Celebrate Day of the Dead with everything from pumpkin mole to sugar skulls

Love that Mexican skull face paint you see every Halloween? You may love the holiday and rituals that go with it even more once you learn about them. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated across the U.S., Mexico and Latin America on Nov. 1 and 2. The 3,000-year-old Aztec ritual is a time to honor loved ones who have passed in the most beautifully life-affirming way.

During this holiday, souls are welcomed to visit the families they left behind. Families decorate colorful altars with fresh flowers and bright tapestries. And of course, food is central.

That's why we've put together a full collection of our favorite traditional and modern recipes by Latina cookbook writers and bloggers just in time for the big day. You don't have to be Mexican to celebrate Día de los Muertos. We all have people in our lives who have passed on - people we miss very much. Welcome them back in spirit with your own Day of the Dead feast.

Image: Liz Smith/SheKnows

1. Pumpkin and ancho chili mole/mole de chile ancho y calabaza

Image: Courtesy of Pati Jinich

Serves 6

Recipe courtesy Pati Jinich

Ingredients:

• 1/2 white onion, peeled


• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled


• 3 ancho chilies, stemmed, seeded and opened


• 1/4 cup slivered almonds


• 5 whole cloves


• 1/2 stick (about 1 inch) true or ceylon cinnamon (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)


• 8 whole allspice berries (or substitute 1/8 teaspoon ground)


• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil


• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin purée (about 1-3/4 cups)


• 3 cups chicken broth


• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt (or more to taste)


• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or more to taste)


• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Place the onion and garlic in a baking sheet under the broiler. Char for 9 to 10 minutes, flipping once in between. Once they are soft and charred, remove from the heat. When the garlic is cool, peel.


2. In an already hot skillet or comal set over medium-low heat, toast the ancho chilies for about 15 to 20 seconds per side until they're brown and crisp but not burned. Place the toasted ancho chilies in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes until they are plumped up and rehydrated.


3. In the same skillet or comal, toast the cloves and allspice until aromatic, about a minute. Remove from the heat. Toast the almonds and cinnamon, stirring often, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.


4. Place the onion, garlic, chilies, 1/2 cup of chili soaking liquid, almonds, cloves, cinnamon and allspice in the blender and purée until smooth.


5. In a soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil and pour in the puréed mixture. Add the salt and sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to help prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The color will darken considerably.


6. Add the pumpkin purée and chicken broth to the sauce. Stir well until the pumpkin purée has dissolved. It will have a silky consistency. Continue to cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.


7. Use the mole sauce to pour over grilled, broiled or boiled chicken, meat or fish. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds for some added flavor and crunch.

2. Marigold-infused tequila

Image: Sweet Life

Marigolds are said to lead the souls of the dead to their graves, and this marigold-infused tequila is a great drink to celebrate with on this day.

More: Let's pretend tequila is the new green juice

3. The Weeping Woman martini

Image: Muy Bueno Cookbook

Also known in Spanish as "la Llorona," a Mexican folktale used as a bedtime story for children, is inspired by the Day of the Dead celebrations.

4. Café de olla atole

Image: Nibbles and Feasts

"Atole," a corn-based drink, is usually drunk during this holiday. We're loving the addition of coffee in this café de olla atole.

5. Mexican hot chocolate

Image: Muy Bueno Cookbook

Mexican hot chocolate, also known as "champurrado," is famous for its thick consistency thanks to Mexican chocolate and "piloncillo" sugar, or really dark brown cane sugar. Muy Bueno cookbook writer and blogger Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack has a growing collection of Día de los Muertos recipes on her website.

6. Ecuadorian spiced purple corn fruit drink

Image: Laylita's Recipes

Also known as "colada morada," this corn-based drink is sweetened with the addition of fresh berries.

More: 21 ways to love Mexican food that have nothing to do with tacos

7. Atole de vainilla

Image: The Other Side of the Tortilla

Another version of "atole," the corn-based drink, is this atole de vainilla that is brightened up with the inclusion of Mexican vanilla beans - some of the best vanilla in the world.

