October Days Like These

"Summer's loss seems little dear, on October days like these."

Ernest Dowson

HONOR COLUMBUS

Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas on October 12, 1492.  We celebrate Columbus day the second Monday of every October. While often overlooked, this is a great holiday to teach kids about Columbus and about how our country was discovered! Growing up, our mom would tell us about this courageous explorer and taught us the song "Columbus" by Janeen Brady. 

Note: (Janeen Brady's songbook "I Have a Song for You" has amazing children songs for every holiday and season! Our mom played them on the piano for us while we sang. We loved them as kids and my sister and I laugh how even now we can't celebrate a holiday without the words of one of her songs coming to mind!)

"Our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?" 

Christopher Columbus

I had the idea to make Columbus Day cupcakes. I baked pumpkin spice cupcakes and frosted them with blue frosting. I dabbed the frosting with a spatula to form peaks so that the frosting looked like waves.  Then I printed off a red Spanish cross and cut the paper to look like a sail. I threaded a toothpick through each sail, then stuck it in the end of a tootsie roll. I placed the tootsie roll on top to look like a spanish ship. 

VISIT A PUMPKIN PATCH

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have the seat all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

Henry David Thoreau

This is a wonderful October tradition that I am sure many of you share.  There is just something marvelous about picking your pumpkin from a patch (or even from the vine itself if you visit a pumpkin field) rather than getting one at a grocery store.  Be sure that you let each of your kids pick their very own pumpkin! 

Did you know there are over 50 different types of pumpkins?

There are Baby Bear, Full Moon, Jack-be-Little, Rockstar, Baby Pam Sugar Pie and Cinderella pumpkins - just to name a few! 

Visit www.allaboutpumpkins.com to learn with your kids what some of them are, then see if you can spot any when you visit the patch!

Once you have your very own pumpkin picked out, there are so many different ways to decorate them these days! Paint them, stick things on them, roll them in glitter, you name it!  Decorated pumpkins are called "Pumpkin Moonshines" and of course, carved ones are called "Jack-O-Lanterns!" 

"You are a pumpkin, or you are not. I AM." 

Harrison Salisbury

CELEBRATE AUTUMN

Photo courtesy: donigreenberg, Fall Colors #3

Unfortunately, if you're like me, this one is a little difficult to do. That's because I live in a climate where there is no fall-  no autumn leaves, no cool weather, nothing. Its a border-line tragedy. 

If you DO live in a place with seasons- relish it!   Fortunately, I DID grow up in state where there are autumns- beautiful autumns - and our tradition was to celebrate the season by going on a drive up the canyon to see all the gorgeous fall leaves, taking a walk around the neighborhood to crunch the fallen leaves beneath our feet, raking up big piles of leaves and running to jump in them and two of my favorite: making maple leaf crowns and leaf rubbings. 

Leaf rubbings are easy. Just pick up some fresh autumn leaves (they need to be somewhat soft, not dried or crackily). Place a white sheet of paper over them and then rub a crayon over the paper. The crayons pick up the details of the leaf. I had to use synthetic leaves for mine (so not as fun!)

With autumn leaves hard to come by in this desert climate that I call home, I wasn't able to make maple leaf crowns this year. So sad! However, I found another blog that has great step by step instructions if you want to know how! See here!

EAT PUMPKIN 

(And other Halloween Goodies)

Every October my mom would make us delicious pumpkin goodies. My favorite was her pumpkin bread. In fact, I told her once that if I ever ran away (not that I would, I assured her) I would do it in October. That way I could take loaves of pumpkin bread with me. 

There are so many delicious pumpkin treats to make or buy! Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin squares, even pumpkin ice-cream! 

Pumpkin Pancakes

 One of my favorites that I made this year was pumpkin pancakes!

They were so yummy with a little butter and warm maple syrup! My husband doesn't particularly like pumpkin, but he thought these were delicious!

The recipe is from Martha Stewart Living: 

 Whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup milk, 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes 8 to 10.

I also made Pumpkin Spice cupcakes and Pumpkin Bisque. I will tell you about those in a minute!

Jack-O-Lantern Sandwiches 

  When we were little, my mom also made fun Halloween lunches for us.  As a child, I remember thinking these were SO fun! The first one is Jack-o-Lantern sandwiches. 

Cut bread with a knife or cookie cutter to make the shape of a pumpkin. Spread with Cheeze-whiz or, as I did below, put a few drops of coloring in soft cream cheese and spread. Then, cut veggies into shapes and let your kids decorate their sandwiches with jack-o-lantern faces!

Spider Sandwiches

 These are fun because you can make them with several different kinds of sandwiches- depending on what your kids will eat. My mom used to do open-faced cheese sandwiches, peanut butter, or tuna fish! It just needs to be sticky enough to hold the pretzel legs in place. 

     Using a round drinking glass or cookie cutter, take two pieces of bread and cut a circle out of each one. Spread with your desired filler (peanut butter, tuna, cheese-whiz, etc.).  Once the sandwich is assembled, stick pretzel sticks into the sides to make legs and add olive slices for eyes! A small dab of peanut butter, etc. will keep the eyes in place. 

Mummy Dogs

These are a fun meal for kids that we've enjoyed for years! They are super easy to make too!   

 You will need: 

 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls

 1 package hot dogs

Ignoring the perforated lines that come already in the dough, spread dough out so its in a large rectangle. Using a knife, cut dough into long thin strips. Wrap dough strips around hot dogs. Be sure to tuck or press ends in so they don't begin to unravel in the oven.  Bake according to directions on the dough package. 

