Happy Halloween!

We hope everyone at Club Pacifica has a safe and happy Halloween! 

Halloween Activites for the Family

Halloween is quickly approaching. Do you have some creative costumes for your family yet?  Make sure to read about all of these great costume friendly events happening throughout Benicia.  These all take place from now until the end of the month.  You can learn more at visit Benicia.


Restaurant Sailor Jack's entry in the downtown Benicia Scarecrow Contest 2013 October symbolizes a cozy, family-oriented time of year, when folks are picking pumpkins and enjoying the bounty of local harvests, trick-or-treating and looking forward to the upcoming holidays. In the fall, Benicia is brimming with family-friendly, old-fashioned fun.

Do you enjoy the farmers market? Be sure not to miss the last of this Thursday night ritual. The last weeks of the market are here, winding down with a festive finale October 24 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Have you been meaning to see a play by the award-winning Benicia Old Town Theatre group? October 18 through November 9 is your chance to see this talented group in action during a performance of “The Sunshine Boys,” a Neil Simon play. There’s a “Dinner and a Play” ticket option for admission to the play and dinner at Lucca Bar & Grill before the show for only $40 per person. You can make a reservation early by calling (707) 745-7349.

Get your ghoul on at the Haunted Depot, 90 First Street at the Historic Railroad Depot. People of all ages will enjoy this eerie spook fest. The Haunted Depot runs Fridays, October 18 and 25, 6-9 p.m., Saturdays, October 19 and 26, 12-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.; Sundays, October 20 and 27, 12-4 p.m., and October 31, 6- 9 p.m. For the little kiddos, the more tame afternoon sessions are recommended.

By now, your kids have likely told you what they want to be for Halloween, and changed their minds repeatedly until you finally give up and just wrap them like mummies from head to toe in gauze and tape for the big day. October 26 starting at 10 a.m., take them to the Halloween Contest and Sidewalk Stroll in Benicia to show off your costume-making skills, and watch them gleefully trick-or-treat through First Street shops.

10 DIY Halloween Snacks

Do you need to make Halloween themed snacks for a party?  Check out these ten great recipes below. They are simple to make and come out perfect for any occasion.   What are you making this year?  Learn more at money crashers.

1. Witch Hat Cookies

Decorate your Halloween party table with fun Halloween-themed accessories. Attach plastic spiders to napkin rings, use black paper bats on top of cookie plates, and place orange votive candles around the table for a spooky good time.


Witch Hat cookies charm party guests and work well with your Halloween-themed decor. Even the most inexperienced chef can make these easy, no-bake cookies. A Hershey kiss is placed on top of a store-bought cookie, and wrapped with a little icing to create a tiny witch hat.
Ingredients

• 1 package of Hershey’s Kisses
• 1 package of round chocolate covered cookies
• 1 small container of chocolate icing
• red decorator’s gel icing pen

Directions

1. Lay one cookie on a flat cooking surface.
2. Unwrap a Hershey’s Kiss. Place a small amount of chocolate icing on the bottom of the Hershey’s Kiss and press it onto the center of the cookie.
3. Use the squeezable icing to create a ring around the kiss, like you would see around a hat. Repeat for each cookie.

Pro Tip: Run the icing tube back and forth in your hands for a few seconds to warm the icing. This makes the icing easier to apply to the cookies.

Witch Hat Cookies - Cheryl’s Crafty Jewelry

2. Spooky Chips and Dip

You can use Halloween cookie cutters for more than just making cookies. You can also use them to make tortilla chips, which you can pair with some red salsa for a festive snack. Create ghoulish notes describing your Halloween treats. Cut out paper jack o’ lanterns, bats, or skulls, and use them to display creepy goodies like Spooky Chips and Dip.
Ingredients

• 1 package of white flour tortillas
• cooking spray
• 1 jar of salsa

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a tortilla on a flat cooking surface. Press the cookie cutter into the tortilla and gently pry the shape free.
3. Spray each side with cooking spray and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
4. Bake for six minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional seven minutes, or until brown.
5. Season with salt to taste.
6. Serve alongside the salsa.

Pro Tip: If you have trouble getting the cookie cutter through the tortilla, heat the tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds. This makes the breading softer and easier to cut.

