Doing Things A Little Differently This Halloween

We all love a treat and even though this years Halloween shall be a little different, we thought we'd compile a few things to do and make this Halloween. 

We may not be able to go trick or treating, but we can hold a safe socially distanced bonfire night, or cookout with the rule of 6 family members. 

Charlie - Dungaree

Or you could have a picnic with all those cookies, spice pumpkin lattes you made with our favouite recipe here: 

Homemade Halloween sugar cookies, topped with royal icing and perfectly decorated with Halloween sprinkles!

You will need:

16 ingredients

Refrigerated

• 1 Egg, large

Baking & spices

• 2 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Almond extract, pure
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 Food coloring
• 1 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp Meringue
• 3 cups Powdered sugar
• 1 tsp Sea salt, fine
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract, pure

Dairy

• 1 cup Butter, unsalted
• 3 tbsp Half and half

Desserts

• 1 Candy eye decals, Small
• 1 Nonpareils, Small or jumbo

Liquids

• 3 oz Water

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside until ready to use.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed once again until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix briefly once again. 

Add the egg and mix on medium speed until well-incorporated. Add the half and half, along with both the vanilla and almond extract and mix once more.

Add the flour in 3 separate additions, mixing on low after each addition. Do not over-mix. Divide the dough into two rounds and lay each atop a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk shape, wrap and refrigerate until chilled, no less than 1 hour. The dough can be made a day in advance.

Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready cookie sheets lined with either parchment paper

One at a time, lay the disks atop a large floured work surface. Lightly flour each side of the dough round. Begin rolling, from the middle outward in each direction, shifting the dough slightly after each roll to avoid sticking. Do this until the dough is a 1/4” in thickness. Cut out dough into desired shapes.

Transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Bake until the outer edges are just tinged with golden-brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before icing.

For the Royal Icing:

Have ready a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, water and extract. Begin mixing on low until powdered sugar has absorbed the liquid ingredients, then increase speed to high. Alternatively, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. Mix for 2-3 minutes or until the icing is the consistency similar to toothpaste.

To ensure the icing is the right consistency, test it by allowing icing to drip from the paddle attachment or beaters. It should take about 30 seconds before the fallen icing loses its shape and melds into the rest of the icing.

If colouring the icing, add the food colouring now. 

To apply the icing to the cookie, pipe a line of icing about an eighth of an inch from the edge of the cookie. This is also called outlining. Do not pipe directly on the edge. Then, pipe in a tight and compact zig-zag pattern to fill the inside of the cookie. This is also called flooding.

Decorate with sprinkles and decals while the icing is still wet. Set aside and allow to set for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

 

Credits: https://www.theanthonykitchen.com/halloween-sugar-cookies-made-to-party/

Tips for using royal icing - select your icing. Make up a batch of royal icing in a bowl and just dip the face of the cookie in it. This is great fun for getting the kids involved.

 If you like sprinkles and candy, it to create add more colour and detail to your cookies

 

Cookie cutters can be so useful, for interesting shapes makes  your cookies look well put together. (for the bake off pro)

If you want to go a step further, you could also buy candy eye decals for that perfect finish or pipe them from a non-plastic tube - for tips on how to use a piping tube, see here https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-use-a-piping-bag-224064

If  cooking is not your thing,why not take a trip to the pumpkin fields and decorate with the kids when you get home 

 

Sincerely Madia & Matilda 

Sustainable Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and true to traditions, we know most will be planning a party or movie night therefore we've prepared some sustainable fancy dress to trick or treating, and everything in-between.






Traditional Halloween decorations and outfits are very wasteful — however, we've compiled a few tricks and treats to a less wasteful event.

Below, we take a look at how you can make your Halloween celebrations more sustainable this year, and for future years to come.

Halloween costumes

Some questions to ask yourself before you buy a brand new costume:
Will it be worn more than once?
Will it fit next year?
Could you make one instead from other items you have at home?
Does the costume from last year still fit?
Could you buy one second-hand instead?
Or if you need a new outfit, can you buy a sustainable item that you can wear over and over

Whether you decide to refashion or rent a costume, there are plenty of options you could try that are less harmful to the planet.


Ergo our idea for a sustainable Halloween - Theme, TV Characters, which one are you?

