Happy Halloween!

So I chose to make my own headless gingerbread men, but instead of using the recipe I posted I used a simple sugar cookie and hard icing recipe for mine. I also added lemon extract in the dough & icing for the men and orange extract and color for the pumpkins. They came out very nice with just the right mount of flavor.

Here's my work ladies and gentlemen...  First I started out with about 30 dozen mini men, and then I ripped the heads off and tossed them aside. Mixing up a basic hard cookie icing, I colored it a brownish red and flavored it lemon to match the cookies. Piping the color on only the broken edges I created a 'bloody' body.

Next thing I did was to have the hubby paint orange colored and flavored frosting on the 15 dozen pumpkins I needed and let both sets dry over night.
I bagged each cookie together and placed 30 bags for each classroom, then dragged my butt up, and drove the kids to school. 




And of course I have leftover cookies but no more bags. Maybe it's a sign that I need to stop baking so much. I can't give any of it away any more. LOL So now this mama is off to take a nap and then finish carving the rest of the pumpkins. Don't forget to check out my First ever dragon pumpkin carving I did.

My pumpking carving...

I've been out of practice on pumpkin carving and even when I did carve it was the normal goofy grin jack o' lantern. So this year I'm trying something new. I bought one of the everything in it carving kits and grabbed an extra stencil book and went to town on a Lumia pumpkin. (carving pics are the product of my youngest son)

 Getting the pattern dotted in.

 The start of the carving.

About halfway done with the carving. 

 All done and lit up. Isn't she pretty.














Next pumpkin is a cat on a branch.

Spooky Still Life

Make ordinary objects a little creepier with a coat of black paint. Just a few simple steps and this discarded tree branch becomes a scary perch for menacing ravens. Find a tree branch (the more twisted and gnarled, the better) and spray-paint it black. Once dry, insert the branch in an urn or pot. Finish by placing a few black ravens on the branch.  

Pretty Paper Pumpkins

This stylish pumpkin decoration can be put together in minutes from strips of scrapbook paper. Cut 1-inch strips of patterned paper, form the strips into a circle as shown, and attach using a brad at both the top and the bottom. Hot-glue a wine cork to the top for the pumpkin's stem, and add a green felt leaf and some curled black pipe cleaners to finish the decoration.

Friendly Ghosts

Friendly Ghost Bags

Frosted plastic gift bags become friendly ghosts with a quick trim off the tops. For each bag, simply round the top corners with scissors and apply two googly eyes. Fill the bag with popcorn or Halloween treats, punch two small holes through the top, thread a black cord through the holes, and tie in a bow. They'll fly out the door!

Headless Gingerbread men

If you love making gingerbread people over the holidays, you'll love this fun take for All Hallows Eve! This recipe for Headless Halloween Gingerbread People is too cute for words and they make great Halloween party cookies.

 
Cooking Time: 10 min
Ingredients
 10 ounces or 300 grams self-rising flour
 Pinch salt
 4 ounces or 100 grams caster sugar
 3 teaspoons ground ginger
 2 ounces or 50 grams margarine or dairy-free spread
 3 tablespoons golden syrup
 4 tablespoons milk or water
 1 tablespoon raspberry or strawberry jam

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 325 degrees F. Grease a baking tray.
2. Put salt, flour and ginger in a bowl. Warm sugar, fat and syrup together, and add this to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
3. Add milk or water and mix to a firm consistency, and then knead lightly.
4. Roll out dough and use a person-shaped cookie cutter to cut shapes out.
5. Modify these shapes with a knife, removing most of the head. Feel free to get creative and leave jagged edges at the neck or remove part of a limb too etc!
6. Place on baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove and cool on cooling rack, as syrup-based cookies need a few minutes to crisp up after baking.
7. Decorate with the jam and a pastry brush/small paintbrush, brushing the jam onto the necks. Again, feel free to get creative - clumps or trickles of jammy 'gore' are all in the spirit of Halloween!