Spooky Tortilla Chips and Guacamoldy Dip - Veronica Benzing

3. Brain Punch

Grocery stores and hobby and craft retailers sell molds in the shape of brains during the Halloween season. Use these cheap molds to make an easy theme punch.
Serve the punch in ghostly cups that you make at home. Using ordinary paper, plastic, or Styrofoam cups, and use a black Sharpie marker to draw faces on each of the cups. You can also paste paper pumpkin cut-outs to the cups when serving brain punch to guests.
Ingredients

• 1 package of strawberry JELL-O
• 1 container of frozen fruit punch

Directions

1. Mix the JELL-O according to the package instructions.
2. Pour the JELL-O into the mold and allow it to chill completely.
3. Fill a punch bowl with the fruit punch mix and water. Place the fruit punch in the fridge and allow it to chill.
4. Immediately before serving, slowly lower the brain mold into the center of the fruit punch.

Pro Tip: Do not overfill the punch bowl. Make sure you allow for enough room for the top of the brain to rest on top of the punch.

Human Brain Dessert - Emma’s Thoughtful Spot

4. Severed Fingers

You can quickly turn a few almonds and some crescent roll dough into creepy severed fingers to serve at a Halloween party. Once baked, you can arrange these around a bowl of dip or piled onto a serving plate. They look pretty realistic.
Black, orange, and silver dishes all work well on your Halloween party table. During September and October you can also find Halloween-themed paper plates at party stores to display your Severed Fingers.
Ingredients

• 1 package of pre-cut crescent roll dough
• 1 6-ounce container of sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unroll one crescent roll square onto a flat cooking surface.
3. Grab one of the longer ends and gently roll the dough into a finger shape.
4. Press a sliced almond into one end of the dough with the white side facing outward, to make a fingernail.
5. Use a butter knife to cut small lines slightly below the almond and across the middle of the dough, to create knuckles.
6. Place the dough on a cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining dough squares.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly brown.

Pro Tip: You can use red food coloring to dye the almonds. The red food coloring makes the almond look like a painted fingernail.

Severed Finger Cookies - Living It At Home

5. Mini Mummies

With mini bagels and a few ingredients, you can create spooky toasted pizzas that look like mummy faces. Prepare Mini Mummies ahead of time, and then pop them into the stove to bake during the party. That way, everyone can enjoy the tasty treats right out of the oven.
Ingredients

• 1 package of mini bagels
• 1 jar of premade pizza sauce
• 6 to 10 mozzarella cheese sticks
• 1 jar of stuffed green olives

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice a mini bagel in half and lay the bagel on a flat cooking surface.
3. Spread one tablespoon of pizza sauce across the inside of the bagel half.
4. Pull a cheese stick into strings. Starting at the bottom, lay the pieces of cheese across 2/3 of the bagel to look like bandages.
5. Slice a green olive into flat pieces. Place two green olives near the top of the bagel to look like eyes.
6. Place a few more cheese sticks just above the eyes to look like head wrappings.
7. Place the bagel half on a cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining bagel halves.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly melted.

Pro Tip: Leave a small amount of space between each cheese strip. After the cheese melts, the tiny slits will look more like bandages.

Mini Mummy Pizzas - Busy Little Kitchen

6. Frozen Ghosts

Bananas, icing, and chocolate combine to make these frozen ghosts on sticks. Best of all, this no-bake recipe is kid-friendly, so your little ones can help out in the kitchen, too. Frozen Ghosts have to chill out for a total of five to six hours, so make them the night before the party.
Ingredients

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1 package of vanilla icing
• 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12 Popsicle sticks

Directions

1. Peel the bananas and remove any excess strings.
2. Cut the banana in half and push a Popsicle stick through the cut end, being careful not to push the stick all the way through the banana.
3. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and place the bananas on top.
4. Freeze the bananas until solid, about two and a half hours.
5. Remove the frozen bananas. Use a butter knife or spatula to cover each banana with vanilla icing. Add three chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth.
6. Place the bananas back on the cookie sheet and put them in the fridge until chilled, about three hours.
7. Serve cold.

Pro Tip: You can substitute brown decorator’s icing gel for the chocolate chips.

