(Jennifer Cecil/The Palm Beach Post)

– @aGuyOnClematis

MoonFest is the craziest Halloween Party in South Florida. Last year 70,000 people descended onto Clematis St. and all by all accounts it will be as big or bigger this coming Saturday.

What to Expect from MoonFest

MoonFest is a Halloween costume party. The party is focused on the stage and live music on the 500 block of Clematis, however each establishment on Clematis will bring something to the party.

Some parts of Clematis St., specifically the 300 and 200 blocks, will be filled wall to wall with people. With all the costumes and music it can take 45 minutes to walk the five blocks of Clematis Street. If you don’t like crowds, and lots of loud music, it is very likely that you won’t enjoy MoonFest.

Traveling east, we have Respectables and The Lounge on the 500 block. Last year there were amusement park style rides on Quadrille and a DJ party on the 400 block. The 300 block will have parties at Roxy’s Pub and Off the Hookah. On the 200 block we’ll have Dr. Feelgoods, Roccos Tacos and Monarchy. These parties will be packed so if you plan on going, make sure you get in early. To the east Bradley’s and Gratify bring the party to the waterfront. Seeing that this is a big event the Don Lounge and Mystique may be open.

There will be drinks and food sold on the street. Again, get your food early – last year almost every restaurant ran out of food and had to shut down early.

MoonFest is not a child friendly event and as the night moves on the party gets progressively more crazy. Get a sitter for the evening.

MoonFest photos through the years | Invite friends, more | More from @aGuyOnClematis

The party goes until 2am, at which point the streets will be cleared so don’t expect to be out after that.

Getting in and out of MoonFest

There is no parking anywhere near downtown, so if at all possible, don’t bring your car. If you bring your car and arrive after 10pm, do not under any circumstances drive it east of Quadrille or north of Fern and expect to find parking.

The Kravis Center will be playing “Mamma Mia” starting at 8pm. This will cause extra congestion around Cityplace and down Okeechobee when it is letting out. If you’re leaving downtown between 10:30 and 12pm, it may be quicker to drive south on S Dixie Hwy to Belvedere or Southern Blvd and get onto I95 from there.

Enjoying MoonFest

With 70,000 people downtown, the absolute BEST way to enjoy MoonFest is to find a “base camp” away from Clematis St.

If you have a friend who lives in a condo downtown such as 610 Clematis, The Strand, The Whitney, City Palms, etc. invite yourself to their party and then plan to venture into Clematis every few hours to enjoy the party without having to get a drink or the urgency of having to find a restroom to empty your bladder.

If you have a boat, get in early and dock on the waterfront (and then call me so I can hang with you)!

Get R.I.P (VIP) MoonFest Tickets! For $50 (in advance) or $60 at the door you can have access to the VIP area on the 500 block. This includes a free buffet until midnight, open bar, and most attractively, bathrooms. The tickets are well worth the price.

The Music

The band to watch is our very own Dharmata. if you haven’t heard them before they are a Reggae/Rock mix with enough energy to get any party started. They will be performing inside Respectables at 8:30pm.

Also playing are: Million Young, Under every green tree, BROBRAH Nation, Sweet Chariots, Darling Sweets, Luna Rex, Hard Richards, Band in Heaven.

(Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)

WEST PALM BEACH
SPOOKY ART
Art After Dark hosts its Halloween Bash from 6 to 9 p.m. today , at the Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave. The House of Flying Cards returns; the museum will host a witches’ brew-off; plus psychic readings and a special reggae-rock performance by Fresh Catch. Free for members and children 12 and younger; $12 adults, $5 for ages 13-21. Info: Invite friends, nearby restaurants, more.

PALM BEACH GARDENS
LATIN NIGHT
The second annual Latin American Food and Wine Festival takes place 5:30-9 p.m. today , at Midtown at the Gardens, 4801 PGA Blvd. Enjoy the latest wines from up-and-coming regions of Chile, Argentina and Brazil, observe first-hand how cigar makers hand-roll and taste menu items with a Latin twist from more than 10 restaurants. Tickets: $35, includes a customized wine glass. Info: Invite friends, directions, more.

JUPITER
CAMP SCHOLARSHIP FUND-RAISER
The Happy Camper Foundation hosts its annual Ghouls Gone Wild 3 Halloween Bash from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday , at Abacoa Golf Club, 105 Barbados Drive. Features psychic readings, photo booths, costume contests, an open bar, light fare and spooky surprises, emceed by popular Wild 95.5 morning show host, Virginia Lang. The theme is Psych Ward. Tickets: $100 at the door. Info: Directions, invite friends, more.

Indiantown
RIDE ‘EM, COWBOYS!
The Rodeo returns to Indiantown’s Timer Powers Park on Citrus Boulevard at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday . Sanctioned by the Professional Cowboy Rodeo Association and the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association, seven events will be featured each night. The Southern rock band Fallen performs. Tickets: $15 adults, $8 children 12 and younger. Available at Seacoast National Bank branches. Gates open at 5 p.m. Info: (772) 597-2184; www.indiantown.org.

Jai L'Bait eats fire during the Hellzapoppin Sideshow Revue at the South Florida Fairgrounds. (Bruce R. Bennett/Palm Beach Post)

Photo slide show: The Circus Sideshow Reimagined

If you like your shows with a politically incorrect flavor, the Hellzapoppin show at Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds has it. Freaks and geeks, the Lizard Man, a living breathing man/iguana, a wolf boy, and a one-armed burlesque dancer round out this crew of crazy performers.

