had never been there before and loved it.

 

 

Just showing off a few more accents on the table.  This is a Dollar Store sign.

 

I was going to tell you where I bought this sign, but, ha ha, I do not remember.  In my younger years I could tell you where I bought something and how much it cost many years after the purchase.  Now...

Just a full shot view of the table.  I do want to thank you for visiting my "The Witch is In Tablescape."  I enjoy your visits.

 



Posted with Let's Dish and Tablescape Thursday

Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?

"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  Then Jesus said unto the twelve will ye also go away?  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?  Thou hast the words of eternal life?  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."  

 

John:  6:66-69 (King James Version of the Holy Bible)

 

This scripture is taken from the book of John where Jesus has just given the "Bread of Life" sermon.   Those who left Him, cared more about the physical bread he provided to satiate their hunger, than the spiritual help he offered them -- that he was the Christ.  As I  face problems in life, and there are always problems, I too testify as Peter said, "Lord to whom shall I go but to Thee." 

 

May you enjoy a wonderful Sabbath.

Skull Medallion Cake

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes where Zoulah had a "magical" time coming up with this cake!  She has thought about doing something like this for awhile.

 

Zoulah bought the ceramic skull cookie stamp at World Market this year.  She has a good collection of cookie stamps and she is excited to have another use for the ones she has.

 

She made up a batch of homemade marshmallow fondant or you can just buy some fondant.

 



She set out the fondant to dry a bit on some waxed paper.  She made sure that there was a bit of confectioner's sugar on the bottom of each medallion.  She did not totally dry the fondant medallions before applying them to the cake.

 

 



 

Then she made a 3-layer cake using 2 boxes of cake mix.  She wants you to know that you will have a bit of leftover cake mix.  Then before baking she swirled in some orange food coloring. 

 

 

Then she made a batch of buttercream frosting and tinted it black.  The recipe for the buttercream frosting is 3/4 cup of butter, 4 cups of confectioner's sugar, and 4 to 5 tablespoons of water, and 1 teaspoon flavoring.  Zoulah used almond extract.  Mix well and adjust water or sugar to get the right consistency.  She added black gel food coloring. 

 

 Then she frosted the cake and she used a bit of water on her knife so that she could get the frosting extra smooth.

 

 

Before the buttercream frosting dried, she applied the fondant medallions that were not completely dry.  Because the frosting was also  not dry the medallions were able to stick by themselves. 

 

 

 

Then for fun she added some pearly white sixlets at the bottom of the cake and randomly all over the cake.  Zoulah's Wal-Mart has begun to stock these near the cake mixes.

 Then she added two skeleton pops for a whimsical effect.

 

  

 Zoulah wants to share a secret with you.  For a final touch she added some confectioner's sugar to hide the imperfections on the cake!  If you already knew this secret then you are Zoulah's kind of witch!

She hopes you like her cake!  It was a focal point of her "Crossbones Inn Tablescape."

 

Zoulah and her twin Beaulah

 

 

 

Zoulah thanks you for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.