Sinister Saturday – No Bake Cherry Cheesecake (Semi-win!)

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!

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.

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.

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 Halloween!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Haunted Blue Vodka

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

Garnish: fresh fruit, flowers, tiny umbrella (opt)

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!

Happy Halloween 2026!

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.

Timeless Thursdays

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.

Let’s eat, drink and be scary!

8th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge2026

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!🎃

Friday Fright Nightcaps – The Bride’s Nightcap

Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcap is The Bride’s Nightcap, a Midori and pear vodka cocktail in celebration of Frankenstein Friday.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Midori
2 oz. pear vodka
.5 oz. Malibu (or white rum)
.5 oz. Key West lime juice (or lime juice)
4 oz. lemonade

Mix ingredients well. Garnish with Maraschino cherries or fresh fruit. Serve chilled.

I got a little exotic using Malibu and Key West lime juice. Honestly, regular white rum and lime juice will work too. It’s a little sweet if you don’t add the lime juice and Isuppose regular vodka is fine too. F*** it, use what you got. Midori is the star of the show no matter how you dice it.

This is my last post in October. Such a bittersweet moment. I thank everyone who stopped by all 31 days this Halloween season!

Please don’t drink and drive. Be safe out there!

Sinister Saturday – Halloween (Box)Cake (Nailed it?)

Sinister Saturdays are turning out to be a showcase for my failed baking attempts.

And, this Saturday is no different!😄

Yes, I used box cake. Middle finger to the haters. But the box cake wasn’t the reason why my Red Velvet Tombstone Cakes were a little well done, it’s just my inability to pull pan out of the oven when the box says!

They looked alright, but were dry as a bone and when I flipped them over, the cakes didn’t retain the pan designs.

I did however manage to bake another cake in my my lovely Wiltern pumpkin pan and it turned out kinda nice.

First thing you need for box cake is box mix and I prefer Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Red Velvet cake mix. This is the easiest cake mix, only 3 other ingredients are needed to bake the cake, 1 cup of water, half cup of oil, and 3 eggs.

Follow the instructions and you’ll get a nice fluffy red velvet cake.

Next, you add 4-5 drops of orange food coloring into buttercream frosting to get that nice classy orange color. If you want it brighter, I suggest using 2-3 more drops of orange and 1 drop of red. Next, spread frosting all over your cake.

Lastly, you add Halloween style sprinkles and viola, Halloween Cake!

It was a bummer the Red Velvet Tombstone Cakes didn’t turn out, but I was happy with the pumpkin cake pan version.

Happy Halloween!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Blue Ghost Margarita

Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcap is a Blue Ghost Margarita.

I love the taste of Blue Curacao and I’m disraught over the demolishment of the people’s house. That’s our White House goddamit! It doesn’t belong to stupid conmen! Haunted. Haunted. Haunted. That is how I describe our great nation as it descends into authoritatian chaos, so yes, this is a fitting cocktail to end the week.

Ingredients

2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz blue curaçao liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz Grenadine syrup (opt)
ice to chill (opt)

Garnish/Rim:
Course Salt
Lime wedge

Pour ingredients into a glass and mix well.

This is a sweet margarita, so I recommend using course salt to rim the glass as opposed to sugar. Also, using Grenadine is optional. It doesn’t make that much difference.

Whether or not you like your margaritas chilled is also very much a preference. You’ll notice the little pumpkin ice in my pics. I live in SoCal, it’s always hot. We like chilled drinks, but to each their own.

Sorry for venting earlier, obviously I need another drink. Big party weekend. Please don’t drink and drive. Be safe out there.

Happy Halloween!

Sinister Saturday – Frankenilla Cups

After last week’s baking failure, me and my bruised ego are playing it safe with a no bake dessert for this Sinister Saturday, Frankenilla Cups!

It’s a super simple recipe with 4 ingredients:

•vanilla pudding
•graham cracker ready crust cups
•whipped cream
•green food coloring

Decorations (opt):
Candies
Marshmallow Peeps
Sprinkles

Yes, I used Keebler Graham ready crust cups and Jello brand pudding. If you want to do it from scratch, knock yourself out. I got a B52s/Devo concert to get to. For all the rest of my lazy friends and all the working moms out there, here’s how it’s done…

Steps:

◇First mix 2 drops of green food coloring in the vanilla pudding and mix well.
◇Spoon green vanilla pudding into graham cracker ready crust cups.
◇Add 4-6 drops of green food coloring in the whipped cream and mix well.
◇Add green whipped cream on top of vanilla pudding.
◇Pop in fridge or freezer for 60 mins.
◇Decorate with sprinkles or candies or whatever you want.

Okay, 60 mins might not have been enough time to freeze. They still look cute! think the kids are gonna love this one.

Happy Halloween!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Haunted Lagoon

Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcaps is a Haunted Lagoon. It’s like a Blue Lagoon but it’s missing the lemonade. Perfect drink when you have the blues.

Ingredients:
1 oz. Blue Curacao
1.5 oz. vodka
1 oz. cranberry juice
.5 oz. grenadine syrup
.5 oz. sparkling water (opt for fizzy)

Mix ingredients well. Garnish with Maraschino cherries or fresh fruit. Serve chilled.

This electric blue cocktail is a super cool drink for parties, and it’s highly adaptable, only as sweet as you make it. You could even add the lemonade back in. It might turn a little less blue, but still really yummy!

Happy Halloween!

Sinister Saturday – Haunted Manor Pumpkin Bread (cake fail?)

Happy Sinister Saturday! Today, we attempted to bake pumpkin bread using a Nordic Ware Haunted Manor pan.

Nordic Ware pans are amazing. The Haunted Skull cakelet pan is my favorite.

The Haunted Manor pan will set you back $25-30, depending where you buy it and when.

This might be a purchase to save for after Halloween or a Black Friday sale for a nice discount. Highly encourage everyone to buy Skull pan. It’s super useful for a ton of different recipes.

I started with a box of Libby’s Pumpkin Bread.

As I said before, I’m not into baking. I mean, I’d love it if I wasnt so damn bad at it!😅

I’ve been successfully using Libby’s Pumpkin bread for years. The recipe is super easy, four eggs, a cup of water, half cup of oil and mix well.

So fast, so easy, a child could do this. After baking for an hour, it looked like I might pull it off.

30 mins later, reality crushed my weekend dream of making Haunted Manor pumpkin bread. The cake broke into several pieces with the top half not all agreeing to come out of the pan.

But my dreams of great baking are often nightmares.

I eventually gave up and dug it out, resulting in the above picture. It seems a Haunted Manor pan may be too advanced for my baking skills!🤣

While the Haunted Manor cake visual was complete failure, it tasted fantastic! Just like always. That’s why I love this pumpkin bread mix from Libby’s.

I used some leftover batter to make pumpkin muffins instead.