Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Show and Tell: October 2015 with Hostess Pumpkin Spice Twinkies and Donettes


The final week of October around our house isn't too dissimilar to a play before opening night. There's scheduling issues to work out, props to double check, not to mention all the last minute touches. Jut last night we filmed, edited, encoded, etc this years cable access special. Tonight I should commence work on PVC characters for the front yard. None of this comes without some sacrifice. I've already burned one finger and my hands will most certainly be cracked & bleeding by Friday night given the sheer quantity of pumpkins to carve. It's all worth it for that one night when our house becomes a hotspot of activity. Folks really get into the Halloween spirit when they swing by for a baggie of candy and witness all the nonsense scattered in every inch of the yard. Of course one should always leave time to sit and enjoy the ambiance. So how's about while I watch Mad Monster Party, we go through another round of show & tell?

Those are the lanterns which lead to my finger injury. I've actually owned them for well over a year. It wasn't until I found a couple bags of beads with accompanying ghosts & skulls that I finally had an idea for something to do with them. Two hours with a glue gun, complete with the smell of burnt flesh yielded three fine item to hang from the tress. Unfortunately each one is missing it's bottom hatch which means I'll be taping glow sticks inside. The effect will should prove to be otherworldly at best, and not unlike inbred hillbilly art at worst.

Also on the crafty front are these wall pumpkins. You might remember when I bought these during last month's crazed shopping spree. Well I finally carved into them this past week and they didn't come out half bad. Picking out a pattern for these is possibly the most difficult part of the process. The design can't be too complicated or flimsy as you risk destroying the fake pumpkin, at the same time it has to be something cool enough to warrant keeping around. Somewhat classical jack o'lantern faces seemed like the best option overall and even those provided plenty of nerve racking moments. Since you're dealing with a hollow half pumpkin, there's very little material to provide leverage and support so I was sweating bullets with every fresh slice.

Also on the pumpkin front, I was able to get my paws on a box of Pumpkin Spice Twinkies last week. Supposedly these are only available from Kroger though it seems like something they'd like to keep secret as they're own employees couldn't find them for me. Thankfully my niece spotted a display near the entrance or I woulda come home empty handed. And that would be a shame cause ohh boy these are tasty. Similar to the cupcakes, Hostess didn't hold back on flavor. Think of something more along the lines of an actual pumpkin pie mutated into a mini frosted cake with strong cinnamon sprinkles.

If you're in the market for a more laid back pumpkin spice experience, Hostess donettes may be the treat for you. I'd pretty much ignored these all season, opting instead for proper doughnuts but yesterday brought some stress as I tried to replace pumpkins that prematurely rotted and many local stores seem to think those things are unnecessary during the week of Halloween. Fucking twits! These lil dough rings helped to sooth that anger with some nice sweet flavor.

Of course nothing goes better with baked goods than lovely coffee and Donut Shop brand has given us something unique in the form of Sweat Maple Cream. Don't run away in disgust just yet. Even some of this household's maple haters had to admit this is pretty decent stuff. The experience is a good bit different than what you'd expect, coming across as an almost creamy chai style drink. Don't have the nutritional info on hand but the caffeine content seems pretty low as I've been able to warm up with a mug late at night without much of a boost.

Naturally staying up late means there's plenty of time for viewing plentiful amounts of horror movies. Every Halloween I try to have a batch of previously unseen flicks to send the holiday out in style. UPS was nice enough to deliver Saturday's triple feature along with one fun extra. The Brood is going to be our main feature for Halloween night, with I, Madman and Night of the Demons offering strong back-up. I've got some loose titles sitting around to fill in any blanks though I imagine we'll be fine with Ash vs. The Evil Dead starting that same night.
Sometimes They Come Back was a little treat for me. It's one of those films you know to be sub-standard yet there's an odd feeling of contentment only it can provide. This hellishly corny TV movie based on a somewhat lesser Stephen King tale revolves around a man who returns to teach in his childhood town only to be terrorized by undead greasers. Most people would never accuse it of being scary, unless they grew up terrified of the fonz. What can't be denied is the glorious Autumnal atmosphere which is made all the better by the surprisingly nice video quality on the blu-ray.


Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work. There's still plenty to accomplish over the next few days, including at least one more post for you all. See you in 48 hours or so.

No comments:

Post a Comment