It's All Just A Bunch of Hocus Pocus

“The farther we've gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we've come to need Halloween."-Paula Curan

I have always loved Halloween. I looked forward to it every year as a kid and I still love it.  I've always been drawn to the possibility of magic and mysticism, and on Halloween that is acceptable. Here's a bit of history for all of you that believe Halloween is a Hallmark created holiday: the Halloween that we all know and love is derived from the Celtic Festival of Samhain (sah-win). Samhain was traditionally a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the preparation for the harsh winter months. It was believed that on October 31st, the veil between the mortal realm and the spirit realm became thinnest and spirits could return to this plane an wreak havoc. Masks were worn to confuse spirits and bonfires were common to ward off evil. Many of the ways we currently celebrate the holiday harken back to the Celtic version of Samhain.

In addition to the historical part of the holiday, I also love candy, pumpkins, and dressing up. There is one thing though that I absolutely adore and cannot live without at Halloween. Hocus Pocus. It is mind boggling to me that the greatest Halloween movie of all time is 20 years old... I can't remember an October where I didn't watch Max Denison take on the Sanderson sisters. The older I get, the more I love the nostalgia the movie engenders and I enjoy spotting some of the more adult themes secreted in the film (the sketchy bus driver anyone? or anything Sarah says?) I'm almost 100% sure I first learned what a virgin was because of this movie. Anyways, Hocus Pocus is my Halloween movie and I decided tonight was the night to watch it.

After I got home from work I decided to get in the Halloween spirit by taking a walk and basking in all the gorgeous colors and changing leaves.

I am so lucky to live in a place this gorgeous. It makes it so much easier to believe in magic :) 

Once I got home from my walk, it was straight to the kitchen to make some Halloween cookies and muffins. 

Witches Hat Cookies

Witches Hat Cookies:

What you need:

• Hershey's Kisses (I used pumpkin pie spice and milk chocolate)

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbs honey

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

• 3 tbs egg whites

• 2 tbs milk

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

How to make:

• Preheat oven to 375

• Mix peanut butter and vegetable oil

• Add in both sugars and honey

• Add in egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.

• Stir together flour, baking soda, salt and add to peanut butter mixture

• Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet 

• Bake 8 to 10 minutes 

• Immediately press a kiss in the center of each cookie

• Let the cookies cool 

While I was baking these cookies, I decided it would be a sin to not bake something with pumpkin. Thus I whipped up a batch of pumpkin walnut chocolate chip muffins. To be perfectly honest, I stopped using a recipe about 1/4 of the way through, but the following is what I was originally going off of. 

Pumpkin Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins

What you need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbs pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 can pumpkin
• 3/4 cup egg whites large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

How to make:

• Preheat the over to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin 
• Mix flour, spices, and baking soda in a large bowl
• In a separate bowl mix sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water

• Mix flour and pumpkin mixes together

• Add in chocolate chips and walnuts 

Perfect Halloween Colors

• Fill liners 3/4 with batter and cook 28 minutes

The only thing left was to pop open some pumpkin lager (which I don't really like, but it seemed necessary) and to light a bunch of fall spice candles and let the Witching Hour begin! 

Unfortunately, I dropped the ball a little bit this year in terms of a costume. Last weekend, my friends and I went as the Senior Girls from Dazed and Confused (which was a lot of fun since you get to haze everyone around you) but it doesn't take much to pull it together. We really didn't take any pictures, but It basically consisted of long-sleeve white shirts, cut-offs, and white socks. Tomorrow I'm going as a hippie, mostly because I already own a ton of boho inspired clothes and I can make it work appropriate really easily. The company I work for is all about dressing up for Halloween. We have a company Halloween party after work and a number of other parties to drop by after that. I am looking forward to celebrating All Hallows Eve with lots of tricks and maybe even a few treats. 

Stay safe tomorrow... don't light any candles (especially if you are a virgin) 

Cheers X