Our haunted vineyard.
Bats in me belfry!
Halloween. I LOVE Halloween. I count the days until October 31st. What mystery and paranormal writer doesn’t like this particular holiday?
Heck, I start my decorating promptly on October 1st, because not only do I like the visions of skeletons and skulls, of black cats and black bats, of witch’s brews and cobwebs, but here in southern California it means that fall weather is just around the corner (no, not in October. We have to wait for November for that). And after our hot, dry summers, a cool, breezy day is a welcomed sight.
I’m pretty crazy for Halloween. I don’t know when it started, but I do enjoy Halloweeny things all year. I set a whole romantasy Booke of the Hidden series at Halloween. Each of the four books constitutes a week in October leading up to Halloween as their D-Day. It’s a fun and zexy romp.
And my upcoming Sherlockian pastiche releasing May 2026 is my Halloween story complete with orange cover called THE VAMPYRE CLIENT. Can’t get more Halloweeny than that!
When my son was little, we made him costumes. One year he was the headless horseman. Another he was the Not-So-Grim Reaper with shroud, sickle…and a yellow happy face mask. But my favorite was the lobster costume with his candy bucket marked with “Butter”. Hubby sewed that costume.
I made my share of spooky cupcakes with frosting ghosts atop them; “finger sandwiches” that looked like fingers for Halloween night when we had to eat on the go, either answering doors or escorting the kid through the neighborhood. Some were a variation on pigs in a blanket, wrapping the Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough around the hot dog to make it look like a mummy’s wrapping, and dipping it in bloody ketchup!
But one recipe that was always sure to please at any time, not just Halloween, was my Caramel Corn. You will need a candy thermometer, a big oven-proof bowl, and a big jellyroll pan (baking sheet with sides). It’s an easy recipe. You just need to allow yourself a little time. And with the candy coating, you need to watch the pot and the temperature.
JERI’S CARAMEL CORN
14 cups of popped popcorn (not microwave. Just plain popcorn, no butter)
2 cups packed brown sugar
½ cup dark corn syrup
½ cup molasses
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Keep popcorn warm in a heat-safe bowl in a 200 degree oven. Combine the rest of the ingredients—EXCEPT baking soda—in a pot on medium/high temperature, and boil until it reaches 255 degrees on your candy thermometer. Remove from heat, add baking soda. It will begin to foam. A LOT (make sure your pot is plenty big). Stir to combine. Then add the mixture to your popcorn and stir to coat. You will need to frequently butter your spoon or spatula so the mixture won’t stick to it. Place coated popcorn on baking sheet or sheets, and bake for 200 degrees for one hour, stirring it every 15 minutes so it won’t stick to the sheet. Cool corn, then break into clusters, and store in enclosed containers.
Be sure to let me know your Halloween dreams for decor and munchies.
This is a Halloween quiche!
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Halloween is my mom’s birthday so we always decorate the inside of the house but mom has NEVER wanted to do much outside decorating and every year I itch to turn our yard into something amazing. There is a restaurant over by John Wayne airport that I bring mom to every birthday because they go all out for halloween and it’s so fun
I didn’t know that. My brother’s too. My husband just sighs when I decorate indoors and outdoors. He’s a good sport.
We have a lot of Witch items. Mom’s brother always got her witch items since her birthday is Halloween. I am always so jealous of outdoor decorations. I put out a few signs and our pumpkins.