I don’t want to panic you or anything, but have you looked at the calendar recently? The Holidays (capital H, here) are racing up on us and along with them, the dinners, the parties, the last minute and impromptu get-togethers.

I’m going to do something a little bit different today, and I’m not going to write about the food. Gasp!

Look, you’re going to be doing a lot of cooking and cleaning up – no getting around it. Admit it, there are going to be some times when you just can’t stand the prospect of loading and unloading the dishwasher one more time or looking at yet another sinkful of dirty dishes, and you’re going to do “disposable”. I don’t blame you – I’ll absolutely do the same. I’m going to ask you – for just half a minute – to think about the impact on the environment of all the discarded plastic cups, the plates, the utensils. Nothing like a side of guilt with your turkey and dressing, right?

One of my usual shortcuts is to line my cookie sheets and brownie pans with aluminum foil to help cut down on cleanup. Well, looky what I found in the wrap and foil aisle of my regular grocery store:

All I can say is, it’s about freaking time! Finally! It’s just like regular Reynolds Wrap, but it’s made from 100% recycled aluminum. This is the kind of forward corporate thinking I’d like to encourage, so this is the foil I’m going to use to line my pans and tent my turkey this year. It even costs a few cents less at my store than the regular Reynolds Wrap. By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, Reynolds has changed their packaging to use less materials – the amount of product inside is the same, but the packaging is smaller. Yay, Reynolds!

When it comes to disposable plates, there are a number of options at the store. Here’s the “Plain Jane” version:

Admittedly, you might like something sturdier for your dinner – especially if folks are eating off their laps. All that gravy and cranberry sauce is bound to get a little sloppy, right?

In that case, you might choose the popular Chinet brand. Chinet’s now made from recycled materials and is fully biodegradable and compostable in either your home composter/compost pile, or in a community composting program (check to see if your community has one). I actually just toss ‘em in my composter and they break down just like newspaper and tree branches. And not just the white ones – all of ‘em!

Let’s not forget the beverages! Solo is now selling a line of plastic cups called “bare“. The bare line is made with 20% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable in your regular household recycling. Another “finally!” is due here.

There are several other eco-friendly choices available online and in party specialty stores: disposable utensils made from cornstarch and sugar cane, higher-end disposable serveware made from bamboo and palm and sugar cane fibers, too. There are even compostable plastic cups! Many of these products aren’t new, but they are becoming more easily available, both at the party stores and at your local grocery. These are just a few of the items I noticed while wheeling my cart down the paper aisle.

It’s not a great revelation that our health – and that of future generations – depends on the environment. You take the time to care about and ask where your food comes from, so this Holiday Season, please take a moment to think about what you’re putting your food on. No one family can do everything, but every little bit helps!

By the way, I am not being sponsored or in anyway compensated to show you these products. Except maybe with a little karma, I hope.

Didn’t your mother teach you about hygiene, people? If you don’t take that stinky garbage out, see what you’ll have to deal with? Maggots! Eeewwww! Heeheehee!

This is one of my favorite variations of the “Krispy Treat”, just about as easy to make, and sure to be a hit with kids of all ages. Today’s creepy entry for the #GreatHallowTweet is

Maggot Balls

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter
1 10.5 oz. bag of mini-marshmallows
2 Tbs. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. clear vanilla
5 cups puffed rice cereal (not crispy rice)
vegetable oil

Special equipment: latex or nitrile gloves

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper, set aside, and pour some of the vegetable oil in a dish, and set that aside, too.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the mini-marshmallows and stir. As the marshmallows begin to melt, add the corn syrup, and continue to stir until the marshmallows are almost completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Stir in the puffed rice cereal until completely combined.

Okay, you really don’t need the gloves, but you’ll thank me if you put them on right now. Now, coat your hands in the vegetable oil, grab a hunk of the cereal-marshmallow mixture, and roll it into a ball, compacting it with your hands as you roll, and set aside on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Allow the maggot balls to set for several hours before serving.

You can make the balls as large or small as you like. I made several different sizes and got 14. Serve in a “trash pail” lined with a brown paper bag.

Don’t they look just like maggots? Yes, I know… and I’ll be getting myself checked – right after Halloween!

Now, go over to that bright orange sidebar to the right, and see what creepy, strange and FUN Tricks and Treats my #GreatHallowTweet crones… er… cronies are up to!

I’ll have some new stuff for you, tomorrow, but in the meantime, check some of my #GreatHallowTweet ideas from last year – bet some of ‘em will be new to you!

Black Martinis with Devil’s Eyeballs

Squashed Soup

The ever-popular Mummy Dogs!

And some last-minute party day serving suggestions!

Don’t forget to hop down the Halloween Trail with the other 17 #GreatHallowTweet bloggers over there in the #GreatHallowTweet orange sidebar! Lots of fresh Halloween recipes and other ideas to make this the most ghastly Halloween ever!

We’re Heeeeere! Finally!

Halloween is here and, if you’ve been hopping along the #GreatHallowTweet Blog Hop trail all week, then you should be loaded up with a gazillion ideas and recipes for spooky celebrations for grownups and kids, alike!

These last two aren’t recipes. Let’s call them, umm, serving suggestions. Hee!

These Bloody Marys, garnished with Witches’ Fingers (It doesn’t get much more appropriate than that!), were made with Oxford Falls* Bootleg Bloody Mary Mix. Seriously, the best I’ve ever bought – if you click on the picture and enlarge it, you’ll see all the bits of veg and spices in there. Yum! I say, why work that hard if there’s something out there that’s as good or better than you can do yourself.

