Don’t let anyone say Halloween fun is just for kids. Jamie Foster is all grown up, and she looks forward to it every autumn. She and her husband, Chris, have hosted a Halloween party for several years that just keeps expanding.
“It’s become something people start talking to us about in July,” said the Columbus mom. What began with a group of 10 or so people has blossomed into an annual crowd of 50 or more, most in costume. They gather for revelry, games and Foster’s themed eats and treats.
“I’m still making my menu for this year,” she told The Dispatch Monday.
She mixes it up each Halloween, brewing new ideas and searching the internet for innovative dishes. Three items, however, are always on the table — Halloween cupcakes, mummy dogs and mummy cookies. These are always in howling demand. The cookies are Nutter Butters dipped in melted white chocolate, or drizzled with white chocolate to mimic mummy wrapping. The eyes are tiny chocolate morsels.
“And the mummy dogs are always eaten up, to the last crumb,” said Foster of the savory mini-mummies she makes with Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies and crescent rolls.
Other ghoulish fare she’s served has included goodies like a black pepper cheese ball spider, with gangly bell pepper legs and olive eyes. Or a taco dip graveyard, topped with tortilla headstones and diced olive “dirt.” (Use cookie cutters on soft tortillas for desired shapes like headstones; just bake for a few minutes to crisp them up.)
“There are so many ideas, it’s hard to choose which ones to do,” Foster laughed. “Just thinking about it, I come up with so many things I’d like to do — like I want to make pumpkin cupcakes or s’mores cupcakes … ”
Foster recounted how she discovered her creative baking streak only about 10 years ago, after signing up for a Wilton cake class held at Bevill State Community College. She’s originally from Millport, Alabama.
“I like to cook, but I love baking. If there’s a holiday, my family knows I’m bringing a cake or cupcakes. I think Halloween and Christmas are my favorites for decorating cupcakes. I really love cupcakes because you can do so much with them and make each one different.”
Pattycakes
As more and more people enjoyed Foster’s sweets on various occasions, requests for them started coming in. She began taking orders. She calls her home baking enterprise Pattycakes and launched a Facebook page (facebook.com/jf.pattycakes). She gladly bakes for a variety of celebrations, from birthdays to baby showers. But with four active boys — John Parker, 10; Gabriel, 9; Lukas, 7; and Jaxson, 2 — these days she has to be discerning about taking on huge projects like the eight-tier octagon wedding cake she made in the past.
“Those take more time than what I have to give right now,” she said.
When it comes to serious baking, husband Chris often steps in with a useful assist: “He’s the keep-the-kids-out-of-the-kitchen person,” Foster smiled. He has a real talent for decorating for parties, too.
Holidays like Halloween, Foster said, are ideal opportunities to get creative in the kitchen. Try out one of her easy party recipes below, or search the internet for other frightfully clever ideas to please ghosts, goblins and princesses — no matter their age.
TACO DIP CEMETERY
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1-2 cups cheese
2-3 cooked chicken breast (finely chopped)
1/3 cup ranch salad dressing
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
Shredded lettuce
Soft tortilla shells
Chopped ripe olives
MUMMY DOGS
32 Hillshire Farm Lit’l Smokies
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
Mustard or ketchup
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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