Compost Cookies

I first heard about these cookies from my mother, who saw them on one of the morning shows. She madly scribbled the recipe down and gave me a copy. The idea was good. The cookie dough was too cakey for my tastes. But I tried them again.

This time I used a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and instead of chocolate chips, I added an equal amount of anything.

The “compost” of the cookie is anything and everything edible you want it to be. Perfect for cleaning out the pantry and using leftover Halloween candy. I let my son fill the measuring cup with whatever he thought should be in the cookies. The only thing I added was some oats. Everything from Raisinettes to goldfish crackers (look closely for the fish in the photo!), pretzels and Sugar Babies to broken-up fortune cookies went into these. I must say the chewy-salty-sweet surprises make them pretty good.

The only change from the basic cookie recipe would be to refrigerate for about an hour before baking. Otherwise they will spread too much and burn the goodies. A true American dessert – a little bit of everything thrown in. Enjoy!

For the Love of Pumpkins

I’ve always had a thing for pumpkins. Eating them, decorating with them and now growing them, too. For the last couple years, we’ve purchased the fancy, funky looking pumpkins at the market, used them and saved their seeds to plant the next year. Some have been pretty good eating, some are better used for Jack-o-lanterns or other decor.

Well, I think I’ve found my favorite for eating (so far). I think it’s a Jamboree. About 9 to 11 pounds, gray-blue-green in color and a flat round with light ribbing.

This is the pumpkin I used in my earlier “fighter pilot scarecrow” post as the helmet. It had so much meat inside that I needed a crowbar to get the lid off. I hollowed out what I could (and it was quite a bit) and saved it for baking. I spread the chunks onto a foil lined pan and sprinkled it lightly with salt and then about a teaspoon of sugar and cinnamon (skip the sugar if you’re using for savory stuff). Then I dotted it with butter and covered it tightly with foil. Into the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes (longer if you’re using large pieces). Then I removed it from the oven and left it covered as it cooled.

After it was cool I put it into the food processor and gave it a whirl. No draining off water or anything that I’ve experienced with other pumpkins said to be “good for baking.” It was sweet, thick and delicious as it was. But then I started adding it to EVERYTHING…

Pumpkin muffins, pancakes, smoothies and oatmeal, oh my.  It was sweet enough that little to zero extra sugar required. I even whipped it into softened cream cheese with some extra pie spices. Soooo good. I used it on everything from bagels and toast to banana bread as a vessel for it. Yum.

Then I started using more of the raw pumpkin, chunked up in savory recipes. Adding it to minestrone soup, sauteing with portobello mushrooms and tossing with pasta and parm cheese and even layering cooked chunks into a lasagna that had kale instead of spinach.

Well, needless to say, we saved the seeds of this gray-green beauty and I hope it does well in our little pumpkin patch next year. I do need to try a few of the others to see if they are good eating, however. Pictured above, a “turks turban” is next!

Overnight Pear Butter

This is the easiest pear butter to make. Other than having to peel, core and chunk all the juicy little pears for an hour, it’s really pretty hands-off.

I use my slow cooker on the “10 hour” setting and fill it with peeled, cored and chunked pears, about a half cup (maybe less) of sugar and add cinnamon and spices with a pinch of salt. Maybe a splash of apple juice to get the liquids started, but you really don’t want too much.

Wait the 10 hours. Let it cook overnight and the smells in the morning are fantastic. Make sure most of the liquid has cooked out and off-set the lid if you have too much. Cook longer if needed. The brownish crust on the outer edges is fantastic for flavor and color.

I then throw mine in the blender and if it seems too liquid – then I put it all back into the slow cooker for more time with the lid off-set until I like the consistency. Whisk and then jar and use. So yummy and so easy!!

Salad Inspirations

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Quite a few years ago, I had dinner at my friend Romney’s house. It could have been the atmosphere, the company and the laughter that helped make that meal so good, but it was the first salad that ever made an impression on me.

