Friday the 13^th isn’t just about avoiding ladders and knocking on wood. (That stuff is mere “Child’s Play”, if you ask us!) No, this day is the perfect excuse to dust off the culinary cobwebs and revisit some sinfully sweet Halloween treats.

Though you might be hesitant to go anywhere near the kitchen on such a notoriously unlucky day, here are a few recipes from our favorite food bloggers for those of you willing to tempt fate.

1. Ghost Crepe Cupcakes

2. Owl-Ween Treats

3. Meringue Bone Cookies

4. Black Cat Cookies

5. Gingerbread Skeleton Cookies

6. Silhouette Cookies

7. Spider Web Shortbread

8. Owl Cookies

9. Mini Ghost Cupcakes

10. Gingerbread Sandwich Bats

11. Spooky Sugar Cookies

12. Mini Cookie Cut-Outs

13. Nutter Butter Ghosts

Photo Credits: Cupcake Project , Celebrations at Home

To My Adoring Public,

It has come to my attention that my approval rating has taken a dive down the proverbial rabbit hole in recent weeks.  While I’ve still got a good number of “believers, the Facebook polls don’t lie.

My agent seems to think this little slump might have something to do with my escapades in the off-season. (Hey, I’m a rabbit.) He’s even gone so far as to suggest a quick visit to the vet to correct the problem. With my bunnyhood at stake, I feel that I must offer some explanation of my behavior.

Having to live up to the impossibly white and downy fluff of the bunnies featured in Cadbury ads, and the boundless enthusiasm of the Energizer mascot in commercials, I have to say, I’m under an awful lot of pressure. Not normally prone to “performance anxiety”, you can imagine the toll this has taken on my self-esteem.

That is why I humbly ask for a little recognition. I would greatly appreciate your continued support in Easters to come… Those colored eggs don’t hide themselves, you know!

Sincerely,
The Easter Bunny

PS- I hear Santa gets cookies…

Photo credits: Ibrahim Iujaz

10 Tips for selecting a Holiday Party Venue:

1. Ask collegues where they like to celebrate their anniversaries or birthdays – you may find a new gem
2. Private rooms are the best thing you can do for a holiday dinner party. You want your guests to be able to mingle and relax and having a private room provides the right setting for this type of interaction.
3. OpenTable.com has a feature that lets you view all restaurants that have banquet facilities and private dining rooms.
4. Eliminate restaurants that say your group must be done at a certain time.
5. Determine if this is going to be a “fancy night out” or a casual affair. There are a lot of restaurants inbetween but at least you can cut out a large portion of the list.
6. Is there a chance your host will want audio visual for an awards recognition or give a short speech? If so, discuss this with restaurant managers upfront – you will probably narrow the list immediately.
7. Consider the perception. Although restaurants at a Four Seasons or Ritz are superb, if your company recently had cut backs or you are a non-profit consider the negative implications of hosting a dinner at this type of facility, even if the price is equal to other restaurants. This is a potential PR nightmare.
8. Consider where majority of your guests live and try to stay within thirty minutes of that region. Eliminating everything outside of a geographical circle narrows your selection and keeps you focused.
9. Ask the restaurant manager how many other groups they have on the same evening as yours. If you have found the perfect place but there are two other groups that evening, ask how they will space out the orders to ensure your guests are not waiting two hours for cold food.
10. Request a manager be assigned to your group the night of the event to take care of any issues.

In this economy, you may find that pricier restaurants are now willing to offer group rates that haven’t been available in the past. For a short list of ideas to help shave the dinner party budget check out this entry.

Your group is probably happy meeting anywhere and the venue you chose will be a special evening to remember.

Happy Holiday Planning.

Check out Bonjour Events for event planning tips, resources and templates.

Sure. It’s easy to “blame the dog” for holiday mishaps. I’ll admit, I was out of line to drink up the last of the Christmas tree water. And freaking out at the sight of your festive Fourth of July sparklers was, in retrospect, uncalled for. But I maintain, last Halloween I was only trying to help enhance the festivities.

