1st Annual BYOP

For many years, I have expressed desire to host a Halloween party. Not necessarily a costume party, but one celebrating the fun of fall - what better way to celebrate than with warm comfort food and pumpkin carving. The first year we had our own house, we had just moved into the house the month before and it felt like the house wouldn't be inviting. Last year, Halloween just snuck up on us and we couldn't pull it off. And this year, I almost let a vacation and overall social situation hesitance postpone it for another year, but Mike pushed me into sending out the invites and therefore planning the party.

Project #35 in '50 in 2009 Challenge'

What I was most excited about was a reason to cook the first real batch of Autumn comfort food of the season. And...tackling cookie decorating for a second time - especially after running across this blog post of tips from Sweetopia! Let me tell you, these turned out to be some of the best homemade cookies I've made, I even approved of their taste, and I am very much a lover of processed, perservative-filled cookies (I'll take break-n-bakes over homemade any day). It's strange because I've very much gotten out of the habit of using a lot of convenience foods, even things like taco seasoning, but when it comes to cookies, I have very particular tastes. Usually when I make cookies - yes, I still attempt to make cookies because normal people tend to like homemade cookies - I have a token sample, but the rest typically are left for Mike or visitors. Martha Stewart did me good (her Cookie Book - Cut Out Sugar Cookies) and I must say I've enjoyed a few of these in the past few days.

Anyways, I was excited to finally have a reason to use the Halloween cookie cutters I got a couple years ago, so I went all out. Searching for a recipe, looking up icing tips & trick, buying a rainbow pack of icing dye gel and then devoting several days to these cookies. I'm very happy with the results - especially when looking back on my first attempt (mistake #1: using store bought tubes of icing) - but I hope to try again soon as I suspect my icing needed more water so it could actually flood and I wouldn't need to smear. All in all, I decorated about 3 dozen Frankensteins, cats, bats and pumpkins, but was a fun-filled Friday night of listening to NPR well into the evening hours.

Besides the cookies, I made chili and corn bread; munchies like puppy chow, pumpkin seeds & buffalo chicken dip; a hot apple rum (as the signature drink); and savory hand pies, using my new apple & pumpkin hand pie molds from Williams-Sonoma, stuffed with sauage, feta, spinach, onion & mushrooms or potatoes, onion, bell peppers & cheddar. I'm going to have to think of a way to incorporate the hand pies into our next gathering, Thanksgiving, because they were really fun to make and delicious. It actually has me thinking that it may be a good idea to make some and freeze them already baked for easy lunches, so I won't need to rely on Hot Pockets so much.

My Jack Skellington, the winning pumpkin & Mike's Rod Blagojevich's Hair

Besides the food, you know, there was an actual party with people going on and I think it went well. At first, it looked like it might only be Mike & I, another couple and a friend from Mike's work, but by the end of the night we had 13 people there for the duration, plus another 3 drop in later on in the night. And the best part was everyone (who was there for the duration) participated in pumpkin carving despite comments coming in such as fear of pumpkins (several people seriously expressed being creeped out by pumpkins) and thinking that pumpkin carving sounds like something women would be in to! I was so surprised that everyone was participating that though I was prepared with a special trophy, I hadn't thought through how we would actually give it away. Seriously I thought there may have only been a couple other people besides Mike & I that would have pumpkins. I'm glad everyone "let loose" and got into it because it was neat to see all the pumpkins lit up together. Kinda like our very own Jack-O-Latern Spectacular which was nice since I've managed to miss it the last two years. We ended up really lucking out weather-wise, too. The area's been plagued with lots of rain and cold lately, but the rain held off until about an hour after everyone went home at midnight and though it was chilly, it wasn't cold enough that with jackets and a little fire & hot apple rum, we couldn't stay outside for the whole party (double bonus for us because it means besides the kitchen, our cleaned house stayed clean - yay!).

I'm already thinking about next year, and planning a trip to the party store on November 1 in hopes of picking up some more of the trophies on sale. Hee hee.

