Halloween Revisited

Yesterday I recapped on October just a bit and promised to share all the spooky recipes from our Halloween party.  Well I plan on doing just that, although I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures of the party itself!  I got lost in the moment, my blond wig was askew, I had mummies in the oven, and our guests showed up early...that's the best excuse I can give. The Halloween party was a lot of fun. Speed Racer and I (with the help of a couple of friends that came down) really got into decorating the house.  There were cobwebs, body parts, blood on the mirrors, spooky pictures, and much much more.  But my favorite was our front display.

Imagine this in our front yard, with spooky red lights on it and....

this guy jumping up at you from underneath the front wheel....terrifying.

Did I mention terrifying?  If your interested in scary stories involving trucks, check out Speed Racer's post HERE.

But if you made it past our terrifying display out front you were greeted with wonderful wonderful foods.  Without further ado, some spooky recipes.

Punch: 1 gallon orange juice, 1 gallon cranberry juice, sprite (amount that you desire), 1 cup raspberry sorbet, and if you choose for an alcoholic option, 1 bottle citrus vodka.

Rice Crispy Ghosts: You'll need 6 c. rice crispy cereal, 3 tbsp. butter, 1 bag regular marshmallows, coconut, and M&Ms.  Melt butter and marshmallows over low heat until completely melted.  Add 6 c. of cereal and stir until completely combined.  Let cool slightly and then form into ghost shapes, add M&Ms for eyes and mouth.  Place on coconut on bottom.

Bread stick Bones: This was a definite favorite of the night!  It smelled amazing while baking.  Take 2 cans of Pillsbury bread sticks and shape into bones.  Cover with Parmesan cheese and garlic, bake as directed on package.

Candy Apples: Clean and remove stems from about 10 apples (or however many people you are having).  Melt about 75 caramels with 2tbsp of water over medium low heat in a large sauce pan.  Once caramels are completely melted add 1 cup or chocolate morsels, and 1 tbsp of creamy peanut butter.  Dip apples in sauce, and then dip in bowl full of mini marshmallows, walnuts, and broken pretzels.  Place on wax paper and let cool.

Guacamole: Okay, so this one isn't spooky but it's delicious.  Peel and remove seed from two ripe avocados.  Mash avocados to desired consistency.  Add 1/4 c. cream cheese.  Add diced onion, tomato, and 2 tbsp garlic.  Finally add just a squirt of lime juice and mix.

Pizza Mummies: On mini bagels add pizza sauce, then two chopped black olives (these are the eyes).  Take cheese sticks and peel into long slices, placing them horizontally on the bagel below and above the "eyes" for the mummies wrappings.  Bake for about 10-12 min.

Carrot Fingers and Dip: Put ranch dip in a dip bowl.  Take several baby carrots and using a little bit of dip on the top, place sliced almonds on top of the dip (these are the finger nails).  Place fingers finger nail side up around the edge of the bowl.  Add more baby carrots on a plate for more dipping.

Mini Witch Brooms: Take pretzel sticks and fruit by the foot.  Cut fruit by the foot in about 2" sections and fray at the bottom.  Wet the top of the fruit roll up and attach to base of pretzel stick.  They are adorable.

Hallo-Bean Dip: Chop 1 onion and 2 orange peppers.  Drain can of black beans and add to onion and orange peppers.  In a bowl mix in balsamic vinaigrette to taste.

I also put out some jalapeno poppers just for another "normal" finger food.  I went a little over board with the food for the amount of people we were having but it was so much fun!  I couldn't have done it without our friends, thanks guys.

Goodbye October

October is done and gone.  I feel like I say this every month but I'm so surprised that it's November already.  October was a hard month, but a lot of fun as well.  And since it's been awhile since I've been in the saddle, I thought I would do a little recap. October started off busy right from the start.  The first weekend I took some senior portraits for Shelbi in the UT Gardens and had a blast.  Speed Racer was off in California doing his thing, and I was also adjusting to my new part time job.  Like I said, it started off with a bang.

The second week in photography I had my tonsils removed.  I completely underestimated how long it would take me to recover or how much pain I would be in.  It was bad my friends, very bad. Speed Racer was a fabulous nurse, and so patient with every moment of the healing process from cuddle time to late night Popsicle runs.  I could not have done it without him, and I am so lucky to have a husband that cares about me so very much.  So over the past three weeks I have been in recovery.  Last week was my first week back at work, and although I went everyday, I was completely worn out.

I also got to spend a lovely weekend recovering with my mother.  She sped down from Virginia to spend a weekend with us, and we put her to work.  She and I spent that saturday planting bulbs for spring (and by she and I, I mean I pointed and she planted).  It was so good to have a chance to catch up.

