by Julianne Milner

Growing up, I had the best birthday parties EVER! Seriously. I was born on Oct. 28 and you know what that means — Halloween costumes, haunted houses, ghost stories, the works! Not to mention that every single birthday cake was chocolate, my favorite, and it was ALWAYS decorated with candy corn, which I’ve never been a fan of.

My parents and two older brothers never failed to create the ultimate Halloween haunted house party for me. Each year, invitations were sent to neighborhood friends to attend the party in the costume of their choice. There was always chili, homemade popcorn balls and the infamous chocolate cake. My mother was a wonderful cook. As my friends arrived, we would all enjoy the goodies she had prepared.

One by one my costumed friends were led down the long, dark hall of my childhood home. As my friends passed the double-louvered doors, my dad —hidden and wrapped in a sheet, a stocking pulled over his face—would stumble out and each child would run screaming past!  

The next stop was the laboratory of the mad scientist, where the kids were blindfolded and encouraged to feel the “eyeballs, veins, and fingers” (grapes, cooked spaghetti and gnarly carrot sticks) of his latest victims.  

Last stop was the fortune teller, my mom’s best friend dressed in a gorgeous shimmering gown with a turban on her head. Prior to the blindfolds being removed, my brothers would tell the fortune teller a few fun facts about the boy or girl anxiously awaiting their fortune.

Moments later, each friend was amazed by the facts that Madame Katrina would reveal about them while gazing into my mom’s crystal rose bowl turned upside down!  

Ghost stories and awards for the best costumes brought each party to its end.

Each year brought different highlights, scarecrows hanging in the backyard, new games and new prizes.  

As I grew older, married and had children of my own, it became quite clear how much time and energy went into each Halloween party. How lucky I am to have these wonderful memories of my family celebrating my Halloween birthday each year.

Both Mom and Dad are gone now. This Halloween, I’ll carry on traditions that they started,  eating chili with family and friends while welcoming loads of trick or treaters to my door. For dessert, we will most definitely have chocolate cake decorated with, you guessed it, candy corn!

I hope this Halloween finds you spending time with family and friends, too. Try my chili and chocolate cake recipes! Silence your phone, play some board games, celebrate old family traditions and start some new ones.

Happy Halloween from my family to yours!

Chili 

2 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (15 oz.) cans petite chopped tomatoes

2 (15 oz.) cans Joan of Arc red kidney beans (optional)

1 (32 oz.) container chicken broth

6 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Brown beef, onions and garlic together. Drain off liquid. Add all other ingredients and simmer for at least 1 hour.

Chocolate Cake 

2 2/3 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup butter

3 cups packed brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon (good) vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups sour cream

1 1/3 cups hot water

Creamy Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder,

baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds; beat in brown

sugar until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in

vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in the hot water; beat at low speed just until blended. Pour into prepared pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks.  Remove from pan and cool completely. To assemble, place cake layer top side down on a platter.

Spread top with a generous 1/2 cup Creamy Chocolate Frosting. Repeat with another cake layer and generous 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer, top side up. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting  

4 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

2 1-ounce squares semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

5 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 1/2 teaspoons (good) vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over low heat, melt together the unsweetened chocolate, semisweet chocolate and butter just until melted, stirring occasionally; cool to room temperature.  

In a large bowl, beat together confectioners sugar, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture until creamy.