Far East Piñatas, Italian Halloween, Pumpkin Horchata

     I have to say, Halloween leaves continental Europe completely dumbfounded:
          "You want me to wear a COSTUME to your party?"
          "This is not good party music...what is this Monster Mash??"
          "Why are there worms in this dirt pudding?!??!?!?!?"

     Needless to say, my Halloween party was a smashing success, Jack-O-Lantern and all. My only regret was the aggressive amounts of face paint I used which ultimately resulted in conjunctivitis. I've kind of been a hot mess as of late. Since I was feeling pretty down about my weepy, disfigured face, I felt like it was a great idea to attend a Mexican food inspired birthday bash. Naturally, I made horchata for the event and added pumpkin to make it more #fallbasic. I hope that starts trending. It was worth the effort, which means it was perfection because I always forget how much I hate making horchata. The party also came equipped with a home-made piñata! Instead of filling the devil, they just pelted us with the candy. A nice touch. Later that week, I told my new roommate about the festivities and he became curious about the piñata's origins. That's when it happened. That moment when you hear something you can't un-hear. Piñatas, are in fact, FROM CHINA. I can't, I just can't. I hope to God this coming week is less traumatic than this last beast. Here's the recipe for the horchata, if you too feel like hosting an ethnically ambiguous birthday party. 

Spiced Pumpkin Horchata

     So, this is not my first time 'round the block with horchata. For this reason, I don't really follow a recipe anymore. However, since I'm not a monster, I will create one for you. To begin, add the rice, cinnamon stick, and almonds to your container of water. Cover, place in the fridge,and let sit overnight. The next day, blend the mixture (after removing the cinnamon stick) and strain it a few times until the liquid is smooth. Italy does not support canned pumpkin puree, so I steamed and pureed my own. After it was pureed, I reduced it on the stove for 30 minutes until it deepened in color and flavor. I then added 1/3 c of condensed milk to the pumpkin puree and mixed until incorporated. Let this mixture cool. Once it is cool, you can add it to the almond/rice mixture and stir to combine. The last step is adding a pinch of salt, a 1/2 tsp of cardamom, and milk of your choice (I surprisingly used normal cow's milk). Give everything a strong stir and allow it to chill for at least an hour. It really is at its best icy-cold with a baby splash of rum (or, if you're trashy like me, Malibu). I reckon it will keep for about a week, but why would you take so long to consume such a delicious gift of the gods? 

Recipe

750 ml water

2 c white rice

1/2 c almonds

1 large cinnamon stick

1/3 c condensed milk

1 c pumpkin puree

500 ml milk of choice 

1/2 tsp cardamom

pinch of salt