Fangy, Filled Fun at the Breakfast Table

Delight the little life-suckers under foot with Jam-Filled Vampire Pancakes.
[from BakingBites.com]

"I suspect that vampires aren’t big breakfast-eaters. They’re probably more of the midnight snack type. This is precisely why I was inspired, as I was looking for a late-night snack during an evening of pre-Halloween scary movie watching, to make these vampire pancakes. These are buttermilk pancakes made with a red, raspberry jam filling that oozes out when you cut in for a bite. 

The pancakes are quite easy to make. You start with a fairly standard pancake batter with a little bit of vanilla extract thrown in and pour some onto a preheated griddle. Next, you add a dollop of raspberry (or other red-colored) jam to the center of the pancake as it cooks. It’s a good idea to try and spread out the jam as you place it on the pancake, even putting several little dollops. At this stage, the pancake batter is too delicate to stand up to being spread with jam, and it’s really nice if the jam fills up as much of the pancake as possible. Top the jam with some more batter to cover it completely and cook as you would a regular pancake. 

When the pancakes were fresh off the griddle and the jam was still warm, they were moist and tender, with a nice ooze to the filling. You can taste the vanilla and buttermilk in the pancakes alongside the jam. These pancakes were sweet enough that they didn’t need any additional syrup or toppings before serving, but whipped cream might be a nice touch if you want to serve a little on the side. 

I used the same technique that I’ve used on my Vampire Cupcakes and Vampire Cookies to add bite marks to these pancakes before serving. I’m sure that any vampires out there would approve, even if they might prefer a different flavor of filling for their portion."

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract approx 1/3 cup red jam of your choice

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. 
2. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil and vanilla. 
3. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 
4. Preheat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan to medium-high. 
5. When a drop of water skitters on the surface, it is ready. 
6. Drop a scant 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle. 
7. Place about 3 tsp jam in the center of the pancake. 
8. Cover with a bit more pancake batter – just enough to hide the jam. 
9. Cook until first side is golden, then flip and brown the second side. 
10. To make vampire bites, use a toothpick to make fang marks and mark each with a drop of jam. 
11. Serve immediately. 

 Serves 3-4

"Trick or Treat ... and someone sweet"

Guest blog from brazenly stolen from Amy Allen Photography... cuz it was just too good not to share!

"Olivia, my 5th grader, loves Halloween. This year, Emma, my 8th grader, wasn’t so into it. She opted to go to a little gathering with close friends. 

Olivia traditionally makes her choice for the the following year’s costume the day after Halloween of the current year!  Last November 1st she announced she wanted to be a ‘vintage bride.’ 

Right up my ally! I love vintage stuff and knew we had a lot of work ahead of us! We started collecting items: the dress, purse, veil, etc..in August. The day of trick-or-treating, she asked if I could do a photo shoot, a sort of ‘getting ready’ shoot. I, of course, jumped at this rare opportunity (my children have been so ‘over’ getting their pics taken for years now). 

We started with the details, getting the dress on and ending with a full-length shot, as I do with all of my beautiful brides! 

It was a very surreal moment in time for me, I must say. I had a sort of flash-forward to proms, dances and yes…her wedding day. I realized how my job as a wedding photographer has made me a sucker for the details and especially the moments. I was amazed at how she wanted to do various poses and was very particular in the way she moved her head and body. 

I didn’t say anything. I just documented."

Halloween Appetizer Treats: Deviled Eyeballs

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen hard boiled eggs 
• Mayonnaise
• 24 green olives with pimentos
• Pinch of Dry Yellow Mustard
• Salt to taste
• Toothpicks
• Red Food Coloring (paste is best)

Directions:

1. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Set whites aside for a moment.
2. Mash egg yolks with fork. Mix in mayonnaise, onion powder, mustard and salt. Stir well. Place 1 teaspoon of mixture in each half of egg whites.
3. Push a green olive into the center of the egg yolk mixture, making sure the red pimento is "looking" out.
4. Dip toothpick in red food coloring and make "red veins" in the yolk mixture.

(http://www.halloweenhowl.com/halloween-appetizers-eyeballs.shtml)