Happy Friday! It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps! Tonight, we’re choosing another refreshing concoction with a twist, the Bloody Paloma!
It’s a basic Paloma with some grenadine, a bit of cranberry juice, and splash of lime juice to cut back the sweetness. It also gives it a darker red hue. Best when served chilled.
The real stars of a good Paloma is grapefruit soda and tequila blanco
Ingredients: 4 oz. Grapefruit soda 2 oz. Tequila Blanco (white) .05 oz. Grenadine 1 oz. Cranberry juice Splash of lime juice
Opt Garnish: Red syrup or Black rim salt
Bloody Paloma easy ingredients
Pour chilled ingredients into a glass and mix well.
Bloody Paloma, best when served chilled.
Even though I chilled my ingredients, it’s been so hot out west that I threw in some extra ice cubes.
Garnish would really make this picture pop better but unfortunately I ran out of black rim salt.
It’s taken me all day to realize I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Halloween toys and games actually require a lot of more dedicated time to research, and time is something I simply don’t have. I misjudged that by a lot, so, I may have rethink Timeless Thursdays. For now, let’s chat about Pez!
Pez, short for the German word Pfefferminz meaning “peppermint”, was an Austrian candy company that started in 1927 by Eduard Haas III, featuring its unique manual plastic candy dispenser.
First pez dispensers were called “regulars” and had no top.
Haas inherited a successful bakery from his father who had created Haas baking powder. Haas III was interested in branching out in the confectionary world and actually created pez candies as an anti-smoking tool.
Halloween Pez dispensers became just as popular as character dispensers and so the company regularly started making lot assortments and limited editions.
There’s actually so many I cannot post pics of them all, but the main Pez website or Pez Collector’s is the place to go if you’re looking to getting into Pez Collectibles.
New glow-in-the-dark limited edition Dia de los Muertos Pez dispenser in conjunction with Disney’s Coco, 2026Only 2500 Pamp Suisse dispensers have been released for 2026
I really love Pez and I wish I had the money to be a collector. For now, I’ll admire from afar. Good luck to you Halloween collectors out there!
Spookiesboo is the epitome of spooky and cute! It’s been so great to watch her little independent art shop grow into a full-on art branded merchandising business, including exclusive collaborations, with Laika Studios, Coraline, Paranorman, Yo Gabba Gabba! and many more!
Explorer Coraline Enamel Pin, $15, Spookiesboo x Coraline (TM)
Coraline(TM) x Spooksieboo (TM) Ghost Children T-Shirt, Hot Topic (currently sold out)
In addition to her online shop, you can find Spookiesboo in-person at San Diego Comic Con, Midsummer Scream and various trade shows across the nation throughout the year.
Happy Trick or Treat Tuesday! Only a witch (or a really motivated person) can answer these witchy movie trivia questions correctly.
Post your responses in the Comments Section.
What was the name of this 1922 silent Scandinavian film showing the evolution of witchcraft?
This role proved to be a cursed part for this actress when she and her stunt-double were badly injured in two different pyrotechnic fires while filming the Wizard of Oz.
Name the two actresses who attended Satan’s School for Girls before becoming “angels”.
In 1999, this witchy tale gave birth to a whole new sub-genre of horror films.
Robert Egger’s directorial debut about a puritan New England family plagued by witches was also the big screen debut of which actress?
Amy Madigan won an Oscar portraying this witch in Zach Creggar’s folk horror Weapons.
“October Country” that is how Ray Bradbury described us.
“October Country . . . that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and mid-nights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain. . . .” ~ Ray Bradbury
October is where we find the spark that relights our fires after long hot summer. Fall fills us with creavity, joy, and wonder. It’s the time when communities come together and share in the spirit of Halloween. October is a mysterious month, supernatural even. Yet, it’s a truthful month. It brings the harvest. It warns us of the winter to come. It’s where we go to time travel and discover our innocence. It’s not just a shift in the colors but a shift in mood. Embrace the magic.
Sinister Saturdays in October is the horror part of my web blog, with my failed baking attempts that are simply terrifying!😄
Today I tried Jell-O brand’s No Bake Cherry Cheesecake. Perfect choice for me, not only is it 103 degrees in SoCal.🥵 No baking means less chance to screw up the recipe.
Ah, but I didn’t say zero!
This looks easy.
First thing you need is a box of Jell-O brand’s No Bake Cherry Cheesecake. Super easy, only 3 other ingredients needed, milk, butter and sugar.
Next, you follow the instructions on box, mixing butter and sugar together to make the crust first; and then, add milk to create cheesecake mix.
Unfortunately, my attempt to make a crust with just two ingredients, just two, derailed my plan to successfully make a no bake cherry cheesecake.
Does this look thick to you?
The crust results were so awful and I got so frustrated, I forgot to take a picture before tossing. Basically it was too clumpy and wouldn’t lie flat in the pan. It was just a big mess. No idea what I did wrong. Too much butter?
But folks, this ain’t my first rodeo. You can look back previous years to see I’m no Rachel Ray (Haunted cake pan fail). I suspected I’d mess up and so I bought a back-up. Keebler elves to the rescue!
Poured the mix into my store bought ready made graham crust and popped it in the fridge for a few hours.
Finally, time to decorate by adding the cherry topping.
This is not my pie crust!
The cherry filling packet was actually a little sparse. I suggest buying a can of cherry pie filling to supplement. It’s probably how other people’s pictures of their cherry cheesecake looks so good. Mine, not so much.😄
Now, anyone about to chastise me about using store bought ingredients or lazy baking, let me tell you to fuck right off as plainly as I can. I have no time for that. I have no time for you. Go hit up the Food Network. The rest of us got a Halloween to celebrate! This is Sinister Saturday, bitches!🎃
Happy Friday! It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps! It’s October and 100 degrees out west, not very Fall nor Halloween weather but what can we do.