My friend is a beautiful, creative and warm person. A rosy-cheeked artist, her home was filled with great, funky things that belonged because she loved them. Even the plates were a mish-mash of Fiestaware and hand-painted, all showing off their colors from an open shelf. Everything about that night was relaxed and unpretentious from the music, the conversation and even the bread.

I can only call it an “everything salad” in that it had a ton of stuff in it. No recipe books or food shows could or would replicate it. It was the main course with a torn chunk of rustic bread and a glass of bright white wine. I can’t even tell you everything in it, but I do remember nasturtiums (edible flowers that grow well in Alaska) feta cheese, pecans, peas….

I’ve since made several of my own “everything salads” as a stand-alone meal. Adding unlikely pantry ingredients like dried apricots and any kind of fresh fruit or veg I have on hand, with crumbles of cheese, boiled eggs, leftover chicken, beans, artichoke hearts, tortellinis – you name it, all mixed in some greens.

Salads have become a sort of creative challenge for me. I get to experiment with flavors and textures and it doesn’t take a huge amount of skill or time. Here are a few that I’ve tried and have really enjoyed:

The Pacific Northwest Salad:
Spring greens, smoked salmon (or leftover cooked and flaked) snow peas (frozen peas work, too) fresh blueberries and goat cheese crumbles. Raspberry or a lemon-garlic vinaigrette for the dressing.

The Bistro Salad:
Spinach, sliced avocado, blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles (optional) dressed with a honey mustard. Then top off with a warm poached egg and some homemade croutons.

Fried Goat Cheese Salad:
To fry your goat cheese, slice into rounds and dip into egg, then seasoned bread crumbs to coat. Chill in fridge or freezer to get nice and cold. Then fry in a good amount of oil until golden on both sides. I add two slices of fried cheese to greens with roasted tomatoes and dress with a balsamic and thyme vinaigrette.

Now our garden is stuffed full of romaine, spinach and mesclun mixes. The sugar peas are ready, along with the radishes, carrots and beets. We’ve been eating a ton of salads lately. I’ll always try to add a protein to make my husband happy. Shrimp are easy and fast. Or if we have steak the night before, I’ll add thin slices of the leftovers to a salad creation (so good with Stilton cheese slices and the extra spice of radish and arugula!).

Ironically, some of my favorite salad plates (a gift from someone else) were hand-painted by my friend Romney Dodd. Whimsical flowers, plaids and bountiful colors are what my salads try to mirror on her plates, though salads of this magnitude often require a big pasta bowl! Edible art…. yum!

Mmmm… Tamales

Well, I had a hankering’ for tamales… and margaritas, too. So a while back I found a recipe for Tamale Pie. The filling was phenomenal! The “pie crust” of cornmeal, was not. It was dry and awful. However, I had used a larger cut of meat for the filling recipe, and had leftovers. So I froze the meat filling with the intent that ONE DAY I would make actual tamales. That day has come.

So this morning I searched different recipes for what seemed to be one that would work best for me. I picked and choosed through the different methods and techniques and even watched a You Tube video for a demo. Already having the filling made and on-hand made this process much easier for an afternoon. If you were to tackle it all in one day, I’d get the margaritas going early!!

Below is the conglomeration of what I did. You may or may not need to make another small batch of masa, depending on how much filling you end up with. Oh – and it makes a ton, maybe 40 -50 depending on your husk sizes! Have a party or freeze the leftover.

For pork marinade

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice plus 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed in a mortar or a garlic press
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder

For filling

• 1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 (14 1/2-ounces) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry Sherry

For Masa

• 9 cups Masa
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 cans chicken broth plus water to make 9 1/2 cups liquid
• 1 1/2 cup oil

Other Stuff

• Crock Pot
• one 8 oz bag of dried corn husks
• Flour-sack cloth or “tamale cloth”
• Steamer pot, pasta pot or stock pot with steamer insert
• Queso Fresco and cilantro for serving

First, make your pork. I adapted the flavors of this more Cuban recipe in my own version. I stick my pork shoulder into a crock pot on high (6 hour setting) with all of the marinade ingredients. Then, skim the fat off, reserve the juices and shred the pork.

