I Vant To Suck Your Blood

I am a straight and narrow person. Most of the time I don't wear a lot of makeup, my skin is 85% covered, and my hair is my natural colour, long, and straight.

But all that changes on Halloween. If I dress up, I cover myself in makeup, depending on my costume the ratio of my clothes and skin may change, and my hair is never the same colour or style.

I didn't dress up this year and sadly we didn't get a single trick or treater, but I did watch the costume parade where I work. And it was great.

Snow White and his Seven Dwarfs marched and sang about being off to work. Four Black Swan ballerinas demonstrated their talents to a choreographed routine. One man dressed as he would normally except he showed off large fangs when he smiled ominously. And then Michael Jackson and his slew of zombies danced to Thriller.

My favourites were the zombies and the vampire because what's Halloween without a little blood and gore?

If you're interested in a little extra blood and gore, try my Blood Soup with Bone Croutons. It's great anytime of year.

Tomato Pumpkin "Blood" Soup with Bone Croutons

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 cups of chicken stock, homemade or purchased
1 large can of whole tomatoes, liquid drained but reserved
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 pinch of salt and pepper
8 pieces of thick bread
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Bake tomatoes on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until they begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.

2. While tomatoes are cooking, cook carrots, celery, and onion with olive oil in a large soup pot at medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.

3.  Add tomatoes, pumpkin puree, and chicken stock to the soup pot and let cook on medium heat until flavours meld, about another 15 minutes.

4. Cut bread into bone shapes with a knife. Slather with butter and dust with cheese. Put bone croutons in the oven and cook at 375 until they turn brown and crispy, about 20 minutes.

5. Puree soup with an immersion blender and add cream to richen the soup and vinegar to give it a bit of a "bite".

6. Serve with bone croutons and enjoy!

My mom used to serve her version of Blood Soup with Bone Croutons in a pumpkin. Sadly, my pumpkin didn't get hollowed out yet, but stay tuned for what I'm going to do with it later this week!

Duh duh duh...