Owls Swoop in for Halloween and They Brought Cookies

Hoot.🦉 Also: A look back at Chiller Theatre and SCTV’s Count Floyd. Plus: Sugar Cookies that are All Treat for Halloween Weekend

Oct 28, 2022

**A Parliament of Party Owls. Owl plates: vintage Mikasa. Trivet: vintage Cherry. Photo: Jolene**

I’ve been waiting to use these plates and show-off this trivet since my birthday in July!

Gifts from my very thoughtful friend Cam, the plates and trivet are all from the 1970’s. They combine my love of owls and vintage finds for my new kitchen in a 1969 building.

The fact that they are sitting on the almost hundred-year-old breadboard I was able to take with me from the original 1927 Time Travel Kitchen makes this little party for my taste testers all the sweeter.

What is it about owls? Their place in folklore, association with wisdom and intuition and their solitary stillness make them such fascinating creatures.

Plus, they’re so darned cute.

But they are raptors, fierce birds of prey, capable of stealth flight. Most only reveal themselves at night, swooping in as they hunt.

Kinda like this guy.

WooooOOOOoooo 🧛‍♀️ Count Dracula. A screenshot image from the original opening reel of *Chiller Theatre* which ran on Channel 11 WPIX in New York from 1961-1984, complete with bloodcurdling music.

Ghosts of Halloween Past: Chiller Theatre (1961-1984)

Nothing says 1960’s Long Island elementary school pajama party like being able to stay up late with your girlfriends on a Saturday night watching whatever B-movie horror flick from the 1950’s was airing on Chiller Theatre.

My friend Colleen’s house had the biggest den, so her parents always hosted us, while our ‘Host’ for Chanel 11 WPIX Chiller Theatre was the legendary Zacherley, dubbed by none other than Dick Clark as ‘The Cool Ghoul.’

**Zacherley, “The Cool Ghoul” circa 1963. Source: screenshot original opening reel Channel 11 WPIX** **Chiller Theatre.**

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Watching some of these old clips I realized just how funny some of the one-liners were. His muttering to his ‘wife’ better known as ‘My Dear’ or ‘Isobel’ as she continued to rest in the coffin he just stepped out of are hilarious. The words went right over our heads as kids. Zacherley would ceremoniously introduce the movie and then pop in again for commercial breaks.

We would scream-laugh at the scary parts of the movies. In the morning, usually with a stomach ache after all the cookies and candy we’d eaten, coats would be put over pajamas and we’d trundle back home, exhausted — but wow, what a party we had.

Monster Chiller Horror Theatre with Count Floyd: SCTV (1976-1984)

**Count Floyd played by Joe Flaherty, circa 1976. Source: SCTV Guide**

Meanwhile, actor and comedian Joe Flaherty had been watching the Philadelphia broadcasts of Chiller Theatre hosted by ‘Chilly Billy’ Cardille during the same period. This was the inspiration for his ongoing SCTV parody sketch Monster Chiller Horror Theatre and his cranky ghoul, Count Floyd.

I laughed out loud this week watching Count Floyd introduce a send-up of an Ingmar Bergman film starring Catherine O’Hara as “Leave Ullman” and Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin as her co-stars.

If you’re looking for something hilarious to watch, look no further than any archived SCTV episode and particularly those featuring Count Floyd, which would be perfect for this Halloween weekend.

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Since the commercial breaks were such a big part of the Chiller Theatre experience, here’s a short commercial before the sugar cookie recipe segment from the staff (that’s me!) at Time Travel Kitchen.

A Delicious Gift Idea

If you’d like to surprise someone with an early present 🎁 this season, now would be the perfect time to snap up a monthly or yearly gift subscription to Time Travel Kitchen for them. That way, they’ll get in on all the fun baking and looks back at the past during November and December and into the New Year. Treat yourself to a subscription, too! ✨

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No Tricks, All Treat Sugar Cookies

**Cookies before baking. Photo: Jolene**

This is a very basic sugar cookie, a recipe to have on hand if you want cookies in a hurry. If you want to decorate with children or you’re have a big family or group party, these are easy cookies to have fun working on together. They taste good, are nice and crisp, not overly sweet and they hold icing well. I actually used dark chocolate and white chocolate to decorate (dipped) along with edible orange and gold glitter — you can go to town with your frostings and decorations. This recipe is from Ann Clark, the largest cookie cutter manufacturer in the U.S.

Sugar Cookies *Makes 16-24 depending on cookie cutter size

Cream together:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

Beat in:

1 large egg

Add:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Form into square and place in cling wrap. Chill dough for 3-4 hours before rolling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut out cookies with cutters and place on parchment lined sheet pan.

Bake 8-10 minutes (mine were done in 8 minutes) till very slightly colored.

Let cool on sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate! Or eat just as they are.

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