Give me a high cinco!

It didn't sink in 'till I got to work yesterday that it was Cinco de Mayo... yesss! Can I get a high five?! I gotta say; having an excuse to make and eat mexican food (or at least my best attempt at my own version of it) is always welcome!

I happily, feverishly started to contact friends and before I knew it we had a nice little fiesta on our hands. My task was to provide ingredients for salsa and guac so as soon as the work day was over, I ran (yes I mean that, I RAN) to the grocery store to pick up tomatoes and avocados among other things.

In my excitement for the communal meal, I took absolutely no pictures before we started chowing. What I can offer are pictures of the remnants:

Strawberry-Banana Margaritas! So nice after a long day! I gotta get this recipe...

Yes, you guessed it: pico de gallo! I'm dedicating the leftovers to my breakfast tomorrow morning.

Hardley any guacamole left... imagine that! The fun with guacamole is starting with a basic, authentic guacamole recipe and then making it your own! Note to self: buy more jalapeno next time.

Chicken enchiladas were also nearly destroyed. I saw that a lot of other bloggers were making their enchiladas with greek yogurt instead of sour cream or cottage cheese. I look forward to trying that as soon I can if only because I would love another excuse to eat enchiladas! :)

And for the grand finale: homemade baked cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips with what else but ice cream! Such a satisfying, filling, delicious meal!

Felicidades!

Springing into spring

If I had to choose a favorite time of year, I think I would choose Spring! I don't know if it's the the sun, warmer temperatures, no more fighting with snow, better fruits and veggies at the grocery store, or what. It has certainly taken hold on me; I've re-arranged, re-organized, and re-committed to all around wellness. It sounds hokey, but this is exactly what Spring can do to a person!

And its really the little pleasures that help you in your re-committment that can make all the difference. For instance...

I can hardly bear the thought of walking into a coffee shop and not purchasing coffee. Unless, of course, it's a Chocolate Banana Vivanno Smoothie from Starbucks! I was on-the-go the other day and was super hungry. Good thing I had remembered hearing about this or else I would've been in terrible shape by dinner time. Plus, you really do feel like you're indulging because its chocolate! Fresh ingredients really do hit the spot!

Stay tuned for more new discoveries!

Cause We're All Irish on St. Paddy's Day!

I see lots of people wearing green today and am hearing plans for celebrating the holiday tonight. But in the instance that you are looking to take your celebration to a deeper level, I think I can help (with a little assistance from who else but NPR :) ).

The first step to a deeper kind of celebration is letting it come from the heart. And how else do we get to the heart but through the stomach? How about a delectable St. Patty's day dessert?! That's what I thought. Check out this recipe for Chocolate Guinness Cake from Nigella Lawson. This may require an open-mind for some. In my case, I have tried Guinness-flavored ice cream before and am positive that trying another Guinness-flavored dessert is a step in the right direction. If I get a chance to try the recipe myself, I will certainly report back.

Now that the heart is covered, how about the mind? I will be the first to admit that I have a very romanticized idea of the Ireland. I knew that Ireland's economy is currently suffering in the same way as Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain. However, I did not know that almost immediately before that, they were experiencing an economic boom in the 90s that perhaps could've softened the blow. From history, we know that Ireland has never been a stranger to troubled times, but will they ever be able to leave the trouble in the past? Find out more by listening to today's episode of On Point entitled, "Ireland's Epic Boom and Bust".

All that being said, there is certainly no problem with celebrations that are only skin deep. I stumbled upon an amazing Etsy shop that sells handmade soaps some of which are made using our favorite brands of beer. I chose a Stout Beer Soap Made With Guinness and gave a couple as gifts and kept one for myself. My skin is oh so soft! Check it out!

Best o' luck as ye celebrate St. Paddy's Day!

Hallowinners

I'm still learning new things about myself through the blogosphere... apparently I'm a very sporadic blogger. I go through periods where I can't think of a thing I want to say. Oh well I guess; I'm back now!

For your viewing pleasure, here are the results of my Halloween festivities...

Witches Finger Cookies...

... in the oven and....

... on their way to the Halloween party.

They expanded in the oven more than I would have liked, but they were yummy and definite crowd pleasers!

Here you see my pumpkin carving tools. Anyone who has used the little orange tools from the kit you find in the grocery store knows just how delicate these can be. However, if you have a gentle hand, they sure get the job done.

P.S. Diet Coke is not included in the store-bought kit. It was a personal addition to my in order to fuel my creative endurance.

When the votes came in from my lovely readers, I set out to create a spooky witch carving. Google search after google search did not reveal the best inspiration so I had to look elsewhere. Lucky for me, I found a cool pattern at the grocery store but wanted to make it my own. So, I thought of one of the spookier stories I know, MacBeth, and re-produced the witch in triplicate. So I present to you...

... The Weird Sisters!

My craving for pumpkin carving was still not satisfied. I wanted to try a more realistic looking carving because they look sooo cool... if you get 'em right that is. I decided on a character from what of my favorite shows...

... Abby Sciuto!

If you know about Abby Sciuto on NCIS, you now why her likeness makes a great addition to Halloween fanfare. I know I can do better, but my hands and patience were being tested mid-way through the carving and they were both starting to give out before I finished Abby's second ponytail. Even still, I had fun making an attempt!

My hands were begging for a break but alas, I still had one more pumpkin begging for a carving. So I resorted to an old standby...

... The Jack 'O' Lantern face!

I forgot just how fun a traditional face could be! You free-hand it and just let it come to you as you go... very liberating! To add more drama to the simple carving I was able to find a battery operated multi-colored strobe at the grocery store to place on the inside of the pumpkin. All the trick-or-treaters seemed to like it!