Finally, I am feeling almost normal (as normal as I get!).  I can eat most regular foods, and I am not in pain.  Although I am still having difficulty swallowing with ease and it takes me awhile to eat my meals.  But all in all, a lot better.  Better enough that this past weekend Speed Racer and I were able to throw a Halloween party!  It was so much fun and I got so distracted getting ready that I actually did not take any pictures! Gasp!  I know, I'm a terrible blogger and photographer.  Actually, I'm just not so good at multitasking!  But it was really a great time and we got pretty crazy with the food.  Tomorrow I will post a few after party pics, as well as some of the spooky recipes I used to put in your arsenal for next year.

October was an unexpected month, but a good month.  I'm looking forward to what November will have in store...hopefully some Christmas shopping.

Easy Veggie Soup

This is a super simple recipe for veggie soup, that is delicious.  Obviously, because I'm sharing it with you!  We're continuing with our fall theme with this recipe (even though it's still hot here) so snuggle up and enjoy the warmth this recipe brings. I like to freeze my extra veggies (you know those ones that you really don't know what to do with and they're about to go bad?) and keep them in a container just for soup.  Sometimes I get an interesting mix of veggies but this one contained onions, lots of mushrooms, carrots, celery, and green pepper.

*Side note, I made this dish at 6:30 am....that means you can do it anytime.

So, first get your slow cooker out.  Add to it three beef bullion cubes and 3 cups of water.  Next add a big can of crushed tomatoes (mind had basil added) and a small can of tomato paste.  Throw in your mixed veggies whether they are frozen or fresh.  Then season with 1/2 t. basil, 1/2 t. oregano, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper, 2 teaspoons of garlic, and 1/2 t. of jalapeno flakes (if you like a little extra pep!).  Turn the slow cooker on low, and let it heat throughout the day.  If you are using fresh veggies you may need to be careful that your veggies don't get too mushy.   Around 2:00 this afternoon, I came back home and tasted the soup.  I thought it needed a little something else, so I added about 2  T. of Worcestershire sauce...this give it a little bit of a smokey flavor...yeah.  And there you go!

See how yummy that is?  Beautiful? No. Yummy? Yes.

On another note, tomorrow will be the ill fated day of my tonsillectomy, so I will be MIA for at least the rest of the week.  I know it will be hard for you to go on without me, but at least you will have soup to keep you company.  I will be eating pop sickles, and mash potatoes, and lots of pudding.

10 Things...

about Fall.  Fall has taken hold of my heart and it won't give it back.  I know that it's a cruel mistress because really it's just the precursor to winter, but I'm going to enjoy it all the same.

So because I am enamored with fall right now...

And because someone greeted me with "Buenos Tardes" today...

I'm dedicating the next couple of posts to fall.  Hopefully there will be fall photos, fall dishes, fall deserts, fall colors, and anything else that pops into my twisted little noggin'.

10 Things I like about Fall.

1. The colors of the leaves.  I know this seems like a given but every year it amazes me.  It's like after August, the summer has burnt everything up and then finally, it all catches fire with a glory of colors.

2. Snuggling.  This is a trick I learned from my Grandfather, Chief Bald Eagle.  Colder weather means an excuse to get just that much closer to the one you love.

3. The food.  Do I even have to say it?  Pumpkin Pie.  Any kind of pie!  Sweet potato casserole.  THANKSGIVING.

4.  Fluff.  We keep our house pretty chilly and in the fall our cute little kitties become little fluff balls, and for whatever reason, it really cracks me up.

5. Clean.  Everything just feels cleaner.  Is that weird?  The air is crisp and fresh, after a rain everything just seems squeaky clean.

6. Planting bulbs.  This year I'm making an effort to really plan the garden for spring, so I'm excited about getting out there and getting my  hands dirty.

7. Hot Spiced Tea.  Nuff said.

8. Fires.  Obviously not the destructive kind, but bonfires,  and fires in the fire place.  :see snuggling:

9. Sky.  To me a fall sky is bluer, deeper, and could go on forever.

10.  Holidays.  This one is a little selfish, not because of presents actually, although they are nice.  I love that fall has several holidays close together (I'm going to lump Christmas in there too even though I know that's technically winter) because I love the opportunity to see my family.  I love that when it gets colder outside, and darker, we all huddle closer together, find reasons to celebrate, share in the bounty we have, and just try to make it through the winter.

Cows, Cow tails, and Cow pies

We all know it's not nice to make faces behind people's back, especially cow's backs, I prefer to make faces...TO THEIR FACE.  Okay, random I know, but I thought the above picture warranted a comment.  Moving on. As I have mentioned before, I live in a weird no mans land of city and country.  We've got cows, as you can see, but Target is literally 3 minutes from my house.  It's a little strange.  But these cows in particular always keep me entertained.  They're located on my way home and I constantly get to see new baby cows which I usually identify by screaming "BABY COW!!" out the window while I almost drive us into the ditch and Speed Racer tries to pretend that I have kidnapped him and he doesn't really know me.

