Happy Halloween!

Are all you ghosties and ghoulies, black kitties and possumies HUNGRY?

Here are some of the best Halloween foods, sure to calm all the creepies and make the most ornery "haints" happy! (You do know what a haint is, don't you?)

First of all, I'm really hungry! So I'm going to jump right in with the good stuff.

    BREAD PUDDING

Bread Pudding:

1 loaf French bread, at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6-7 cups)
1 qt milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in 1/4 cup bourbon)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey
Bourbon Sauce:

In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and egg, whisking to blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. (Do not allow to simmer, or it may curdle.) Whisk in bourbon to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.
Bread Pudding:

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Press with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Gently stir the raisins into the mixture.
3 Pour butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour in the bread mix and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Can also make in individual ramekins.

Serve with bourbon whiskey sauce on the side; pour on to taste. Best fresh and eaten the day it is made.
Yield: Makes 8-10 servings.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/bread_pudding/

Sweet Potato Pie



Photo by Ken Price

Granny Rilla's Sweet Potato Pie

page 117

 Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
½ cup honey
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans chopped

Heat oven to 350.
Mix mashed sweet potatoes, honey and salt.
Beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla extract, and pecans. Add to sweet potato mixture.
Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. (Check after 50 minutes)

Candy Corn

The All-Time Best Halloween Food In the World!!!



I don't have the recipe for Candy Corn. Y'all just go out and buy some.

A Bright, Hot Fire

Russell Means was no sugar-coated symbol.

He was fiery and unapologetic, critical of  American culture for its exploitation of Native lands, peoples, and resources.  He not only denounced crooks, haters, and charlatans, but also the paternalistic do-gooders who didn’t have a clue about what was actually going on in Indian country.

He was a bully, he was manipulative, he was selfish, He was at times hypocritical. He did good, and he did bad.

Most of all, Russell Means was an advocate and spokesman for Indian people struggling to maintain their cultural identity. Some people loved him and some hated him, but no one could ignore him and the essence of his message.

"Don’t be ashamed of your Indianess," he said. "Be proud."
"Indian isn’t backwards," he insisted. "It’s better."

Russell Means Dead at Age Seventy-Two

Russell Charles Means, an Oglala Sioux activist for the rights of Native American people, died today at the age of 72.  He became a prominent member of the American Indian Movement after joining the organization in 1968.

I first heard of Russell Means during the occupation of the BIA building in Washington DC in November of 1972. The newly formed organization, the American Indian Movement, organized a nationwide caravan, which they would refer to as the "Trail of Broken Treaties". intended to bring attention to American Indian issues such as living standards and treaty rights.

His autobiography, Where White Men Fear to Tread, was published in 1996.

Russell Means starred with Daniel Day Lewis in the epic film Last of the Mohicans in 1992.

The invasion of Europeans has resulted in the ruin of this continent, home of the First Nations people. There may be some things that Russell Means and I didn't agree on, but on that point, we agreed.

Over the next few days, I'll be posting more thoughts and information about Russell Means.