Needless to say, my thirst for creative outlets was quenched after Halloween! I had a lot fun with it and am already planning for next year!

Another Hand-y Halloween Recipe

Perhaps more of us should consider adding a sit-down dinner to our Halloween celebration traditions. Because clearly there is a plethora of ghoulish recipes just waiting for their debut on someone's table.

After posting the Witches Fingers recipe, a reader was reminded of something she had seen before called 'Meatloaf Hand.' I checked this out for myself and though gruesome, it deserves to be shared! I for one think it's (for lack of a better descriptor) super-fun and if I had the right supplies and was not going to a party with young kiddies, I would really enjoy showing up at the front door with this dish. 

(What follows is both brilliant AND horrifying so proceed with caution. :) )

Meatloaf Hand

(found at notmartha.org)

From what I understand, this was made using a typical meatloaf recipe, so the tricks are in the presentation. For fingernails and wrist bone, onion. For a bloody, charred appearance, ketchup and cheese. For the shape, a hand-shaped jello mold although someone more talented than me could probably free-hand it if you don't have a mold. Also, the hand is surrounded by mash potatoes (or brain matter if you prefer) to help define the overall shape.

Really though, you have to check out notmartha.org for more tips and tricks. I just know that there are other fun-seeking, Halloween-celebrating folks like me out there so if you end up serving this at your own table on Halloween, please send pictures! 

And a BIG thank you to Lili for introducing me to 'Meat Loaf Hand'! I'm glad that you shared!

 

Tricks and Treats

'It's almost partytime, but what to bring?!' I thought to myself during the morning commute. Scrolling through my memory bank, I had only to think back to the days of school parties where we would feast on delicious, sugary, homemade holiday-themed treats. Because I will be at a family party on Halloween Eve, I plan to take my cues from much beloved elementary school room moms. Here are recipes for 2 ghoulish treats, 1 of which will surely make an appearance at this much anticipated party...

Witches Fingers
(find more tips and tricks at allrecipes.com &/or via Google search)

Ingredients:

• Store bought sugar cookie dough OR favorite sugar cookie recipe
  
• 1/2 c. flour (if using store bought sugar cookie dough)


• Slivered OR whole almonds


• red jam OR red decorating gel


• Wax paper


• Green food dye (opt.)


• Chocolate chips (opt.)

Directions:

- Preheat oven based on recipe/instructions on package.

- If using store bought sugar cookie dough, add 1/2 cup flour and need into dough (adding flour makes for a firmer cookie). Can also add green food dye for green fingers.

- Refrigerate dough-flour mixture for 20 minutes or until firm and able to hold a shape.

- Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. (The cookies may enlarge when baked so don't make them too round.) Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also score the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to create knuckles on the fingers. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.

- Bake in preheated oven according to recipe OR instructions OR until lightly golden brown.

- Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel OR red jam into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

- Before cooling, you can also add a chocolate chip to each finger to give the appearance of warts.

Halloween Popcorn Hand

Ingredients:

• Clear, plastic food service gloves
• Candy corn
• Popcorn, any flavor
• Plastic halloween rings
• Twist tie OR ribbon

Directions:

- Take 1 plastic glove and put 1 candy corn in the tip of each glove for fingernails.

- Fill the glove with popcorn, leaving room at the wrist. Tie the wrists with twist tie OR ribbon.

- Put plastic Halloween ring on 1 of the fingers.

Halloween Humor: Zombies are Nuts

Thanks to dear Abby for telling me about Bent Objects! Everyday objects injected with a little personality?! Sign me up! So in the spirit of Halloween with a little help from Terry's Bent Objects, another holiday tribute...

Zombies Are Nuts About Brains

Now you see why I can't stop looking at Bent Objects! I never met a zombie-movie that I liked, but maybe if the zombies were cranky-looking peanuts modeled by Terry, I would change my tune.

There's more where this came from, so check it out at http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/ and Happy Howl-oween!

Smashing Pumpkins

During a little date-night dinner at the Cheesecake Factory I see it. While treating myself to a Scooter's latte I see it. In the aisle of the grocery store, I see it. Pumpkin-flavored everything!! Just one more thing to love about the fall. With just one more week until Halloween I plan to be showing my love for Pumpkins a lot more... and I can't wait!

Perhaps you're planning to carve some pumpkins of your own, in which case I found some share-worthy tips. A good carving-pumpkin will have the following qualities:

• firm and healthy - don't buy one that as firm as wood because carving it will be tough, but just firm enough to be protective. Also, avoid pumpkins with bruises or nicks because it may already start to rot and is not long for this world.
• hollow sound - this is what you should hear when tapping your pumpkin because the sound you hear will indicate the pumpkin's density. The more dense, the thicker the walls will be and the tougher it will be to see the details of your carving.
• squat, round shape - the tall, oblong ones are usually stringier inside, thus making it harder to make precise cuts.

I'm not sure if I have the patience to carefully search for the 'right' pumpkin because all I'm thinking about is cutting into it! You can basically carve anything you can think of and whatever support you need can be located on the world wide web. For me, I've narrowed the field to a few designs:

1. Skull
2. Witch
   
   
3. Monogram
4. Traditional Jack 'O' Lantern face

As much as I would love to carve 4 different pumpkins, I think I'm gonna need help to narrow it down... so what would you suggest?

If you want more ideas for carving your own pumpkin, I suggest visiting The Pumpkin Lady. You can buy the exact pattern to carve on your pumpkin or you can do what I'll do and free-hand it.