Using mustard, make a small dot on hot dogs for eyes! Dip in ketchup and mustard. Enjoy!

After lunch, be sure to read some Halloween stories! I always looked forward to October when my mom would pull out the Halloween books we hadn't seen for a whole year, and treat us to afternoons filled with stories about witches, pumpkins, and spooky haunted houses!

Some favorites from my childhood, that you might like to share with your kids, are: 


The Berenstain Bears Spooky Old Tree 
The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything, Linda Williams
In a Dark, Dark Room retold by Alvin Swartz
Winnie the Witch, Valerie Thomas
That Terrible Halloween Night, James Stevenson
A Visit to the Haunted House, Dean Walley
This is Not a Pumpkin, Bob Staake
Pumpkin Moonshine, Tasha Tudor
Bony Legs, Joanna Cole

(I found my own copies online from used books stores for 99 cents each! Wahoo!)

Celebrate "Day of the Dead" 

and 

Host a Harvest Dinner

"October gave a party, the leaves by hundreds came, The Chestnuts, oaks, and maples - their costumes all aflame. Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band, The guests were all a flutter, and danced off hand in hand."

My mom usually hosts a beautiful fall dinner. She dresses her table  with gorgeous place settings and autumn dishes and serves a rich, hearty menu of warm bisque, crostini, and apple pie ala mode. 

I decided to do a very casual version of this party with our friends and combine it with another one of our October traditions: celebrating "Day of the Dead." 

This specific tradition came about first of all because my mom loved to teach us about different cultures and customs when we were little. She believed it was important to expand our minds and viewpoints in this way.  

     

Then, this idea of her's became particularly pertinent when my family actually moved to Mexico to serve a  mission for our Church. We lived there while I was ages 9-12.  To this day I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity as I came to know the beautiful people and culture of Mexico. And as a result, my family now loves to celebrate some of the holidays and customs we learned and experienced while we were there. 

Day of the Dead

Photo courtesy: The Daily Trojan

      Like many people across the world, Mexicans do not traditionally celebrate Halloween as we do in the United States. Instead, they celebrate "Day of the Dead" (Dia de Los Muertos in Spanish). During this three day holiday, Mexican natives elaborately decorate the graves of their deceased loved ones with bright orange and yellow marigolds, colored tissue and paper mache embellishments, skull-shaped "dulces" (candies), and warm food like tamales and Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead).  Then, tradition holds that on November 1 the deceased come back in spirit form to visit their families and friends (in conjunction with the Catholic holiday All Souls Day.) 

Photo courtesy: mexicotoday.org

With fond memories of this amazing holiday, my family tries to still observe it, in some respects, today. Usually we have a delicious Mexican dinner with Sangria and Mundet (Mexican sodas) and Pan de Muerto. 

While some of you may not have ties to Mexican culture, it is still fun for kids to learn about different customs and to know how other cultures celebrate Halloween. They may enjoy learning about Dia de los Muertos and tasting traditional Pan de Muerto if you can find a local Mexican Bakery that makes it. Or, if you have heritage from other countries, find out how those cultures celebrate Day of the Dead. 

For my party, I combined some of the things my mom usually makes for her harvest dinner with some of our traditions for Day of the Dead. It was such a fun night and a perfect way to celebrate the season!

I started by finding a very authentic (and delicious!) Panaderia or Mexican Bakery near where I live. I was so excited that they were making the traditional Pan de Muerto! I bought two loaves and some other goodies I couldn't resist!

I then decorated my house using a lot of skulls and bright colors (typical of Dia de Los Muertos), and set to work making the food for our party. 

I served chips, salsa and guacamole in honor of Mexico . . .

In addition, I served a delicious fall vinaigrette salad. This is my go-to salad whenever I am having a dinner party or taking food to someone. It's SO easy to make but tastes SO delicious.  I prepare a bed of mixed greens, then add dried cranberries, sliced pears, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and candied pecans and toss with a red wine vinaigrette. (I buy a store-bought one to save time, or if I'm in the mood, I'll make a homemade one.) 

To candy pecans: Break up pecans into medium sized pieces (not chopped!) Place about a 1 to 1 1/2 cups in a frying pan. Cover with  about a half cup of sugar, 1 tbsp. cinnamon scant, and 1/4 cup water. Heat on medium-high heat stirring constantly until sugar starts to thicken and coat pecans. When most of the water is absorbed, add about 1-2 additional tbsps. of sugar and while stirring, turn off heat.  When the pecans look fully coated lay on wax paper to cool. Break up any large chunks that have formed once cooled. 

For the main course I served warm Pumpkin Bisque (it was a hit!)

I didn't make the cinnamon croutons, but instead added 2 tbsp. brown sugar and some extra cinnamon to the soup when I added the heavy cream. 

 I also served White Chicken Chili topped with crushed tortilla chips, monterrey jack cheese, and sour cream. I got this recipe from Our Best Bites. See the recipe here at www.ourbestbites.com!

I also had traditional Mexican soda for our guests to try. You can get them in some grocery stores in the Hispanic Foods section. They are delicious!

And for dessert,  I served the Pan de Muerto of course!

But also some pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, 

Monster Munch popcorn mix, also from Our Best Bites.  Get the directions here! 

And last but not least some Halloween Oreos stacked to look like witches stockings ;) 

It has been a fabulous October! I'm sorry I got this post out so late in the month though. Luckily, I'm all caught up now (after my lame computer hard drive crashed), so now posts will be out earlier in the month! Be sure to check back soon for November traditions!

And have a great Halloween!!

"As October ends, most of the branches are bare . . . but we see more sky!"

Gladys Taber