Winter Garden Magazine October 2016 | Page 47

Here is the recipe for a favorite: “Apple Pie Moonshine” Source: www.allrecipes.com Ingredients: 1 gallon apple juice 1 gallon apple cider 2 c. white sugar 2 c. brown sugar 4 cinnamon sticks, or more to taste 1 pinch apple pie spice 1 (750 ml) bottle 190-proof grain alcohol 1 (750 ml) bottle vodka Directions: Combine apple juice, apple cider, white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot; bring to almost a boil. Cover pot with a lid, reduce heat, and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove pot from heat and cool completely. Stir grain alcohol and vodka into syrup and remove cinnamon sticks. Pour apple pie moonshine into clean glass jars or bottles. Store in the refrigerator. in the mix (for those who will not be ingesting alcohol). Don’t forget the joy of a good Jell-O shot. Make 24-hours ahead or entrust someone to pick up that task for you. (PLEASE keep them well protected from the kids!) A few years ago, we whipped up tonic Jell-O shots and served them on a glass plate with black light underneath...to make them GLOW! They weren’t quite as tasty as I had hoped though. We’ve also spent hours freezing Halloween-themed ice mold shot glasses. Super cute, but unless you’re serving them at the local ice rink, it’s far more likely that they will slip right through your friend’s fingers...onto your carpet. Trust. Bites Now here’s where you can have some fun. Pick up the latest Martha Stewart Halloween magazine and really get inspired. One easy, favorite appetizer is a seven-layer dip, placed in a circular tray, with a sour cream spider web piped on top. Add black plastic spider in the middle. Grab some blue corn tortilla chips, and voila! Fresh Market is a favorite for Halloween party candy. This year I scored black and orange fortune cookies from World Market, and I normally find colored tortilla chips there too. JoAnn’s has the best black and orange spiced candy drops, up near the register. I display a variety of seasonal candy in different levels of glass containers. Photos Yes, this advice is coming from a professional photographer, but the photos are everything! Consider setting up a fun backdrop, even if it’s a dark sheet for guests to take camera snaps. Or, decorate a door by the front of your house with Halloween paper. These memories will come in handy next year when you... Make a collage Ok, this piece of advice is better for year two, but print those photos and make a photo collage! Every year I tape Halloween-themed ribbon around my kitchen cabinets and French doors, then use glue dots to place photos on the ribbon. Trophies A good costume should be rewarded! We noticed a major increase in effort when we started giving costume trophies at our parties. And you don’t have to buy traditional trophies either. I used spaghetti jars and dip jars sprayed with gold spray paint. On top of the lid, I added Dollar Store resin tombstones, skeletons, etc. Set categories such as best couple, best group costume, scariest, funniest, etc. Wishing you a season of your own Cre