This sideshow revue combines the mystique side shows of the past with cutting-edge effects. They’ve taken the stunts of old – sword swallowing, fire-eating and contortion – and upgraded them to an art. See the blade box, Western bullwhip demonstrations and electrical death defying stunts.

The performers say they love to see jaws dropping and having someone faint at a show is the ultimate compliment. The performances, costumes and makeup are all polished and professional.

They’ve appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the National Geographic Channel, even the History Channel. They are even the subject of a new reality TV show being produced by America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel.

Hellzapoppin Sideshow Review

When: During Fright Nights

Where: South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach

Admission: Free with Fright Nights admission

Info: Invite friend, directions, more.

Computerized holiday light displays have become the hot new thing, but have mostly been limited to Christmas.

Now a home in Los Angeles has taken it to the next level with a Halloween display synchronized to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.”

The house features several Jack-O-lantern displays that appear to be singing along to the music.

The video is nearing 700,000 views on YouTube.

For Halloween events, haunted houses, photo galleries and more, check out the pbpulse.com Halloween Headquarters.

One of the many ghouls to be found at Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds. (Bruce R. Bennett / Palm Beach Post)

When the creative director takes pride in scaring people out of their wits, you know you’ve got a real strong contender for a local favorite among haunted houses.

Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds is the winner of our Taking Your Pulse poll for favorite haunted house or attraction, picking up 39.4 percent of the vote this week.

Fright Nights’ creative director, Craig McInnis, has said that he doesn’t mind it when people exit the particular haunts earlier than usual.

X-Scream, the G-Star School’s annual attraction, took second place at 24.4 percent, followed by HighTechScience.org’s annual Sound, Light, Animatronic & Laser Show in Boca Raton at 18.3 percent.

Rounding out the top five were the Palm Beach Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo and the Haunted Hammock at Jupiter’s River Center.

Gaining the most write-in votes was Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Orlando, proof that some people will go a long way to get scared.

Click here for the full results.

(AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Ready for Halloween? Find events near you, check out our pumpkin patch map and much more!

Why should Thanksgiving have all the fun? Let Halloween in on the pumpkin pie action by turning the classic autumnal dessert into a punch.

This blend of spices, apple cider and ginger ale is delicious and rich, yet still refreshing. And it’s easily adapted. Leave it as is for children, but add vodka or rum for an adult version.

Also, consider continuing the pie theme by baking up some pumpkin gingerbread cookies (think crust) for dunking in glasses of the punch.

Pumpkin Pie Punch

Serves: 1 1/2 gallons

Preparation: 10 minutes

15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 gallon apple cider

2-liters ginger ale, cold

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Add the apple cider and whisk until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Chill.

In a large punch bowl, gently stir together the cider-pumpkin mixture and the ginger ale. Serve with ice.

Which local scare-fest does it for you? (Taylor Jones / Palm Beach Post file)

People take their scares very seriously around here.

There are several haunted houses and Halloween attractions in Palm Beach County, each with their own style.

Which one is your local favorite?

Vote for yours in our poll. Don’t see your favorite? Click on “other” and give us a write-in. If there are enough write-ins, we’ll include it in the poll.

We’ll give you the results Monday.

A trio of the spooky actors for Fright Nights this year at the South Florida Fairgrounds. (Courtesy Fright Nights)

The challenge is thrown in front of Craig McInnis every year.

The creative director of Fright Nights has to come up with something bigger and scarier than the year before, and try to frighten a public that seems more and more numb to the things that go bump.

Not surprisingly, he’s up for it.

"We’ve seen people leaving through the backs of these houses before," McInnis said, "and while we want you to enjoy the event, I feel like if I’ve seen that, then I’ve done my job."

Directions, leave your own review | More Halloween events, tips

Here are five reasons to get your fright on at the South Florida Fairgrounds, beginning tonight and running on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 29.

1. Freakers is back: McInnis calls this his "baby" – it’s probably the most basic of ideas, taking childhood fears and turning it into a haunted house. But it’s really effective.

2. The inmates have taken over: Hollow Hill centers on an asylum which has been locked down because of a brutal winter. Something’s happened to the staff, and the inmates are definitely in charge.

3. Scares, bayou style: Hex is based on the frights of the Louisiana swamp, so expect the outcome of what happens when the dark arts get involved down there: Perhaps a zombie? Or two?

4. Scare zones: McInnis and his crew have designed "scare zones" which event-goers must check out in order to get through the "haunts." Among them is the space-oriented LV13, the spooky Scrapyard and the medical nightmare Infected.

5. Rides and more: As always, a few of the more thrilling rides at the fairgrounds will be open, including the High Flyer and Zero Gravity.

FRIGHT NIGHTS

Thursdays

I grew up with a really craft mother, so buying a Halloween costume was never an option. I always had a handmade outfit courtesy of mom. Even though I didn’t inherit her crafty skills, I still prefer making my Halloween costumes.

Like PARADE covergirl Betty White, all it takes is a little imagination and some simple accessories. Here are five easy tips for crafting your very own Halloween costume with items straight from your closet.

