Happy Halloween and 1-2-3 Vamonos!

Hola Amigos! Happy Halloween to all! I hope this day is full of sweet candy, happy faces and smiles!
It has been a year since I started my journey into blogging and it has been one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences in my life!
I've met a lot of great people from all over the world. each one of them with their own stories told through their blog's posts in the case of my bloggy friends and through the emails and comments I received from my readers.

I can say with all confidence today I have a great group of friends thanks to this blog.

I have challenged myself trying to come up with new and creative ideas for you, sometimes I was successful and sometimes it was a total disaster, but that is life, we just pick up and we keep on going, right?

Today I want to thank all those who read my posts, those who took their time to leave a comment, those who tried my recipes and those of you who have become my friends!

I've  also realized that after writing for a year I need a little bit of a break to regroup my thoughts, get my energy back and come up with new recipes and easy crafts worthy of all of you! I'm really not ready to tackle Christmas yet, lol!

But enough of me! This blog is and has been about you! So Happy Halloween, enjoy and again THANK YOU!!!

Besitos,

Lizy

Pumpkin Shrimp and Scallop Curry Recipe

Hola Amigos! I'm sharing with you today, my family's October 30th tradition. It's started 6 years when we were trying to have dinner on Halloween night  after my oldest was done with the candy collecting palooza around  the neighborhood. Dinner kept getting interrupted by kids ringing the doorbell for more candy even when bowls were left on the porch for them to grab. They just wanted to keep going collecting with my son which was O.K but I like my food hot! lol ...So we decided to have our Halloween dinner the night before Halloween.

We also carve our pumpkins,well just my husband and little one now since I'm busy with dinner, eat Skull Sugar cookies, Pan de Muerto we get at Mexican Town in the city and watch a scary kid friendly movie afterwards.

The main dish always consists of some sort of seafood dish. To me anything seafood means abundance. I grew up with tons of it and we have it at home at least once or twice a week, so why not for Halloween to match the abundance of candy and fun!

This year I've incorporated some pumpkin on this dish to please my husband who unlike me, loves pumpkin. I had to do some research since I'm not familiar with the use of pumpkin in dishes,  found this recipe online here and  tweaked it my way, leaving a few things out and adding some in.

It's delicious and rich! Just the way I like my curry! and to me the most important thing...I can't taste the pumpkin! I know it's there but i can't taste it! that is a win win to me! Will make it again for sure!
It's a bit spicy and with a beautiful orange color, making it perfect for those cold Fall nights!

Do you have any traditions for Halloween? Are you planning on starting a new one this year? If so, I would love to hear about it. Thank You so much for visiting the blog today my friends. and remember that everything, even in the spookiest nights of the year, tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Pumpkin Shrimp and Scallop Curry Recipe
Adapted recipe from Epicurious
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin Puree
1 lb Uncooked Shrimp, clean and deveined
1 lb Uncooked Scallops
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 TBSP Ginger, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can Tomatoes chopped, drain the liquid
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Cup Vegetable broth
1 (13.5 oz) can Coconut Milk 
1 1/2 Tbsp Curry Powder 
1 tsp Seafood Seasoning
1 tsp Lemon juice
Salt, Pepper to taste
Oil for sauteing veggies
Lemon slices
Green Onions 
Directions:
In a large saucepan, add enough oil saute some veggies, like 1 TBSP, over medium heat add onions and ginger. Cook until onions are soft, around 5-8 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic cooked and mix until everything is integrated to the onion and ginger mix. Add pumpkin puree. Cook covered for 10 minutes stirring often for the mix not to stick to the pan. Once the time has elapsed, add broth, coconut milk, curry, seafood seasoning salt and pepper to taste. Cook this for 15-20 minutes. Finally add the shrimp, scallops and lemon juice and cook until seafood is cooked, Like 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve with white rice or rice noodles and garnish with a slice of lemon and green onions. Enjoy.

Prep Time: 10 minutes                                  Cook Time: 35 minutes                   Serves 6

Sharing Halloween traditions at these Fa-BOO-lous parties:

