Final Halloween Summary

Maybe it was indeed the tendrils of melancholia slithering in to take hold. Could have been the slap of an unwanted email from an old friend, specially timed to ruin my favorite day. Or maybe I just was overly-ambitious with my planning. 

The cooking started ok... the olive tapenade -- a favorite of mine -- was perfection. The new green "swamp bog" dip was strange, but full of healthy green vegetables. The fingers (what some would call "breadsticks") got tough and chewy. Maybe I cooked them too far in advance. Still, they were edible. They weren't ruined.

No, the trouble started with the empanadas. Could be my cookie cutter was too small, or the prepared pie crust too thick. Maybe I should I have made dough from scratch, like Emeril said. One must be wary of shortcuts. They ended up overstuffed, with too many ingredients left over. I tried to make a larger one, but it too bubbled, crusted, and popped.

While taking them out of the oven, I burned myself. Not severely, though it is somewhat of a Halloween tradition to sustain some sort of heat-related injury. Not nearly as severely as the year I dripped hot glue onto my wrist, turning the skin below a sleek white, and leaving a gnarled scar. No, this was just a tiny burn. Still, it hurt like a mo-fo, so I dashed to the sink to run some cold water over it.

The handle to the faucet came off in my hand.

Of course, the water was still running. I did cool the burn for a second. Then I set off in search of pliers... if I could just reach the nub of broken screw, I could avoid flooding our kitchen and draining our reservoir. I managed it. Called the property manager and explained. 

"Yeah, everyone's gone home. We'll come Monday." 

Which part of "I don't have any water don't you understand?" 

"Ok, we'll send someone tomorrow."

I washed a few things in the bathtub, and filled a big bowl with water to use in the kitchen. There are dishes EVERYWHERE (I am an untidy cook).

This is when I started to droop. Flour-stained, sweating, and covered in tiny burns, I began to question all this planning. Our friend in Ocala was having some crazy blowout kegger. Suddenly the solace of instant alcohol-fueled camaraderie sounded great! But it was far too late. I'd committed to this, and spent $100 on food. Had to suck it up and make it work. 

At least the pumpkin patch pudding was edible.

So, it was a bust. But I survived, and will take with me this valuable lesson. Halloweens that fall on even numbered years SUCK. Want proof?

2004: I visit the emergency room after having a mind-shattering headache for a solid week

2006: Ajax pisses all over everything

2008: The year of the sink

Last year was awesome. '05 was fun! Huge party! Next year's an odd number, so I'm crossing my fingers.