Put some OOMPH in your cauldron!

I promised you some of my favorite Halloween recipes this week, and I’m gonna give them to you now. Never say I’m not good to you, folks.

TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDSA classic. I know, it’s weird to have an actual recipe for them, but this is the best method I’ve found for them!

  • Pumpkin seeds
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons dried rosemary (I usually make one batch with the rosemary and one without)
  1. Rinse pumpkin seeds.
  2. Boil water. Add salt.
  3. Pour seeds into boiling water and boil until they are soft (they should turn brownish-gray and many will slip to the bottom of the pot.
  4. Drain the boiled seeds in a colander and pat them dry.
  5. Put in a bowl with olive oil, salt and the rosemary (if you’re using it.) Mix lightly.
  6. Preheat your oven to 360 degrees F
  7. Spread the seeds on a large cookie sheet covered with a layer of aluminum foil. Make sure seeds are in a single layer (no little piles).
  8. Bake seeds in oven for 20 to 30 minutes. If they turn brown you are overcooking them. They should look white and dry.
  9. When finished, use a spatula to slide the seeds off the foil and into a bowl. Let them cool completely before eating!

WITCHES’ BREW SPICED CIDERReferred to by my friend as “The Best Apple Cider EVER.” I’ve made this for the past three or four years and it’s become a standard Halloween through Christmas thing for me. You can serve this as is, or add a little rum to each mug to taste, if you’re into that sort of thing.

  • 1 gallon apple cider
  • 1 orange
  • 1 apple
  • 3 cinnamon sticks (yes, sticks. Ground cinnamon doesn’t work as well)
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  1. Pour cider into a large kettle or pot.
  2. Peel orange and squee its juice into cider, discarding the pulp. Tear the peel into 1-inch strips and add to mixture.
  3. Core apple and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Add to mixture.
  4. Break the cinnamon sticks in half and add to mixture.
  5. Add nutmeg.
  6. Warm over LOW HEAT for 2 hours. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL. Stir often.

If you’re looking for other “adult” drinkables, I’m going to suggest the wine from Vampire Vinyards. The Vampire Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon are both fantastic. Best part is, it’s tasty and affordable wine!