• Devil in a Blue Dress: A blue dress or a skirt and top. Add red devil horns and a pitch fork.
• Fallen Angel: All black — top, pants, or skirt paired with a black halo and angle wings. (Be sure to bend the wings and add a little dark make-up.)
• Playboy Bunny: Cut off the collar and cuffs from a tuxedo shirt. Add a black bow tie, bunny ears, and a fluffy tail, and mix a black top and skirt from your closet for the perfect look.
• New Jersey Reality TV Star: Anything from your wardrobe that is over-the-top and/or from the 1980′s/1990′s. (An old prom dress or something tight and short would work well, too.) Be sure to apply the bronzer and self tanner liberally and add some teased big hair for the perfect touch!
• Sports Player: The easiest of the bunch (and my last minute go-to). Just grab your husband or boyfriend’s favorite sports jersey and pair with athletic pants. If it’s way too big, add a belt and make it into something stylish. Don’t forget your sports accessories like a football helmet, black smudge marks under the eye, a baseball hat, etc.

CHECK OUT MORE EASY IDEAS WITH SOME CELEBRITY INSPIRATION >>

Q How did Ryan Reynolds celebrate Halloween growing up in Canada?—E . Silverman, Ithaca, N.Y.

Quiz: Test Your Phobia IQ!

A Reynolds, 34—whose new film, Buried, has a serious fear factor—says Oct. 31 was more like the Fourth of July for him and his family. “Where I grew up in Vancouver, we had a kind of bottle-rocket festival in the park,” he explains. “Everybody would be shooting them into the air—b ut by the end of the night, we’d be aiming at each other. So it wasn’t the safest place to be running around.” As for costumes, he reveals, “I’d always dress up as somebody who was dead, like Elvis.” Next year, look for Reynolds’ superhero character in Green Lantern to be a Halloween fave. “It’s made me a hero with all my nieces and nephews,” he says.

Since Langerado, South Florida’s spring music festival that ran from 2003 to 2008, this area hasn’t had much in the way of a major festival to bring together these sorts of acts. The closest have been festivals in Live Oak or St. Augustine.

On Saturday, Halloween-themed Southern Monster Smash brings the family back down to the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre.

The Smash’s bill includes J.J. Grey and Mofro, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpsta­phunk, The Heavy Pets, The Lee Boys with Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, The Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, Hill Country Revue, Crazy Fingers and The Auctioneers.

Grey, whose latest Mofro album, Georgia Warhorse, was recently released, hasn’t been in a festival setting in South Florida since performing at Langerado in 2007. He said he’s glad to see the family vibe return.

"Something like this does make it more of a family," Grey said in a telephone interview. "You don’t know what’s going to happen until the smoke clears. The thing I like about it is getting to sit in with these guys and letting it happen. I’ve sat in before with people when the managers of the bands try to set it up and it’s just not the same."

The Heavy Pets, who built a following in South Florida before releasing their self-titled album and touring all over this year, credit Langerado with helping them become as strong a band as they are, and also are happy to see a festival return.

"We grew up as a band with Langerado," said guitarist/vocalist Jeff Lloyd. "It was an incredible experience."

For Grey, festivals like this hold a special place.

"Don’t get me wrong, I love playing clubs too," Grey said. "But there are so many bands on the roster that we’ve worked with before. It’s going to be a lot of fun."

The Smash is truly a family experience. There will be a costume contest, and admission is free for those younger than 5. In addition, those who buy tickets at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale will receive a free ticket to that venue’s New Year’s Eve show with The Lee Boys and The Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio.

If you go:

SOUTHERN MONSTER SMASH: Pompano Beach Amphitheatre; Saturday, 11 a.m. Tickets: $48, available at Ticketmaster outlets, LiveNation.com or Ticketmaster.com

Inspired by Halloweens most iconic candies these candy corn cupcakes are a totally different take on the familiar yellow, orange and white treat. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

CANDY CORN CUPCAKES

No actual candy corn is harmed in the making of this recipe. But there would be nothing stopping you from sprinkling a few over the white frosting.

To get these cupcakes to bake up with clear distinctions between the yellow and orange layers of the cake, the recipe uses a pound cake batter, rather than a traditional (and lighter) yellow cake batter. The result is a rich and hearty cupcake.

Makes 16

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Yellow and orange gel food coloring

FOR THE FROSTING:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 325°. Lightly coat the cups of a muffin tin with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar. Beat for 5 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and orange extracts.

In a liquid measuring cup with a pour spout, beat together the whole eggs, yolks and cream. With the mixer on medium-high, a bit at a time pour the eggs into the butter-sugar mixture. This should take about 5 minutes.

Using a spoon or silicone spatula, gently but thoroughly fold the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture.

Divide the batter into 2 bowls, one having slightly more batter than the other. Add several drops of yellow food coloring to the bowl with slightly more batter, then gently mix in until evenly colored. Repeat using orange coloring for the second bowl of batter.

Divide the orange batter between the cups of the prepared muffin tin.

Transfer the yellow batter to a medium zip-close bag. Snip off one corner, then gently squeeze (pipe) the batter over the orange batter in each cup, creating 2 layers of colored cake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar and milk until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

To finish the cupcakes, overturn them so the bottoms face up. If the tops are too rounded for them to sit flat once overturned, they can be trimmed with a serrated knife.

Transfer the frosting to a zip-close bag. Cut off one corner of the bag, then squeeze the frosting into a slightly pointed mound on top of each cupcake.

