Halloween Party 2016

Ohhh my favourite time of year, not because I love zombies and the such like, (this is the person who hasn't yet made it through more than 3 minutes of the walking dead!) No, it's the artistic side that I love, the creating and trying to make things look realistic in a gruesome sort of way. Does that make me weird?

Probably!

This year we all dressed as Japanese ghosts/monsters. Ebi-kun went for Sakado from the Japanese horror film, The Ring - and NOOOOO he hasn't watched it but he knows who she is!

I went for kuchi no ona - the woman with a ripped mouth. I had so much fun doing this, I need more practice with liquid latex though, I did have flappy latex syndrome and I'm not sure why. I will have to brush up my skills for next year!

And daddy made his own costume and was the One Eyed monster, her is was caught eating giant ants.

I'll be sharing some food tutorials with you, as always, here is a sneak peep... Jason tucking in, it's hungry work being a serial killer!

We didn't have so many families this year but everyone came dressed up which is fun and now a lot of places in the neighbourhood do the trick or treating, so much fun for the kids!

The local cake shop goes all out and all the staff dress up too, I loved Porko Rosso this year!

I'm not entirely sure what this fella was up to, he wasn't giving anything else just pretending to sprinkle something on the kids, which was actually which un-nerving, certainly made me laugh though.

Possibly the scariest costume... Donald Trump!

The two older lads in the group decided that they are too big to trick n tear now so they were handing out the goodies instead.

Ebi-kuns game this year, of course included eating! He has 6 bowls with mystery foods in each one. The kids had to roll a dice then pick something from the matching bowl number. The challenge was to eat the mystery food without pulling their face. If they did it, they got a treat and if not a trick. The tick meant putting their hand in a pack of cooked spaghetti to find a treat. 

It was revolting but they kept coming back for more!

Where's Wally (Waldo) 'enjoying' the BBQ lamb caramel that Ebi-kun tried for one of his taste tests.

Jennifer had baked mini cup cakes and got the kids to decorate themselves - smart move there! Needless to say they all got demolished!

All in all another great Halloween party wrapped!
I'll be back later with tutorials for some suitably revolting food, so that you can start planning for next year!

October 31st - catch up post

We started Halloween off with a quick spirited breakfast, ghostie pancakes...

This was the pepsi that Ebi-kun tried in his Halloween Ebi-kun eats, it was foul! 

Of course we had to have a revolting Muffin Tin Dinner, not strictly a muffin tin meal really. The standard severed fingers and eyeballs, lots of brains, rotting flesh and bugs! Nom, Nom.

We had the bilingual playgroup party the previous week so Ebi-kun decided to organise his own party with his neighbourhood friends. He went and talked to all the moms and told them what they needed to do, set the time and date and got the kids to dress up. It was a big success, he was very chuffed with himself!

Halloween 2015

Yes, I know it's early but we have to hold the party when everyone can make it and unfortunately the 31st wasn't a good day for it! But that doesn't stop us!

This year Ebi-kun wanted to give the zombie look a miss and go for something more blood suckily exciting... I have to say (and I might be slightly biased here) he does make one fine vampire!

We had a great potluck with some delicious dishes such as the Monster Eye and werewolf claws...

Baked bat wings, nom, nom (OK it's chicken!)

And some tasty severed fingers with chopped flesh and black spaghetti - doesn't that look appetising! I'm considering turning up with some cute Disney themed food next year just to see everyone's reaction :D

Our host lives across from a big park so he fired up the BBQ, just look at the racks of ribs - not exciting unless you live in Japan and you know how hard they are to come by!

Trick or Treat was a bit more complicated this year as the kids were given a map with picture clues and they had to figure out which house matched which clue before they could go and ring the bell. After that Ebi-kun did his game and then the kids just played as the adults nattered and drank!

We did have one casualty and I thought Ebi-kun had inflicted the injury at first, it turned out that heading a football with your sunglasses on the top of your head is a really bad idea!

Once it went dark we moved inside and the kids watched Back To The Future as we continued chatting (and drinking!)

Lots of fun was had by all, and I think we make quite a handsome Vampire family (my husband doesn't seem to think so, he managed to bruise his face whilst taking off the make-up, nope, I have no idea how either!)

Ebi-kun has already told me he is looking forward to his Halloween Muffin Tin Tin, so no doubt there will be at least one more halloween post before the end of the month!