Frozen Ghosts - Teach Mama

7. Chocolate-Coated Spiders

These snacks are addicting and simple to make. All you need is chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels to create these realistic looking spiders. Chocolate-coated spiders need to rest in the fridge for four hours before you can serve them, so make these the night before your party.
Ingredients

• 12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate baking squares
• 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
• 8 cups of pretzel sticks

Directions

1. Combine half the chocolate baking squares and the peanut butter in a microwave-safe dish.
2. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until the chocolate and peanut butter melt and blend.
3. Break up 4 cups of the pretzel sticks and add them to the chocolate and peanut butter mix. Blend well.
4. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Drop a spoonful of the mixture onto the wax paper to create the spider body.
5. Microwave the remaining chocolate squares in a microwave safe dish until melted.
6. Dip one end of a pretzel stick into the chocolate. Gently press the coated end of the pretzel stick on to the body of the spider to create a leg. Repeat for the other seven legs.
7. Pop the finished cookies in the fridge until firm, about four hours.

Pro Tip: Sort the pretzel sticks before adding them to the chocolate and peanut butter mixture. Some of the pretzel sticks will break in the bag, so this way you can reserve the full sticks for the legs.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spiders - Not Just a Housewife

8. Dirt Pails

Pudding dirt and worm cups are a much beloved kid’s favorite, mostly because they look gross and a little creepy. However, they’re also a tasty theme snack for an adult’s Halloween party. Repurpose plastic cups into individual serving dishes for this recipe. Add googly eyes to the outside of the cups to up the level of creepiness in your Dirt Pails.
Ingredients

• 1 package of chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 package of Oreo cookies
• 1 package of gummy worms
• 12 plastic cups

Directions

1. Mix the pudding mix and milk according to the package instructions. Set aside.
2. Use a food processor or a cooking mallet to crush the Oreo cookies into fine pieces that resemble dirt.
3. Mix one cup of the Oreo pieces into the pudding mixture.
4. Fill 3/4 of a plastic cup with pudding and top with crushed Oreo cookies.
5. Place 1-3 gummy worms on the top of the cup.
6. Place the cups in the fridge until chilled, about two hours.

Pro Tip: To make the gummy worms look more authentic, press half the gummy worm into the Oreo cookie mixture to give the appearance of a worm crawling out of the dirt, or hang a worm off the side of the cup.

Dirt Pails with Gummy Worms - Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrows

9. All-Seeing Eye

You can create a quick and spooky centerpiece with a pie from your local bakery store. A bit of decorator’s icing turns the pie into a giant eye that follows your guests around the buffet table. The whipped topping needs to thaw and the pie needs to chill before serving, so make this All-Seeing Eye at least one hour before guests arrive.
Ingredients

• 1 banana cream pie
• 1 container of frozen whipped topping
• 1 kiwi
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 1 tube of red gel icing

Directions

1. Allow the whipped topping to thaw, about 30 minutes.
2. Cover the entire pie with the whipped topping to create the surface of the eye.
3. Peel and slice the kiwi.
4. Place one kiwi slice in the center of the pie.
5. Place the maraschino on top of the kiwi and hold in place with a toothpick, to look like an iris and pupil of the eye.
6. Using the red gel icing, draw squiggly lines from the kiwi out to the edge of the pie, to look like a bloodshot eye.
7. Serve chilled.

Pro Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the kiwi. The peeler will allow you to keep most of the fruit intact and circular shaped, while a knife creates pointed edges.

Halloween Eyeball Cake - Cakefullness

10. Grave Robber Chili

A coffin made from cornbread and stuffed with chili makes up this perfectly themed Halloween dish. Begin making this Grave Robber Chili two hours before the party begins, then stow the dish in a warm oven to serve when guests arrive.
Ingredients

For coffin:

• 2 packages of cornbread mix
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 2 eggs
• black food coloring
• ketchup

For chili:

• 1/2 pound of hamburger
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup pinto beans
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1 4-ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 packet of chili seasoning
• 2 cups of water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix the cornbread mix, milk, eggs, and 3-4 drops of food coloring in a medium bowl until moist and sticky.
3. Pour the mixture into a 9 inch by 5 inch bread loaf pan.
4. Bake the cornbread for 30 minutes, or until cooked entirely.
5. Shred the hamburger into small pieces.
6. Cook the hamburger in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
7. Add in the onion, bell pepper, pinto beans, black beans, tomato paste, chili seasoning, and water. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
8. Allow the cornbread to cool for 15 minutes before cutting. Cut off the top of the corn bread loaf with a butter knife to create a coffin lid. Set it aside.
9. Scoop out the cornbread from the remaining loaf to create the main part of the coffin. Leave a 1/2 inch thick edge and bottom.
10. Drain any excess water from the chili. Pour the chili mixture into the coffin.
11. Use the ketchup to write “R.I.P” on the top of the coffin lid.
12. Place the coffin lid over the chili mixture. Serve warm.

