DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This recipe comes from www.bonappetit.com .  Make some for one of your kids school Halloween parties and you'll be the hit of it!! How to Make "Bleeding" Cupcakes for Halloween        Provocative series like Twilight , The Vampire Diaries , and True Blood have made vampires the sexiest thing since sliced bread that has been molded into the shape of a sensuous woman.    That is why bleeding cupcakes are sure to win any Halloween/Sexy-Themed Baking Contest you might enter this week. They're not only showy and delicious, but super simple to put together as well--just like the scripts for all those dramas. (I'm just kidding. Don't bite me.) Here's how: 1) Bake cupcakes using your favorite recipe. 2) Once cooled, dig a small lump of cupcake out of the top. Set the removed chunk aside. 3) Pour a little bit of an edible, reddish, runny substance, such as strawberry jam or cherry pie filling, into the h...

  Brought to you by www.marthastewart.com .  I'm getting ready to make a batch of these so that they can hang upside down on my porch.  Welcome trick-or-treaters in hair-raising style by turning your front porch into a bat cave. . Tools and Materials Half-bat template Thick black paper Bone folder Painters' tape or removable hooks Hanging Bats Print our half-bat template ; then fold a piece of thick black paper down the middle, place the template on the fold, and trace. Cut out, and unfold. Use a bone folder to crease wings (and fold opposite the direction of body fold). Poke holes in the bat for monofilament: in the tail for an upside-down bat, in the wings and head for one that's right side up. Hang from ceiling with painters' tape or removable hooks. 

History of the Woolly Worm Festival   When Jim Morton first put a blade of grass in front of a woolly worm, he had no idea that the fuzzy critter at his feet would lead to a festival that draws nearly 20,000 people, 140 vendors, 1,000 worm trainers, and national media crews to the town of Banner Elk. Morton was one of the founders of the Woolly Worm Festival. "October of 1973 was my first autumn in this area," says Morton. "That was when I first learned about the woolly worm's role in local folklore. A gentleman who worked at Grandfather Mountain told me about woolly worms being used to forecast winter.    Morton, who is always interested in area lore, tucked the knowledge into the back of his mind. "Some years later, I was invited to a meeting where they were trying to get some ideas together to possibly form a merchant's association in Banner Elk. It was a preliminary gathering. I was not a merchant, but I accepted the invitation to go to the meetin...

    Trick-or-treating is a customary practice for children on Halloween seen in many countries. Children in costumes , either in large groups or accompanied by an adult, travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy (or, in some cultures, money ) with the question "Trick or treat?". The "trick" is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.    In North America , trick-or-treating has been a customary Halloween tradition since at least the late 1950s. Homeowners wishing to participate in it usually decorate their private entrance with plastic spiderwebs, paper skeletons and jack-o-lanterns . Some rather reluctant homeowners would simply leave the candy in pots on the porch, others might be more participative and would even ask an effort from the children in order to provide them with candy. In the more recent years, however, the practice has spread to almost any house within...

   This is another excellent idea from www.craftysisters-nc.blogspot.com .  Enjoy making a few of these and use them as gift for friends and family. Trick....or Treat Topiaries Here's the project that Nicole received many hot glue burns from. We had so much fun last spring making the Jellybean topiaries and thought it would be fun to make some more for Halloween. We gathered candy corn, gum drops, and jelly beans, and gummy worms for these spooky topiaries. The bulk food section in the grocery store is a great place to find supplies. Candy corn is great too, because who really likes the taste of candy corn? After I eat a few, I tend to get a sick-overly sweet feeling. I just love the spikes the candy corn produce when you glue them to a ball. The unfortunate thing is -when you open the bag at least half of the tips are missing. So, the candy corn ball is fragile. :( Ours have held up if you are careful, and after a while they get stale. We...

   These come form www.cakejournal.com .  Make a couple batches, they won't last very long around and spook or ghoul!! Jack Skellington brownie bites I am thinking out possible treats for our haunted Halloween party. Maybe will these brownie bites be on the menu? Jack Skellington the pumpkin king, is so easy to make. Just cut out a white fondant disc and some black fondant for his eyes and nose and a black gourmet writer (Americolor) for the mouth. I have used a little dab of buttercream to keep the Jack’s in place on top of the brownie bites. I always use this recipe for the brownies. If you use milk chocolate the taste is more mild if your kids don’t like a strong chocolate taste. Happy Caking! Louise Here are the Halloween cookies that we will be enjoying today. “Dead” fingers, green witches finger and then the Halloween cookies decorated with royal icing. I got inspired by the recipe from Martha Stewart for the “dead” and witches fingers. I g...

The History of Loi Krathong Festival    Loi Krathong festival is a Thai tradition which has been conducted for a long time ago. Loi Krathong has been held since the middle of the eleventh to the middle of the twelfth lunar month, which is a great flood season- especially on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month. When the moon shines at night, it makes rivers clear. It is very beautiful scenery which is suitable for floating krathong.    In the past, we called Loi Krathong as Chong Pa Rieng- floating lantern of royal ceremony. It is a Brahman festival to worship Gods- Siva, Vishnu, and Brahma. When Thai people adopted Buddhism, they adapted this ceremony to honor the Buddhas cremated bone- the original Buddha at the second heaven ruler. They floated lantern to worship the foot-print of the Buddha on Nammathanati River beach in India.    Floating krathong along the river was created by Nang Noppamas; the most favorite concubines Sukhothai ki...