Halloween has officially come! Goblins and ghouls will be roaming about this evening in search of mischief, mayhem and candy…lots of candy.
For me Halloween is about the tradition of pumpkin carving, scary movies and eating sweet things. I know many people who are avid costume junkies, spending months planning every detail of their ensemble, but strangely I’ve never been one of those folks. I often wonder why? I love a good theatrical spectacle, and Halloween certainly qualifies, but maybe it’s the old farmer curmudgeon in me who doesn’t want to buy the bride’s maid dress just for that one wearing…something about it doesn’t seem sensible.
Whatever the reason, I do like to see the kids coming to the door, particularly the little ones who timidly “rap rap” on the screen door, adorned in some cartoon character outfit, barely whispering “trick or treat” in that nervous “don’t talk to strangers” voice. It makes me smile and I have to ask them, “Who are you supposed to be”? I get a response that either makes sense or makes reference to a television superhero I haven’t had the good fortune of seeing just yet.
All this makes me realize I used to be that age, wandering around the town I grew up in. My cousins and I would use my aunt’s house as home base to drop off stores of accumulated goodies, the plastic hollowed out pumpkin as my constant candy-grabbing companion. The houses I liked visiting most seemed to have cobwebs lit up with black lights (reason, unknown). There was one home in particular which had a screened in porch. Inside there were hulking monster figures hooked up to a series of pulleys and cords attached to the screen door. When you opened the door the monsters would rise up or move their hands. It was very creepy to me as a kid, but I loved it.
I always had a penchant for scary things. For better or worse my dad and I watched a lot of horror movies together when I was a kid. Sure, most 6 to 8 year olds shouldn’t be watching Friday the 13th, Poltergeist and John Carpenter’s Halloween, but Dad enjoyed it and I was his movie watching buddy…and so it goes. Those movies cemented for me a deep love for all things twisted and macabre, and to this day I still try to watch “Halloween” every year as part of my tradition. The score never fails to creep me out and I just love a young Jamie Lee Curtis running around in fear…as opposed to selling me healthy yogurt. 
Dad also loved to carve pumpkins and decorate. He really enjoyed giving people a fright and a good laugh…and he certainly loved his candy. All things considered I get most of my Halloween traditions from him. It’s fun getting the porch ready for that most haunting evening of the year, and this year was no exception. Though Dad isn’t around any more, the memories live on and bring a smile to my face as I carve pumpkins to put out front. According to Celtic legend, Halloween is the one night of the year the doorway between the dead and the living is most open, and seems a fitting day to celebrate the fun he and I used to share. http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween
I’m also trying to start new traditions. I don’t necessarily think of baking when I think of Halloween, but in our house baking works for every occasion. This year I wanted to make some treats to get everyone into a pumpkin-y, spicy, Halloween-y mood. Yes, I’m still on that darn pumpkin theme (it’s always good to cook seasonally), I just can’t help myself. I was looking on Martha Stewart’s website, as I so often do, and there was a video clip from Halloween 2008 when one of the owner’s of Baked demonstrated Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. I remember thinking I needed to investigate this bakery because it’s in an area of Brooklyn called Red Hook, which isn’t so far from where we used to live. Though I have yet to make it to the bakery, I did buy the cookbook. The recipe comes from here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584797215/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=14SCX30PNNST1F4CW4S6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846 but can also be found on Martha’s website: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pumpkin-whoopie-pies?autonomy_kw=pumpkin%20whoopie%20pie
According to the folks at work who were eating these monstrous cookie sandwiches, I believe the most used corollary descriptive word was crack…and maybe they aren’t too far off. These babies are intense!!! The cookie portion is very soft and chalked full of cinnamon, ginger and cloves, while the filling is nothing but beautiful cream cheese, butter, and confectioners sugar. It’s like eating a pumpkin pie in cookie form that you frosted with cream cheese just for good measure. I must say that I was a huge fan and will be making these again next year.
There is no time like the present for starting a new tradition; it’s the backbone of our shared time together. Whether you are wearing a mask or handing out candied crack to little children this year, make sure to eat a sugary sweet and think of the (hopefully) less complicated days of childhood. I know I will, it’s just who I am.
No comments:
Post a Comment