Halloween has been celebrated for 2,000 years Published October 25, 2006 / The Gadsden Times
The origin of Halloween dates back more than 2,000 years to the Celtic celebration of the dead. The Celtic festival was Nov. 1, the first day of the Celtic New Year. The celebration included the burning of sacrifices and the wearing of costumes. These early events began as both a celebration of the harvest and an honoring of dead ancestors. Halloween spread throughout Europe in the seventh century. It began with "All Hallows Eve" and the "Night of the Dead." It was immediately followed by "All Souls Day," a Christian holy day. The first lighted "jack-o'-lanterns" really were carved-out gourds and turnips. Some time along the way they were replaced by pumpkins, which were larger and much easier to carve. European custom included the lighting of pumpkins with scary faces carved out to ward off evil spirits. The Irish brought the tradition of carving turnips and even potatoes with them to America. They quickly discovered that pumpkins were easier to carve. Americans spend more than $14 billion on costumes, decorations and other Halloween paraphernalia each year. Tips for After Trick-or-Treating # Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should examine closely all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items. # Try to portion out treats for several days following Halloween. # Although sharing is encouraged, make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies) are given only to those of an appropriate age. EASY CRACKER TREATS 1/2 cup marshmallow creme 1/2 cup peanut butter 48 round crackers 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted 1 cup flaked coconut or chopped nuts Spread half the crackers with peanut butter and half with marshmallow creme. Sandwich together one of each, and dip the sandwich in melted chocolate. Coat with coconut or nuts. Let stand until chocolate sets. Store in airtight container for up to a week. Makes 24. SPIDER WEB BROWNIES 4 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate 3/4 cup butter or margarine 2 cups sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flour 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme 1 square semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted Prepare a 13-by-9-inch pan for baking brownies. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in a large bowl on high for 2 minutes or until butter and chocolate are melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar; mix well. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and nuts; mix well. Spread into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not over bake). Immediately drop marshmallow creme by spoonfuls over hot brownies, spreading evenly over top of brownies. Cool in pan. Drizzle melted chocolate over marshmallow creme to create a spider web design. Cut into 32 brownies just before serving. CRISP CANDY CORN TREATS 1/2 cup butter 9 cups miniature marshmallows 10 cups crispy rice cereal 2 cups candy corn 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips Candy pumpkins Orange food coloring Melt butter and marshmallows; stir until smooth. In a large bowl, mix rice cereal, candy corn and miniature chips together. Add orange food coloring to marshmallow mixture, or squirt over cereal in bowl. Add marshmallow mixture to cereal mixture; stir quickly to combine. Spread on a large buttered jelly roll pan; press with buttered hands. While warm, press on candy pumpkins spaced 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Refrigerate and cut into squares. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