And a quick plug, just in case you missed it! Get yourself the Fast & Fun Ghoulish Halloween Treats ebook & BONUS printable labels...

The BEST Halloween game ever....

And no, I'm not exaggerating! 

This game was a massive hit, so much fun to put together and to play. 

We have a Halloween party at a friends house, it is potluck for food and each family organizes a game or activity and the host organizes a the trick and treating (Halloween is taking off in Japan but still very much an organized thing, you can't just rock up to someone's door and ask for candy!)

Ebi-kun wanted to do a game inspired by his Taste Tests: Ebi-kun Eats show. So it was pretty much all his idea, I just helped him work out the kinks as it were.

What you need:

• A box big enough to hold all your ingredients
• small spoons
• 2 dice
• 6 'sauces'
• 6 'toppings' *
• Active imagination

*Ebi-kun decided if a 6 was rolled the player would have to eat bugs instead!

The first roll of the dice would be the sauce and the second a topping, then we brainstormed (and poked around in the cupboard) to find suitable foods. Some sweet and some savory - we wanted some things that would be great together and some that.... blugh... not.

Once we had the food list we gave them more suitable names so the players had NO idea what they were going to get.

Dracula's Dangerous Delicacy

Top row sauces...

1. ketchup
2. mayo
3. peanut butter
4. chopped jelly (jello)
5. match cream (green tea cream)
6. bugs (jelly shaped bugs)

Bottom row toppings...

1. konbu seaweed
2. choco baby drops
3. puffed rice
4. raisins
5. all bran cereal
6. bugs (jelly shaped bugs)

How to play:

All the ingredients were in the box along with small spoons, Ebi-kun was in charge and he would get the player to roll the dice, one at a time. Then I would put the ingredient on the spoon and then repeat for the topping. Some of the combo's worked well, some not so much and some were surprising! Ketchup and raisins are actually not that bad...

The rule was, if they didn't spit it out, they could get a sweet/candy from the bag, talk about incentive!

And yes, we made the parents do it too...

Almost all the kids came back for a 2nd or 3rd go!

Not even vampires could get out of it...

Spiderman kept coming back for more, he had 5 goes, then I ran out of spoons!

No child was forced to play but they all wanted a turn, even the fussier eaters gave it a go. We didn't have anyone attending with allergies, that would obviously be something to pay attention to if you decide to do the game. 

Make sure you have a good supply of spoons! I used the little ice-cream spoons from the ¥100 store.

Let us know if you play!

Don't forget to grab your copy of Fast & Fun Ghoulish Halloween Treats - quick and easy recipes to throw together for a party or potluck! Get yours HERE

Fast & Fun Ghoulish Halloween Treats

Just last Thursday, I was having a nice long soak in the bath and I started to think about all the quick and easy activities I have squirrelled up my metaphorical sleeve. Then I started to think that I really should put them all together in a book.

Lots of my ideas stem from my teaching days, where I had very little equipment and had to think on my feet, a lot! As Halloween is just around the corner, I figured that would be a great place to start and you know how much I love doing Halloween food!

And so I Give You...

Fast & Fun Ghoulish Halloween Treats eBook

And...

I couldn't help myself, I added a free bonus with printable labels, just print them out, add your delightfully delicious name and pop it on your jar/bottle/container or use them as name card, the choice is yours!

And yet there is more...

I'm also giving you the chance to win a box of Halloween treats if you grab the book before October 21st.

Ready to get your copy? Just clickity click HERE

Halloween Party 2014

We had a great Halloween party this year and thankfully the weather was actually nice for a change (unlike the year where we drove in a typhoon to get there!) Our friend live in a great spot with the park right opposite the house.

So we set un in the park, which was quite amusing since we were a week early and Halloween is not such a big deal in Japan, we got many a strange look!

We started off with lunch, of course you have seen the kids bentos, the punch, graveyard cake and brains already. Jack made these great pepper Jack O'lanterns filled with spaghetti...

After lunch we went round to the local cake shop to Trick or Treat, they give anyone is costume a treat so us adults got some too! Yes, that headless salaryman is my husband!

Each family was asked to prepare a game. Ebi-kun made one where you had to do janken (rock, paper,scissors) and winners won a card BUT the card either had a curse, a quiz or exchange for a treat. They also played the eye and spoon race and other fun games until dusk.