8. Marigold muerte drink

Image: Muy Bueno Cookbook

You can purchase dried or fresh marigold at your local flower shop to make this marigold muerte drink to celebrate your loved ones.

9. Ecuadorian bread figures

Image: Laylita's Recipes

In Spanish, these are called "guaguas de pan" and are traditional in Ecuador during the Day of the Dead celebrations.

Next up: DIY sugar skull cake pops

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10. DIY sugar skull cake pops

Image: Chelsea Lords/SheKnows

Taking the classic and traditional sugar skulls, these sugar skull cake pops are a modern twist and fun way of presenting skulls to young ones in the family.

11. Día de los Muertos empanadas

Image: Sweet Life

Make these Día de los Muertos empanadas in specialty skull molds that can easily be found online, and stuff them with traditional ingredients like cotija cheese.

More: 19 Mexican slow cooker recipes that will add flavor to dinner tonight

12. Mexican pig-shaped cookies

Image: Muy Bueno Cookbook

Also known in Spanish as "marranitos," gingerbread pigs are a delightful treat to sweeten the celebrations with on this special holiday.

13. Día de los Muertos skull chocolate cake

Image: Sweet Life

Slice into this skull chocolate cake, and explain how you're celebrating your loved ones, guiding them and sharing great stories from when they were alive.

14. Marigold-pressed tortillas

Image: Nibbles and Feasts

How gorgeous are these tortillas de cempazuchitl? Pressed marigold petals adorn these tortillas, making them sometimes too gorgeous to eat.

15. Día de los Muertos gelatina cake

Image: Presley's Pantry

Día de los Muertos gelatina cake - or gelatin cake - is a colorful addition to your Day of the Dead altar.

16. Candied pumpkin or squash

Image: Aromas & Sabores

Also known in Spanish as "calabaza en tacha," it's the perfect side dish to include in your celebration.

17. Sugar skulls

Image: Presley's Pantry

Make these traditional sugar skulls with your children, and introduce them to what the Day of the Dead is all about.

Originally published October 2014. Updated October 2016.

I might lose a promotion because my coworkers are threatened by my productivity

Today we're talking about coworkers holding you back from a promotion.

More: How to power through a crisis of confidence at work

Question:

I like my job. I want to get ahead and I work hard and fast.

This irritates two of my coworkers. When I pass their desks, I overhear them make comments like, “Don't get in the way of the speed demon.” I don't understand why they resent the fact that I work fast. I'm not doing it to make them look bad. I pretend I don't hear their comments.

Although I'm the youngest in the department, I thought doing a good job would be my route to a promotion to team lead. Two months ago, my supervisor told me that I was a front runner for the next opportunity since our current team lead is planning to move out of state in two months.

This morning, I heard through the grapevine that my supervisor is uneasy about promoting me because these coworkers dislike me, and team leads have to have good relationships with coworkers. I plan to go talk to my supervisor about this. What should I say?

More: One of my coworkers is stealing money out of purses and my boss won't do anything

Answer:

If you go to your supervisor with this issue as a problem, you present him with an unresolved problem. If you instead try to first solve it or come to him with a potential solution, you increase your chances of gaining the promotion you seek.

Start by learning what you're up against. Do you irritate your coworkers with your speed or do they snipe at you because they dislike you for another reason? Do you threaten them with your youth or brains? Could part of the problem be you act superior because you speed through projects and thus infuriate coworkers who work more slowly?

In short, you need more information which these two coworkers possess. The next time you hear a comment, stop dead in your tracks and say, “OK, what am I doing that irritates you? Just tell me, so I can fix it.”

The good news, you have a month to figure this out as your current team lead is in place for the next two months. Also, you're learning two valuable lessons. First, while pretending to not hear comments works temporarily, it doesn't resolve anything. Second, it takes good relationships with coworkers as well as hard work to get ahead.

Finally, if you try to diplomatically figure out and resolve this problem, when you present the situation to your supervisor, he may realize the problem isn't with you, and it lies with your coworkers – and thus it is his issue to solve.

