Who better to plan your Halloween party than Elvira, Mistress of the Dark?
Born Cassandra Peterson, Elvira is the Queen Halloween – and the self-proclaimed "Martha Stewart of the Macabre."
The Hollywood Vampiress is currently reprising her role as cleavage-baring and clever-witted hostess for Hulu's "13 Nights of Elvira," part of the streaming service's "Huluween."
Elvira recently met up with photographer Christopher Ameruoso in Los Angeles for a hilarious interview and some party-planning tips – and shared with us her recipes for Strained Eyeballs, Ghoul-ade and Ghoul Drool Soup, which you can find below.
HNGN: Tell us what we have here.
ELVIRA: This is my scary sappy Halloween soup. One of my favorites always for Halloween. Of course we have our strained eyeballs for appetizers, a few zombies mixed in, and we also gave the Ghoul-ade, that can give that extra buzz on Halloween that we all need.
HNGN: Is scary sappy soup an old family recipe?
ELVIRA: It is an old family recipe that came way, way back from Transylvania from my old aunty, Anti Virus. And she gave you this when she wanted to give you the flu, as opposed to getting rid of the flu. But it's actually good for curing just about anything that you might get on a wild night out in Hollywood.
HNGN: Do you have many wild nights in Hollywood?
ELVIRA: Well yes, I'm afraid I do, but I don't think we have enough time to talk about all that right now. That's a whole other wild story.
HNGN: Well you have kept your incredible ghoulish Elvira figure.
ELVIRA: You're right. And I think it is probably due to this soup.
HNGN: So what are your measurements?
ELVIRA: I happen to be more than a handful, so my waist is about 24 inches, and 34 inches for my hips. I'm kind of shaped like a snake .
HNGN: So what else does Elvira do to keep her ghoulish figure?
ELVIRA: Every morning when I get up – this is very important – I do 50,000 of these chest pulls, ya know, to work that area. I'm sure you remember these from junior high, so I do 50,000 of those which takes quite a long time, actually it takes most of the day, and when I get done I'm tired, but I gotta say it keeps me in shape. Then I do quite a bit of exorcising at the gym; I like to go for the burn until my head spins around three times and then I'm done.
HNGN: So tell us about these strained eyeballs.
ELVIRA: Well these vainly strained eyeballs, these are absolutely delicious. You eat a couple of these and you'll never have to wear glasses. That's what I call four eyes. Well more than four, we have dozens of them here to eat.
HNGN: How do your neighbors and their kids react to Elvira?
ELVIRA: Well when they come knocking on the door on Halloween night, they pretty much react like AHHHHH! WHAT IS IT! (laughs) That's physically the reaction I get.
HNGN: What kinds of spooky treats do you give out to the trick or treaters?
ELVIRA: Spooky treats...Well, of course I give out my new Elvira Candies from the 99 cent store, that's fun. And I also like to give out... hmmm. Usually not very much (laughs). Mostly just my little candies.
HNGN: What do you think about these eyeballs?
ELVIRA: Well they are out of sight! It's so bad it's good. I'm sure you can see what I'm talking about. And again, these are very hard to come by.
HNGN: Does anyone ever get offended by any of the Halloween treats that you make?
ELVIRA: I think probably the only person that would have ever been offended would be Martha Stewart, because they're not perfect enough. I like to think of myself as the Martha Stewart of the Macabre. Kind of the Martha Stewart... Dead. And I actually make food that real living people actually can do also.
HNGN: Tell us about this green ghoul-ade drink?
ELVIRA: Mmm. Ghoul-ade. Well are you talking about the high-octane Ghoul-ade, or the one for the kids and that everyone can enjoy?
HNGN: Either or, whichever one.
ELVIRA: Well I like to use any high-octane alcoholic liquor beverage in the Ghoul-ade recipe, with of course some green food coloring. But all I can recommend is when you're around it, don't smoke!
HNGN: Do you consider this a magic potion?
ELVIRA: Oh I definitely consider this a magic potion, you drink a couple of these suckers, and it's definitely a magic potion for the romance department.
HNGN: Where does Elvira like to make appearances?
ELVIRA: I like to make appearances around Halloween, and pretty much anywhere they pay me.
HNGN: So how does one get you to appear at an event?
ELVIRA: A gold Visa card would be good!
HNGN: Tell us about your family, Elvira.
ELVIRA: Actually it was only my mom, my dad and myself. My mom of course was a very great sorceress from long, long ago. But then she unfortunately married a television critic, and I am the result.
HNGN: We know you live in Los Angeles, is there anywhere else you live part time.
ELVIRA: I live in Los Angeles and HELL part time. But sometimes Los Angeles is similar to hell, but I love both places.
HNGN: Do you always wear this much makeup?
ELVIRA: Makeup? I'm not wearing any makeup! Sorry I'm a natural beauty, this is just how I wake up looking in the morning, hair and all. Aqua Net. But you wrap it in toilet paper before you go to sleep and it stays perfect, not a hair moves. My outfit is actually right off the rack "Fredrick's of Transylvania," and it's polyester so you can just throw it in the washer, and of course it's black so it never gets dirty, I rarely wash it... I hope you can't tell. I have many of these outfits, and they all look exactly the same unfortunately, but I have a whole closet full of them.
HNGN: Does Elvira practice witchcraft?
ELVIRA: Why yes, I practice witchcraft all the time, unfortunately I've never gotten really good at it, but I do practice one hour a day whether I need it or not.
HNGN: What are the movies that you have appeared in?
ELVIRA: Well I of course starred in "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark," I've starred in my more recent movie "Elvira's Haunted Hills" which just came out two years ago, and you can find those both on DVD at Elvira.com. Don't forget! Also I've made an Imax movie called something in the third dimension, I don't even remember it was so long ago, and God knows how many other things I've been in.
HNGN: Who would be the ultimate guy you would cast a spell on?
ELVIRA: Well I don't know... maybe the guy over there taking the photo. Is that a camera or are you just happy to see me? (laughs)
Well until next time, unpleasant dreams!
ELVIRA'S RECIPES (Photographs by Christopher Ameruoso.)
Strained Eyeballs
1 pound black beans
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoon A1 Steak Sauce
1 pound carrots, sliced into rounds.
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Cilantro for garnish (optional).
Rinse and soak beans for six hours or overnight.
Drain beans and empty into a large soup pot.
Add enough cold water to cover the beans by two to three inches. Bring to a boil and then skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Add garlic and onion. Lower heat and cook until onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Next, add A1, salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook for about one hour. Add carrots and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro, if desired, before serving.
