Halloween Hot Dog Party!

This is my Me-maw:

She loves Halloween more than any other holiday, and that's saying a lot because this is a woman who loves her holidays. She completely redecorates her house in holiday-themed knick-knacks and wall hangings (even themed toilet seat covers and shower curtains!) for every major holiday. But her Halloween collection is out of this world. Me-maw's house is filled with motion-activated singing mummies and witches, fiber optic pumpkins, harvest wreaths, and even a Halloween tree (like a Christmas tree, but with spooky ornaments).

Every year on Halloween, our family gets together at her house in Arkansas for a little chili dog party! My mom always brings veggie dogs and vegan chili for me. And I usually make the hour drive to Me-maw's house with a small portion of vegan cheese to melt atop my dog. This time, I used some Cheddar Style Sheese:

My mom brought her re-created version of Pancho's Salsa:

If you grew up anywhere in the Mid-South, you've probably had Pancho's dip. It's the house salsa served at the Pancho's chain of Mexican restaurants that once peppered this region. Only a handful of the restaurants are left, but the grocery store dip sales are still a booming business. Years ago, my mom found one of those restaurant food re-creation recipes. She claims she made it a lot when I was a kid, but I don't remember. Anyway, this stuff is amazing!! It's pureed fresh tomatoes, onions, and other stuff spiked with cumin and seasoned with a little oil.

My mom also brought a couple dozen Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudgey Frosting (and yes, they were vegan!):

She used the basic chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and I think she improvised on the creamy chocolate frosting because my mom is awesome like that. Yummy!

And although I didn't dress up tonight, I'll leave y'all with a picture of my Halloween costume from Saturday night, which I wore to several parties.

If you can't tell, I was a Mexican wrestler, and I used my new fairy wings (a recent birthday gift) as my cape. My wrestler name was Hada del infierno, Spanish for "Hell Fairy."

How did you spend your Halloween?