Smoothies, Pancakes and Oatmeal

Breakfast food seems to be most consistently eaten by both of my boys. Their “picky-ness” only really kicks in for dinner or the occasional lunch. Fruit is always a winner. Eggs, toast and oatmeal – usually consumed without a fight. So I’ve started to enjoy making breakfasts for my family rather than wondering if I’d have to make a second meal that the boys will eat versus the one I made for us (happens most often for dinner).

Fruit smoothies are nothing new and I really don’t do anything different that you’d assume. I do try to pack it full of protein by using greek yogurt and add in some almond meal. Other “special ingredients” are wheat germ and flax seeds. Then we put an assortment of fruits (fresh and frozen) juice or milk. They tend to be pretty filling, and I get away with a cup of this and some whole-grain toast in most cases. Get creative and do a peanut butter and banana one or a carrot-orange (use carrot juice). My son loves to help make them, too.

The pancakes are where you can really get some veggies into them, though. Think of vegetables used in quick breads and cakes and go from there. This morning we made carrot, coconut, raisin pancakes. Pretty good, too. I start with a whole-grain pancake mix (make your own or Trader Joes has a good one, as does Safeway/Vons brand called “Eating Right”). I shredded three carrots and added to a couple of cups of the dry mix. I also added a bit of flaked coconut and some raisins. Then spice it to taste with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, etc. For part of the liquid, I used unsweetened coconut milk and added water (or milk if the mix calls for it) for the rest. Add the egg and oil as directed by the mix’s recipe. You may want to sweeten the mix a bit more – again depending on which you’ve used, as some have a bitter flavor. Keep in mind that cooking them is a bit slower as they are thicker in the middle. Med-low heat tends to do it. In most cases with these pancakes – syrup is optional. My kids eat them without and with their hands.

Here are a few other versions that I’ve done:
Sweet Potato (add cooked, mashed sweet potato and cinnamon)
Pumpkin (add canned pumpkin and pie spices)
Zucchini (shred the zucc and add spices – like the bread! These are very moist so be careful cooking.)
Carrot (shred carrot – think about the cake!! Spice!)
Apple Cinnamon (I’ve used applesauce or chopped apples and juice.)
Banana (I actually call these Monkey Cakes and only add sliced banana rounds as eyes and ears and nose and mouth on monkey-head shaped pancakes. Sometimes I’ll add peanut butter to the mix, or chopped pecans for banana-nut.)
Carrot-Orange (shred carrot, use orange juice for part of the liquid and add zest. Spice with cloves.)
Orange-Cranberry (similar as carrot-orange, but add fresh cranberries rather than carrot – dried works, too.)
Oatmeal (add in some cooked oatmeal. This makes them even more hearty and it can be added to any flavor!)

The same additives used in the smoothie get added into our pancake mix: wheat germ (hello folate!) flax-seed (fresh ground) and some almond meal. I always make too many and we freeze the leftover for a later date. These pancakes make a great meal-on-the-go. Not as crumbly as crackers and less mess than a sandwich (all the goodies are cooked-in). In fact, we left town last week on a road trip and wanted to get an early start. We did breakfast in the car and had carrot pancakes and smoothies.

A good friend of mine lives on a farm about 45 minutes from town. She routinely feeds her kid breakfast on the road when they drive in for pre-school. I told her about these pancakes. Perfect!