© 2016, Lynne Curry. If you have a career questions you'd like Lynne to answer, write her @ lynne@thegrowthcompany.com. Lynne is an executive coach and author of Beating the Workplace Bully, AMACOM & Solutions. You can follow Lynne through her other posts on sheknows.com, via www.workplacecoachblog.com, www.bullywhisperer.com™ or @lynnecurry10 on Twitter.

More: I'm bored by my new job but scared if I leave it will look bad on my resume

Gorgeously unique Welsh baby names for your baby girl

Welsh is a language spoken in Wales, which is part of the U.K., and a few other locales around the world. Although it is situated right next to England geographically, Welsh is not very similar to English at all. As a Celtic language, it's closer to languages like Irish and Gaelic than to what many of us speak, which lends an unusual flair to those of us who are not familiar with it.

More: This printable guide is about to solve all your baby-naming squabbles

Unsurprisingly, there are a ton of gorgeous, unique baby names that spring from the Welsh language that would make an awesome name for your little girl. You'll note that many of the following 32 names include "wen" or "wyn" as part of the name - that translates to "white," "blessed" or "fair." We've included the meanings of these great Welsh girl names, which might help steer you toward a future favorite.

Image: Design: Terese Condella/SheKnows; Image: Getty Images

More: 15 pregnant-mom freebies you need to snag ASAP

• Aderyn: Bird


• Afanen: Raspberry


• Alis: Welsh form of Alice


• Anwen: Very beautiful


• Bethan: Welsh form of Elizabeth


• Blodwen: White flowers


• Brownwen: From Welsh elements meaning "breast" and "white, fair, blessed"


• Caron: To love


• Catrin: Welsh form of Katherine


• Dilys: Genuine


• Efa: Welsh form of Eva


• Eira: Snow


• Eirwen: White snow


• Elin: Welsh form of Helen


• Enid: Soul, life


• Fflur: Welsh version of Flora


• Llinos: Greenfinch


• Lowri: Welsh version of Laura


• Mair: Welsh form of Mary


• Mared: Welsh form of Margaret


• Megan: Welsh short form of Margaret


• Meinir: Maiden


• Meredity: Sea lord


• Morgan: Comes from an Old Welsh boy name Morcant, possibly means "sea" and "circle"


• Nerys: Related to the Welsh word for "lord"


• Nesta: Welsh form of Agnes


• Olwen: White footprint


• Rhiannon: Great queen


• Seren: Star


• Sioned: Welsh form of Janet


• Tegan: Fair


• Tesni: Warmth from the sun

More: Here's what happens when a mom takes photographs of herself giving birth

Before you go, check out our slideshow below:

Image: Monet Nicole Births

When is it OK to fight in front of your kids?

Last week, one of my husband's and my marital tripwires was set off when one of our sons got sent home from day care with a fever. My husband and I both work from home, which can be convenient, but also makes it difficult to drop everything and stay home for the day with a child. We have a fairly predictable fight when this happens - one borne of stress and concern that stems from a very tricky topic: Whose time and work is worth more?

As we quarreled, my 4-year-old put his hands over his ears and said, “Stop it!” Then he made us apologize to each other. You might think that would have slowed us down, but with the fight not yet over, we still bickered until our little arbiter was dropped off at preschool and we could get on with our days.

My son's chiding made me wonder, though - were we causing him emotional harm by arguing in front of him? Or is it actually healthy and normal to show your kids what a marriage really looks like? For answers, I turned to parenting expert Joani Geltman, author of A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens.

More: How to avoid money arguments

SheKnows: Is there any upside to fighting in front of your kids?

Joani Geltman: Four year olds are very sensitive to their parents; they're just starting to recognize emotions in themselves and others. They're just starting to see another person's perspective, so there is a positive side not just to seeing that people aren't always nice to each other, but modeling forgiveness. Make sure they see you kiss and make up. But otherwise, it's not helpful to hide arguments from your kids - otherwise when they argue with people, they're going to feel like something's wrong with them. Conflict is a natural part of being human. If you feel in control enough to say, “I think we need to take this into another room,” do that, but not when it's about emptying the dishwasher. Otherwise, hiding arguments is not real life. If there's never any conflict in a family, there's no roadmap for what to do when there's conflict in their own lives.

