As October rolls in, a sense of enchantment fills the air, bringing with it the spirit of Halloween. This beloved holiday, celebrated with costumes, tricks, and treats, has a rich history that dates back centuries. To embrace the season, let’s dive into the fascinating origins of Halloween and explore some delightful vintage recipes that will add a nostalgic touch to your celebrations.
The Origins of Halloween
Halloween traces its roots back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated around November 1st. The Celts believed that on the night before Samhain, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. To ward off these wandering souls, people would light bonfires and wear costumes made of animal skins.
With the spread of Christianity, the pagan customs began to intertwine with religious practices. November 1st became known as All Saints’ Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. The evening before, known as All Hallows’ Eve, eventually morphed into Halloween, complete with its own unique traditions, including the modern practice of trick-or-treating.
Over the years, Halloween has evolved, absorbing customs from various cultures. Today, it’s a celebration filled with playful scares, creative costumes, and, of course, an abundance of treats!
EASY-TO-MAKE HALLOWEEN TREAT!
Bewitch the family appetites with this delicious taste thrill. Only 10 minutes to make-and so inexpensive!
For the night when witches ride-and for every fes tive occasion-Rice Krispies Marshmallow Squares! They’re crisp, flavory, with a rich, melt-in-your- mouth goodness everyone goes for!
They’ve a score of uses, too-as a party confec tion, a dessert, a tidbit for bridge or tea-table, a wholesome treat for youngsters’ lunch boxes.
Their marvelous crunchiness? It comes from Kellogg’s Rice Krispies-the crispest cereal ever. Rice Krispies are uniquely flavored, oven-popped and toasted. In milk or cream they snap! crackle! pop! They’re that crisp!
Buy two packages of Rice Krispies today. Enjoy one as a temptingly different breakfast dish. Use the other with butter and fresh marshmallows to make the gloriously simple recipe below.
KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES MARSHMALLOW SQUARES
1/4 cup butter
1/2 pound marshmallows (about 2 doren)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (if desired)
1 package Kellogg’s Rice Krispies (5 1/2 oz)
Melt butter and marshmallows in double boiler. Add vanilla; beat thoroughly to blend. Put Rice Krispies in large buttered bowl and pour on
marshmallow mixture, stirring briskly. Press into shallow buttered pan. Cut into squares when cool.
Yield: 16 24-inch squares (10 x 10-inch pan).
Note: Nut meats and cocoanut may be added.
2 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate or 4 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate may be added to the marshmallow mixture just before posting over Rice Krispies. Click HERE for more Rice Krispie recipes
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GOBLIN CINNAMON PUFFS
1 package of our wild blueberry muffin mix
12 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon / cup butter, melted
Prepare muffins as directed on package except-bake batter in tiny muffin cups 12 to 15 minutes.
Mix sugar and cinnamon. Roll hot muffins in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Makes about 24 small muffins.
BLACK CAT COOKIES
Bake Sugar Cookies as directed on page 35 except-do not sprinkle with granulated sugar. As soon as cookies come from oven, place a chocolate peppermint wafer in the center of each. Arrange 2 semisweet chocolate pieces next to mint for head, 1 piece for tail. Lift cookies onto cooling rack as chocolate melts. With wooden pick, shape melted chocolate pieces into head and tail of a cat. Makes 5 dozen 2- to 2½-inch cookies.
“BOBBING APPLE” PUNCH BOWL
A favorite with children, teenagers and adults. Pictured below.
1 gallon apple cider
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 sticks cinnamon (3 inches each)
⅔ cup sugar
2 whole oranges, washed
Whole cloves
3 medium red apples; washed
Heat cider, 2 teaspoons cloves, the allspice, cinnamon and sugar to boiling; cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stud oranges with cloves. Strain punch and pour into punch bowl.* Float oranges and apples in punch bowl. Makes 32 half-cup servings.
*If using a glass punch bowl, first pour in warm water to heat bowl.
