Halloween Decor and Treats!

Halloween Tricks and Treats

Hard to believe we are halfway through October and Halloween is fast approaching!  As I mentioned before, even though nobody but us will see our Halloween decorations ( except for the ghostly wreath on our door) it makes life feel a little more normal to have seasonal decorations around the house. The Jack-O-Lantern pictured above was made the first year we were married...I went to a ceramics class and made this as well as two little ghosts.  It survived many moves with just one little chip in the lid that you can't even see.  

This wonderful ghost was made by my dear Aunt Mamie.  She was in her 90's when she made it - and even added a light and cord to it.   I just LOVE it and enjoy getting "Aunt Mamie's Ghost " out of storage each year.

The wine rack has been taken over by this cute witch...the books were discarded from the library a few years ago.  I used black spray paint to hide the covers and silver letters from the Dollar Tree to mark them.  Last week I finished my bottle of vanilla and soaked off the label to make this potion container.

Added some spiders to our foyer...

A wizard hat to the hallway...this is from Target in the Dollar aisle.  Can anybody resist the stuff in that aisle ???

And our ghost wreath that I made years ago...it stays pretty fresh by adding a new ribbon each year.

Love this little pillow!

No Halloween items in our dining room china cabinet...just some fall decoration.

I switched out the pebbles in the candle base for candy corn and added a little jack-o-lantern to the dining room table.

All the decorating made me hungry for a treat and while looking through my recipe box I found my mother's Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe.  If you can read the card it says "Mrs. Buckman's Peanut Butter Cookies" and these are the cookies my mom always made...usually at Christmas time.   I called my sister to ask WHO was Mrs. Buckman ???  Turns out she was a neighbor who moved away before I was born!  I said a little prayer for her, and my mom, as I made this recipe.

Mrs. Buckman's Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup margarine ( I used Smart Balance)

1 cup white sugar ( I used  monkfruit sweetner from Costco)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter ( I used natural peanut butter from Whole Foods)

2 eggs ( I used egg beaters)

3 cups flour ( I used whole wheat)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well.   

When thoroughly mixed chill the dough for an hour or so...

Then roll into balls...

And flatten with the tines of a fork...making cross hatch marks. This made me think of my mom...she always let me do this part.

And sprinkle with sugar.  I used the  Demerara Baking Sugar that I use on most of my baked goods,

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Let cool on rack and then enjoy!

They turned out great...not exactly the way I remember my mom's, but still delicious. My mom made them mostly at the holidays and used red and green decorating sugar.  We enjoyed them with a cup of tea...and I bagged up a dozen or so to drop off at a friend's door.  The rest I quickly put in the freezer ....before we ate them all!  I forgot to count how many cookies this makes...but it is quite a big batch.  Next time I make them I am going to try using CHUNKY peanut butter and maybe mix in some chocolate chips.

Do you have any cookie recipes from family that you still make ?  Do you follow the recipe or make substitutions.   I am trying to make treats that are "heart healthy" for my dear husband...and me, too!  Hope you try these cookies and hope you enjoy them.   Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista today....I would be thrilled if you would leave a message below.  Best wishes to all - stay healthy and be safe!

 

 

 

Pumpkin Muffins

Nothing says October like something pumpkin baking in the oven.   I have had this recipe for Pumpkin Muffins for many years.   I found it in a booklet I sent for from a Gold Medal flour bag.  Not saying how long ago, but I think I had to tape a quarter to the form to purchase it.   Well worth it - and I have been making these ever since.  

 Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

3 cups all purpose or whole wheat flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts

1/2 cup raisins, if desired

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

4 eggs

1 can ( 16oz.) pumpkin

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Put liners in muffin tins.  Beat all ingredients in a large bowl on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly.  Beat on medium speed, still scraping bowl, for 45 seconds.  Put mixture into muffin cups ( I use an ice cream scoop sprayed with non-stick spray).  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

You can also pour into 2 loaf pans and back for 50-60 minutes.

Cool completely.  These keep at room temperature for 4 days, refrigerated for 10 days, or...I make a double batch and freeze them.  They freeze beautifully and defrost quickly!

I found these great baking cups on...you guessed it - AMAZON!  They are neutral Fall colors and work great

You can see how easy these are...you just put everything in at once and mix it up.  As with all muffins, don't over-mix or the muffins will be tough.

I don't use raisins...they are full of sugar.  Heck, if I am going to have sugar I want it to be CHOCOLATE!  These mini morsels add a great touch to the pumpkin.

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I put these in at the end of the mixing and just give them a quick mix.

Once everything is mixed I  use an ice cream scooper to put them in the liners....this makes sure they are mostly the same size and gives them a nice, rounded top.

Before popping in the oven I give the muffin tops a light sprinkle with "Demerara Baking Sugar".  You can find it on, you guessed it, Amazon - but I buy it in a big bag at Costco and then put it in this repurposed creamer container.  This makes it easy to sprinkle on top of muffins.

I found these fall leaves sprinkles at JoAnn Fabrics and thought they would be a nice touch...

Just a few on each muffin top look great!

Here is the finished product.  The little leaf sprinkles really held their shape and look so darn cute.

Once they are cool I like to share with my neighbors here in our apartment building.  I often tuck in some fall napkins and a tea bag or two to make a Fall treat.  A little bit of kindness goes a long way during these stressful times.

The rest of the muffins are put in a freezer bag and tucked away for another day.   We like to enjoy them with a bit a cream cheese spread on top - YUM!

Do you like to burn Fall scented candles?  I usually have a candle burning all the time.  I put them on my stove top so that any soot goes into the hood...don't want any marks on my walls.  Even though I use one of those candle topper things I still only burn candles under the hood.  This one smells DELICIOUS !  Sometimes you get a candle that does not really fill your space with the scent, but this one is amazing.

All that baking made me want a simple dinner.  Do you have a Wegmans near you ?  I always buy the crab cakes when we stop by - I cooked these in the air fryer.  Sprayed the fryer with olive oil and then put a little bit of panko crumbs on the crab cakes....so good.  And because we had a salad and the dinner was "healthy"...we had a Pumpkin Muffin for dessert!

I realized today that due to the Covid 19 pandemic this is the longest we have gone without having company.  I miss having guests in our home for dinner, brunch, coffee...how about you ?  We are being VERY careful and not having anyone in for any kind of socializing.  I think it is going to be that way for a long time. Until then, we visit with friends - with masks - on the rooftop deck of our apartment building.  Hoping for better days ahead.   

Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista - please leave a comment below and let me know if you have a pumpkin recipe you love, or what you have been baking.  Take care, stay healthy and BE SAFE!