AdDressing Halloween

Because I like to do the unexpected I have never given a Halloween party, not for anyone, adults or children.  The rest of the world has that covered.  But there have been plenty of non-Halloween parties requiring costumes, or as the English say, fancy dress, a great nom de fete.

I was a mildly tyrannical mother about Pinky's clothing (thank goodness for school uniforms) and rarely let her have free will outside of school.  Maybe that's not mild?  I'm a visual fuss budget and have spent my life in the worlds of art and design. It would have been unbearable for me to buy clothing that wasn't in perfect taste, especially when I had such an unusually beautiful child.  Fortunately for me we had to shop in French stores because Pinky had such a slender build that nothing boxy and American would fit her, bummer.  Although as a child she was peeved about her wardrobe, now I think she's glad that there are wonderful pictures of her, even though she always looks a little irritated.

  

WHY?

(Actually the first time Pinky wore a costume was on her way home from the hospital, a bunny-eared onesie.  I guess I was setting her up from the beginning. Hold it - at 6 months I dressed her in a mini tuxedo and posed her in a pumpkin shaped tureen for a picture, I have no idea why)

Halloween was the holiday where I could let my creativity go wild in costumery.  I almost always made the outfits and really believe that the best costumes are the ones you throw together with household stuff and visits to the thrift store.

Until she wrested it from my control she was dressed as:


Carrot, age 2

Rag Doll, age 3  (no Halloween in England so this is the Christmas Pageant)

Benazir Bhutto, age 4 ( I liked that her nickname was Pinky too)

Marie Antoinette, age 5 (the exceptionally correct white hair was actually a $10 Dolly Parton wig, and yes, I made that dress!)





Victorian Pierrot, age 6  (I didn't make this, but found it in a textile sale at Christies So. Kensington;  I thought it was magical)

19th c. Equestrienne, age 7 (I made a horse to go with it. Pinky corrupted the pretty veiled hat with a Jack Nicholson as the Joker mask - truly creepy and giving me an award winning photo))




Dead Bride, age 8  (I re-used the circa 1820 dress I had made for the bride's birthday party, and recycled the Dolly Parton wig)

Picnic Table, Age 9 ( so bad I can't describe it, it was a genius idea gone way off the rails)

Gypsy, age 10 (polka dot flamenco dress made by her flamenco teacher and black wig, involved a horse somehow) 

Heidi, age 11 (This took place at her horse barn.  She wore a dirndl and dressed her pony as a cow)

50's Housewife, Age 12 (the most normal and made more fun by our French friends, one of whom was a stylist and really made Pinky and her pals glamorous, daughter Tina now a French Idol alum and wonderful singer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1t-Oh29SXo)

TINA TICTONE FAR RIGHT

While the fathers took the girls trick or treating we Moms stayed behind and tested fine wines, talking about the stealth raids we would perform on the bags of candy and hoping that no little goblins would ring the bell so that we could eat the generous amount we had bought for them.  When I was a child people still had homemade treats and occasionally there would be a disappointing apple, nowadays it's role is played by the small box of raisins, forever rejected.  But hurray! someone would make popcorn balls and they were the best!  Sticky sweet, crunchy and salty all in one, absolutely wonderful.  Here's a recipe I borrowed from localfoods.com

Freshly popped corn and some sugar syrup make delicious Popcorn Balls easy enough for kids to help make them. Add a drop or two of food coloring to the sugar mixture for colored Popcorn Balls - just be sure to wear latex gloves when you form them to avoid several days of dyed hands!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 – 2 Tbsp. vegetable, canola, or other neutral tasting oil
• 1/2 cup popcorn
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Up to 1 cup nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, red hots, little candies, or other tiny items of tastiness you’d like to add to your popcorn balls
• Butter or spray oil

Preparation:

1. Heat a large pot over high heat. Add the oil and let that heat up for about 30 seconds. Add the popcorn, shake pot to coat the corn with oil, cover, and shake the pot every few seconds until you hear that first kernel pop. Reduce the heat to medium and shake intermittently as the corn pops. When the kernels slow down and there are a few seconds between each pop, take off the heat and set the lid ajar. Let sit until corn stops popping.
2. Heat the corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves completely. (Add a drop or two of food coloring at this point if you want colored balls.) Pour the syrup over the popcorn, add nuts or raisins or whatever if that’s your style, and stir to coat popcorn as completely as possible.
3. Coat your hands with butter or spray oil, grab a handful of popcorn and press it into a ball. This will be more difficult than you may think. You will need to squish it much more and much harder than you think you should. Once you have a ball, you can add more popcorn, again pressing it on much firmer than seems right, to make a bigger popcorn ball, if you like. There is a sweet spot, when the popcorn has cooled just a bit but isn't quite room temperature yet when they stick together the easiest.

Makes 10 – 12 handful-size Popcorn Balls.