— Alison Ladman, The Associated Press

JACK-O’-LANTERN COOKIES

In this cookie sandwich we’ve taken a chewy gingerbread pumpkin cut-out cookie and added fun jack-o’-lantern faces and a lightly sweetened cream-cheese filling. (For another fall theme, the cookies also could be made with leaf-shaped cutters.)

If your dough gets too warm, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes for easier cutting.

Makes 20 cookie sandwiches

FOR THE COOKIES:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup milk

FOR THE FILLING:
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the cookies, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, salt and baking soda.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer beat together the butter and brown sugar. Mix in the molasses and milk, then the dry ingredients. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, and working with half the dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 4-inch pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter (and rerolling scraps as needed) cut out a total of 40 cookies.

Use a paring knife or very small cutters to cut out a jack-o-lantern face on 20 of the cookies. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between each cookie. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Transfer the cookies to a rack and allow to cool.

To make the filling, in a medium bowl use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Add a tablespoon of filling to the bottom cookies (without faces) and spread to within a 1/4 inch of the edges. Place a top cookie on each to create a sandwich. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator between layers of waxed paper or parchment.

— Alison Ladman, The Associated Press

This recipe calls for homemade grenadine, which resembles blood in this vampire-inspired cocktail. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

VAMPIRE BITE

Recipe adapted from Jonathan Pogash of Bookmarks Lounge in New York.

Dracula doesn’t drink cocktails. At least not those served over ice. But if he did, he might like New York City mixologist Jonathan Pogash’s Vampire Bite, a deep red concoction inspired by movies like Nosferatu and 30 Days of Night.

Pogash, bartender at Bookmarks Lounge, sees two ways to approach Halloween. One is to go the locavore route and take advantage of seasonal ingredients. Or, you can use ripe blood oranges and grenadine and practice a “gore is more” aesthetic.

NOTE: This recipe calls for homemade grenadine, which resembles blood in this vampire-inspired cocktail. Don’t be tempted to use purchased grenadine, as it is too sweet, too thin and will change the flavor of the drink. And if blood oranges aren’t available, use a slice of regular orange that has been soaked in the “blood.” If you have trouble finding tamarind soda (check the grocer’s ethnic aisle), tamarind juice can blended with seltzer water.

Serves 1, plus extra ‘blood’

FOR THE GRENADINE ‘BLOOD’:
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
Several drops orange flower water

FOR THE COCKTAIL:
Ice
1 1/2 ounces silver tequila
1/2 ounce Campari
1 ounce blood orange juice
2 ounces tamarind soda
1/2 ounce grenadine ‘blood’
1 slice blood orange (optional)

To make the grenadine “blood,” in a small saucepan over high heat, combine the pomegranate juice and sugar. Bring to a boil and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange flower water, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled.

In a highball glass filled with ice, combine the tequila, Campari, blood orange juice and soda. Lightly stir, then top with grenadine “blood.” Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

— Michelle Locke, The Associated Press

With 'slime' oozing down the glass, this sangria is far more delicious than your eyes may be telling you it is. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

HALLOWEEN SWAMP SANGRIA

Up the gore factor of this Halloween sangria — designed to resemble swamp water but to taste like a sweet autumnal nectar — by adding a drizzle of green swamp slime to the rim of the serving glasses.

Making edible slime is a snap. In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together a few drops of green gel food coloring and about 1/2 cup of glucose syrup (light corn syrup also can be used), which is available online and at baking and craft stores.

One at a time, overturn each glass and dunk it, twisting, into the syrup. Turn the glasses right side up and fill with swamp sangria. The green slime will slowly drip down the sides of the glass.

Serves 12
1 small bunch fresh basil
2 tablespoons sugar
750-milliliter bottle mead (honey wine), chilled
1 cup calvados (apple brandy), chilled
6 cups apple cider, chilled
Juice of 1 lemon

In a large pitcher, combine the basil and sugar. Use a wooden spoon to mash the basil into the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Serve well chilled.

— Alison Ladman, The Associated Press

Day of the Dead dessert bread, or pan de muertos, is a yeasty, sweet Mexican treat served on the Day of the Dead holiday. (Photo courtesy of Food Network)

Day of the Dead arrives in Mexico once Halloween is over north of the border, after the ghouls and goblins of the suburbs are back in their school uniforms, after the Star Trek garb and the French maid costumes have been sent to the cleaners and the Sarah Palin look-alike get-up has been put away.

It arrives not with horror nights and haunted houses, but with festive altars and dishes to honor the dearly departed. The dead are feasted with their favorite recipes, with bittersweet memories — and, of course, those bright, joyful Day of the Dead sugar skulls.

The two-day holiday, which begins Monday, fuses All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and echoes an ancient indigenous belief that the souls of our loved ones return to visit once a year. And when they return, they are to be properly feted.

Chef Marcela Valladolid has celebrated Día de los Muertos on both sides of the border.

She grew up in Tijuana and now lives in San Diego, where she tapes her Food Network show, Mexican Made Easy (airing Saturday mornings at 9:30).

The centerpiece of those celebrations is the Pan de Muertos, the iconic dessert bread that is the most traditional Day of the Dead dish.

“At my house, my mom would make this and then put it on the table with hot mugs of Mexican hot chocolate for dipping,” she says.

