A Wickedly Good Halloween Meal: Pumpkinhead Soup and Witch's Hat Sandwiches

My family loves Halloween. It appeals to our dramatic inclinations. We like to decorate both the house and the yard for the holiday; dress up in silly costumes; and have Halloween parties with crazy themes. What can I say? We are all hams at heart.

Since I love to cook, it makes sense that I would also like inventing recipes worthy of the holiday. I rarely do anything half way, though. I believe in going full out in virtually everything that I do. The following represents one of my favorite simple holiday dinners.

Course #1: Pumpkinhead Soup
1 fresh pumpkin (about 3 pounds in weight)
1 can of vegetable broth
1 cup of evaporated milk
½ cup of heavy cream
¼ cup of melted butter
½ cup of crushed yellow onion
1 tablespoon of crushed fresh garlic
1 teaspoon of dehydrated lemon crystals
1 teaspoon of dehydrated lime crystals
½ teaspoon of orange zest
2 teaspoons of thinly pared fresh ginger strips
2 teaspoons of finely pared orange peel
2 teaspoons of finely snipped fresh chives
4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
Fresh parsley sprigs
Salt and pepper

Cut the top off of the pumpkin and remove the vegetable's "meat." Set the pumpkin shell aside to use as the soup bowl.

Remove the seeds and cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Puree it thoroughly in a food processor or Magic Bullet.

In a hard anodized or nonstick stockpot, melt the butter. Once melted, mix in the crushed onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the consistency of the items is soft but not caramelized.

Add the pumpkin into the mix blend everything together. Add one can of vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a temporary rolling boil. Then reduce the heat to medium low.

Add in the lemon, lime, and orange zest. Cover the mixture and allow the soup to simmer over medium low heat, while covered, for about 10 minutes.

While the soup simmers, snip fresh chives and finely pare slim strips of orange peel and ginger. Also clean the pumpkin shell thoroughly outside and in to prepare it for the soup.