Zombies, Vampires and Gangsters...Oh My! It's Halloween!

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling the Halloween/Autumn vibe. Surprisingly for LA, we are actually having cool and somewhat rainy weather lending itself to delicious dreams of pumpkin everything, warm apples, cinnamon and pecans all drenched in creamy caramel. The very thought of it just makes me swoon. In my oven right this very minute are four loaves of my Grandma Rose and Aunt  Irene's world famous pumpkin bread. My house smells like pumpkin, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg...a little slice of heaven!

Mini pumpkin breads...I styled this photo all by myself!

Joshua is in full Halloween prep mode and has been for over a month..you can feel the excitement and anticipation in the air that surrounds him. He has parties galore lined up all weekend long and simply is chomping at the bit to go and get his hands on ALL THAT CANDY!

For the last few years he has been insistent on being something ghoulish...a zombie, a vampire, a headless monster type creature. I have found this somewhat hysterical since many of the displays in the Halloween stores still terrify...well, not exactly terrify, but really freak him out. Go figure. Anyway, this year after much debate and changing his mind he settled on the slightly less ghoulish character (depending on your perspective) of a Mafia-type Gangster.

We first went to Shelly's on Westwood Blvd. right near our house and found just about everything Joshua needed...black and white pin striped pants, jacket, white shirt with a red tie, a big fake stogie to chomp on. Then we headed over to Party City to load up on fake cigarettes, a fake machine-type gun and some bling. We had a blast. Such fun to see how specific his tastes and opinions are becoming. The fedora hat he had at home completed his outfit.

Of course, the minute we got to the house EVERYTHING had to be opened and tried on again...this time all together. Yes, folks, my little sandy blond haired, fair skinned, freckled face little angel was transformed into a hard hitting gangster packing serious fake ammo. I know these innocent days are numbered so I am really enjoying the ride right now. I simply couldn't stop smiling.

Mini Pumpkin breads with Maple Whipped Cream Frosting and Chocolate Sprinkles

Do yourself a favor and bake an autumn treat to savor with a friend or loved one over a cup of coffee or tea...you won't be sorry in the least. And if you decide to make my pumpkin bread (and I strongly recommend that you do!) you can guild the lily a bit by adding some maple whipped cream frosting and chocolate sprinkles on top like in the picture above.

Here's the recipe for the frosting...the link for the pumpkin bread is at the top of the blog...ENJOY!

MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING (Bon Appetit Magazine/October 2010):

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups chilled creme fraiche
1 1/3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup maple sugar (found at specialty stores)
6 tablespoons powdered sugar

Combine creme fraiche, cream, and both sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until very thick and stiff. Spread generously over the tops of the mini pumpkin breads, then drizzle with the chocolate sprinkles.

HAPPY, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

xo Nanci