Butter Icing
Blend together. Then stir in.
1/3 cup soft butter
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons cream or milk
2 cups more sifted confectioners sugar
Beat well to make the icing fluffy. Add a little more milk or sugar if you need it to make the icing just right to spread.
PUMPKIN FACE ‘BURGERS
HAMBURGERS:
1/2 cup Quick Quaker Oats
11/2 lb. ground beef
(uncooked)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup chopped onion
8 slices process Canadian cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Green pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 hamburger buns
For hamburgers,combine ground beef,eggs, chili sauce, onion,salt,pepper andoats thoroughly.Shape into 8 patties. Place on broiler rack and broil or pan-fry7 minutes on first side. Turn; continue cooking 4 minutes for medium doneness.
Remove from broiler.Place a slice of cheese on each hamburger.Arrange piecesof green pepper on each to form faces. Continue cooking about 2 minutes or untilcheese starts to melt. Serve on warm hamburger buns. Makes 8 servings.
JACK-O’-LANTERN COOKIES
13/4 cups Quaker all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/4 cups Quick Quaker Oats
1 cup firmly-packed
(uncooked)
brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening, soft
1 egg
3 tablespoons marshmallow creme
11/2 teaspoons vanilla
Eight 1-oz. milk chocolate bars
Sift together flour and salt into bowl. Add sugar, shortening, egg, vanilla and milk;beat until smooth,about 2 minutes. Stir in oats. Chill dough.
Roll out on lightly floured board or canvas to 1/4-inch thickness; cut 36 circles with floured 3-inch round cutter. Place 18 of the circles on greased cooky sheets.With remaining circles, cut out “eyes”, “nose”, “mouth” with knife to form Jack-O’-Lantern faces. Place on greased cooky sheets. Use cut-out portions of dough to form stems on cookies. Bake all cookies in preheated moderate oven(375°F.)10 minutes or until golden brown.
Immediately upon removal from oven, place 1/2 teaspoon marshmallow creme and 4 squares of chocolate bar on each plain cooky. Top immediately with a cut-outcooky.Press down to force warm chocolate and marshmallow through the “face”.Makes 11/2 dozen.
BOLOGNA CHEESE BUNS (from Mrs. Edna Dresner, St. Louis, Mo.)
1⁄2 lb. American cheese (preferably medium sharp), grated
1⁄2 lb. bologna, shredded
1⁄4 cup chopped pickles
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon grated onion.
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. 1⁄2 cup salad dressing
8 to 12 wiener buns Combine all ingredients but buns in top of double boiler. Heat until cheese melts. Spread between split buns, toasted if desired. Yield: 8 to 12 sandwiches.
ORANGE-CAULIFLOWER SALAD
1 cup cauliflower flowerets (raw) 1 cup orange wedges (bite size). 4 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper 1 cup diced celery Few drops onion juice Salt
Combine ingredients and season to taste. Chill; serve on salad greens, with French Dressing if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
PEANUT BUTTER BAVARIAN
1 tablespoon plain, unflavored gelatin 14 cups milk
1 cup thin cream
1⁄2 cup sugar Few grains salt 2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons peanut butter Soften gelatin in milk; add cream, sugar and salt. Place over hot water until gelatin is dissolved. Beat egg yolks slightly, add to hot milk mixture. Cook over hot
water, stirring constantly, until thick- ened and mixture coats spoon. Blend a little of hot mixture with the peanut butter, combine with rest of hot mixture. Cool. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Chill until firm. Yield: 6 to 8 servings. Note: If desired, 1⁄2 cup corn syrup may be used instead of sugar. If this is done, use only 1 cup milk.
SPICED CIDER-To 1 gallon sweet cider, add 11⁄2 cups brown sugar, 1 tablespoon allspice, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, dash of red. pepper. Boil 15 minutes and serve hot. Yield: 16 cups.
The tin cans you save
Will belp make the tanks, That are needed for Victory By our fighting Yanks!