Chef Valladolid has celebrated holiday on both sides of the border.

“My favorite part, and perfect for dunking, are the crusty bone-shaped pieces of dough on the top!”

Almost like an Easter bread, this yeasty, sweet Mexican treat has been served on the Day of the Dead holiday for decades, says Food Network chef Marcela Valladolid.

“The formations on the top of the sweet loaf are meant to resemble bones as it is put on the altar (with some more of the deceased’s favorite dishes) to entice and then nourish the departed.”

Pan de Muertos (Day of the Dead Dessert Bread)

1/2 ounce active dry yeast (21/4-ounce envelopes)
4 ounces luke warm water
1 pound all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
7 egg yolks
1 stick unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for melting
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons orange zest, from about 1 orange
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
2 tablespoon anise water (recipe follows)

FOR STARTER: Dissolve yeast in water add 4 oz flour, 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix until a paste forms. Cover with a damp towel. Set aside in a warm place ideally about 70° — until the dough has doubled in volume, about 4 hours (dough will ferment).

FOR DOUGH: In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the dough hook, mix the rest of flour, salt and sugar to combine. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, orange zest, anise water and orange blossom water and add to the flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated. Add shortening and butter and mix. Incorporate the starter and mix for 12 minutes, until you have a slightly sticky, smooth, shiny dough that just holds its shape. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and form into a round cushion shape.

Butter a clean bowl and dust well with flour and place the dough in it. Cover with greased waxed paper and a towel, and set aside in a warm place, about 70°, until it is almost doubled in size, about 11/2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide into two equal pieces. Set one piece aside under plastic wrap while you work with the first.

Take three-fourths of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Press it out to a circle about 8 inches in diameter — it should be about 1 inch thick. Press around the edge of the dough to form a narrow ridge of about 1 inch — like the brim of a hat — and transfer to one of the baking sheets. Let rest for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Divide the remaining one-quarter of dough into four equal parts. Roll one piece into a smooth ball — that will be the head. Roll out the other three pieces into strips about 8 inches long, forming knobs as you do it.

Preheat the oven to 375°. At the end of the rising period, place the three ‘bones’ at regular intervals across the dough with the round ball in the middle and make two indentations for ‘eyes.’ Brush the surface of the dough with the beaten eggs and bake until well browned and springy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the heat off, open the oven door, and let the breads sit for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the breads to racks, brush with the melted butter, and sprinkle well with the sugar. It is best to let the breads cool off for about 2 hours before eating. If well stored, they will keep soft for several days and, in fact, improve in flavor.

FOR THE ANISE WATER:

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons anise seeds

In a small sauce pan pour the water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add anise seeds, let steep for 10 minutes, strain and let cool.

Moonfest returns to the 500 block of Clematis on Saturday. (Bruce R. Bennett / Post file photo)

More: Directions, nearby dining

Last year, Moonfest served as a kind of homecoming party for Surfer Blood after the West Palm Beach quintet came back from a successful run at the College Music Journal Music Marathon in New York.

This year, after a tour, Saturday’s Moonfest in downtown West Palm Beach is a chance for a few guys in the band to spread their wings a bit.

Three members of Surfer Blood – guitarist Thomas Fekete, bassist Brian Black and percussionist Marcos Marchesani – join with vocalist Nick Klein for the decidedly non-Surfer Blood sounding Weird Wives. This group is a much more industrial sounding band, along the lines of Big Black or Foetus.

(It’ll be a busy weekend for the three Surfer Blood members – their main band is slated to play Lake Worth’s Halloween Street Scene on the same day.)

With the choice of headliners, Moonfest has decided to go decidedly louder this year. In addition to Weird Wives, the fest will also see the New York-based noise-rock group A Place to Bury Strangers. But unlike Weird Wives, APTBS is much more akin to the wall-of-sound style of Jesus and Mary Chain.

Also appearing are The Freakin’ Hott, Band In Heaven, Normal American Sex, Woodman Hall, Bladesong, June Bug and the Reborn Highway, The Clementines, Under Every Green Tree and Value Meal Killah & The Snack Pack.

The bash begins at 7 p.m. on the 500 block of Clematis Street – which is where Respectable Street and O’Shea’s, among others, call home. There will also be carnival rides, two costume contests, a laser light show, food vendors and more. The party is free – though there is what organizers are calling the R.I.P. section that’s an extra $30 in advance or $40 the night of the party.

Two dozen zombies, their clothes spattered with fake blood, were staggering up and down the block Tuesday outside Madison Square Garden.

Some pedestrians looked startled or amused by the ghost-white actors with bruised-looking eyes. Some people ignored them entirely. Others whipped out their cell phone cameras.

The stunt was part of a campaign in 26 cities worldwide promoting the Halloween premiere of the AMC television series The Walking Dead.

The provost and dean of faculty at Brevard Community College in Cocoa is an avid horror fan and the author of “Psycho Paths: Tracking the Serial Killer Through Contemporary American Film and Fiction” and, most recently, “Making Murder: The Fiction of Thomas Harris.”

Harris wrote “Red Dragon,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and the “Hannibal” novels, which starred serial killer Hannibal Lecter and inspired blockbuster movies. Simpson says Harris’ tales have something in common with other horror stories: a monster.

“The uncanny element, which doesn’t necessarily have to be supernatural, can also be part of it,” he says. “And that’s where you get human beings that are so depraved in some way, they’re almost coded as monsters in the context of either the book or the film.”

