Deadman’s Party

Hal­loween is quickly approaching along with the fes­tive par­ties for you ghouls and boys. Clayton Gray Home would like to help you plan a party so great, it’s guar­an­teed to raise the dead! Enjoy this playlist, drink recipe, and appe­tizer from the Junior League of Tampa. Need some help on carving the pumpkin? We have some stylish pump­kins to adorn your front porch and wel­come your ghost and goblins.

Rocky Horror Rock It Out Playlist

Deadman’s Party — Oingo Boingo

Were­wolves of London — Warren Zevon

Time Warp — Rocky Horror

Every day is Hal­loween– Ministry

Witchy Woman — Eagles

Soul Man — Blues Brothers

I Want Candy — Bow Wow Wow

I Put a Spell on You — Scremin’ Jay Hawkins

Bad Moon Rising — Cree­dence Clear­water Revival

Black Magic Woman — Santana

The Devil Went Down to Georgia — The Charlie Daniels Band

Don’t Fear The Reaper — Blue Oyster Cult

Pho­to­graph by Kate Mathis

Claire Robinson’s Dark and Spooky (dark and stormy) Recipe

Black dec­o­rating sugar, for the glass
Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 lime wedge
1/​4 cup dark rum
1/​4 cup ginger beer or all-​​natural ginger ale
1 black gummy spider

Direc­tions
Spread out the black sugar on a small plate. Rub the lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass; dip the glass in the black sugar, then fill with ice.

Com­bine the rum and lime juice in a cock­tail shaker. Fill with ice and shake well. Care­fully strain into the glass, minding the sugar on the rim. Top the drink with ginger beer and add the gummy spider.

Sausage Blos­soms — Junior League of Tampa’s Life of the Party cookbook

2lbs Italian Sausage (cas­ings removed)                                2C Salsa

2C shredded Colby Jack cheese                                               1 package won ton wrap­pers (or pre made phyllo cups)

sour cream                                                                                      Chopped green onions

Brown the sausage in a skillet, stir­ring until crumbly. Remove from the heat and add the Colby Jack cheese and salsa, stir­ring until the cheese is melted. Press the won ton wrap­pers ( or phyllo cups) into minia­ture muffin cups, leaving the edges extending upwards. Spoon in a heaping table­spoon of the sausage mix­ture into each cup. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min­utes or until won ton edges begin to brown. Remove and place on a serving platter and let stand for 5 min­utes. Spoon a small amount of sour cream (or use a zip lock baggie and cut off a small bit of the corner to create a piping bag) on top of each sausage blossom and sprinkle with chopped green onions. Serve imme­di­ately. Makes 24 appetizers.

Pol­ished Pumpkin Ideas

Pho­tographs from Martha Stewart

Not all pump­kins have to be macabre! We prefer our pump­kins to be sleek, modern and a little preppy. Here are some fab­u­lous ideas to make your pump­kins perky.

If you live in the deep South, you can not carve yours too early or it will rot. Here are some great solu­tions for pre­served yet fes­tive pump­kins. Try adding a cute, dec­o­ra­tive eye mask to create a mys­te­rious char­acter for your jack-​​0-​​lantern. Paint or glitter paint mono­grams, argyle or polka dots are also a fun ways to fes­toon your gourd.

From Clayton Gray Home, have a fun, safe and Happy Halloween.