SK: But surely some arguments are not meant for kids to overhear.

JG: You wouldn't want to talk about sex in front of them. You wouldn't want to brawl in front of them. I don't like to see parents degrading each other - that is a nonstarter. Calling names, very overt aggression, saying things like, “You did something to me,” - that shouldn't be in front of the kids because that becomes more personal to the kids than just being mad at each other... They need their parents to be secure. Plus, as they get older, if that's how kids are observing how people speak to each other, it gives them permission to be bullies. Just remember that there's a difference between a personal argument and one between two people who have had a long and frustrating day. And nobody wants to sit in on anybody's fight when it's personal - and it's very scary for a child.

More: How to argue the healthy way

SK: Should parents apologize to their children for arguing in front of them?

JG: I don't like parents to apologize for it. Then that takes away permission for their kids to express their anger when they feel it. I think it's more understanding their feelings and then showing them a positive resolution. If a child is upset about an argument instead of apologizing, you can say, “I see that made you feel uncomfortable and it was scary to see Mommy and Daddy fight, but we love each other and we made up. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy disagree just the same way you disagree with the way I told you to pick up your toys and you yelled at me. Sometimes we lose our tempers.”

SK: My 4-year-old tried to get us to stop arguing even though we weren't done with our fight yet. Should we have taken his lead?

JG: Kids are very bossy at that age. You can say, “We see that you're feeling upset,” but it's not really his role to order you to hug each other. Say, “I love Daddy and he loves me” and kiss and make up, but not at [your son's] request.

Make this blood-red Halloween punch and pretend you're a vampire

Halloween inspires a lot of cocktails that look creepy but don't taste like anything you'd go near the rest of the year. Skip the sticky-sweet liqueurs and food coloring. This punch is not only on theme for the holiday, but it's also a sophisticated and seasonal drink for grown-ups.

More: 27 Halloween drinks for spooky boozers and tiny teetotalers alike

An ice ring or ice block will keep the punch cold, but you could serve it in ice-filled punch cups instead. For an even spookier punch, soak the lemon slices in grenadine to dye them. I like the rich flavor of pure pomegranate juice, but this recipe could also work with a pomegranate juice blend, such as pomegranate-cranberry. "Juice cocktails" are cheaper because they have added sugar and water, but they also have less flavor.

More: Brew a dark and mysterious punch for your Halloween party

Blood-red fall punch recipe

Serves 10 – 12

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, sliced


• 4 cups apple brandy


• 4 cups pomegranate juice


• 1/2 cup ginger liqueur


• 4 cups sparkling apple cider

Directions:

1. Fill a Bundt or loaf pan 3/4-full of water and freeze. Once it's solid, arrange the lemon slices on top of the ice. Carefully add more water until the pan is full and then freeze.


2. Combine all ingredients except sparkling cider in a punch bowl. Before serving, add the sparkling cider and ice ring or ice block.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Image: Cookie and Kate

Starbucks is serving Pumpkin Spice Whip, repeat, Pumpkin Spice Whip

PSL fans, we have an important announcement. As of today, Starbucks is serving Pumpkin Spice Whip as a free topping from now through the weekend to celebrate the PSL's 13th birthday.

• Yes, it's made with real pumpkin.


• Yes, it has the requisite cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove spices.


• Yes, they'll put it on anything, not just PSLs. All you have to do is ask.

Also, there is a pin you should know about.

More: Starbucks bottled Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos: This year, skip the Costco trip

Image: Starbucks

From Oct. 6 through 10, you can pick up a free happy birthday, PSL pin while supplies last. Are you basic enough for this pin? And the Pumpkin Spice Whip? Do you have your autumn sweater, scarf and seasonal boyfriend ready? Well then, you know what to do.

More: 10 pumpkin spice foods that have no excuse for existing