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

90's super casual, but with a hint of sparkle; Sabrina style is effortless and clearly timeless, much like our style here at M&M. Our favourite would have to be the Emily dress or Amelia with the Jennifer top.

Lilly - Pleated Skirt

Macie - Checked Skirt

Kalinda - Strap Top

Daphne & Velma - Scooby Doo Dress Up

Not your average Velma & Daphne costume, why not change it up a little! No more dowdy Velma; swap a knitted jumper for our upcycled satin dress or a our Chloe top and jeans would make a good crime fighting Daphne.

Maddison - Pleated Top

Rosie - Tunic Dress, Minnie- Linen Panel Skirt, Amara - Sheer Dress





Wednesday & Morticia Addams

The Addams girls are much the same! Have you seen how Christina Ricci broke the internet dresses as Morticia. Below are a few style picks that could do the same. Our Ella dress now comes in black and white trim, which the perfect Wednesday and for a timeless dress our 

Rosemary - Wrap Dress

Una - Asymmetric Dress

Ella - Jersey Dress

Making your own decorations

Many Halloween decorations are made on the other side of the world, mainly with plastics and a lot of them are disposed of after the party. To avoid this, you can easily create your own decorations to reduce your impact of the environment

Carving the Jack O’Lantern

There a satisfaction to creating the perfect pumpkin; a masterpiece to scare trick or treaters. It almost becomes a competition of who can create the most gruesome on the street! 

It all starts with picking the best pumpkin, so why not support your local farmers? There are loads of pumpkin farmers all around the country who grow pumpkins and many of them will sell directly to the customer. If you have kids this is a great day out as, some might even let you go into the fields and pick your pumpkin! 


Remember, buying form the farmer directly, the smaller the carbon footprint. One of the most frightening facts about Halloween is just how much pumpkin waste goes to landfill – an estimated 5 million pumpkins each year in the UK. When there are so many environmentally friendly alternatives, there’s really no reason to throw out your pumpkin. 

For instance you could create a soup, or a cake, or even the classic pumpkin pie, there are so many ways you can enjoy your pumpkin! Take a look at BBC Good Food for ideas of pumpkin recipes.

When pumpkins go into landfill, they take a very long time to breakdown, why not try composting your carved pumpkin in the garden. And if you don’t have a compost bin at home, check your local councils’ website for your closest composting site. (make sure you’ve removed any tea lights or candles) and they will be taken away with your weekly collection. 









Eco-friendly treats

Looking for alternative treats to give (and eat!), whether it is for your family, friends or the neighbour’s kids who knock on your door saying “trick or treat”, here are  a few ideas

Choose candies without animal gelatine or food additives by carefully reading the products’ composition or by buying directly on dedicated websites, for example Approved foods, Planet Organic or Ethical Superstore.

Buy at alternative stores that are proven to lower harm to the planet or buy in, bulk candies in big packaging, instead of individuals to lessen the waste and recycle at dedicated shops that use the packaging to make other products.

Cakes or decorated fruit, instead of sweets or create your own treats; halloween is the perfect time to get creative with food and bake your own Halloween treats. 

 Even your local farmers markets have organic cakes and treats to supply guest or neighbors.


Wicker baskets all the way! Boo to plastic sweet buckets

Use your imagination when it come to replacing plastic sweet buckets, you could try a wicker basket like Mia Mitchell, from Good Trouble or an inventive pillow case, or one of our tote bags or even use handbag. 

Sincerely Madia & Matilda 

Halloween! All the fun starts with the Prep!

Welcome to Madia & Matilda's

Halloween Party

Halloween isn't just for kids. We're excited to bring you a post all about the world's favourite Autumn festival— for adults! Step this way for boozy Halloween beverages, delicious pumpkin treats, and some amazing outfit ideas that are too good to only wear on Halloween!

Disturbing Drinks

Our first recipe is a cocktail that Snow White's evil stepmother would be proud of. Cosmopolitan magazine calls it called Poisoned Apple Pie... 

• Add 2 oz. dark rum, 1/2 oz. heavy cream, 1/2 oz. of cinnamon syrup and 1 medium egg white to a cocktail shaker without ice
• Shake it up! 30 seconds should do it. Next add ice, then shake again to chill through
• Strain the mixture into a glass and top up slowly with sparkling apple juice (Cosmo recommends the IZZE brand, but we suspect another one would work just as well) 
• For that wicked finishing touch, add a little ground cinnamon powder and 2 pinches of activated charcoal powder. Seriously, it looks amazing! Get some here.