110,000 average tin cans furnish enough scrap steel for 1 medium or 2 light tanks
DOUBLE ORANGE CAKE
1 pkg. orange-flavored gelatin
cup boiling water
1 pkg. orange cake mix
2/3 cup Crisco oil
3 eggs
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, cool slightly. Combine with cake mix, oil and eggs in mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed 4 minutes. Measure out 5 2/3 cups of total batter and turn into greased and floured GOLDEN GUGELHUPF PAN. Bake in 350° oven for 60 to 65 minutes.
The remaining batter is placed in well-greased and floured INDIVIDUAL BALL MOLDS PAN, using approximately 2 Tbsp. batter for each. Bake in 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Yield: One large cake and 8 to 10 half-round cupcakes.
Make the same recipe for the second half of the pumpkin. When both cakes are baked and cool- ed, level off the flat edge, frost and fit together to make one large round “pumpkin”. Set the cake so that the center hole from the Gugelhupf pan is at the top. This is the area into which we place the witch. Frost with orange-flavored and orange-tinted buttercream icing.
Facial details (eyes, nose, mouth and ears) are piped using a No. 2 tube and black buttercream icing. The ears and nose are overpiped with No. 2 tube and orange icing.
Pride O’ Pumpkin Cake (1953)
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 cup butter or other shortening
- 1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg and 2 egg yolks, unbeaten
- 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup finely-chopped walnut meats
Instructions
- Measure sifted flour, add baking powder, salt, soda, spices.
- Sift together three times.
- Cream butter, add sugars gradually and cream well.
- Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating until light.
- Add flour alternately with buttermilk in small amounts, beating after each addition until smooth.
- Add pumpkin and nuts.
- Mix well.
- Bake in 2 round 8-inch layer pans, line on bottom with paper, in moderate oven (350 F) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done.
- Cool; frost with fluffy frosting, tinted orange. Garnish with small flowers.
Aunt Jenny’s Honey Chocolate Cake
1⁄2 cup Spry 4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 31⁄2 cup honey
1 seven- or eight-ounce bar semi- sweet or bitter- sweet choco- late, melted
2 eggs. unbeaten 1 teaspoon soda 14 cups sifted
flour 1⁄2 cup water
Blend Spry, salt and vanilla. Add honey gradually and beat well. Add chocolate and blend. Add eggs, singly, beating well after each addition.
Sift soda with flour three times. Add flour to creamed mixture, alternately with water, mixing after each addition until smooth.. Bake in two 8-inch Spry coated layer pans in moderate oven (350° F.) 30 to 35 minutes. Spread Fluffy Marshmallow Frosting be- tween layers and on top of cake.
See how light and tender it is, how rich and luscious and chocolaty it tastes. Purer Spry lets you get the FULL flavor of the
OTHER PARTY SUGGESTIONS
other ingredients instead of dulling it as ordinary shortenings may.
Fluffy Marshmallow Frosting
1 egg white, unbeaten
1⁄2 cup light corn sirup
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 marsh- mallows, cut in fourths
Put egg white, sirup and salt in top of double boiler and mix thoroughly. Place over rapidly boiling water and beat constantly with rotary egg beater until mixture will hold a peak (5 to 7 minutes). Remove from fire, add vanilla and marshmallows and beat until cool and thick enough to spread.
To decorate for Halloween, add orange coloring to frosting after removing from fire. Take six chocolate creams and make eyes, nose, mouth and cap on each, using tooth- pick dipped in frosting. Use chocolate deco- rettes or chocolate shavings for tassels on caps. Arrange candies around rim and in center of cake, pressing gently into frosting.
Thanksgiving: Orange frosting decorated with chocolate turkeys. Or white frosting decorated with orange candy pumpkins. Christmas: White frosting with holly spray decoration. Cut leaves from citron and use candied cherries for berries. Birthdays: Leave frosting white. Place small red or white candles in Maraschino cherries and set on cake. Very festive!