Pro Tip: Use a toothpick to test the cornbread. If the toothpick pulls out clean, the cornbread has finished cooking.

Indoor Plant Hangers

Are you a fan of indoor plants?  Organizing them throughout your apartment can be a complicated process.  Check out these great indoor plant hangers from apartment therapy.  There are various costs and sizes to fit your needs and tastes.

I love indoor plants, and I love finding interesting vessels to put them in. Currently geometric hanging planters have been catching my eye. Here are 5 of my favorites.
 
1. Geometric Hanging Planter, $130 from MFEO: crafted from sustainably harvested maple Europly, finished with Danish oil and paired with brass hardware. Made in Los Angeles, California.
 
2. Geometric Pattern Design Black and White Carved Hanging Planter, $34 from Half Light Honey Studio: hand pinched and decorated earthenware hanging planter. Made in Asheville, North Carolina.

 

3. Brass Himmeli Hanging Planter, $87 from HRUSKAA: modern twist on the classic vintage macrame plant hanger. Features a delicate himmeli brass tubing accent which has been intricately strung into thin black cording. Made in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

4. Yellow Diamond Hanging Planter, $50 from Raw Dezign: individually cast by hand in a natural pigmented resin with an internal layer of white resin. Hung with leather cord. Made in Birmingham, UK.

5. Geometric Hanging Porcelain Planter with Leather Cord, $42 from Revisions Design: white geometric porcelain planter features a faceted surface and brown leather cord. Made in Marquette, Michigan.

Budget Saving Tips

Are you living on a budget?   Check out these great tips to save your budget week by week!  These tips will help you have a  great financial year.  You can learn more at Kiplinger.

--Keep your budget and your goals simple. What is the one thing that you most want to accomplish? See where your money is going? Pay off credit card debt? Find spare cash to start a college fund for the kids? Zeroing in on your main objective will help you stay on course.

--Know your plastic personality. Do you prefer using a debit card or a credit card? Each has its advantages (and disadvantages), and there’s no right or wrong answer for everyone, as long as you know which suits your spending habits.

--Don’t discount cash. Along with debit cards, hard currency has gained fans post-recession because it literally helps you stay in touch with your spending -- when it’s gone, it’s gone. In fact, studies show that when no physical currency changes hands, consumers are likely to spend more and have less sense of buyer’s remorse.

--Limit your trips to the ATM. To make sure you don’t lose track of all that cash, make just one ATM withdrawal per week, and make your money last till the next time. Another trick: Pay with the small bills first; it’s painful to break the big ones.

--Track your spending. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming, and you don’t have to do it indefinitely. Tracking it even for a month or two should be enlightening. Use your debit and credit card statements as guides, and toss cash receipts into a container in your kitchen or office.

--Pinpoint the one area where you’re leaking cash. Maybe it’s restaurant meals, the computer store or, as in the case of a friend of mine, something as mundane as dry-cleaning bills. My friend habitually neglected to hang up her suits after work, so she was racking up a big tab sending them to the cleaners to have them pressed.

--Use any budgeting tool that works for you. It could be one of the top budgeting Web sites, such as Mint.com, an Excel spreadsheet, or even paper and pencil. And don’t dismiss that old standby, the envelope system: Divvy up your cash, and put the amount for each expense into a separate envelope.

--Give yourself a grace period to pay your bills. This trick comes courtesy of the father of one of my co-workers, who makes it a habit to pay his bills ten days in advance of when they’re actually due. He’s always on time, and never incurs a late fee.

--Don’t shop alone. If you lack self-discipline, go with a list, a plan, a buddy -- anything that will make it tougher for you to spend impulsively. And leave the credit or debit card at home, or carry a limited amount of cash. I once interviewed a self-employed young woman who carried an American Express card that she paid off every month and left her other credit cards with her accountants. “If I want to use one, they ask me if I really want to spend the money. That makes me stop and think.”

--Be positive. Don’t think of a budget as a straitjacket that limits your spending and takes the joy out of life. Think of it as a way to control small expenses now so that you can buy bigger stuff -- and have more fun -- in the future. Allow yourself a little splurge. If you decide to brown-bag your lunch at work, treat yourself to a fast-food Friday.