I recently gave up soda and took up sparkling water as a go-to beverage. Of course it was only a matter time before I started experimenting like mad scientist mixing concoctions. Haunted Blue Vodka is this week’s freakish refreshment.
Ingredients: 2 oz. Blue Curacao 1.5 oz. Chilled vodka 4 oz. sparkling water (I choose coconut La Croix) Splash of lime juice
Pour chilled ingredients into a glass and stir well.
Tastes like alcoholic soda water, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I’m gonna warn ya up front. But, you can play around with the recipe and add more sparkling water if it’s too strong or vice versa. Honestly, it’s probably a better summer drink than fall but it’s kinda perfect for a SoCal Halloween.
Have fun. Please don’t drink and drive. Be safe out there this season!
We celebrate all 31 days in October and before I share the Halloween schedule this year, I just wanted to say a few words.
Sharing our cultural traditions helps preserve them and embracing our communities makes us stronger and breaks down barriers between human beings. This is the time of year when people do the most for each other, and the Halloween season is all about community.
Spirit Halloween’s charitable org Spirit of the Children celebrates 20 years!
So, I want to encourage people to go out and get involved in community events. Go to an art show, holiday fair or school carnival, visit a haunted maze, go to the theater to watch a spooky play or movie, invite some neighbors over on Halloween night and pass out candy together. Start a new tradition.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, CA just opened a new horror movie exhibition.
I’m also going to repeat something I said last year because I believe in it so much:
Don’t let anyone tell you how to do Halloween. Decorate or not. Wear a costume or not. We can be scary and sweet. We can be spooky and cute. Let the teenagers trick or treat. Kids collecting candy are too occupied to do anything else. I truly believe Halloween makes people happy. It’s about community. We need our communities more than ever. It’s the only thing that can save America now.
Be sure to check back every day this October for cool, fun, and inspirational Halloween, horror, and haiku.
HALLOWEEN SCHEDULE 2026
Monday Macabre
Every Monday, I’ll be posting a brand new Halloween Haiku.
Trick or Treat Tuesdays
Check in on Tuesdays for some trivia fun. I’ve got treats and I’ve got tricks!
Wicked Art Wednesdays
Every Wednesday, I’ll showcase the amazing and unique talents of Halloween artists from around the globe. Real art, not ai made.
TimelessThursdays
Every Thursday, let’s travel back in time and revisit the spookiest toys and games.
Friday Fright Nightcaps
Bubble bubble, drink away trouble. It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps!
Sinister Saturdays
Decadent desserts from the darkside. I’m not much of a cook, so this could get truly evil.
Spooky Sundays
Spooky Sundays are for reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms.
The Halloween Haiku Challenge returns for one day only this October. The contest starts midnight on October 30th through Halloween day and a winner will be chosen on November 1st.
More details to come, but for now, sharpen those pencils or pull up a blank page; I can’t wait to see those Halloween haiku!
Don’t forget to follow Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Pinterest and Blue Sky.
Have a Happy Halloween season, everyone! Be safe out there!🎃
Happy Fall! The Halloween season has officially begun and instead of posting a horror movie list this month, I thought I’d share a list of best Halloween candy alternatives.
Anyone who’s been to the grocery store lately has noticed prices are up. Between cocoa and sugar shortages, trump’s stupid tariffs, rising manufacturing and packaging costs, and corporate greed, Halloween candy prices are also up again for the sixth consecutive year.
Now, I’ve always tried to keep optimistic about the over-commercialism of Halloween. I love how Halloween brings out the creativity, and the entrepreneurial spirit of some people, but left’s face it, sometimes capitalism goes too far.
Turns out kids actually like getting little Halloween novelty toys and glow sticks in lieu of candy. So this list is for those looking to please trick or treators without breaking the bank this season.
Silicone or rubber slap bracelets, squishy toys and fidget toys are all the rage. Many of these items can be found at dollar stores or Oriental Trading Company (OTC), a popular seller of bulk novelty, party, and craft supplies store that offers dozens of options of Halloween alternative items.
Bulk Halloween Character Rubber Duck Assortment – 60 pc $24.99, OTC
Personally, I’m more into eco-friendly wooden Halloween pencils, Halloween notepads, and cute little Halloween stickers or temporary tattoos.
Halloween pens, pencils, notepads, OTC
Cash and coins are still cool, but not good if your neighborhood hosts a lot of trick or treators. Naturally, quarters are preferred over dimes and pennies, but hey, if you’re about to spend $40 on miniature candies and have around 150 trick or treaters, financially it works out about the same anyway.
Halloween Rubber bracelets, 32-pc $49, Kohl’s
Keep this mind, glow sticks, rubber bracelets and tiny plastic toys may provide instant happiness and are great candy alternatives, but they’re also not biodegradable, and that’s bad for the environment and unsafe for wildlife.
Halloween pencils, 16-pc set $1.50, Dollar General
Ask yourself if you’re looking to be more budget conscious or be environmentally or sensory friendly this season. There are so many alternatives about there!
Sensory-friendly Pop Fidget Toys, $1.50 Dollar General
Before you forego your candy treats, first determine your budget and the number of expected trick-or-treators you anticipate this year.
Free Halloween Printables from iHeartCraftyThings.com
There are still plenty of reasons and ways to celebrate Halloween without spending gobs of money. Don’t forget, you could always mix and match.
Whatever you decide, I wish you a Happy Halloween!
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