The time is near for scary strangers at your door and things that go bump in the night. Yes, Halloween is on the horizon.
I must admit that Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays, but I must get in the spirit of things a little bit.
My granddaughter, with her devoted love to Minnie Mouse, is playing her character for Halloween this year. She went with her mom and dad to Boo at the Zoo and learned quickly what Trick or Treat is all about.
One thing that Halloween brings to mind for me is superstitions. They fall into two categories — good luck superstitions and bad luck superstitions.
Here are a few good luck superstitions:
nIf your right hand itches, you will earn money.
nIf you find a four-leaf clover, you will have good luck.
nIf you dream about a white cat, you will have good luck.
nIf a black cat walks toward you, it brings you good luck.
nIf you put sugar in the cup before you pour the tea, you will have good luck.
nIf you step on your shadow, you will have good luck.
nIf you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn, you will have good luck.
nIf the first butterfly you see this year is white, it brings you good luck all year.
nIf a single girl drinks salty water before she goes to sleep, she will see her future husband in her dream. My female students loved this one!
Here are a few bad luck superstitions:
nIf you open an umbrella indoors, it is bad luck.
nIf you sleep with your feet towards the door, it is bad luck.
nWhen a cat sneezes three times indoors, it will rain in 24 hours.
n If you dream about a dog, you have a lot of enemies.
n Breaking a mirror brings you seven years of bad luck.
nIf you walk under a ladder, you have seven years of bad luck.
nIf you sleep on a table, you will have bad luck.
nIf a bird comes towards you, you will have bad luck.
nIf you drop a dishcloth in the kitchen, you will have bad luck.
nIf you start a trip on Friday, you will have bad luck.
nIf your left hand itches, you will lose money.
These are just a few superstitions I ran across. We know in our hearts that they are not true, but we can’t help but think about them.
As I said, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I can learn to accept and tolerate it.
Today I have some recipes for a special holiday treat for trick or treaters of all ages. Hope you enjoy them. Thanks for reading.
CRUNCHY PARTY MIX
5 cups pretzel sticks
4 cups round toasted oat cereal
4 caps bite-sized wheat square cereal
3 cups mixed nuts
1 cup butter or margarin
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
Several drops of bottled hot pepper sauce
In a large roasting pan, combine pretzels, oat cereal, wheat cereal and mixed nuts. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat and stir butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce until butter melts.
Drizzle butter mixture over over cereal mixture and stir gently to coat.
Bake in a 300-degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on a large piece of foil to cool. Store in an air-tight container.
SWEET PARTY MIX
4 cups bite-sized corn square cereal
4 cups bite-size rice square cereal
2 cups pretzel knots
1 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 teaspoons butter
3 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
In a large roasting pan combine corn cereal, rice cereal, pretzels and almonds. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils.
Continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate without stirring for five minutes more.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in dried fruit.
Spread on a large piece of buttered foil to cool.
Break into pieces. Store in an air-tight container.
nContact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes-.net.