Speaking of oatmeal… I use many of the above flavor ideas for oatmeal. Pumpkin is my sons’ favorite. Same additives cooked on the stove with a multi-grain hot cereal and thick rolled oats. You can control the sweetness and it is way less processed than the microwave stuff. Gingerbread flavor is the second most requested, and as you might think, add molasses and ginger with the standard spices. I make a ton of oatmeal in a batch. No good for travel food, but it does freeze in single portioned containers, making it a great fast breakfast when you’re late (as I usually am!) and don’t have time to cook much. Get creative and enjoy!

Champagne and Shopping Fund-raiser

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 I had the privilege to co-host (and master-mind) a fantastic party with a good friend. She and I have many different talents that seem to compliment each other. I think we make a great team and we always have fun when we plan a party. We came up with this event as an auction item for our local performing arts theater earlier this year. The item was a champagne shopping party for the buyer and 9 of her friends. All in her home including custom invites, a champagne luncheon for 10, goodie bags for each guest and customized fashion, accessories and housewares brought in by local retailers. Basically, we were their personal shoppers and the ladies got to browse their items, champagne in hand, and get all of her friends’ opinions without leaving the comforts of home.

It was sooo much fun, even to be merely the server.

The look: We customized almost every detail from the invitation to the napkin rings. The gal that bid and won the event decided that she wanted green as her main color, as her home (built-in the early 1900’s and so fantastic) and covered porch went so well with it. So I took the green and created the purse invite, adding a croc texture and brightening the whole thing with a pink paisley liner and a bright yellow flower on the front. To her green table-cloth (loved that it was gingham!) I added the pink, yellow and white flowers in jelly jars. I chose the jars for a couple of reasons, one that they just played up the outdoor luncheon and fit the quaint house perfectly, and two because she could then keep or give away the flowers after the party.

I also purchased a wide pink gro-grain ribbon and a tube of scrap-booking paper flowers to make the napkin rings. Just hot glued it all together using a paper towel roll as a form. The napkins made the table pull completely together along with the white dishes.

To top off the luncheon setting, each lady got a goodie bag, or “swag bag” as Hollywood now calls them, hanging from the back of her chair. Each of our participating retailers gave a little something to fill the bags. They each got boutique soaps, pendant necklaces, make-up cases full of salon samples, Vera Bradley mini-wallets and more. Also, the tote bags were even custom-made for them by my dear friend (and fellow master-mind) of Ma Chére Finery. She repeated the same purse shape we used for the invitation and screen printed a quote that reads, “A smile appeared on her faces as if she’d taken it directly from her handbag and pinned it there.” The tote bags were even lined with a coordinating paisley print. Adorable!

The shopping: My friend and partner did most of the legwork in contacting our many retailers. We live in a small town and while our downtown area is very quaint and full of good restaurants and fun shopping, our residents still have a tendency to shop out-of-town. We wanted to showcase our local boutique stores and they were happy to support our event (gotta love small towns for that!). Each guest was asked to fill out a shopping survey about a month or two before the event. They told their sizes, style and color preferences, trends they liked, etc. We handed these out to our retailers and they got to work special ordering and/or hand picking items just for our gals. Can you imagine shopping where almost everything there is actually in your size and tastes?! Now add champagne and lunch and most of us would be in shopping heaven. The “shopping area” was packed. The retailers brought in loads of stuff, and racks of clothing. The entire dining table was full of jewelry. There was even a table of accessories, a hat rack and clothing outside as the guests arrived. All professionally displayed – as best you can in a house setting.

The food: I was in charge of the food for the event. As the women arrived, we made sure they were greeted with a limoncello champagne cocktail (I did not do a sugared rim as the recipe calls for and in fact I used less of the liqueur. I found the original to be too sweet). We also had a choice of tarragon lemonade or assorted white wines. Most happily took the cocktail. As they shopped, we circulated some cold dill and caper marinated shrimp served on endive leaves and some parmesan thyme crackers. Easy to just eat in a few bites and have your hands free to shop some more.

