HOW TO MAKE

FRANKENMUFFINS

YOU’LL need more than one 12-well muffin pan. If you have only one, you can bake in batches. Cover and refrigerate the reserved batter until 15 minutes before you use it.

1 cup cake flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon course salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ cup canola oil

¾ cup regular or low-fat milk 255g or 6 packed cups of fresh baby spinach

1 large banana, cut into chunks (½ cup packed)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350GºC.

Line 16 wells in two standard-size muffin pans with paper liners or grease them with cooking oil spray. (Or bake in batches).

Whisk together the dry ingredients a mixing bowl.

Combine the oil, milk and spinach in a blender; puree until smooth, then add the banana and the vanilla extract. Puree until smooth (and green). Pour into the flour mixture; use a flexible spatula to stir until no dry spots of flour are left.

To make things easy, pour some of the batter into a large measuring cup with a spout; use that to pour enough batter to fill each muffin well two-thirds full. Bake for about 22 minutes.

■ Adapted from the October 2014 issue of Family Fun magazine for The Washington Post 24 servings

4 cups frozen strawberries, defrosted 2 cups water

1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 or 5 lemons) 2 cups dry vermouth

2 cups gin or vodka

3/4 cup triple sec

1/2 cup Campari

3/4 cup simple syrup, or more as needed 4 dashes Angostura bitters

Red food colouring (optional)

Ice cubes with Halloween garnishes, such as plastic spiders/eyeballs/vampire fangs frozen inside (optional)

Working in batches as needed, purée the strawberries in a blender to the consistency of a smoothie. Add the water (to the blender, if you can; if not, combine the water with the purée to a separate bowl) and stir. If you don’t want the seeds, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, using a flexible spatula to help push it through into a punch bowl underneath. Otherwise, you can mix the pureed/unstrained strawberries and water directly in the punch bowl. Add the lemon juice, dry vermouth, gin or vodka, triple sec, Campari, simple syrup, bitters and several drops of the food colouring, if desired; whisk together until well blended.

Add the ice cubes, if using. (If you’re not using dry ice, you’ll need some form of ice to keep the punch chilled.) If you are using dry ice, you’ll want to add it right before the punch is to be served, so that your guests will get the full visual effect. Again, make sure none of the ice itself is consumed.

To make the syrup, combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the syrup to a heatproof container; cool completely before using. The strained strawberry mixture can be made and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day in advance.

■ By Spirits columnist M. Carrie Allan for The Washington Post