Half-baked Halloween?

Hello all and TGIF! Happy almost-Halloween weekend!

I lurv Halloween - always have - I mean, what's not to love about dressing up in a fun costume and getting free candy? Sounds pretty ideal to me. I am kind of sad we're too old to go trick-or-treating these days (well, I could probably still pass for a high schooler, but old man weird beard [ahem, that's you, love] might stand out), but we can still do some little stuff around the house. I hate to say it, but we actually haven't carved pumpkins this year (maybe sometime before Sunday??) and I haven't gone too overboard with decorating or the like.

Here is my one little Halloween vignette:

Spooky, eh? Yeah yeah, I know it's kind of a half-a$sed Halloween set-up, but what can you do? Gourd + plastic pumpkin (he makes an appearance every year) + spooky glitter skull (which was an awesome find, here) on an upside-down bowl = I tried. It is what it is. I kind of like it though... And don't our silhouettes look kind of creepy/dead relative-ish? :)


The one effort I have made was in the kitchen. Yesterday I got the baking bug and decided to whip up some homemade "boo pies" (I have no idea what to call them - they're sort of halfway between whoopie pies [but not as cake-y] and Oreos [but not as crunchy]) - whatever you call 'em, they are were gooood (just ask Sara).

Here's proof that I made these mammers from scratch:

Cooling.


Patiently waiting while I mixed up the cream cheese filling by hand.


Assembled. (A tad sloppy, but it was my first attempt at this!)


Halloween-ed up.

The only trouble is that I have this left over:

A decent portion of handmade cream cheese filling. There's about a million pounds of cream cheese, butter and confectioner's sugar just waiting to go straight to my a$s. It's all I can do not to dig in with a spoon. Oy.

Have you all gotten into the Halloween mood yet? Without kids, I feel slightly strange getting too amped up over it, but I am looking forward to this weekend... In the meantime, see you all back here in a bit!

A video about bacon & one about life

I know some of you can't check out videos during the day while you're at work, but these two are totally worth sneaking under your desk or checking out at lunch. One's hilarious and one's pretty interesting. I suggest you to watch both. (Or at least video #2 - and you scan it quickly if needed.)

First up, this little guy is verrrry upset about having his junk food cleaned out of the fridge (by his temporary mom on Wife Swap). His reaction is kinda priceless:


In case you can't see embedded YouTube videos (iPhoners!), here's the link.

Next, an interesting look at a controversial question. Don't be scared: it's not offensive or political; it's just fascinating to see what a huge change occurs in these peoples' thinking after just one follow-up question:


Here's the link if you can't see the embedded YouTube video above - go take a look, pretty please!

Thoughts?

Video 1 via I Suwanee; video 2 via Roblahblog.

You say tomato, I say tomato tart.

Photo from Cannelle et Vanille

Hello kiddies. Miss me? This post is actually something I meant to put up last week, but what can ya do. Here it is for you now. It's a half educational, half bragging kind of post. Kidding, kidding. Well, sorta.

You see, with summer fully gone, I knew tomatoes would be on their way from beautiful, round and abundant to pretty much scant and mealy. In order to take advantage of the last gorgeous, local heirloom tomatoes still cropping up at the farmers markets and grocery stores, I decided to make a tomato tart.

I got the recipe from Martha Stewart (here) a year or so ago and have been dying to give it another shot since my mom gave me a real tart pan (read about my first attempt at this here).

So, here comes the pat myself on the back part (don't say I didn't warn you)...

Here's Martha's version of the tomato tart:

Photo from Martha Stewart

And here's mine:

Not bad, eh? (Especially considering this was a crappy iPhone pic I took as the tart was cooling in my dimly lit kitchen.) In a way, I almost think mine looks prettier with the mix of yellow and red tomatoes. Could it be?

In case you want some more eye candy, here's a close-up:

Yum. It's like a really fancy pizza. Mmmm, pizza.

If you're interested in giving this a try yourself, here's the recipe:

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Originally from Martha Stewart Living, July 2005
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil Note: next time I would cut this down to 2 tablespoons
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Pate Brisee (pie dough) Note: I used premade dough from the grocery store, found in the refrigerated section (not frozen), and it was just fine
2 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium), cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Wrap to enclose garlic in foil, and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until soft and golden brown and the tip of a knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.

Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. When garlic is cool enough to handle, using either your hands or the dull end of a large knife, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a small bowl; mash with a fork, and set aside. Discard the papery skins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 12 inches in diameter. With a dry pastry brush, brush off the excess flour; roll the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim the dough so that it is flush with the edges; transfer to the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.

Spread roasted garlic evenly on the chilled crust. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese, in an overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer to oven.
Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. and bake until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, and serve warm.
--

And, in case you're like me and need "Cooking for Dummies" in the kitchen (I so do!), Gail from She Loves to Cook posted step-by-step pics as she made her tomato tart - too bad I didn't find this tutorial until just now, drat! Her post on this recipe is here. Doesn't her tart look pretty with the green tomatoes included? (It's still uncooked, obviously, but pretty nonetheless):

Photo from She Loves to Cook

I assure you this recipe is easy as can be (if I made it, you know it is!) and won't take that long now that I've done it more than once. So let me just relish in this one-time kitchen success and forget about the fact that I had to call my friend Sara in a panic to ask her how to cut a tomato. (I said forget that part. Eep, embarrassing.)

Pretty in pink (and pasta)

Image via Mary Ruffle

I absolutely adore this image. The top half is all ladylike elegance and proper with panache. Scroll down a bit further and you'll see that this girl's not just pretty and prim - she can down some spaghetti and drink some wine with the best of 'em. So maybe she's more Sophia Loren than Grace Kelley after all. Love it. (We could hang.)

Ooey-gooey goodness

Just so you know, this looks like food porn to me.

YUM.

Oh, what is it, you ask? Sorry, let me wipe the drool off my keyboard and give you the deets.

It's a brie, apple, and arugula quesadilla. YUM. (Did I say that before?)

The recipe is from Cooking Light, here (it's healthy too, WUT!). The photo is from Atlantis Home, here. Originally spotted on Walking Around, here.

YUM.

Sorry, I just can't stop myself.

Home tip: fixing dings in wooden furniture

You're going to thank me for sharing this genius tip from Apartment Therapy. If you have wood furniture - the real kind, not the fake MDMF kind from Ikea - and it's unpainted but has some dings or dents you want to cover up, here's the easiest possible way to do it:

Step 1: Take one walnut (it needs to be out of the shell) and rub it over the dented or scratched area.
The damaged bits will start to darken and match more closely with the rest of the leg/affected area. Obviously the nut will only do so much (probably won't fix giant scrapes here), but that's pretty awesome nonetheless, right?

Step 2: Put five dollars into an envelope and mail it to me for the bright idea. I'll give $2.50 of it back to Apartment Therapy.

Step 3: Enjoy your (almost) free furniture fix.

;)

I think I'm turning Japanese: bento box lunches

To all the moms out there (you know, my two friends who have babies), here's one for you: Have you heard of the website called another lunch? It's written by a mother of four who strives to make nutritious and visually appealing lunches for her kids, specifically focusing on using bento boxes to cut down on packaging and waste. The result is a slew of cheery eye candy that made me want to whip up some fun lunches - until I realized that B might not appreciate the colorful boxes and fruit cut-outs as much as a toddler might. Ah well...

If you actually have children (and not just large children in mens' bodies) in your life, here are a few of her delish preschool to elementary school appropriate lunches:



In case you're wondering, the contents of the above lunch include (from top left, clockwise): applesauce with some sprinkles on top and mini Saltines with a slice of cheddar cheese, grapes and cucumber, a PB&J sandwich (the beak is made from cheese), sliced hard-boiled egg, raspberries, organic yogurt-covered raisins. Sounds pretty good to me!


However, I'm pretty sure you're thinking "what effing mom has time for this?" (except since you're a mom you probably didn't insert the "eff" in there like I do. Oops!). Anyway, I don't even have kids and I'm already doubting whether I could muster up the energy/time to cut a duck out of cheese.

But, not all of the bentos shown on another lunch are complicated. In fact, most of them look pretty simple. This one is basically whatever was in the fridge, tossed into a container in a cute way:


Plus, these could work for grown-ups pretty easily too. Here are two workday lunches that made my stomach growl:



Looks pretty healthy to boot...