To begin the lunch, I served a small bowl of cold cucumber soup with dill and Dungeness crab garnish. This was the perfect soup to make the day before and not even have to reheat. The main course was a Tuscan picnic tart and a butter lettuce and radish salad with fresh herbs and a lemon vinaigrette. The picnic tart is pastry crust lining a spring-form pan, then filled in layers with Italian sausage (I used spicy Italian), ground beef, onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, spinach, roasted red peppers and cheeses. Then finish with a criss-cross lattice pastry top and seal the edges. After it’s baked, it can be served up to three hours later. Just pop it out of the spring form and slice into gorgeous layered wedges. I thought this was the perfect main dish for an outdoor lunch and I could make it ahead and freeze before cooking. I actually took them out of the freezer that morning and baked them (still partially frozen) when I arrived for set-up at our hostess’s house. They were done about 30 minutes before needing to be served which worked out perfectly. It shouldn’t be piping hot, or your filling might come spilling out! (Also – I used my own crust recipe and added the herbs. I’ve never tried the crust from the recipe.)

The dessert was one I had done before and found I could serve 20 women from one 10 inch pie. It was a dark chocolate tart with a pretzel crust. The original recipe was for a milk chocolate filling – but I am not a fan so I changed it. I also added a light sprinkle of sea salt in addition to the crushed pretzels on top. The salty-sweetness is really wonderful, but the filling is a chocolate ganache and so rich that a small slice really does do the trick. I served this with a scoop of strawberry ice cream and a strawberry garnish. {I’ve linked to all the recipes I used, though I did make little adjustments here or there. Just the nature of cooking I guess!}

All in all our ladies seemed to have a really great time. I know I enjoyed doing it and (other than her aching feet – shouldn’t have worn those heels!) so did my friend. We’ll have to do a follow-up with our generous vendors to see if it’s something they’d be willing to do with us again next year. I was chatting with some gals at the Derby party I attended the next day and they had already heard, from some of the pampered lady shoppers, how much fun it was. They wondered if they’d have a chance to bid on the event next year at the theater’s fund-raiser. I really wouldn’t mind doing it all again (with a new menu – of course!).

Fish Taco Fridays

We are far from perfect, but we do try to partake in the season of Lent. That includes no meat on Fridays. Fish tacos are nothing new, but I created my own version that have turned out rather tasty every time. I’ll give you the original recipe and then the shortcut version that still turns out great and can be made in much less time.

Roasted Corn and Tomatillo Salsa:

2 ears of corn
about 4 good sized tomatillos (or more if they are small)
2 avocados
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 4 limes
half a bunch of cilantro
about 4 jalapenos

I sliced the tomatillos into thirds (or thick slices) and put them and the corn on the grill. Grill and rotate both until cooked and have some color and some char. Tomatillos take less time and will begin to bubble.  Hull the tomatillos and put into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Pour juice and all into a bowl. Cut the kernels off the corn and put into bowl. Add beans and chopped cilantro. Seed and de-vein the jalapenos (or leave seeds for heat) and chop in the food processor. Add to bowl. Salt to taste. Gently fold in chopped avocado and lime juice. Let it sit for about 30 min. {Make ahead:  add half the lime juice and  avocado just before serving, then you can make the salsa the day before.}

The Sauce:

1 part Mayo
1 1/2 part plain yogurt (or sour cream)
Lemon juice
Old Bay seasoning
Frank’s Hot Sauce

Mix mayo and yogurt. Add lemon juice (about a teaspoon per cup of sauce) and Old Bay seasoning and Frank’s to taste. Let sit.

The Rest:

Shredded green cabbage
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Fish (various versions)
Tortillas

I’ve made this recipe basically with deep-fried battered bass, while camping, grilled trout and halibut, but mostly with breaded tilapia fillets. You could even get the frozen, breaded fillets and use those. I make my tilapia by simply drenching in beaten egg, then bread crumbs seasoned with Old Bay, then fry in a bit of oil in a non-stick pan.

