Pumpkin Punch Recipe... with our without a spirited KICK!

Crazy Bob and I enjoying a little NIGHT LIFE at the BGSU Sky Bar for Wed. Goth Night

Greetings ONE and ALL Big, Little, Tall and/or Small!!!!
Tis weekend number 4 coming upon soon... and I have been so frightfully busy with activities, promotions, trying to catch up on my beauty sleep... I apologize for not writing on my BLOG earlier... OH... the LIFE of a MONSTER in October... so very BLOOD draining it is!!!! I believe I am in need of a transfusion soon... I will have to call my good friend DRA"COLA" and have him bring me over some of his secret stash....!!!!

And speaking of Liquid Libation... listed below is a fun drink recipe I found actually in a recent issue of the Food Network Magazine... hope you enjoy...

Bob's Mexican Pumpkin Punch (Spiked on un-Spiked)
Serves - 8-12
2 Cups of packed dark brown sugar
4 Cinnamon sticks, preferabley Mexican
1 29 oz. can pure pumpkin (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 limes
Run (optional)
Pineapple chunks and/or pecans, for serving (optional)

1. Combine 12 cups water, the brown sugar and cinnamon sticks in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the pumpkin and return to a simmer. Meanwhile, remove the zest from the limes in wide strips using a vegetable peeler; add the zest to the pot and simmer 15 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate until the liquid is cold and the pumpkin pulp settles to the bottom, 2-3 hours.
2. Working in batches, ladle the liquid into a fine mesh strainer set over a pitcher (repleat if necessary to strain out all the pumpkin pulp). Discard the pulp and lime zest. Return the cinnamon sticks to the punch and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Pour the punch into ice-filled glasses. Add rum as desired, pineapple and/or pecans, if desired. Garnish with cinnamon sticks.

Til next time....

VANNA FRIGHT

Apple Pie topped with Gory Gossip Ala Mode...!

Greetings all you creatures of the day and night...

I am so "unearthly" excited to have our beloved HAUNTED HYDRO open again for another year of FEAR and FUN... We opened last weekend and although MOTHER NATURE was a total "Biatch" to us whipping us with a monsoon-like downpour on Saturday... we weathered her wicked wrath and still Hauntertained each and every patron who came thru our gates...
The MONSTERS in the HYDRO and the LAIR were on their Gory GAME all night long... including all our naughty newbies and our venomous veterans alike.... Make sure you stop down and see us this year... and bring a group... it is more frightfully fun in a group and as I like to say... THE MORE... THE SCARIER.... (EVIL Vanna Cackle here!)

GORY GOSSIP FOR WEEK ONE at the HAUNTED HYDRO....

* Chainsaw Creek in Toledo... one of our competitors from the last two seasons... did NOT open this year... Hmmmm... could it be FIRE MARSHAL &/or PERMIT issues... they are sure making it rough for every haunt again this year... but keeping it SAFE and FAIR for one and all is only the right thing to do in the long run.... I guess... I do miss the GOOD ole days... when we could get away with cardboard, bubblegum and bailing wire... HMMMMMM those were the DAYS...!

* After much CRAZY testing, politics, fees, permits, letters of recommendation, fingerprinting and background checks... we have TWO of our Hydro Staff being granted CERTIFIED FLAME EFFECT PERMITS... LaRue VanFleet and Tony Johnson from T3 Fire Toys... can now LEGALLY blow, breath and twirl fire in front of the public. WHAT a NIGHTMARE it was getting them certified this year... but their PERFORMANCES during the Ghoul-A-Bration Pre-Show and inside the HYDRO'S EVIL INFERNO will be worth every PENNY... make sure you get to see it...!

* Harold McCall was featured in the SANDUSKY REGISTER this past Monday as his Boxhead character... Nice article Harold!