A Handful of Everything,Lamberts Lately, The Brambleberry Cottage, Creative Geekery, Live Laugh Rowe, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Saving 4 Six, Pink Recipe Box, The Mandatory Mooch, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love?, 52 Mantels, Tbe 36th Avenue, Craftionary, The Best Blog Recipes, Home Maid Simple, Tidy Mom, Diana Rambles, 504 Main, Just Us Four, Practically Functional, Townsend House, Craft Dictator, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, Shaken Together, Today's Creative Blog, Your Home Based Mom, Cozy Little House, The Blackberry Vine, Huckleberry Love,Homemade Ginger, Memories by The Mile, Mandy's Recipe Box, Our Table for Seven, Not Just a Housewife, The Well Crafted Home, Ducks n' a Row, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Style Sisters, Ginger Sanp Crafts, Smart School House, Made to b a Momma, White Lights on Wednesday, My Girlish Whims, The Shaddy Porch, Someday Crafts, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Crafty Allie, Dear Creatives, Cheerios and Lattes, Love and Laundry, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, I Should be Mopping The Floors, Create With Joy, Will Cook For Smiles, Rain on a Tin Roof, The Chicken Chick, Watch Out Martha, Jam Hands, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, Mad in Crafts, Pint Sized Baker, The Gunny Sack, Nap Time Creations, Home Stories A to Z, All She Cooks, The View from 510, Hi! It's Jilly, Fluster Buster, Rattlebridge Farm, Foodie Friends Friday, My Mixing Spoons, This Gal Cooks

I'm co-hosting a Party at Fluster Buster

Welcome to week 44 of Fluster's Creative Muster Linky Party!

I can't wait to try this Candy Apple Punch from Cynthia at Feeding Big, it sounds perfect for our Halloween block party. I usually do a hot mulled punch but it's suppose to be warm this year so I think this will be a lot better choice. Besides anything that has those little cinnamon Red Hot candies in it has to be delicious. 

Creative Muster #44

(begins every Tuesday at 6pm EST and ends Sunday at midnight)

By linking to this party, you are giving Fluster Buster and the co-host permission to use your photos in featured posts and on social media.

Host

Fluster Buster

Co-Host

Just Dip it in Chocolate

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GhostBusters Halloween Brownies Recipe

Hola Amigos! This is my last Halloween recipe for the season! and how appropriate to end this season of spook with a sweet note to start our week! The first dessert recipe I posted when I started blogging was one for Christmas Brownies, today to close my 1st year of blogging I'm posting another brownie one.

This particular brownies were supposed to be a dirt cake, but I changed my mind at the last minute and made something a little more practical for the kids and hubs to take to work, so they are little bonbon  like brownies dusted in sugar, to give them that ghostly appearance! BOO!

You will get at least 2 dozen of these tasty ghost busters and they are soft gooey with a hint of saltiness inside! It's hard to have just one.

This is a super easy recipe and in no time  you would be enjoying your own. I like the fact that they are not your usual 'out of the box" brownies! An extra personal touch always makes food taste batter.

Thank you for visiting the blog today! I hope you had a fun season with treats, drinks, main dishes and a few tricks as well to bring magic to your home!

Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love! Have a healthy and productive week!

Besitos,

Lizy

Ghostbusters Halloween Brownies

Ingredients:

1 Bag (10.25 oz) Brownie Mix

1 Cup Instant Oatmeal ( I used Brown Sugar and Maple)

1/2 Stick Butter Melted

3/4 Cup Condensed Milk

1/2 tbsp  Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 Cup Salted Peanuts

M&M's or Reeses Pieces

Chocolate Chips

Powder Sugar

Directions:

Heat Oven at 350 degrees,

Grease an 8x8 baking pan. In a separate container mix oatmeal and butter. Add and spread this mix at the bottom of your pan, covering it entirely, Pour condensed milk on top of the oatmeal followed by M&M's and peanuts. Prepare you brownie mix according to instructions and add 1/2 tbsp  of pumpkin pie spice to give it a little seasonal flavor. 

Pour the mix on the prepared pan and top the brownie mix with chocolate chips.

Bake according to instructions , right around 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes semi-clean. Remove from oven and let it cool down a little. At this point you could make a dirt cake or take ice cream scoop amounts out and make balls with your hands. Finish them with a touch of powdered sugar if you want. Enjoy!

Prep Time 10 minutes                                Bake Time 18-20                 Serves 24 little balls

Calling all my Friends at these Fa-Boo-Lous Parties:

Frugal Foodie Mama, SL Under the table and Dreaming, Huckleberry Love, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Watch Out Martha, Carrie This Home, Boogie Board Cottage, DIY Home Sweet Home, Alderberry Hill, Navy Wifey Peters, The Chicken Chick, Lines Across, Say Not Sweet Anne, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, Jam Hands, Titi Crafty, Suburbs Mama, Flamingo Toes, Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, Golden Reflections, Pint Sized Baker, The Gunny Sack, Sugar Bee Cafts, Chef in Training, The Blackberry Vine, Nap Time Creations, Hun what's fro dinner?, Our Table for Seven, Home Stories A to Z, Kathe with an E, Love Bakes Good Cakes, The Lady Behind the Curtain, Cozy Little House, Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, Made to be a Momma, My Girlish Whims, The Shady Porch, All She Cooks, Ducks' n a Row.The Well Crafted Home, A Handful of Everything, Lamberts Lately, The Brambleberry Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Saving 4 Six, Pink Recipe Box, The Mandatory Mooch, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love?, 52 Mantels, The 36th Avenue, Craftionary, The Best Blog Recipes, Home Maid Simple, Tidy Mom, Diana Rambles, 504 Main, Just Us Four, Practically Functional, Townsend House, Craft Dictator, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, Shaken Together, Today's Creative Blog

Monster Mash Halloween Saute Purple Potatoes Recipe

Hola Amigos! In a season flooded by all shades of orange and black in preparation for Halloween, you have no idea how happy I was when I discovered these little purple guys! Not only I love potatoes but they were purple, my favorite color!