My minimal costume was basically black clothes (90% of my wardrobe) and makeup plus a scythe.

Yasutoki's was made by attaching 2 straps to a cardboard box, the box was then covered with a polo neck shirt and put into a mac. I used 2 draft excluders with gloves attached to one end as the arms and some scrunched up newspaper painted dark red as the severed neck. Very little work but was very effective!

Of course those two princesse could have made more of an effort, I did offer to help them look not-so-pretty with my bag of tricks make-up but neither of them wanted to take me up on my offer, i don't know what's wrong with girls these days :D

When it started to get dark we went inside for supper and wine tasting - not for the kid, obviously! Then once it had gone properly dark, H-kun had set up a game in the park where the kids needed to find the glowing lights then look for the clue nearby, once they found that they had to find an adult to tell the answer to and get their treat. H-kun instructed me to hide with the treats, which I did but I was stood there for ages and heard and saw no-one so I thought maybe the game was over. 

I started walking down the path, only to be spotted by a big group of junior high school boys, I then spotted our kids so I dashed towards the woods, only to be chased the the JH boys! I realised that I had left the park so ran down the road and came back in via the car park only to be surrounded by JH boys.

Back home that would have been quite scary but here the kids were more scared of me - although that could have been the make-ip and scythe! So, our kids got their treats and we wrapped it up and headed home. 

Brilliant day of fun, can't wait for next year! 

Finally my favourite photo, it just cracks me up...

I have put together my favourite Fun & Fast Ghoulish Halloween Treats into an ebook so you can whip them up at anytime (why just serve ghoulish food at Halloween?)

17 absolutely disgustingly delicious treat ideas... 

All fast and fun to make

All pretty healthy, made from kitchen basics

Most of them suitable to make with the kids too

PLUS a bonus labels pack too!

Happy Halloween From The Ebi's

May you have a spooktacular night and all your nightmares come true...

Just kidding about the nightmares !!

I have put together my favourite Fun & Fast Ghoulish Halloween Treats into an ebook so you can whip them up at anytime (why just serve ghoulish food at Halloween?)

17 absolutely disgustingly delicious treat ideas... 

All fast and fun to make

All pretty healthy, made from kitchen basics

Most of them suitable to make with the kids too

PLUS a bonus labels pack too!

Zombie Boy...

Ebi-kun wanted to be a zombie this year. So I went to Tokyu Hands and bought some decent make-up rather than that crappy cheapo stuff. I also bought some stuff called Creepy Skin which looked great and when we tested it on his arm it looked great. Problem was when he put it on his face it started peeling off pretty quickly.

Next time I will get liquid latex!

I basically used the creepy skin and build up the flesh, stretching it and then made some holes.

Then I used white paint first to make him pale, then added some blue and blended it in and then a little black and green to get the nice bruised skin look. 

Then I added some red mixed with black, I didn't want the bright red fake blood look. In the holes in the skin I painted inside with black then added a bit more red and black mix. The final touch was adding a little fresh red blood just in the edges of the holes.

I didn't have much time to spend on him, so this took about 20 minutes, I would have liked to spend more time on it!

Zucchini Brownie Graveyard

Some people seem to think that I spend a lot of time on my Halloween madness, but the truth is, I'm pretty lazy and I'm all for taking the easiest-least-amount-of-work possible route. This graveyard cake is the the perfect example!

What you need:

• a zucchini brownie cake (recipe on this post)
• chocolate butter cream, I didn't weigh anything, just chucked butter, cocoa and icing sugar in and blended them
• white chocolate
• skeleton mold (something like this) I have a dinosaur bones and a skull mold so I used those
• gummy worms
• optional - stone candy, grave stones, coffins...

Super easy, Make the cake, smash it up, dollop some buttercream in, then half bury the bones, skulls and worms etc. Done!

I did it in a big pan this time just because it was easier to transport to the party, if we had this at home I'd have gone to town a bit but I really needed to keep this version simple.

Like this post? Share and pin it - go on, don't be a meanie :D

I have put together my favourite Fun & Fast Ghoulish Halloween Treats into an ebook so you can whip them up at anytime (why just serve ghoulish food at Halloween?)

17 absolutely disgustingly delicious treat ideas... 

All fast and fun to make

All pretty healthy, made from kitchen basics

Most of them suitable to make with the kids too

PLUS a bonus labels pack too!