* Crazy Bob was DOWN UNDER for 3 weeks and Jerry Chaffee... AKA: NEMESIS is back from his 2 1/2 month working trip to Australia... where they both worked at the DEBUT of HOLLYWOOD HORRORS an interactive walk thru designed specifically for Australia's largest fairs and festival events. That 12 hour time difference SUCKS Vampires... especially when NEMESIS arrived back into the USA only 2 - days before the HYDRO openned this year... but what a BLOODY experience it was to have worked in AUSTRALIA... Crazy Bob and Nemesis are now INTERNATIONAL HAUNTERTAINERS... How HOT is that!

* We are the FEATURED County event on the HOME PAGE of our www.Sanduskycounty.org Visitors and Convention Bureau website... great write up and cool pics too... check it out!

* The Hydro has teamed up with Blue Star Productions this year and totally BEEFED up our advertising exposure this year... you will see us ALL over the Toledo TV stations with commercials as well as massive radio commercials on tons of radio stations...

Okay... that is all I can think of right now... my brain is fried ZOMBIE BRAINS right now... and I am getting hungry.... Hmmmmm.... think I am going to make one of LADY DESMERELDA's famous HUMBLE HAUNTER APPLE PIES... I will share her recipe with you... it is AMAZING... try it... ghoul like it.... !


HUMBLE HAUNTER APPLE PIE
Pastry for 2 crusts (recipe below)

INGREDIENTS:
8 Cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples - about 3 lbs. (Granny Smith, Corland, Jonathan)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 C. White sugar
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. all-purpose flower
1 tsp. ground cinamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmet
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice
2. Combine sugars, flour, cinamon and nutmet; add to apples and toss well to coat
3. Fill pastry lined 9 inch pie pan with apple mixture. Dot with butter
4. Place second crust on top of pie filling, cut slits in top of crust to vent. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork or by hand.
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and milk. Brush mixture over top crust.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes
7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40-45 minutes more or until crust is golen and filling is bubbly.

FLAKY PASTRY PIE CRUST RECIPE
Makes two 9-Inch pie crusts

INGREDIENTS:
2 - 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. butter, chilled and diced
1/2 C. ice water

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the flower and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
3. Stir in the ice water, a Tsp. at a time, until the crust mixture forms a ball.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrat and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
5. Sprinkle flour onto rolling surface. Roll dough out, then divide in half. Roll each half to fit a 9 inch pie plate.
6. Place crust in pie plate, pressing evenly into the bottom and sides.
7. Fill with filling recipe above and top with second crust as directed above.

Have a frightfully FUNtastic night....

And s always... Bugs and Hisses - VANNA FRIGHT

Recipe Exchange - 1 PUMPKIN BREAD

Many thanks to Lady Desmerelda of the night for sharing this recipe with us... It is her favorite PUMPKIN BREAD recipe... She is an AMAZING baker and keeps our Haunted Hydro Staff sugared-up for the season with the many TREATS she brings to the Hydro... hope everyone enjoys.... Watch for more recipes from Lady Desmerelda as well as some of our other cast & crew as well!

PUMPKIN BREAD

NEEDED:

4 eggs

3 cups Sugar

1 Cup Oil

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp. Cinnamon

2 Cups pumpkin

3 1/2 Cups flour

1 Cup chopped walnuts

2/3 Cup Water

Mix eggs, sugar & oil, then spices, pumpkin and water. Mix well in large bowl and add flour,

Baking Soda, Salt and Walnuts.

Bake in 4 small loaf pans (ungreased) at 350 degrees for 10 minutes then at 325 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

COMING SOON...!

Greetings Halloween and Haunted lovers ONE and ALL...

I will begin my new BLOG section very soon... featuring all kinds of exciting stories, events, activities, reviews, recipes and more... keep watching here!

If you have a question for me or an idea of something we can feature on this BLOG... send me an email at hauntedhydro@sbcglobal.net and put DEAR VANNA in the title section.

Happy Boo's and until we talk again...

VANNA FRIGHT