Simpson, who talks about Harris on the documentary “The Silence of the Lambs: The Inside Story,” airing on the Biography Channel this week, thinks “Red Dragon” is even scarier.

“What this serial killer does is targets these happy families in the middle of the night and slaughters them, and that’s just a horrifying thought to me,” he says.

News media tend to portray real serial killers in a mythical way, too, Simpson says, though many are banal. “They make them larger than life. They tend to paint them as almost preternaturally cunning in some way. . . . They’re disguised. They’re the monster next door.”

Harris lets readers see through the eyes of his villains, evoking sympathy for them even as they kill.

“Harris’ view of human nature is that it’s bifurcated, it’s split right in two, and there’s always this struggle between one’s impulse toward mercy and one’s impulse toward murder,” Simpson says.

Simpson, meanwhile, is writing a vampire epic with the working title of “The Blood Scourge” and sees pop culture turning from the “domesticated” vampires of “Twilight” back to the bloodthirsty creature of the new film “Let Me In” and its European inspiration.

He chairs the Stephen King area for the Popular Culture Association and notes a resurgence of interest in horror.

“It’s tempting to relate it, at least in some indirect way . . . to the sense of vulnerability in all of our collective lives after 9/11,” he says. As always in horror films and books, “the monsters are metaphors of our fears and our concerns and our anxieties.”

In the context of 1950s fears, radiation created horror-movie monsters. Now, a zombie genre that has waxed and waned over time is exploding, and he suggests the undead represent a fear of the human other, of people as monsters, of worries about terrorism and plagues and wars.

“It’s fear of the faceless masses, and they’re coming to get us,” Simpson says with a chuckle.

The original: Lady Gaga wears the 'meat dress' at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Poll: Will you still wear a ‘meat dress’ costume?

The Lady Gaga meat dress is sure to be a Halloween hit this year, but butchers are warning against going “whole hog” — or steak, as it were.

Yahoo! reports that the “meat dress”, popularized after Lady Gaga wore a dress made of meat to the MTV Video Music Awards, is the most sought-after Halloween costume of 2010.

Butchers in New Jersey and New York had a slew of reasons not to construct a full-blown garment made of beef, including:

• sanitary concerns

• the chance it’d fall apart, with no connective tissue

• the price: depending on the cut of meat, it could run anywhere from $250 (according to NJ.com) to almost $2,000 (according to news.com.au).

• no insulation: meat gives you almost no protection from any weather elements.

One butcher, Ben Turley of The Brooklyn Kitchen and the Meat Hook in Williamsburg, said he would be willing to make a meat dress for between $1,500 to $2,000, and cautioned that the dress would be highly perishable and anyone willing to wear it “should only do so for a short period, no longer than three hours”.

After that, he said, “it’s going to get really wet, really smelly and disgusting and flies will start circling.”

(Links via NJ.com and news.com.au)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. ]]> http://www.pbpulse.com/gossip/celeb-stalker/2010/10/22/butchers-caution-against-lady-gaga-meat-dress-for-halloween-costume/feed/ 11 http://www.pbpulse.com/events/halloween-events/2010/10/22/linda-blair-highlights-slew-of-halloween-activities-at-coconut-creek-casino/ http://www.pbpulse.com/events/halloween-events/2010/10/22/linda-blair-highlights-slew-of-halloween-activities-at-coconut-creek-casino/#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:35:51 +0000 Kate Dingle http://www.pbpulse.com/?p=67094

New Century Dance Company performs its 'True Blood'-inspired piece earlier this month at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. (Christina Mendenhall/Ryan Merrill Photography)

More: Directions, nearby dining, more | Page2Live.com: ‘True Blood’ stars haunt area Halloween hype | Photos: Halloween events at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek | Local Halloween events, more

Each year, many South Florida residents are challenged with finding the perfect Halloween events to attend. And although a lot of people may not associate the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino with over-the-top entertainment, many might be surprised at their spectacular calendar of events for this coming All Hallows Eve.

With such recent events as extreme pumpkin carving (including specialized martinis) and the appearance of two members from one of TV’s hottest shows, True Blood (one of them being super hottie Joe Manganiello), one can’t help but wonder what’s next. Here’s a hint: thousands of dollars in cash and prizes and a horror-film icon.

We recently spoke with Heather Seely, the special events manager for the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino to find out what else they have up their sleeve for upcoming Halloween events.

Pbpulse: It seems as though Halloween is a month-long event, any particular reason why?

Heather Seely: Halloween is intrinsically theatrical so the possibilities are endless. Having a variety of Halloween related events throughout the month offers our casino the opportunity to appeal to a wide range of “baby boomers”. Guests that are “forever young” and young at heart!

An example would be the Extreme Pumpkin Weekend we had on Oct. 8-9. It incorporated traditional Halloween activities but at the same time those activities had a mature twist to them: pumpkin carving with a jigsaw and caramel-apple martinis!

Pbpulse:Why did you choose to have Linda Blair make an appearance this weekend?

Linda Blair

HS: The Creek’s Haunting October would not have been complete without a tribute to scary movies. Linda Blair is one of the most, if not the most recognized and respected icons of horror films. Her role as Regan in 1973’s The Exorcist is, to this day, considered a classic and will be for many generations to come.