I've never seeing them before, never heard of them either! Ran into them by accident, looking for their elusive cousins the fingerling potatoes. After I read the back of the bag trying to figure out how they would  taste, brought them home with me. Oh happy happy moment.

I was afraid the color was going to wash out after I cooked them for the time the bag recommended, it didn't! How wonderful! . After I peeled them, the color was still there! Amazing!
How to cook them? well that was the question right? Since it was my first time I went with an old and simple recipe my mom used to make with a few ingredients but so delicious! Sauteing them in butter, lemon and garlic. that simple.

They are very tasty and have a couple of good things on their favor too. They cook fast, they have better texture than some potatoes that tend to get gluey and starchy and they have an amazing color that only intensifies with what you add to them  in the cooking process.

They have a hint of sweetness compared to the regular potato, but just a hint, nothing like the orange sweet potato.
I was happy and thought my guys were going to be as excited and happy as I was...well, surprise surprise, they were not. <----insert sad face here!

The couldn't get pass the color! What? I said!!!But the taste just like your regular potato!!!, They are not bad!!! Try them!!! They did, they ate, but let's say there was enough left over for at least 2 more dinner nights, I guess I would be having Purple Monster Mash as a side for the next couple of nights, lol.
I had to keep it real for you guys in case you have picky eaters, young and old!!! (hubs if you read this, that was for you!)

So don't mind my guys and trust me, they are fun, tasty and the perfect color to sing and do a true Monster Mash! lol, Thank you for your visit today! Lets all sing  keeping  in mind that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Monster Mash Halloween Saute Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients:
1 (2 lb) bag of Purple Potatoes
1 Small Purple Onion finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic Minced
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Bunch Green Onions
Salt
Lemon Pepper 
Directions:
In a large pot boil enough water to cover your potatoes and add plenty of salt.Wash potatoes thoroughly. Add your purple potatoes and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Once they are done cooking,  drain and peel them while they are still warm. Cut them in half or quarters if you have some that would allow you to do this. Place on a bowl.
In a small saucepan on medium heat add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted add onions, garlic, most of the green onions but not all of them (saving a handful for garnish), Saute until onion is transparent minding never to burn the garlic. Toss the potatoes into this sauce mixing them gently not to destroy them all. Add the lemon juice, salt and lemon pepper to taste,  toss a little more. Remove from heat, place on your serving bowl and garnish with the rest of the green onions. Serve and Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes                              Cook time: 20 minutes                 Serves 4

Sharing some Purple Root Love at these Fa-BOO-lous parties:

My Turn (for Us), Simply Dream and Create, Craftionary, The Best Blog Recipes, The Girl Creative, My Life in Pencil, Practically Functional, My Personal Accent, Made in a Day, Today's Creative Blog, Sweet Haute, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, 504 Main, The Patriotic Pam, The Answer is Chocolate, Six Sisters Stuff, Cheerios and Lattes, Made from Pinterest, Craft Dictator, Classy Clutter, Will Cook For Smiles, Sew-Licious, Suburbs Mama. Twigg Studios, Lemon Paper Designs, Serenity You, Cooking for the Seven Dwarfs, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Create with Joy, Craft-O-Maniac, Frugal Foodie Mama, SL Under the table and Dreamimg, Huckleberry Love, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Watch Out Martha, Carrie This Home, Boggie Board Cottage, DIY Home Sweet Home, Alderberry Hill, Navy Wifey Peters, The Chicken Chick, Lines Across, Say Not Sweet Anne, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, Jam Hands, Titi Crafty, Suburbs Mama, Flamingo Toes, Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairtytale, Golden Reflections, The Gunny Sack, Pint Sized Baker, Sugar Bee Crafts, Chef in Training, The Blackberry Vine, Hun what's for dinner?, Our Table for Seven, Home Stories A to Z, Kathe with an E, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Lady Behind the Curtain, Cozy Little House, Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, Made to be Momma, My Girlish Whims, The Shady Porch, All She Cooks, Ducks 'n a Row, The Well Crafted Home, A Handful of Everything, Lamberts Lately, The Brambleberry Cottage, Creative Geekery, Live Laugh Rowe, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Saving 4 Six, Pink Recipe Box, The Mandatory Mooch, What's Cooking Love?, 52 Mantels, The 36th Avenue, Diana Rambles, Just Us Four, Townsend House, The Jenny Evolution, Shaken Together

Spiked Black Mamba Halloween Cocktail Recipe

Hola Amigos! Some people don't get scared with skulls, bones, witches, zombies or scary stories told at midnight with only the flickering glow of a candle. The stuff that gives them nightmares and keeps them up at night are all around us any given day. I'm talking spiders, bugs of all kinds and snakes!

