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Dia de la Muerte celebrates Life!
 Day of the Dead is not a time for mourning...it is a time for celebrating the life of those we love who have passed on to another realm. It is a time of joy...remembering our loved ones and honoring them with an altar packed with things they loved and colorful sheets...and perhaps most recognizably sugar skulls...joyful skeletons...and pan de muerto! Rich food that speaks to your soul...a drink to raise a toast with (and to) your loved ones...and lively stories! It all begins on the 1st of November with music and laughter and food and pictures and candles and beautiful decorations. Until just after noon when a hush begins to form as relatives make their way to the cemetery to spend the rest of the day and through the night mourning their lost loved ones. This is the time when you will hear only the whispers, cries and muffled prayers as candles burn and packed picnic baskets are offered with bottles of tequila or cerveza. Church bells toll at midnight, calling to the spirits of the dead. As night turns into day, people from all around gather to finally partake in the feast and the drink with the souls of their loved ones! It is a loud, happy celebration that is usually closed by fireworks that light up the sky...lighting the way for the souls to return to the heavens until next year. Some loaves of Pan de Muerto, both large and small from one of the local Mexican bakeries...along with some other delicious baked goods...    ...in remembrance and celebration of our loved ones whose spirits we can still feel...in both the little things and the grand.Pan de Muerto ..recipe I'm going to use to make my own later...found here This bread is slightly sweet and used on the altars of loved ones during "Day of the Dead" festivities. The dough is formed into bone-like shapes to decorate the top of the loaf before baking it. Prep Time: 3 hours Cook Time: 40 minutes * 1/2 cup butter * 1 1/4 cup water * 6 cups flour * 2 packets dry yeast * 1 teaspoon salt * 3 teaspoons whole anise seed * 2 tablespoons orange zest * 3/4 cup sugar * 4 large eggs * Glaze (see below) Preparation: Bring all ingredients to room temperature (except for the water which should be very warm) before beginning. In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, anise, salt and 1/2 cup of the flour. In a separate bowl combine the eggs and the water. Add the egg/water mixture to the first mixture and add in another 1/2 cup of the flour. Add in the yeast and another 1/2 cup of flour. Continue to add the flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms. Knead on a floured surface for about 1 minute. Cover with a slightly damp dishcloth and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Bring out dough and punch it down. Remove about 1/4 of it and use it to make bone shapes to drape across the loaf, or divide the dough into smaller pieces to create other bone shapes. Let the shaped dough rise for 1 more hour. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes for smaller loaves and up to 45 minutes for larger loaves. Glaze (after glaze is applied you may decorate with additional colored sugar if you wish) 3/4 c. sugar + extra + 1/4 c. sugar, divided 1/2 c. fresh orange juice + zest of an orange 3 Tbs. orange juice concentrate 2 egg whites 1/4 c. piloncillo (or use dark brown sugar) 2/3 c. cranberry juice * Bring to a boil- 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice. Brush on bread and then sift some additional sugar over the top. * Mix 3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate and 1/3 cup sugar with 2 egg whites. Brush on bread during the last 10 minutes of cooking. * Bring to a boil- 1/4 cup piloncillo, 1/4 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cranberry juice and orange zest. Brush on bread after bread has cooled. Bones: The most common bone decorations are very simple. Sometimes it's just a matter of forming ball shapes and pressing them into the loaf in a line. You could also take a piece of dough, roll it into a long cylinder and place a ball at each end. You can get much more detailed if you like, but even a slightly "knobby" looking loaf will get the idea across.  
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