Trick or Treat 2011!
Halloween Superstitions: Halloween has always been a holiday
filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic
end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to
deceased relatives and friends. For these friendly spirits, they set
places at the dinner table, left treats on doorsteps and along the side
of the road and lit candles to help loved ones find their way back to
the spirit world. Today's Halloween ghosts are often depicted as more
fearsome and malevolent, and our customs and superstitions are scarier
too. We avoid crossing paths with black cats, afraid that they might
bring us bad luck. This idea has its roots in the Middle Ages,
when many people believed that witches avoided detection by turning
themselves into cats. We try not to walk under ladders for the same
reason. This superstition may have come from the ancient Egyptians, who
believed that triangles were sacred; it also may have something to do
with the fact that walking under a leaning ladder tends to be fairly
unsafe. And around Halloween, especially, we try to avoid breaking
mirrors, stepping on cracks in the road or spilling salt.
But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about? Many of these obsolete rituals focused on the future instead of the past and the living instead of the dead. In particular, many had to do with helping young women identify their future husbands and reassuring them that they would someday—with luck, by next Halloween—be married. In 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who found it. In Scotland, fortune-tellers recommended that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding, the story went, represented the girl's future husband. (In some versions of this legend, confusingly, the opposite was true: The nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last.) Another tale had it that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night she would dream about her future husband. Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials; tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water; and stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces. Other rituals were more competitive. At some Halloween parties, the first guest to find a burr on a chestnut-hunt would be the first to marry; at others, the first successful apple-bobber would be the first down the aisle.
Of course, whether we're asking for romantic advice or trying to avoid seven years of bad luck, each one of these Halloween superstitions relies on the good will of the very same "spirits" whose presence the early Celts felt so keenly. (Source: The History Channel Website Retrieved October 7, 2011)
HOMEMADE CARAMEL APPLES: Nothing conjures up autumn like old-fashioned caramel apples. Kokopelli's Kitchen chose this delectable recipe from the Scarletta Bakes Website Homemade caramel apples are an activity even the kids will enjoy.
SOUTHWESTERN CARAMEL APPLES
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place nuts on an unlined baking sheet and toast for approximately 5 minutes. Set toasted nuts aside to cool. Once the nuts have cooled, chop roughly and toss with the coconut.
Meanwhile, prepare apples by washing and drying thoroughly. Remove stems and slit the tops of each with a paring knife. Insert large popsicle sticks into the tops of each, wiggling slightly to be sure that they are secure. Arrange the prepared apples on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place sugars, butter, condensed milk, corn syrup, agave and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and cook over medium heat just until the sugars and salt are dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. Clip a candy thermometer in place and raise the heat to medium-high. Boil the caramel mixture until it reaches 240°. Once the mixture has reached the target temperature, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Resist the urge to scrape the sides of the pot: just in case you’ve scorched some of the sugar, you’ll want to leave those burned pieces behind. Stir in the chile and canela/cinnamon.
At this point, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve set up a dipping station so that you can move quickly through assembly and keep your caramel from cooling too much and seizing up on you. I opted to have my bowl of caramel right in between my pile of toppings and the lined baking sheet where the prepared apples can cool and set up. In terms of coating each apple, you’ll want to grasp your popsicle sticks firmly and roll the apples from side to side in the caramel sauce, using the side of the bowl to scrape off any excess sauce. Once the apples are well-coated, immediately roll them in your chopped toppings and set stick-up on the prepared baking sheet. Don’t worry if excess caramel pools at the bottom of the apples.
Allow the prepared apples to cool and firm completely on the parchment before serving or storing.
YIELD: 6 large caramel apples
But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about? Many of these obsolete rituals focused on the future instead of the past and the living instead of the dead. In particular, many had to do with helping young women identify their future husbands and reassuring them that they would someday—with luck, by next Halloween—be married. In 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who found it. In Scotland, fortune-tellers recommended that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding, the story went, represented the girl's future husband. (In some versions of this legend, confusingly, the opposite was true: The nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last.) Another tale had it that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night she would dream about her future husband. Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials; tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water; and stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces. Other rituals were more competitive. At some Halloween parties, the first guest to find a burr on a chestnut-hunt would be the first to marry; at others, the first successful apple-bobber would be the first down the aisle.
Of course, whether we're asking for romantic advice or trying to avoid seven years of bad luck, each one of these Halloween superstitions relies on the good will of the very same "spirits" whose presence the early Celts felt so keenly. (Source: The History Channel Website Retrieved October 7, 2011)
HOMEMADE CARAMEL APPLES: Nothing conjures up autumn like old-fashioned caramel apples. Kokopelli's Kitchen chose this delectable recipe from the Scarletta Bakes Website Homemade caramel apples are an activity even the kids will enjoy.
SOUTHWESTERN CARAMEL APPLES
- 1 cup dark BROWN SUGAR, packed
- 1 cup WHITE SUGAR, granulated
- 1/2 cup unsalted BUTTER
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened, condensed MILK
- 3/4 cup light CORN SYRUP
- 1/4 cup raw BLUE AGAVE
- 1/2 tsp. SALT
- 1 tsp. ANCHO CHILE, ground
- 1 tsp. CANELA, ground (cinnamon may be substituted)
- 3/4 cup PINYON NUTS (pine nuts may be substituted - see below for notes on preparing the nuts.)
- 1 cup COCONUT, dried, shredded
- 6 HONEYCRISP APPLES (These gorgeous apples are some of the biggest that I’ve ever seen. You may substitute any other variety of apple that you choose, but just keep in mind that this caramel recipe will likely be enough to cover 10-12 medium or smaller apples.)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place nuts on an unlined baking sheet and toast for approximately 5 minutes. Set toasted nuts aside to cool. Once the nuts have cooled, chop roughly and toss with the coconut.
Meanwhile, prepare apples by washing and drying thoroughly. Remove stems and slit the tops of each with a paring knife. Insert large popsicle sticks into the tops of each, wiggling slightly to be sure that they are secure. Arrange the prepared apples on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place sugars, butter, condensed milk, corn syrup, agave and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and cook over medium heat just until the sugars and salt are dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. Clip a candy thermometer in place and raise the heat to medium-high. Boil the caramel mixture until it reaches 240°. Once the mixture has reached the target temperature, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Resist the urge to scrape the sides of the pot: just in case you’ve scorched some of the sugar, you’ll want to leave those burned pieces behind. Stir in the chile and canela/cinnamon.
At this point, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve set up a dipping station so that you can move quickly through assembly and keep your caramel from cooling too much and seizing up on you. I opted to have my bowl of caramel right in between my pile of toppings and the lined baking sheet where the prepared apples can cool and set up. In terms of coating each apple, you’ll want to grasp your popsicle sticks firmly and roll the apples from side to side in the caramel sauce, using the side of the bowl to scrape off any excess sauce. Once the apples are well-coated, immediately roll them in your chopped toppings and set stick-up on the prepared baking sheet. Don’t worry if excess caramel pools at the bottom of the apples.
Allow the prepared apples to cool and firm completely on the parchment before serving or storing.
YIELD: 6 large caramel apples
