The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Book
Sleepy Hollow is considered America’s first ghost story. The story follows the schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, as he prepares to attend a party thrown by the family of the woman he would like nothing more than to marry (if for no other reason than her father’s wealth). On his fateful trip home from the evening of merriment, he encounters the terrifying specter of the legendary Headless Horseman! This is a classic short story and takes no time at all to read. It is delightfully spooky and makes your taste buds water as Ichabod (a true foodie) describes every delicious morsel at the Van Tassell banquet. If you would like to read more about the origins of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and its writer, Washington Irving, check out our article about Sleepy Hollow, New York!
Movie
The adaptation we will be choosing for this particular story is the classic 1949 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow produced by Walt Disney. There are many other versions of Sleepy Hollow that may be more entertaining for an older audience or those fond of terror, such as Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. However, this classic animated short resembles the story put down by Washington Irving far more closely. It manages to maintain the spooky ending to the story as well as simultaneously bringing to life the more cheerful and jubilant aspects of the tale that many adaptations ignore. Other versions that might be as appealing to watch without venturing into the horror adaptations of the story would be Hallmark’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999) and the Rabbit Ears version, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1988).
Rating
This story receives a G rating for the short story and the animated movie. It is a whimsical tale with a little bit of spookiness for fun. Unless viewers venture into some of the darker interpretations of the story depicted in TV shows and movies, there is no reason to be afraid of sharing this spooky story with younger audiences.
Treat
Pumpkin Head Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- Small or medium Pretzel sticks
- Brownie bites
- Orange melting candy morsels
- Black or brown melting chocolates
- Marshmallow fluff
- A bowl
- Butter knife or fingers
- Parchment paper
1) Begin by placing a sheet of parchment paper on a plate
2) Take two brownie bites. On one brownie spread a little marshmallow fluff and sandwich between the top of the other brownie. This will give a nice pumpkin shape.
3) Place the orange melting candy morsels into a bowl. Make sure the morsels are placed in a microwave safe container and microwave for an interval of 20 seconds before removing the bowl from the microwave and stir the morsels. Repeat this process of microwaving for 20 seconds and stirring until the morsels are a nice liquid consistency. It is possible to burn the morsels in the microwave so do be careful. Some colors of morsels do not melt as easily regardless of how many times you microwave them. If you continue to microwave them beyond the melting point they will simply dry out and become harder to manage. Three to four bouts of microwaving should be enough for orange morsels. Morsels can also be hot so ensure that your little ones are careful. If the morsels become runny and drip off the spoon, it will be possible to roll the brownie bites in the liquid in order to cover them. If the morsels have melted to more of an icing consistency it might be more advantageous to apply it with fingers or a spoon, keeping in mind to let it cool just enough to not burn or hurt to handle.
4) Place the now morsel coated brownie on the plate. While the outside is still soft, push a pretzel through the top to create the pumpkin stem. Leave to completely dry. (if you wish to speed up the drying process, place the wire rack in the refrigerator until the outer shell is hard)
5) With the edible gel, dark icing, or melted chocolate, draw on a spooky pumpkin face! (Note that edible markers do not draw well on the candy coating).
Enjoy the movie!