Happy Halloween!

We had our annual Halloween party today.

We had Bats Eyes cookies ...

Black Cat paw-nies

Smushed witch-cakes ...

Our beverage selection included ...Truth Tonic, Fresh Blood, and Poison

And of course, no party would be complete without a cake ... We opted for a Kitty Litter cake this year ...

Each kid that came brought a can of cat food to donate to our local SPCA 

The kids had a blast and gobbled up the tasty treats. They got a kick out off the spooky names on the food and drink.

Now to start planning the Christmas party ...

Spooky Pumpkin

 Every Halloween we get a pumpkin to carve. This year I found the stencil to use at http://www.fantasyjr.com/pumpkin-stencils-for-halloween/

After the inside was scooped, it was time to add the pattern ... 

 W punched holes to outline the pattern and then connected the dots

 Finished product ...

 

Upcycled Halloween Decor

I found these wine bottles at the depot when we brought away our recycling. I soaked off the original labels, added Halloween labels that I got at the dollar store, wrapped a few orange lights around the bases and voila ... a Halloween decoration that didn't cost me a fortune

Maybe next year I'll have enough nerve to drill a hole in the bottle and put the lights inside ;)

Recipes

 When I find a recipe that I like and plan on using a lot, I will stick it on the cupboard door as well as in my recipe book. Although when I am cooking I normally make it up as I go, lol.

I have started writing my kids favorite recipes into recipe books for them to have when they are out on their own. They both like to help me in the kitchen.

Tea Time!

I am a coffee drinker, I rarely drink tea. But today I found this in the store and it screamed "Try me". 

So I did, and loved it. It smells amazing and tastes even better.

Will I give up drinking coffee? ... probably not but I think I have to make some room on the shelf for peppermint tea. 

Oh yeah and I found out the hard way that this is not an 8oz mug ...

Baking cookies before bedtime

It is not unusual for me to decide to bake cookies just before bedtime so the kids can have homemade cookies to take to school. The boys love it when we make "Nanny's cookies" aka Spritz cookies

 "D" loves to get a chance to use the cookie gun (press)

 We made 8 dozen cookies, minus the ones sampled by quality control ;)

Try-it Tuesday

Yesterday I cooked the yummiest pork tenderloin for supper. Today I felt like experimenting with the leftovers and I came up with ... 

 "BBQ Pulled Pork Sorta-Sloppy Joes"

Ingredients

pork (cooked and pulled apart)

small onion (diced)

diced bell peppers

1 can tomatoes 

1 can tomato paste

1/2 - 1 cup BBQ sauce

buns

Saute the onions & peppers .

Add tomatoes, tomato paste & pork.

Season if necessary. Heat through. 

Pile high onto the bun and enjoy.

Supper is served ...