Have a Hot Dog Halloween

Happy Halloween!

We've got a busy few days coming up, but it's all fun things! It is Halloween, after all!Today a few of us are having a pot luck lunch at work and I'm wearing a little orange to get in the spirit. Penelope has a Halloween party at school and then tonight we'll take her trick or treating in our building, which I'm really looking forward to. Tomorrow evening, we have a grown-ups Halloween party in our building and I'm pretty excited for this year's costume, which I'll share next week! 

As Hallowen approached, I was trying to come up with a costume for Penelope that would capture her personality right now. Of course, she is still obsessed with Mickey Mouse and so I knew that was the right way to go. I decided to DIY her costume and I'm really happy that I did. 

 

I wanted her costume to be comfortable, not too bulky and channel Mickey without being overly Mickey, if you know what I mean. 

 

The base of her costume is a simple black long sleeve shirt (with a white one underneath for extra warmth) and black leggings that she already had. 

 

I found red bike shorts at Old Navy and though I thought I'd have to break out my little sewing kit for the white buttons, I stumbled upon this stiff adhesive felt. I cut two circles and stuck them right onto the shorts. I also thought that I might need some stitches to reinforce the buttons, however, they stuck strongly with no reinforcements needed.

 

I searched high and low for yellow shoes or sneakers and they were actually pretty hard to track down. Old Navy for the win again, as that was the only place I could find that sold yellow sneakers. These are yellow ombre and super cute. I know P will get lots of wear out of these beyond Halloween for sure.

 

As for her Mickey ears, I did buy her a Mickey ear headband, however, I knew that she would never actually keep this on. I decided to make little ears out of the same stiff felt (it came in a multi-color pack!). I cut 4 circles and stuck them together to make 2 ears, felted front and back. I bent the bottom pretty stiffly and hot glued each ear to a bobby pin. The ears turned out pretty delicate and I had to keep fixing one of them (P ripped one out and apart within 30 seconds of putting them in her hair!), but that's the beauty of hot glue. Oh I also pulled the top of her hair back into two tiny pigtails, then placed the bobby pins right in front of the little hair ties. 

 

I kept wondering how to make her a tail, and in the end, I just didn't. I kind of ran out of time, couldn't get creative enough to get 'er done, and figured that she would probably not be super comfy having one pinned to her booty anyway.

 

So that's how Penelope's Halloween costume came to be. I hope you all have a truly awesome - and safe! - weekend! 

 

What are you being for Halloween?

What are your Halloween plans?

Halloween Playlist

I don't know about you, but I always find that a good playlist can not only make or break a party, but also a regular day. I love getting into the holiday spirit with a solid playlist to amplify my morning walk to the office, or to stream quietly on my computer at work. It makes a simple day feel all the more special. I scoured Spotify and my own music library to put together what I think is a pretty solid Halloween playlist and I hope you'll weigh in with some additions. Of course, many of these songs are not actually Halloween-centric, but I kind of like that even more since it feels moody and no too 'themey'. I hope you enjoy!

What would you add to a Halloween playlist?

*Updated to note: For Time Warp & Over at the Frankenstein Place, I highly recommend The Rocky Horror Show: The New Broadway Cast recording. It's updated and awesome and features Daphne Rubin-Vega (for all of you Rent fanatics like myself). Considering this show had little to no plot line, it was just a super, super fun Broadway show and one of my favorites!

Salted White Chocolate Candy Corn Popcorn

Sweet, salty and super simple, this popcorn is tossed with candy corn, sprinkled with coarse salt and drizzled with white chocolate! It's a perfect Halloween treat!

 Why are sweet and salty things so awesome?

Seriously, I could eat just about any sweet and salty combination.

A few years ago, my aunt and uncle gifted us with a popcorn machine. At the time, I had no idea how much we would absolutely adore this appliance. It's become one of my favorite items in my kitchen! It makes a night on the couch feel special, while it's also a really fun item for parties.

Shaun and I will often make a batch with lots of kosher salt and devour it on the couch with a glass of wine. I find that freshly popped popcorn is perfect just this way, but I do love the occasions when I can dress it up with some fancy mix-ins. With Halloween approaching and candy corn on the brain, this is a super simple yet festive treat that can easily be added to any party menu!

I don't really love candy corn, but I do really like it in this popcorn mix. It adds a nice texture and a super hit of sweetness. Combined with the drizzled white chocolate, it does border sweetness overload, however, the coarse salt balances it all out.

If you have a party this coming weekend, I highly recommend this popcorn mix! And if you plan to stay in with a horror movie and a cocktail, well, it's perfect and easy enough for that occasion as well!

Salted White Chocolate Candy Corn Popcorn

8 C popped popcorn

4 oz white chocolate

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 bag candy corn

1 tsp kosher salt, or other coarse salt

Place popped popcorn on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drop candy corn all over the top. Set aside.

Chop the white chocolate and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add vegetable oil. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each. Once melted, drizzle over the popcorn. I find that the tines of a fork serve as a perfect 'drizzler'. If you have already salted your popcorn, then it may be salty enough as is. If not, sprinkle salt all over the top of the popcorn. Let set up, break apart, and serve in a big bowl. To cool, place in a cool spot such as in the refrigerator or outside.

I hope you like this recipe! It's so simple yet so addicting!

What are you making for Halloween?

Are you a candy corn lover or hater?