This year, E chose to be a cowgirl. The other day, I was thinking about how the 'cowgirl costume' is itself iconic--we all know what it's supposed to look like, circa 1957.
I found a cute thrifted vest at my favorite local shop (the vest once belonged to the store owner's daughter, who keeps her own second-hand store next door). The bandanna was a party favor, the shirt was a hand-me-down, she wore last year's skirt, the boots were borrowed, but the hat was new.
E was thrilled. Her favorite moment: the "girl who likes boy things" at school whispered in her ear that her costume was "cool."
N asked to be a mouse.
Why yes, I did make that costume. I have the absolutely filthy house to prove it. I washed one small load of laundry over two whole weeks and we ate a lot of pasta, soup, and sausages. You get the picture.
It should not have taken me anywhere nearly as long as it did. Let's just say, as I jokingly said to my husband, that I sewed about six or seven mouse costumes out of 1 1/2 yards of fabric. Well, it felt that way.
I confess: I love how the ears turned out. I couldn't bring myself to use the pattern's teddy-bear ears.
D's parents came over the afternoon of Halloween to check out the costumes. While they entertained the kids, I made pumpkin-seed brittle. It is delicious and I've been eating it instead of the kids' candy.
I used this recipe except that I suggest 1/8 cup honey, 2/3 cup brown sugar, and 4 T butter (half a stick!) per 2/3 cup of pumpkin seeds. (We had a very large pumpkin, and it had about 1 1/2 cups of seeds.) Just try not to eat it until you get a slightly queasy feeling, like yours truly.
First, as the recipe suggests, I soaked the pumpkin seeds in water for about 10 minutes. Then I spread them on a cookie sheet to dry in a 200 degree oven. I let them sit in there for nearly 30 minutes, because they just weren't dry until then.
Then I cranked up the oven to 400 degrees and toasted the pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes. You might want to toast them longer if they aren't brown enough. Toss the seeds at least once midway so that they are evenly browned. I then tossed them in a smidge of butter and kosher salt, just enough to lightly coat them.
Next, I melted the butter and then added the honey and brown sugar. I chose to use less honey than the recipe called for because I wanted more brown sugar flavor. My guess is the honey works like corn syrup (found in more traditional brittle recipes) by hardening the caramel into candy.
I cooked the mixture on medium for about five minutes, without stirring. You have to watch it closely, or it will burn. Then I stirred in the pumpkin seeds, cooked for a minute longer, and then spread them out on a cookie sheet. (Butter the cookie sheet if you don't have a Silpat.)