This post is dedicated to all those with Ophidiophobia or abnormal fear of snakes and it came about because for the last couple of days I've been obsessed with creating a black cocktail for Halloween. How the two relate? just keep reading...if you dare...lol

Black Mambas are Africa's deadliest snakes, if bitten, without the proper antivenom the consequences are mostly lethal.

They are also the longest African snakes, up to 14 feet, yikes! Although having the reputation of being aggressive and hostile, it is actually shy and rather avoid confrontation. But with an increasing population and threats to their natural habitat, they find themselves in human territory and attacks happen. These are preceded by the snake's head and body raising, hissing and then fast and repeated bites injecting large amount of venom each time.

They are also the fastest in the world! developing speeds up to 12.5 miles per hour, imagine that thing chasing you..wow!
Finally contrary to popular believe, they get their name not from the color of their skin, which is usually olive brown or gray, but from the color inside their mouths, a blueish black, which they display when threatened.

My cocktail here is all that..well I'm not sure about being lethal, but it has a bite for sure! It's served in a long fluted glass, to show the beautiful plays of color in the body of our Mamba. It's prepared in no time and at the very top of the flute you can see the "black mouth" ready to strike it's sweet fangs on you!

As for the taste, well it has a bite as I said before, after all there is alcohol in it, it tastes like a dark chocolate spiked almond joy candy bar.

Thank you so much for coming to visit me today! I hope I didn't scare you too much with my snake tale! Sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs (or reptiles) bite, buahahahaha!

Besitos,

Lizy

Spiked Black Mamba Halloween Cocktail

Ingredients

3/4  Cup Coconut Cream

1 oz Malibu
1/2 tsps Vanilla extract
1/2 tsps Almond extract

Ice

1/2 cup Chocolate Ice Cream Softened 

1 Cup Strong Coffee Cold

1 oz Creme de Cacao (Kahlua is fine if you don't have Creme de Cacao

Corn syrup

Silver Sugar

Shredded Coconut

Black Food Coloring

Champagne Flutes

Directions:

I started by preparing my flutes adding a little bit of corn syrup, moving it around the bottom of the flute and then sprinkling the inside with silver color sugar. Put aside.

Add to a shaker coconut cream and Malibu, extracts  and ice. Shake well.Using a strainer, pour the mix on the prepared flutes. 

Using a clean shaker add soften chocolate ice cream, coffee, Creme de Cacao and a few drops of black food coloring. Shake well and pour the mix on the flutes containing the cream.

Top the cocktail with some black coconut flakes and enjoy.

Prep time 4 minutes                                                                          Serves 2

Slithering my way to these Fa-BOO-lous parties:

Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, Someday Crafts, The Shady Porch, Made to be a Momma, Lady Behind the Curtain, Real Housewives of Riverton, All She Cooks, Polkadots on Parade, Kitchen Meets Girl, SNAP, Ducks'n a Row, Pink Recipe Box, The Well Crafted Home, Live Laugh Rowe, The Crafty Blogstalker, Lamberts Lately, Made in a Day, The Mandatory Mooch, Jennifer Rizzo, Gingerly Made, Sparkles and a Stove, Delish, My Turn (for Us), Simply Dream and Create, The Girl Creative, The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, My Life in Pencil, Practically Functional, My Personal Accent, Today's Creative Blog, Sweet Haute, 504 Main, The Answer is Chocolate, Six Sisters Stuff, Cheerios and Lattes, Made from Pinterest, Craft Dictator, Classy Clutter, Sew-Licious, Suburbs Mama, Twigg Studios, Cooking for the Seven Dwarfs, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Create with Joy, Craft-O-Maniac, Frugal Foodie Mama, SL Under the table and Dreaming, Huckleberry Love, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Watch Out Martha, Carrie This Home, Boogie Board Cottage, DIY Home Sweet Home, Alderberry Hill, Navy Wifey Peters, The Chicken Chick, Lines Across, Say Not Sweet Anne, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, Jam Hands, Titi Crafty, Suburbs Mama, Flamingo Toes, Between Naps on the Porch, The Stylist Quo, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, Pint Sized Baker, The Gunny Sack, Sugar Bee Crafts, Chef in Training, The Blackberry Vine, Hun what's for dinner?, Our Table for Seven, Home Stories from A to Z, Love Bakes Good Cakes