This little family is so cute.  Big Bull, pretty Momma Cow, and cute black and white patched baby cow.

This lady was a curious one...

And a grumpy one...

And a pretty one.

Poor little guy was trying to avoid me and got caught all alone.

Most people who work with cows will probably think I'm crazy, but I think they're interesting.  Their faces have such great expressions that make fantastic pictures.  It made for a fun afternoon taking photos of some cows, cow tails, and unfortunately cow pies.

Friday Fields

It's Friday.  It's beautiful here in Knoxville.  So I decided to take a little walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the sites, and of course share them with you!  This is a great exercise when you can't decide what to shoot.  Just walk around!  To make it more interesting I try to plan a story board in my head and then just start snapping.  I was in search of some cows but it just didn't work out.  Happy weekend everyone!

Dish-o-the-Week: Homemade Granola

I love homemade granola.  It's such a great and healthier way to start the day.  Granola just makes me think of good things, and smells AMAZING when it's baking in the oven. I was raised on this recipe and can still remember my Mom baking it fresh on Saturday mornings.  It took me awhile to appreciate it, what small child wants granola when they can have Cinnamon Toast Crunch!  But now it's one of my favorite breakfasts: it's healthy, it's filling, it's delicious.

My Mom got this recipe from the "More with Less" Cookbook, sold HERE.  If you haven't ever seen this cookbook you are missing out.  It is a Mennonite community cookbook and it has great, natural recipes in bulk.  It's not the best on deserts because a lot of their recipes are low sugar, which I mean if I'm going to eat desert, I want the sugar.  But it has fabulous soups, main dishes, breads, and cereals.  Definitely check it out.

Granola is really pretty basic.  You're mixing your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients and baking it together.  You can add dried fruits, different nuts, or anything else to your hearts content.  Here I started with 10c. of rolled oats, 1c. wheat germ, 1c. cornmeal, 1c. peanuts, and 1 c. of coconut flakes.

For the wet ingredients I used, 1 1/2c. honey, 1c. peanut butter, 1 T. cinnamon, 2/3c. oil, 1/2c. water and 1T. salt.

MMmmm...so delicious.

You want to combine them on low heat until the peanut butter is completely melted.

Then combine the dry and wet ingredients until they are all mixed together.

Bake at 350 on a greased cookie sheet for 30 min.  You will want to turn them every few minutes or so to keep one side from browning too much.

And ta-da! Delicious snack and breakfast all at once.  And it's really pretty easy.  Again, check out "More with Less," for other great recipes and how to work on keeping your grocery costs down while providing healthy meals.

Momma K

Last Friday evening we celebrated my Mother-in-Law, Momma K's birthday.  It was such a great time, and I really enjoyed just being able to relax and goof off with these ladies.

Even though it may not look like it right at this moment, we were having a great time.  People just got shy around my awesome lens.

We even corrupted some youth with scary tales of our early childhood.

There were more incriminating photos later, but I was too busy wrestling my sister-in-law...she had it coming.Have I mentioned that I love red hair on this blog? Once? Twice? Too many times?  But I do.

Adam and Christi

As most of you know from Hello, Georgia I was in Georgia last weekend to shoot a wedding with Rebecca Claire Photography.  Adam, the Groom, is actually Claire's brother, so she had bridesmaid requirements to meet, which left me as the primary shooter.  The wedding was tons of fun!  Adam and Christi are really great people, and were super fun to work with. The wedding was at Wolf Mountain Winery, near Dahlonega GA.  Wolf Mountain is a gorgeous setting, and with the wedding at 5:30 we got to enjoy one of the first perfect September days and into the evening.  Claire was nice enough to let me post some of the pictures I took although we haven't finished editing all the photos yet.  Unfortunately some of my favorite pics were on a memory card I gave her to download, but we'll have to make due with the selection I've picked out.  Here's the sneak peak, but keep checking www.rebeccaclaire.com for the full photos, they're going to be breath taking!

Christi was just a positively stunning bride...and I'm kinda partial to red heads.  I wish I was one.

Christi's Dad enjoyed the lipstick smooch.

A lovely picture with the new sister-in-law.

Proud Mother of the Groom.

The ladies were doing some serious rocking out to Madonna before hand, it's a good way to calm the nerves.

The happy couple.

There are more of these gorgeous vineyard shots on the other memory card.  Boo...we'll see them eventually.

The Twin

Two weekends ago, I went home for a busy weekend away.  While I was there I teamed up with my wonderful friend The Twin.  She wanted some lovely portraits done, so we headed to the river and had a grand ole time.  I even stepped in for a couple cameo shots with my best bud.  The Twin and I have been friends for a long time, so it really meant a lot to me to be able to do some portraits for her.  And here is the end result.  Happy viewing!