Pbpulse:You recently had two True Blood cast members for a meet and greet. Tell us about that event.

HS: HBO’s True Blood is a show with an adult fan base so it seemed like a perfect fit for us to offer our “baby boomer” guests a True Blood Weekend as part of the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek’s Haunting October. The highlight of course was the meet-and-greet with heartthrob Joe Manganiello (who plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux) and Lindsay Pulsipher (werepanther Crystal Norris). In addition to the meet and greet we also offered “Fangbanger” cocktails made with the official HBO Tru Blood beverage, had a True Blood-inspired show performed by New Century Dance Company and we also decorated the player’s club and Nectar Lounge to look like a Louisiana swamp. The fans were so excited and had a great time!

Pbpulse: Tell us about the costume contest. I hear it’s a pretty big deal.

HS: The Seminole Casino Coconut Annual Halloween Costume Contest has been going on since we opened our doors ten years ago and guests who have been to our contest in the past will tell you that this is one event that is not to be missed! With $5,000 in cash and prizes the participants that enter are nothing short of outstanding. The most creative South Floridians come out to display their costume talents. The contest is Saturday, Oct. 30 and we encourage all guests 21 and over to attend. Registration begins at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m. with parade and judging beginning at 11 p.m.

Pbpulse: Why should Palm Beach County residents choose the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino for their Halloween festivities?

HS: We have the most unique and entertaining events and promotions so guests are certain to have a lot of fun when they visit the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek! And with Boca Raton just one town north of us we are only minutes from Palm Beach County and easy to get to. Take the Sample Road exit off the Turnpike and go west.

Pbpulse: What upcoming events can we look forward to?

HS: Mark your calendars for our upcoming 4th Annual Sweet Dreams holiday events in December. Each year the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek decorates the property in a seasonal theme, offers the most delicious gourmet desserts, first class musical entertainment, celebrity guests and specialty drinks all while raising money for some of South Florida’s charities. And this year’s theme is sure to create a flurry of fun!

Linda Blair will be appearing at the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino this Saturday at 7 p.m. The event will is free and guests 21 and up are invited to come out and meet the film legend.

Clematis by Fright '09: Matias Perez, 10, of Greenacres waits to compete in the children's costume contest. (Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)

Clematis by Fright is the hot spot to chill this Thursday in downtown West Palm Beach. The popular weekly event takes a thrilling spin with even more free family fun than usual. Wear your best costume and party along with this week’s headlining band, Runner Runner. The five-piece band will play the best of its punk-infused pop.

Mighty Mongo also will perform on the Centennial Square stage at this special Halloween edition of Clematis by Night.

What: Clematis By Night featuring Runner Runner

When: 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday

Where: Centennial Square at the east end of Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach

Tickets: Free

Phone: (561) 822-1515

Some of the new do-it-yourself ideas for decorating, dressing and snacking this Halloween are downright spellbinding.

“The Best of Martha Stewart Halloween Handbook,” available in many grocery store checkout lines, is billed as a “bookazine” — half book, half magazine. It’s a sturdy compilation from the publishing empire that arguably sets the standards for decorating and entertaining.

The cover shows an enigmatically smiling Stewart dressed as a sorceress. Inside are ideas for elaborate costumes — a creepy mummy, a classic vampire, a ghost.

Decorating highlights include silhouettes that can be made and hung in windows, an idea that could be expanded to include creatures beyond the scary birds of prey that Stewart shows.

And for inside the home, projects include carving peeled apples into shrunken heads, something this reviewer hasn’t seen, or thought about, since she was a child 30 years ago. Shrunken heads — now that’s creepy.

There’s a chapter on pumpkin carving, with about a dozen projects. And entertaining ideas include the clever “pina ghouladas” for adults and “Boo-nilla shakes” for the kids.

Another book dedicated to Halloween crafts is “Witch Craft” (Quirk Books, 2010), with ideas for handmade accessories, decorations and treats. The kid snacks are perhaps its best feature, especially the chocolate marshmallow skulls and Peanut Butter & Jelly Skull Sandwiches.

My 11-year-old daughter can’t stop pulling tangerines out of the fridge to carve the citrus jack-o-lanterns she discovered in these crafty pages. (Anything goes when encouraging kids to eat fresh fruit, right?)

Crafts include spider earrings created with glass beads, and a clever idea that morphs a pair of inexpensive, slip-on Mary Janes into black cats, vampires or Frankenstein.

“Vampire Knits” (Potter Craft, 2010) tempts knitters with projects inspired by author Genevieve Miller’s fixation with the “Twilight” book and movie series. The patterns — for hooded sweaters, blood-red socks and a scarf that “drips” blood — may speak of the undead, but they’re beautifully envisioned. Most of these projects can be worn beyond Halloween, either as is or tweaked to remove their ghastly focus.

The standout projects are those that incorporate beautiful lace, cable or other intricate patterns, such as the “shapeshifter shrug,” with its grapevine pattern.

In her introduction, Miller says she enlisted the help of her online knitting community at Ravelry.com to provide otherworldly patterns, from demure to sexy.

“Some of us are knitwear designers, but many of us are students, professionals, or stay-at-home moms who love to knit and design,” Miller says.