The tortillas can be made (I’ve done it several times and they are fantastic, but involve more work and time) or purchased and can be flour or corn. If you’re feeding a crowd, I suggest going to your local mexican restaurant and buying some of their corn tortillas. Or – my compromise has been to find the un-cooked flour tortillas. They cook quickly and give a good chewy but light flaky crunchy texture.

Shortcut version of the salsa: I rinse and drain the beans and add them to a bowl with frozen corn kernels. Then I add a small can of chopped green chilis, lime juice and cilantro. Sometimes I’ll add finely chopped red onion or bell pepper. By the time your tacos are ready to assemble, the corn kernels have thawed. Still tastes great. I end up slicing the avocado on individual tacos, as my husband isn’t a fan.

Finished product is layers of fresh, spicy, fish-taco-ness that is good enough to have every friday, Lent or not! Enjoy!

Iceberg Lettuce… sort of

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I went outside this morning to harvest the rest of our lettuces, carrots and beets. I brushed about 3 inches of snow off the cold-frame lid before opening it. They’ve been doing well in their covered boxes, but the next couple of nights are supposed to drop to the single digits. I doubt they’ll survive that! So we’ll be having a roasted beet, orange and mixed green salad with our Thanksgiving dinner.

I also cut-up and roasted one of the last Cinderella pumpkins this morning. It smelled so sweet when I cut it open and a ton of flesh (thick walls!). I smeared it all over with butter and put it in a 400 degree oven for 30 mins. Then reduced to 350 for another 30 mins. Then turned off the oven but let the pumpkin sit in there. I’m hoping to use the fresh puree for Turkey-Day pie, but I’m aware that the consistency may be a bit watery. My plan is to drain it or squeeze it in cheesecloth. We’ll see how it all turns out. Good news is it’s just family and close friends for dinner – so if it flops – it flops.

I’m going to sign-off and go set the re-circ pump to help the pipes not freeze over night. It’s rare that it gets into the single digits or below around here… especially this early in the season! Cheers!

Halloween at our house…

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We live in an area where houses are fairly widespread. With only five homes on our street, there are never trick-or-treaters. Every year we go to friends’ homes that live in the “good” (for trick-or-treating) neighborhoods. Well, this year, with over 20 pumpkins in our garden, we decided to have friends over a week early for Halloween and pumpkin carving festivities.

First – I didn’t know how to decorate. I’ve always had autumn decor, but no Halloween stuff. So I improvised and went cheap and just added a spooky touch to the autumn decor I already have.

For outside, there’s the obvious – pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. With this many, I piled them into and old wagon. We found a big spider and made a web for it out of yarn, then covered a window with it. I put the battery op. tea lights in the eye sockets of our cow skull. I filled our lighted grapevine wreath with all the sunflowers and autumn floral I had on hand. I put the fake owl (that we use to scare pests and herons away from our pond) as part of the pumpkin display. Finally, for added spookiness, I rounded up some gnarled branches and attached them to the posts and put a black bird perched on one.

For inside, I covered a candelabra with fake spiderweb and burned down tapers. Then, we made bat silhouettes out of black construction paper and hung them in clusters throughout the house. I also made a chandelier silhouette out of construction paper (use the template to create flat or 3-D. Or make into wall sconces! I scaled mine to 150% for printing.) Then, spread the rest of the fake web over lamps, vases, etc.

For the party – the original idea was to have most of the party outside. But the rain came so we made some changes. Pumpkin carving still needed to be done outside, so we set-up in our carport. We used big log stumps (originally seats for the outdoor table) as carving pedestals, hay bales as seating (throwing quilts around to add a cozier feel) and a couple of rustic low tables and benches for other activities. We cut down our expired cornstalks and tied them in clusters around the posts and sprinkled additional pumpkins around (I’m telling you – we have a ton of pumpkins!!).

