My first memories of Día de Los Muertos was the smell of fresh mole and bolillos (baguettes) that my grandmother made and we took to the cemetery where her parents and siblings were buried, this repeated every November first, it was the most magical event of the year for me. I didn’t really know about Halloween then.

Abuelita said that bringing your relatives’ favorite foods to their tomb will bring their souls back to their buried bodies and we will feel close to them again –“death is part of life and we shouldn’t be afraid of it,” she used to say. She died last year in her sleep; she was not afraid to welcome La Muerte (lady death).

To bring her close to our heart, my son and I made an altar with some of her favorite items: Virgin de Guadalupe, Saints, Claveles (flowers) and fruit (sorry Abue, I don’t make mole!)

The one thing I learned about the sugar skulls and why you write your name on them is to think of your own death as part of your own life – in a sweet way – to not be afraid of it, just like Abuelita said. To celebrate our dead we decorate tombs or at-home-altars with Flor de Cimpasúchil, papel picado, tissue paper flowers, sugar skulls, pan de muerto, atole, fruits and the beautiful Catrinas o Calaveras which were made famous by painter Diego Rivera in his Mural Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en Alameda Central

One of the places in Mexico that has celebrated the Day of the Dead for centuries is Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, 30 minutes from where I grew up. This place is as magical as my childhood memories. In this town every November 1st, you can feel the souls of your ancestors, you can smell  wonderful foods and enjoy the vivid colors of the decorations. We believe the dead take the food’s flavors, therefore you are not supposed to eat the food offered to the ancestors. It is a big and colorful celebration that lasts all night!

{Photo courtesy of Michoacán el Alma de México}

I would like to invite you to celebrate your loved ones that have passed by sharing your Dia de Muertos pictures and stories on SpanglishBabyPlayground.  You can try to cook their favorite foods and decorate an altar with their pictures. I think it’s a wonderful experience for the whole family and especially for our SpanglishBabies who will continue a very dear cultural tradition their ancestors have celebrated for centuries.

A couple weeks preceding Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), we begin creating and preparing the decorations for our altar.  One very important element and colloquial symbol incorporated in the altar is the sugar skull (calaverita de azucar).

Sugar skulls represent and honor a departed soul.  Customarily, the name of the person the altar is dedicated to is written across the skull’s forehead.  If you do not have an altar to display them on, sugar skulls can also be given to loved ones as fun gifts.

This vibrant and folkloric art is a great way to include the entire family in a fun and creative project.  Making sugar skulls involves practice, patience and yes, clean-up.

Since there is a lot of handling involved, consuming these sugar skulls is not recommended.  They are better at being admired than eaten.

A very important note:  Sugar skulls must be made on a day with absolutely no humidity (no rain or fog) at all.  The humidity will impede the sugar and meringue powder mixture from drying and your sugar skulls will not set.

This project takes a couple of days to complete.  Be very patient.  Practice as much as you can and make sure you have a large, clean work area.

Most importantly, have fun, remember your honored loved one and create a lasting family tradition by creating sugar art.

Feliz Dia de Muertos a todos!

YOU WILL NEED:

Sugar Skull Mold (found at arts & crafts stores or online)

Granulated Sugar

Powdered Sugar

Meringue Powder (found at baking stores or arts & crafts stores)

6”x6” Corrugated Cardboard squares

Large metal bowl for mixing

Measuring spoons

1 Cup liquid measuring cup

¼ cup dry measuring cup

Decorations: Concentrated paste food coloring (found at baking stores), colored tin foils

(you can also use sequins, feathers, beads, glitter etc… let your imagination go wild!)

RECIPE FOR SUGAR SKULL:

5 lb. bag (or 10 cups of granulated sugar)

¼ cup meringue powder

10 teaspoons of sugar

1.  Mix dry ingredients by hand in a large bowl then sprinkle in water to mix completely.  Ingredients should be completely moistened and must take on a “beach sand” feel.  You will know it is ready when you squeeze an amount of sugar mixture on the palm of your hand and your fingers leave an imprint and mixture keeps its shape.