___

Happy Pumpkin Family

Adapted from “The Best of Martha Stewart Halloween Handbook”

Supplies:

Pumpkins, in various sizes

Natural objects, for decorating (berries, nuts, leaves, twigs, pumpkin seeds, flowers, pine cones, gourds, carrots, Swiss chard, etc.)

Wooden skewers

Wax pencil

Miniature saw

Spoon

Stapler and staples

Waxed twine

Wood gouge (optional)

Assembly:

1. Gather a variety of natural objects to make clothing, accessories and facial features.

2. For bodies, use pumpkins in a range of sizes. Remove stems (except on the top-most pumpkin, if you want to incorporate the stem into the design), stack and secure them with wooden skewers.

3. For faces, trace object you will use for each feature onto pumpkin with wax pencil; use miniature saw and then a spoon to scoop out an opening slightly smaller than traced lines. Lay object on opening and press to wedge it in.

4. Poke holes for small objects such as twigs and leaf stems using a skewer. Push in staples to hold “hair,” such as a cedar branch. For glasses, twist a 2-foot-long twig into the shape of spectacles; tie in places through lenses with waxed twine. For an apron, tie several leaves of Swiss chard onto twine. To make a child’s hat, cut a small pumpkin in half horizontally; scallop edge of top with a round wood gouge.

___

Online:

http://www.marthastewart.com

http://www.ravelry.com

The Rocky Horror Show, precursor to the forever-popular Rocky Horror Picture Show, is a gleefully silly sendup of B-grade horror flicks, those goofball movies that get spoofed on TV’s Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Richard O’Brien’s musical, first unleashed on camp-craving audiences in 1973, breaks most of theater’s stodgier rules.

Are you moved to shout at the actors? Go right ahead. Feel like getting in on the action by tossing things at the stage? Be the Rocky Horror gang’s guest. Want to dress like the gals and ghouls onstage? Please do.

In the run-up to Halloween, the Slow Burn Theatre Company is launching its second season at the West Boca Performing Arts Theatre with an out-there, impressively delivered Rocky Horror Show. (Slow Burn isn’t alone in linking Rocky Horror and Halloween: On Tuesday’s episode of Glee, titled The Rocky Horror Glee Show, the kids do Rocky Horror as their annual school musical. See it at 8 p.m. on WSVN-Fox 7.)

Like many a B movie, Rocky follows the misadventures of a pair of innocents who cross paths with deranged villains. The very square Brad (Noah Levine) and his fiancé Janet (Alexa Cappiello) wind up “guests” at a castle occupied by mad scientist Frank N. Furter (Larry Buzzeo), a doc who does his experiments while decked out in a corset, nylons, heels and enough makeup to deplete a MAC Cosmetics counter.

The doc is assisted by brother-and-sister servants Riff-Raff (Rick Peña) and Magenta (Renata Eastlick), a third sidekick Columbia (Anne Chamberlain) and various “Phantoms” (Troy Davidson, Arturo Sierra, Vance Vlasek, Mary Gundlach, Sabrina Gore and Ysenia Iglesias).

Brad and Janet get to witness the “birth” of Frank’s state-of-the-art creation Rocky (Miguel Quintero), a creature with a physique far more impressive than his brain. Still, Rocky turned out better than Frank’s previous life-creating experiment Eddie (Clay Cartland), who reappears only to be swiftly dismembered by his flamboyant transvestite creator.

During their ill-fated stay at the castle, Brad and Janet both lose their innocence (OK, their virginity) courtesy of that trickster Frank. And both wind up in Frank-like garb for a sex-crazed floor show. The plot, stitched together by a deadpan Narrator (Matthew Korinko), is on par with a B movie script, which is to say ridiculous.

The fun of Rocky Horror lies not in its artfulness but in its free-for-all inclusion.

If you’ve ever been to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show, you know the drill: Whenever Brad’s full name is spoken, you yell “a**hole” at him. Likewise, the pure-as-snow Janet gets called “slut.” You throw rice during the wedding scene and wave glow sticks as the cast sings There’s a Light in the Darkness. Slow Burn doesn’t allow hot dogs or toast (messy and dangerous for the actors) or open flames (Frank N. Furter aside), but the company will sell you a bag of tossable props for $5.

Under director-choreographer Patrick Fitzwater and musical director Phil Hinton, Slow Burn delivers a way-hot Rocky Horror, with strong work from designers Ian T. Almeida (sets), Traci Almeida (sound), Lance Blank (lighting) and the multitasking Peña (costumes). Buzzeo rules the roost as the magnetically shameless Frank, but Rocky Horror also features a breakout performance by Eastlick, who rocks out as Magenta and the scene-setting Usherette.

You can, of course, throw stuff at your TV during Tuesday’s Glee. But why rob yourself of misbehaving in the company of others — and having the Slow Burn crew clean up the evidence?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There were superheroes and vampires, Ghostbusters, rockers and zombies — and that was just in the audience.

Onstage, there were even more outrageous characters at the annual Scream Awards on Saturday night — Spike TV’s tribute to horror, sci-fi, comics and fantasy. The fan-fueled show at L.A.’s Greek Theater welcomed scores of stars and hundreds of costumed fans.

On a spectacular stage that looked like a warped Metropolis flanked by two gargoyle-rimmed platforms, Halle Berry, Megan Fox, Don Cheadle, Kelly Osbourne, Mickey Rourke and dozens of other famous faces treated the crowd to hours of pop-culture indulgence.