Anyway, the garnish is made with Oxford Falls* pickled asparagus spears. Dot one side of an almond slice with cream cheese, and stick it to the tip of the asparagus spear (which you’ve first dried off with paper towel). Witches’ Fingers! Float a couple of (washed) plastic spiders on top of an ice cube, and there you have a perfectly macabre cocktail!

Of course, too many of those macabre cocktails, and you might end up like this! Hahaha! Kidding.
Anyway… This is Oxford Falls* Dix Fried Green Tomato Salsa. It’s just called that – it’s really a tomatillo-based salsa, that we can’t stop eating. No kidding. MJ and I will suck down half a jar in a sitting. It’s not super-hot, but there’s enough of a buzz to let you know you’re eating salsa.

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of pumpkins decorated to look like they’re throwing up their guts… and other stuff. Not one to buck a trend, I’ve carved a couple of tomatillos and arranged them with the salsa for similar effect. Aw, come on! It’s freaking cute! Admit it!

If you haven’t been here all week, scroll down for some of my other favorite Halloween stuff, and when you’re done here, go over to that orange #GreatHallowTweet Blog Hop sidebar and visit 18 of my other blogger friends who have gone all out, all week long, for our favorite holiday!

Happy Halloween, Everyone! Stay safe, have fun, and don’t forget to check the closets and under the beds before you turn in tonight! BWAAHAHAHAHA!

*Yes, I know it’s all Oxford Falls brand stuff. No, they didn’t pay me, ask me, or even know that I’m featuring their products. I bought all of it. Out of my own paycheck. So there. I just like the stuff, okay? Look ‘em up on the web at www.oxfordstuff.com

Mummy Dogs have become kind of a Halloween tradition in our house for the past several years. Tradition? Hahahahaha! Anyway…

They’re ridiculously easy to make and are a fun, quick holiday-inspired food to give the kids while they’re champing at the bit to start Trick or Treating. At least it isn’t sugar! Adults love them, too, and if you’re having a party, this twisted version of “pigs in a blanket” is sure to be a hit! I really hesitate to call this a “recipe”, but here’s what you’ll need:

One or more packages of your favorite hot dogs (depending on how many you’re feeding)

Puff pastry, or a tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough (figure one sheet or one tube per package of hot dogs)

Mustard

Preheat oven according to packaged dough directions; for puff pastry, preheat to 400º.

Remove the hot dogs from the package and dry completely. If serving little ones or for a party, cut them in half, across the middle.

On a lightly floured surface, lay out the pastry dough in a rectangle. With a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into strips about 1/2 inch wide.

Starting at the end that will be the head, wrap each hot dog in a pastry strip, leaving a gap for the face. When you reach the “feet”, continue wrapping back up toward the head. If the dough strip tears, just stick it back on – hey! we’re making mummies here! They’re supposed to be a little raggedy!

Place the mummy dogs on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. After baking, take a toothpick, dip it in some mustard and dot on little faces. Arrange on a plate and serve with dishes of pus (mustard) and blood (ketchup) on the side for dipping.

Okay, seriously? This is a prime example of why I’ll never be a food stylist. Don’t use my serving suggestion in the photo. It was a really bad idea, but I couldn’t re-shoot because we were hungry and ate them.

Enjoy!

Come in! Make yourself… umm… comfortable. Heh heh heh! May I offer you a cocktail? How about a nice Black Martini with Devil’s Eyeballs? BWAAHAHAHAHA!

For the Black (Espresso) Martinis you’ll need:

2 cups prepared espresso
2 cups black vodka or espresso-flavored vodka
1 cup Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)

Dissolve the sugar into the hot espresso and chill. Combine the espresso with the remaining ingredients. Chill well and serve in chilled martini glasses.

Alternatively, fill a cocktail shaker half-full with ice, add espresso mixture, shake well, and strain into chilled martini glasses.

Makes about 8 servings.

*Note: You can make the martinis a couple of days ahead, if you like. The advantage, other than time-savings, is that the flavors meld further and the drink concentrates a little, enabling the Devil’s Eyeballs to float menacingly in the cocktail!

For the Devil’s Eyeballs you’ll need:

1 can lychee fruit, drained
1 small bottle maraschino cherries, drained (not jumbo-sized)
chocolate chips (preferably semi-sweet)

Blot the lychees and cherries with paper towel to dry a bit.

For each eyeball, insert one cherry, stem-end up, into a lychee. Take a chocolate chip and press the point into the cherry stem dimple. For best effect, it should turn a little sideways for that creepy, evil, cat-like pupil.

Great way to get your Halloween party guests in the proper spirit – enjoy!

MJ and I are heading over to RX’s and D’s house for their annual 4th of July bash, in a couple of hours. They apparently got permits to close down the street for the party this year, so a riotous time should be had by all.

I mean that literally, of course. The highlight of last year’s soiree: D’s half-drunk niece screaming about how someone stole her purse. After much shenanigans, turns out it was stolen by her own half-drunk boyfriend, who obviously had no clue it was hers. Something resembling a chase ensued, and he wound up falling into the canal behind a neighbor’s house. Fire/Rescue was summoned, which I found somewhat ironic, since RX is a paramedic, as is one of his nephews, and several other attendees. I can’t make this shit up.

This all occurred shortly after we left, since we were due elsewhere and left early. I’m thinking we’ll stay a little later this time. Wouldn’t want to miss the fireworks! Should I bring a camera? or will my iPhone do?

Have a Safe & Happy 4th!

(Don’t forget to check Flamingo Fotos today for a tribute to the red, white and blue in orchids!)