I'm not running out to buy these BPA-free bento boxes and mini-containers any time soon, but if I have kiddos in the near future, I'll certainly consider it. In the meantime, Cov, I'm looking at you - this is right up your (green, organic) alley and I'm pretty sure little Finn would be super psyched to find a mini shark made out of organic cheese or an Ezekiel bread sandwich cut into a fish shape in his lunchbox. ;) Perhaps I'll give making one of these for Finn a go when I come down to visit in November... Yay for loaner kids! (ha ha)

Magic ice cream

While we're on the subject of single-fruit treats, here's another almost too-good-to-be-true idea I stumbled upon via the kitchn (that's not a typo, there's no "e" in there).

The idea? One-ingredient ice cream. And this "ice cream" is made from nothing more than...(drum roll)...bananas. Yup, that's it.

You're gonna have to bear with me here, because I need to believe that this snack is as amazing as they say it is. Did I mention that, starting July 11, I am doing a no "FADS" regimen (no fruit, alcohol, dairy, starch) for the two weeks before our beach trip?
Stop laughing. No, really. I'm not kidding!
For a girl who has literally never dieted ever and has a strong obsession with carbs and sweets, this should be an interesting social experiment. So let's hope this "ice cream" is good.

Here's how it's made:

Peel and slice bananas. Freeze them for two hours (if I run out of time, I'll do this overnight).


Blend the frozen banana pieces. Scrape down the bowl often - supposedly the bananas stick to the sides a lot at first - don't be freaked out!


Near the end, once the bananas are creamy, and if you want (or are allowed - not sure if I will be on this new regimen), you can add one tablespoon of peanut butter or honey.


This is what it will look like right out of the blender. Creamy and smooth and with the consistency of soft serve. If you want it to be truly ice-creamy, re-freeze in an airtight container.

Et voila!

All photos by Faith Durand.

I'm praying this is truly good, because come the end of week one, I'm sure I'll be scratching the walls looking for something tasty. If you want even more detailed instructions, full step-by-step pics and tips can be found here.

Note: I just realized I'm an idiot and will not be allowed to eat fruit, so this is out the window for me. See? Already messing up this whole diet thing! I'm so not meant to diet! Grrr... Well, at least you can enjoy this recipe!

Watermelon avec tap

We've got a watermelon sitting in our kitchen and it needs a purpose. We originally bought it for B's baseball game on Sunday, but ran out of time and didn't cut it open. But, thanks to Logan, I think I've found just the thing for it:

Photo from Food Network (follow the link for a Watermelon Sour recipe too!)

Brills, right? Cut a hole in the top of the watermelon, scoop out most of the pulp, insert keg tap and fill with a tasty bev. This is such an awesome summer drink vessel - perfect for a hot day, party or any lazy afternoon - and just in time for the 4th of July weekend. Love it!

Not just jiggly jello

Summer is here. I feel like I've been waiting forever for it to finally emerge. Now that it has, it's hottttt. (Not complaining, just sayin'...) On a hot, sticky day, who doesn't want something cool and refreshing?

Wouldn't this do it?

Yep, jello is no longer relegated to gross molds or for shots with vodka; this version is very high art, no? Add some Cool Whip et voila - a gorgeous dessert that's low in calories, delicious, cool and arty, too. Pretty smart.

Check out the (seemingly very easy) directions for making this awesome rainbow jello here.

Oh, and, the science aspect is fun too - there are really only blue, yellow and red layers here - the green and orange are illusions (ah, yes, I remember this from kindergarten now...).

Originally spotted on Swiss Miss.

And if you're jonesing for more rainbow treats, check out this gorgeous surprise rainbow cake (which was so popular on the interwebs, the college-student baker was even on Martha recently showing her how to make it!).

Or if you want another great jello idea, check out these fun jello-melons (not as dirty as it sounds).

Quickest weekend ever, but berry, berry good

This weekend was a blur. I felt like it was over before it even got started. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we were in four cities (and two states) in two days, including making a mid-night drive from PA to MD on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Ah, the life of a baseballer's wife girlfriend. I've since felt like I needed a few days to recuperate. Today is sunny (and hotttt) and I'm feeling a bit more recharged, so here I am, back on the interwebs!

Ignoring the terrifying things from this weekend like the giant cheesesteak I consumed, a whirlwind bachelorette night on the town, visiting a 12-day-old baby that looked like an old man, and the aforementioned drive through the night, I do have one lovely memory from Saturday afternoon: raspberry picking.

B's dad is a prolific organic gardener, with a backyard that yields all kinds of delicious things. Is it possible that I've been alive this many years and I never knew about golden raspberries?