The table setting is just store-bought paper plates and napkins. This a party for kids – so why waste the dish detergent and water!? I found cute skeleton straws (too long for the cups and cause quite a bit of spilling. Hind-sight, cut ’em down before use!) that I included with the napkin and forks and knives and wrapped them all in an orange dot ribbon. I have little cast iron cauldrons that we used to hold candy, dips, spreads, etc. The table cloth was a layered black and white check over plain white. {SIDENOTE: My dining table is a cheap one we found years ago that didn’t have the leaves. Finally, my brother made me a couple of leaves so I could fit up to 12 people. Now the issue is finding table cloths that fit. I find myself layering quite often. I use white, twin sized, flat sheets bought at Wal-Mart for $3 each.} You could use a Sharpie and draw a spider web onto a white sheet for your cloth.

Everyone was invited to bring a “spooky” food dish to share. We had mummy hotdogs (bread stick dough wrapped around hotdogs) homemade pumpkin whoopie pies, caramel apples and mud cups, to name a few. I said I’d supply the apple cider and other drinks and a hearty soup. Well, I wanted to make my chicken noodle soup more festive, so I made ghost noodles to go in it. If you don’t want to make your own pasta, try buying wonton wrappers. I cut out long ovals, then cut those in half with a wavy line. I used a triangular shaped cutter I have from a snowflake cutter set for the mouths (some happy, some mad) and used a straw to cut the eyes (pinching the straw makes oblong shapes). Hind-sight, make your ghosts smaller than I did. They got huge after sitting in the soup for an hour! Use the straw to make the mouth, too.

Other savory food ideas (as there are a plethora of sweet foods) for Halloween that I’ve seen, done or read about:

Mummy Meatloaf (on epicurious.com)
Bread Stick Bones with Marinara (alternately, I’ve done soft pretzels with green cheese sauce)
Pumpkin Butter sandwiches– Cut-out bread with Halloween cutters, spread with pumpkin or apple butter. Perfect for the kiddos.
Beet and Jicima Vampire Salad – I thought this one would be a great adult dinner course, especially if you can plate each salad. Cut the Jicima into the vampire teeth and make roasted beets into the bloody prey. Arrange so the teeth are sinking into the beet. Dress with a red-wine vinaigrette.
Sweet Potato Jack-o-lanterns – find the fattest orange yam/sweet potatoes that you can. peel and slice into 3/8 inch rounds. Use a knife and notch in a stem. I used the same triangular cutters from my snowflake set, but you could free hand the eyes, nose and mouths. Toss them in olive oil and minced garlic and place flat on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until light  golden. Served immediately.

For having 12 kiddos (18 mo. to 5 yr.) and 3 babies, I think the party went well. The rain came down, but we had set-up an activity table that had Halloween coloring sheets and crayons, a create-a-pumpkin sticker project and a color-your-own-mask project. Of course there were all of my sons’ toys as well. Carving went well. We had those “safe” carving tools (that I think are so much easier to use than knives), markers, paper towels and goo-buckets all on hand. It was chilly and raining, so coming into the warm house (my hubby had gotten a fire going) to hot cider and chicken ghost-noodle soup was nice.

The plan, was for a movie (my fave- Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!) after dinner. The idea to wind the kiddos down a bit, and give the parents a chance to talk and eat. Originally, my plan was to set up a projector and screen (rent/borrow one locally or find them available on-line) out in the yard and have the hay bales and quilts and some pillows for seating. RAIN… so we turned on the movie inside. Same purpose served, little less ambience.

All the kids got little treat bags to take home, full of pencils, erasers, play-dough, and popcorn balls. And of course they got their Jack-O-Lanterns, too. It was a fun party, for us and the kids. My husband mentioned last night as we were cleaning up that next year he might expand the pumpkin patch…. so I think that means he had fun. Maybe I’ll start collecting more Halloween type decorations and we’ll have Halloween at our house – next year, too.