Olla-Podrida: Dia de los Muertos

Showing posts with label Dia de los Muertos. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Day of the Dead Table for Two

If you remember my Festive Fall Table from a couple of weeks back, then you also remember how beautiful the flowers were in the skull vase. They lasted so long that I had to use them again in this Day of the Dead tablescape. It is a simple tablescape, really, but it’s that simplicity that allows the individual elements to come through.

This Calavera fabric from Alexander Henry is quite eye-catching. Because it’s so busy, I tried to keep the table as clutter free as possible, while still driving the point home.

The skeleton candlesticks are new this year and from Michael’s. Aren’t they wonderful? I can see myself using these throughout the year in various mystery tablescapes.

For years I have been stalking the skeleton barware from Pottery Barn, this year I had enough rewards points to finally get a pair of wine glasses. They exceeded my expectations. They are good sized; the skeletons are detailed, and great fun!

The rhinestone studded ruby chargers are usually reserved for Christmas, but I thought they worked well here. They are topped with bright yellow Waechtersbach dinner plates on which I have placed a smaller skull plate that I got a couple of years ago from Pier One.

Gold flatware adds a bit of sparkle to the table.

When coffee or tea is offered up with dessert, I will do so with the addition of skull spoons as well as skull shaped sugar cubes that I found on Etsy.

Framed photos of those past would make a nice addition to this or any other commemorative table. Think of those you’ve lost and celebrate their memories.

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This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Dead Guy Stew with Skull Cornbread & VooDoo Butter

I must confess that I am a sucker for packaging, particularly when it comes to the liquor department at my local market. I cruise those aisles every week, even though it's not all that often that I come home with something. Last week a bottle of Dead Guy Ale from Rogue caught my eye. I don't drink ale, mind you, but I had to get a bottle of Dead Guy (Okay, I also got some cans, if you must know.), because I could only imagine how delicious it would be in a soup or stew. How perfect, I thought to myself, would it be to include this in a recipe for Halloween or Day of the Dead, and thus my Dead Guy Stew was born.

In thinking about the Day of the Dead holiday, Mexican in origin, I knew I wanted a stew that was not only rich in taste, but with a nod to the taste of Mexican food rather than a good old-fashioned American variety. I rummaged through my pantry, and pulled out every item that I would normally use in Mexican food, and set to work creating my stew.

Here is the end result, and it is delicious!If your family enjoys a nice hearty stew for dinner, and love the spices of Mexico, they are going to love this too. Naturally, with the holiday in mind, and because I tend to serve stew with cornbread, I did so using my corn my skull mold pan with excellent results, as you can see. Then, using a smaller skull mold I made something with which to slather that delicious cornbread that I decided to call VooDoo butter, named for the spices used.

You can find the recipes below.

Dead Guy Stew

1 16-ounce can refried beans
1 cup Rogue Dead Guy Ale
1 3-pound chuck roast, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 package taco seasoning (or make your own)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 10-ounce can Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilies
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ale and refried beans. Place all ingredients in the order listed into a greased 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Cook on high six hours. Serve, garnished as you see fit.

NOTE: I seared my cubes of chuck roast before putting them into the crockpot, but I can't imagine that it made any difference, so do whatever is easier.

VooDoo Butter

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon honey
Pinch Worcestershire powder

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and beat with a mixer 1 to 2 minutes until combined. Place into decorative molds and freeze until set, or place into a small ramekin and serve table side.

PRINT RECIPE

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This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Make it Pretty Monday

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Homemaking Party Thursday

Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

A Bouquet of Talent

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Dem Bones Sugar Cookies

Two years ago when I saw these cookies on the Sprinkle Bakes blog I knew I wanted to make them. So, I ran out and got the pan, put it away, and never gave it another thought until a couple of weeks ago when number one son came over to help me excavate the pantry, and there it was.

Thank goodness I got them made in time for Day of the Dead, even if I did come right down to the wire. Sadly, the bone pan is no longer available (Local readers are welcome to borrow mine.), but I had to post about these delicious cookies because this recipe from the back of the pan packaging is so good and such a dream to work with that doubtless you can use it for cut-out cookies or to fill another Wilton molded cookie pan. This dough and the glaze (and perhaps a sprinkling of sanding sugar for some sparkle) would work perfectly with the Wilton snowflake cookie pan, for example.

Dem Bones Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioner's sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons white food color
1 tablespoon almond extract
Milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray pan cavities with baking spray.

Cream butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in egg and extracts; mix well. Combine flour and salt; add to butter mixture. Beat just until combined. Press dough into cavities, filling each 2/3 full. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn pan over, lightly tap pan on counter and cookies will pop right out. Cool completely on a wire rack. Allow pan to cool before refilling it.

For glaze: Combine confectioner’s sugar, Icing Color, and almond flavoring in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and stir slowly with a wire whisk. Gradually add more milk, a little at a time, until the mixture loosens and the glaze falls in a thick ribbon from a spoon. The mixture should not be so thick that it sits on top of the cookie and doesn’t run off the edges. Allow the cookies to dry (about 2 to 3 hours) before transferring them to an air-tight container for storage.

This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Skulls & Bones Tablescape

I am embracing neutrals with a pop of color this Halloween. As you may recall from previous posts, I am often inspired by fabric and this year was no different. This MODA Haunted Gala Halloween fabric was the inspiration for this year’s spooky table for two.

I purchased the skull plates during a summer outing with a posse of neighborhood women that you can read about here.

They pretty much set the tone for the table, so for a centerpiece, I used skull vase filler from Pottery Barn.

Placemats and “Spice Route” dinner plates from Pier One form a nice basis for tasty goodies.

For a pop of color I used deep red wine glasses from Crate and Barrel, hanging a little skeleton off of each one.

The ravens are from Decor Steals (one of my favorite purchases) and are put to use throughout the house all year long. They look perfect here, I think.

I bought the little skeleton hand cupcake toppers to grace cupcakes for the season, but then never got around to making them (sheesh!) so used them on top of the napkins.

The flatware is from Pottery Barn and I let it go for a number of months without polishing to provide a decrepit look for the table (that’s’ my story and I’m sticking to it!).