Photo from Dabbles with Apples

We picked them right off the bush and ate them, standing there in the middle of the backyard. They were so sweet and huge.

When we got back to Annapolis, I promptly went to the grocery store Sunday evening and bought a slew of berries. I couldn't find golden raspberries in my crapola Giant (especially on a Sunday - I think their produce comes in on Mondays - oops), but the regular raspberries I got were pretty good too.

Photo from Inchmark

Mmm. We've already demolished the entire stash of berries, but I'm planning to buy more soon, and in the meantime, I'm still thinking about those golden raspberries, fresh off the bush. (Perhaps a Whole Foods trip is in order...)

Thank you, summer. I've been waiting for you and your bounty of berries.

Set your DVRs...

Don't forget:

The new season of Top Chef starts tonight - and it's in DC! Can't wait.

Chocolate pudding cups

Oh my goodness, what a good idea. Chocolate pudding (and scads of fun toppings), housed in a "cup" made from chocolate. Yummm.

This doesn't seem terribly difficult to do, and you could either fancy them up for a grown-up dinner party with friends, or make them fun, messy and purely delicious with kids.

All you do is dip balloons in warmed chocolate...


Let them dry on a baking sheet (you can stick them in the fridge to speed it up)...


...Then *pop!* the balloons and the cups are ready:


Fill with gooey goodness...


...And enjoy!


I want to make these, like, yesterday. I'd fill mine with chocolate pudding, whipped cream (CoolWhip, not the real stuff [what? I like it better!]), oreo or brownie crumbles, and sprinkles on top (rainbow, not brown, of course!). Mmm mmm mmm. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Thanks to Bakerella for the great photos and inspiration (check out the full blog post here for more pics and details). And let me know if you make these... (if so, I'll be over straight away!)

Apple for teacher

I don't have kids and I've been out of school for quite some time now, but I do have a mom who is a teacher, so I've seen a bad teacher gift or two (or 20) in my day. With schools ending for the summer in a few weeks here, I know a lot of ladies in town have been looking for good and unique (not another smelly candle!) teacher gifts (this is what you get when you hang out at Paper Source a lot).

I will tell you that my mom always loves Starbucks or Barnes & Noble gift cards, but if you're looking to make something handmade, here are two amazing ideas made by some creative chicks (not me) that will put you safely in the good-gift category.

Numero uno - the cutest customized hand soaps ever:

With all the random strains of cold/flues/diseases floating around kids and classrooms, teachers are always washing their hands (at least I hope they are!), so Jill Means of Legacy Digital Design capitalized on a practical idea and made something super-pretty out of it.

Basically, she took boring (and not cute) Softsoap - which she actually got on sale at Target for 1 dollar a bottle - took off the label, and added in a custom one with her kids' silhouettes (mwaahahaha, I snuck them in again!) and a thank you. Click here for the full instructions and a free downloadable template if you want to do this yourself.

Originally spotted on Design Mom.

Numero dos - a fun soda and snack pack:

Simply Seleta took on a similar idea - finding something a teacher will actually use and making it really pretty - and came up with these great "goody packs" (as she called them) in varying colors based on the kids and/or teacher.

These packs included color-coordinated vintage-y soda, straws, sugar-free gum, chocolates, microwave popcorn (great quick teacher snack), and of course the pretty label. If you're interested in doing this yourself, here's the full how-to and downloadable template for the label.

Originally spotted on Party Perfect.

I hope these two great ideas by two cool ladies sparked your inspiration and hopefully spared you from giving another picture frame/smelly candle teacher-gift combo. :)

Lemon leaf garland of goodness

Buckle your desk seats, folks; this one almost knocked me out of my chair. I want Jordan Ferney's brain. This chick is brills. Look what she's done now:

What you see running down the middle of that gorgeous table is a handmade lemon leaf garland with oranges and lemons. Who needs crummy carnations that will probably die shortly after you buy them from the grocery when you can have this gorgeous garland? It's colorful, seasonal, and can you imagine how good it must smell? Probably so fresh and bright.

No need for cut flowers when you can use these easily attainable "ingredients":

Oh and did I mention that Jordan's instructions make a 14 foot garland for only $16? Yep, told you she was brilliant.

Here's the post about it on Jordan's site (Oh Happy Day!) and full instructions are here.

Now, GO. Get the instructions for thyself. I want to throw a party post-haste and do this, like, yesterday.