Cookbook Challenge: How to Eat Supper #7

The Splendid Table's Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash and Greens Over Bow-Tie Pasta

I have been on a How to Eat Supper kick lately, I ended up making this pasta the day after we had the Supper Tart (I've tackled 3 more recipes this week with another 2 planned). And considering this baby calls for a pound of bow-tie pasta and a 3 pound butternut squash, we were eating it for days after. I love when lunch is taken care of for me!

There may be nothing better in the crisp fall air than roasted butternut squash. Sweet and slightly caramelized…yum, yum, yum.

Gosh, I love fall.

I mean, look at those colors. And then there's all the cozy traditions this time of year brings out, like buying the first half gallon of apple cider (which I did this weekend, and have been enjoying a hot mugful at night), and digging out sweaters, and wearing furry slippers in the morning, and trips to the apple orchard (which I hope we'll be able to do this weekend). Then there are also new traditions trying to sprout up - I really need to crack down and set a date for my 1st annual BYOP party. It's something I've wanted to do for years, but each Halloween since we've had our house has slipped by me. I am determined to have a pumpkin carving party this year…I swear. With chili and hand pies and frosted Frankenstein cookies and trophies! Does anyone know where I can buy wholesale pumpkin carving tools? I'd like to have several sets on hand, but would prefer not to spend $6+ on each.

A Very Harry Halloween!

Last night, Mike and I went to a little Halloween gathering with a few of his coworkers. With such short notice on the costume party and Mike on a business trip during the week, it was up to me to figure out the costume situation. Of course I jumped on the chance to finally dress up as Harry Potter characters.

With so little time, it was nothing fancy. No robes, no knit scarves. no matching Gryffindor ties. But after seeing this on Craftster, I knew I could pull something off. Mike, of course, playing the part of Harry (black hair and greenish eyes, he's a give-in) and me as Ginny Weasley complete with flaming red wig (which actually had devil horns in it, but I clipped them out).

All I needed was a couple of black tee shirts, white, gold, red and black fabric paint, some freezer paper, an iron, and a couple foam brushes. I stenciled off my white areas, but then free handed everything else. The photos looks OK, but up close…yikes. But that's what the creator always thinks, right?

I also whipped us up a couple wands, covering dowel rods with polymer clay.

Sadly, the only person who knew who I was was an eight-year-old (who was dressed as a Death Eater). I got Hermoine and Wendy (from Wendy's, understandable I guess, the red red wig in pigtails…maybe next year I can get Mike to dress up as Dave Thomas).

The Social Hangover

Quick note: I have what I like to call "the social hangover." Last night was my company Christmas party, therefore resulting in much more socializing than my body is used to. Today I wake up with an awful headache that I can not shake whatsoever all day…and no, I did not consume a drop of alcohol. So let's talk quietly, I've already put up with enough yelling and screaming today, as it was a Bears Game Day.


Yesterday while waiting til the time we had to leave for the party, I finished crafting up the above gifts for Christmas. They are a project based on one in the Quilt It Kit by Denise Schmidt. My first patchwork attempt since I was in like fifth grade and we made those doll quilts in summer sewing classes. Based on our wedding colors, I think they turned out pretty nice. Hopefully they go over better than last year's presents.

Project Christmas has been going relatively well. I have a couple more projects up my sleeve, one that is getting the can and then one recipient that has me stumped. What to make my dad? Any ideas?

Christmas cards are designed, printed and trimmed. I even started filling them out today. I hope to have them in the mail before the end of the week. Our condo is decorated…sparsely, but decorated. I have one more project that I recently found in Cutting Edge magazine (the one I actively sought out for a couple weeks, needing to read the article about Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls) that will look fabulous on our front door. If only I can finish it in time, I might just need to work on it now for next year. Our Christmas shopping is nearly done, though I do need to go out for my gift to Mike yet. The only other thing, besides keeping the place spotless, is baking 2 dozen cookies for the family Christmas party on the 22nd. I'm thinking gingerbread men and hopefully Darcy will want to hang out with me and maybe help while I embark on the challenge. I'm thinking about doing more to hand out at work too, like last year.

Oh! And I need to make something out of this fabulous fabric!

I'm thinking a throw pillow for our rather beige couch…and maybe an apron, to spread holiday cheer! I love that it says Happy Holidays without screaming it.