2.  Pack mixture firmly in mold.  Make sure all crevices are filled completely (pay special attention to skull’s chin and nose).  Use a sharp edge to level off the back of the skull flat. Place a corrugated cardboard square over the mold and invert immediately.  Lift mold carefully and let skull dry 6 hours.  (If the skull crumbles when removing from the mold, start over, return sugar mix back in the bowl and spritz some water into the mixture).

3.  When skull feels dry enough to handle, and you are assembling a two-piece (front and back) skull, you must scoop out with a spoon the inside of both pieces, leaving a ½” skull wall.  Do not scoop out the neck area. Set the skull front and back pieces back on the cardboard squares and let dry for 12 more hours.

4.  Prepare Royal Icing (see recipe below).  Royal icing is used to “glue” both pieces together.  It will also be used to decorate.

When skull pieces are completely dry, place a ¼” bead of thick royal icing on one side of the back of the skull, either applied with a knife or squeezed from an icing bag.  Affix the front and back skull pieces together making sure they are aligned.  If icing oozes out, immediately wipe off excess with finger. Let dry for 3 hours.  If your sides do not line up straight, use fine sandpaper to even them out.

RECIPE FOR ROYAL ICING:

2/3 Cup water

1/2 cup meringue powder

2 pounds powdered sugar

Mix ingredients with an electric/stand mixer until icing peaks (about 9 minutes). Don’t mix up more than two pounds at a time. Keep in a tightly covered container. DO NOT REFRIGERATE.

TO DECORATE YOUR SKULLS WITH ROYAL ICING:

Use ONLY concentrated paste food colorings (NOT liquid food coloring from the grocery store). Mix icing & paste colors in disposable cups to your desired depth of color. Use pastry bags and metal tips or strong disposable bags and snip the tips to make fun and colorful designs.  After decorating, remember to let dry one last time for 3+ hours.

Foil eyes and beads can be adhered to your sugar skulls by carefully applying royal icing and gently pressing them against the skull.

Yields: Four, 4” sugar skulls

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.

Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.

Photo by Paul and Jill

Yesterday we published Part 1 of this post with a list of some of the coolest Finds featuring iconic and classic Day of the Dead symbols such as calaveras and calacas.
Today we continue with the feast. Enjoy!

Chocolate Day of the Dead Skulls

One of the most traditional aspects of a Día de los Muertos celebration are the chocolate and sugar calaveras, or skulls, you get and give as gifts.  It´s usual to personalize it with the name of the person you´re giving it to.  It´s wonderful to walk into Mexican markets around these days and see stalls full of these sweet and colorful confections.  I found an Etsy shop by the name of 2gorditas that makes these skulls by hand out of yummy white chocolate and hand-paints them, making each one truly unique.  For $15 you get a gift box with 6 chocolate skulls to give away as treats, favors or to use as cupcake toppers.  Oh yeah, you can also indulge in them all by yourself!  ¡Se vale!

Día de los Muertos Sticker Book

Stickers make every kid happy.  This book has 25 vibrant stickers that celebrate Day of the Dead in English and Spanish.  It also introduces children to this traditional holiday and the festival atmosphere that accompanies it.  I’m also loving the $4.95 price tag on it.  You can find it on Amazon, via La Tiendita.

Muertos T-shirt for Dad

Have papá get in the Day of the Dead mood with this rocking t-shirt from the SleepyManatee Etsy shop.  He can do both Halloween and Muertos with this one and style it out.  This Find is available for $14 here.

Day of the Dead Crafts Book

I´m still  in search of my crafty bone (no pun intended!), but it seems to be hiding deep with in.  This book is perfect to at least inspire me to create Día de los Muertos inspired objects such as calacas, masks, skulls, altars and ofrendas (gifts) to place on the altars we make.  There are more than 24 projects that celebrate the festivity, making it a perfect starting point to gather your family around the theme.  It´s discounted at $13.95 in La Tiendita.

Las Flores de la Muerte

Frida Kahlo is one of the artists responsible for making the Day of the Dead celebration more widely known of and focusing on its mystical, colorful and joyous aspect.  This is a print from My Pink Turtle Studio that features a Frida and skulls wrapped in flower petals.  I had to include it as a find for it´s unique take and the gorgeous use of colors and patterns to bring this piece to life.  The print is an 8 x 10 reproduction of a folk art collage painting and will only cost you $15 to treasure it.  Go here to get it while they still have them.