Blood soup and canasta

Halloween was fun!

Maori-inspired pumpkin head

It was a boozy canasta evening with the neighbours, complete with Halloween accessories of many candles, plastic bats, a pumpkin head and a ghoulish menu:

Starter: Blood soup with bread bones

Main: Sausage and potato tray bake with tomato eyeballs

Dessert: Ensaimada with pumpkin jam

My pumpkin wasn’t staying alight. Not enough air could be drawn through the teeth to supply enough air, so I gouged out some rough bat shapes round the sides and back.

Hubby's idea. Worked really well as back-projection (or perhaps that should be 'bat-projection')

We put it outside in the neighbours’ courtyard, against a white wall. The result was a leering face in front of a projection of bats onto the back wall. The wind blowing the candle made the bats flit to and fro. It was totally unintentional, but a real ‘wow’ (which I’m recording here so I remember to do it again in future!)

The soup is beetroot and horseradish, really! White bread rolls modelled into bones, painted with egg wash to make them look dark, shiny and freshly exhumed.

Steve’s winnings

We had a great time at Brixham Fishstock and stayed until the end. And what an end! The tail end of Hurricane Maria came lashing in with a storm that the tropics would be proud of. The last band in the main tent must have thought they were wildly popular as all the remaining attendees squashed into the tent to get out of the rain.

It wasn’t going to stop so we headed towards the gate. It was raining so much that we abandoned the dash and sheltered in the acoustic tent. There was a slight lull so we zigzagged across to the RNLI tent, then finally piled into the Dockmaster’s office.

Meanwhile hubby Steve had been flagged down by some anxious stall holders who were trying to pack up and needed help lifting their gear into the van. They needed help with a large barbecue/grill device. after lifting that in, Steve stayed on and helped them with the rest. What a lovely bloke! As he went to leave they gave him a whole chorizo sausage as a thankyou.

That’s what I’m getting round to. I made a dish with it last night that worked out well, and I must get it blogged before I forget!

Pan fried chicken and Chorizo lentils

Fishstock!

Brixham Fishstock this weekend. A celebration of all things fishy, with music.

The daughter and son-in-law are coming down, so I’m busy cooking up a few things, including Chocolate Pear Cake, which uses some of the pears I bottled last week (one bottle down, 24 to go). Son-in-law loves chocolate, so any visit is preceded by a chocolate-based frenzy in the kitchen, and much hurrumphing from hubby, who tries to claim that HE never gets this much attention (course he does).

Son-in-law suffering a food and beer mugging by team Squires.

We’re sad that Mad Dog McRea isn’t appearing this year, but Fisherman’s Friends should be good. I hope the Polynesian dancers will be performing again this year. They wiggle those grass skirts so fast! I’ve discovered that the secret is to quickly flex your knees in a back and forth motion, then your hips naturally follow. Perhaps I can audition to join the troop this year? I’ve noticed that although the main guys are Polynesian, the large troupe of lady backing dancers look like they come from Torquay. I’m sure I would be an asset, albeit a large one.