You may or may not remember, but I put an awful lot of effort into “setting the mood.”  First, I secured the perimeter of the yard, laboriously marking our territory in no uncertain terms. Pranksters and trespassing troublemakers abound on Halloween, and I wasn’t about to let them have their jollies…

When that job was done, I commissioned the work of Snickers the cat to spruce up the draperies with a “tattered and torn” motif. I still think that it was appropriate design choice for the haunted house feel I was going for. It must have worked too, judging from Mom’s screaming!

While Snickers was busy with the blinds, I put my own paws to work in the yard. Thinking I’d go all-out on the macabre Halloween theme, I dug a decorative grave or two, which I have to say, looked pretty authentic. To kick it up a notch, I filled each trench with the mangled remains of a few long departed squeaky toys.

After a good while of digging ditches, I hopped on the couch, where I decided it was time to start shedding. The original plan was to craft a miniature army of “furball monsters” to drift mysteriously around the house. Unfortunately, this attempt was thwarted when some wise guy (Dad) dragged out the vacuum.

Next, I warmed my vocal chords to provide an eerie ambient soundtrack to the night’s festivities. Barricading myself in the bathroom, I howled until I was practically blue in the face. The makeshift echo chamber really lent a ghostly resonance to my moans, which couldn’t help but chill the spine. But I didn’t stop there. Even when settling down for a nap, I made no effort to conceal my usual snoring. Believe me, this made some pretty scary sounds too!

So, here we are a year later, and believe it or not, I’ve yet to receive a single “thank you”. But I won’t let that dampen my mood. I’ve got big plans for this year!

I think I’ll start by knocking over the candy dish…

Photo credits: istolethetv on Flickr, Cory Schmitz, Liz West

Leprechauns are cute. They are clever. And they are, well, let’s face it, rich. Do you know what a pot of gold is worth today? At $900 per ounce, I figure that even a smallish leprechaun who wants a mobile pot of gold that he can carry from rainbow’s end to rainbow’s end would be worth at least $350,000. That would be tax free. Even now, Obama may even be considering a new economic plan called “Operation Lucky Charms.”  But, you didn’t find out about it here. 

Many famous people have aspired to be leprechauns. If you were anywhere near New York City in the late 1970s to the late 1980s, you may remember the city’s Mayor, Ed Koch who marched in every parade and declared himself to be of the proper heritage that the day called for. He became Puerto Rican, Italian, African American, Chinese and Irish. I really think his favorite parade was on St. Patrick’s Day. Underneath that kelly green scarf and fisherman’s sweater was a heart of gold and a pot of green. Or maybe it was the other way around. No matter, the Irish-Jewish brogue brought tears of joy to many eyes, proud we were of our diverse city.

Today in a culture that celebrates ethnic pride, why not take advantage of the great mutli-cultural opportunity and be proud of the traditions that others bring? Even if you aren’t a leprechaun or even Irish, you can celebrate and take ownership of this proud heritage that brought us the gift of gab, Tammany Hall, corned beef and cabbage, and Raindance. Oh, and the color green. Before the Irish came to America, everyone here had to make do with puce. 

In truth, positive Irish contributions to American culture include special success and innovation in the fields of journalism, sports and entertainment. The “fighting spirit” of many Irish Americans, as well as their gift with words has contributed tremendously to the greatness of this country. What better way to acknowledge our own American heritage than by celebrating one of the many cultures that helped to shape it? Our first president was Irish (George Washington, in case you forgot). Other famous Irish-Americans include Gene Kelly, Henry Ford, Georgia O’Keeffe, F. Scott Fitzgerald and of course Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York.  

So why not dust off that tie with the clover all over it or that pair of green acid washed jeans hanging in the back of your closet. See, it is okay to admit you always wanted to be a leprechaun.