The evil-looking Poisonous Apple Pie cocktail, courtesy of Cosmopolitan magazine

Halloween in the Tropics. Our next offering is a calming tonic for the evil stepmother after she hears that Snow White is still the fairest of them all. The Food Network calls this one a "brew to chill out stressed witches". After an evening of small ghosts hanging on the doorbell, you're going to need it!

• Mix 30ml pineapple juice with 30ml cranberry juice in a pewter cauldron (we recommend using a pewter cauldron, size 2. Buy from Potage's: first shop on the left after the Three Broomsticks, on Diagon Alley)
• Add 60ml lemonade. Stir clockwise 3 times
• Pour into 4 glasses
• Just before drinking, add one shot (40ml) of Malibu coconut rum to each glass

Green Slime Soda, a non-alcoholic drink for tiny vampires, or grown-up zombies who have to drive home after the party!

• Stir 3 tablespoons of sugar into 1/4 cup of lime juice
• Add 1 cup of sparkling water and give it all a stir
• Measure one scoop of lime sherbet or lime sorbet and add to the drink. Stir well and serve

Other tips and tricks:

• We love the idea of mixing a little red food colouring into golden syrup in a shallow bowl and dipping the rim of a glass into it. It should look as if there's blood dripping down your glass!
• Food-grade dry ice cubes add drama to cocktails
• You could try adding slices of blood orange to your glasses when serving, either to line the inside of the glass or as a garnish on top of the glass

Spooky Treats

Pumpkin everything! Bring it on! What Halloween gathering would be complete without some delicious homemade bakes? Not ours, no way! So put on The Monster Mash at full blast and get making.

Pumpkin Puree

Use this as the pumpkin-y base to all your baked pumpkin-y delights!

• Preheat your oven to 170℃/gas mark 3
• Take a small-medium pumpkin and chop the top off, where the stalk is/would be. (It's best to use pumpkins which are grown to be eaten, rather than the ones that are grown to be carved)
• Chop the whole pumpkin in half vertically, right down the middle. Remove the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon. Don't throw the seeds away! You can roast them later
• Next, chop each half in half again, lengthways. Repeat with the other half of the pumpkin, so you end up with four chunks of pumpkin which look a bit like giant orange slices
• Pop the pumpkin wedges on a baking tray and into the oven for about 45 minutes, or until they go a bit brown on the edges
• Remove the skin from the pumpkin slices while they're still warm, scraping an flesh leftover on the skin off with a knife
• Whizz up the flesh in a blender or food processor. If the mixture looks dry, add a little water. If it's too wet, strain it gently through a muslin cloth or similar
• Use immediately or freeze. This puree keeps for a good 6-8 months, so feel free to carve up more than one pumpkin and put the lot into the freezer for use at a later date. For more about this recipe, see this fab blog post from The Pioneer Woman

Using your pumpkin puree

Put your beautiful puree to good use! How about these spiced pumpkin cookies, perfect for a cold evening...

You will need: 

• 300g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 125g butter, softened
• 300g caster sugar
• 250g pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  

Method: 

• Preheat your oven to 180℃/gas mark 4. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt; then set aside
• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar. Add the pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in the dry ingredients. Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the baking tray and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool and devour. How easy is that?! Thanks to All Recipes for this great one.

The Costume Competition

It's a Halloween party, after all! Here are our top picks for the Autumn Season...

Presenting our wonderful, versatile Emily dress! You can layer her up by wearing a woolly sweater or top underneath (it is October after all), or dress her up by adding... whatever you want! Bats' wings, devil horns, a veil, you name it. This dress is the perfect sustainable canvas: not blank, but adaptable. Get it here.

Emily dress

Dracula's Bride? More like Dracula himself in female form. If you're after a perfect Halloween dress with just the right amount of drama, look no further: our Rosemary dress has it all. Buy it here and channel your inner Wednesday Addams. You know she's in there!

Well, that's all from us! Hope you have a kooky, spooky Halloween! Please get in touch with pics of your Halloween outfits, drinks or bakes, we'd love to hear from you!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda