fall harvest – Dahlia DeWinters

Blogtoberfest – Recipes – Cinnamon Sugar Spider Webs

Total Time: 40 min Prep: 10 min Cook: 30 min Yield: about 30 webs Ingredients Vegetable oil, for frying 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon fine salt 3/4 cup milk 1 large egg 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus 1/4 cup for brushing 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar Jelly spiders, orange or black nonpareils, for garnish, optional Directions Pour enough oil in a large skillet so it’s about 1 inch deep. Heat oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers between 280 to 300 degree F. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until smooth. Transfer batter into a large size pastry bag with a # 3 or 4… Continued

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Blogtoberfest – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

In another life, I was an elementary school teacher, which meant nearly every holiday was a par-tay. Valentine’s Day parties were the most stressful, because, as a teacher, you really had to sit on the “who likes whom” bit and keep it all nice and friendly. Christmas was nice, but the overabundance of cookies was a little much. The party that hit the perfect spot (besides the end of school party) was Halloween. Between the Halloween-themed worksheets, coloring sheets, Halloween parade and Charlie Brown, the whole day was a whirlwind of costumes and candy. The best part for me, and I hope the class, was when I read from Scary Stories to Read in the Dark. First of all, take a look at this cover. It’s the stuff of nightmares, sorry. I’d keep the book face down on the desk if I had a softcover, and remove the dustjacket if

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Five Characters I'd Love to be for Halloween

Here we are again for the Five Fandom Friday link up! I must say I am enjoying these little trips every week. Let’s get right to the chase, shall we? Here they are in no particular order. Captain Jack Sparrow – Pirates of the Caribbean movies How much fun would it be to be a pirate (in the movie world, of course, forget the killing and the shooting and the scurvy and terrible food). I loved the Pirate movies and remember the ride as a child at Disney World. The long coat, the beads and shoot, there’s even a purse! What’s not to like about this? Akasha, Queen of the Damned Just because… Aaliyah. What an awesome costume. Nuff said. Steampunk-ish Victorian All I would need is to add a pair of goggles and an umbrella! Poison Ivy Yeah, so maybe

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Halloween Recipe – Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Easy-Peasy, guys and dolls. These tasty roasted vegetable quesadillas are a great finger food for your Halloween gathering. I know, there’s no meat in them, but trust me, they’re good…and I am a gal who can sink her teeth in a steak. Do NOT use canned corn. It will give your dish a weird, canned taste. Take it from me. Prep: 15 min. Bake: 20 min. 12 Servings Ingredients 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium zucchini, chopped 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped 1 cup frozen corn, thawed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 4 tomato flour tortillas (10 inches) 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend Guacamole, sour cream, salsa and sliced ripe olives, optional Directions In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, oil and cumin; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer in an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking

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Halloween Music – The Classical Edition

Ah, it’s getting closer, isn’t it? My little ones’ costumes have arrived (via UPS, dahlings…Dahlia despises retail shopping and who would give up a chance to see the kinda hot UPS man dropping off a package?) and the candy corn is in the house. A chill is in the air and Blogtoberfest continues. Y’all still with me, I hope, because this is testing me to the limits. Blogging every day? Yikes! But it’s been 13 days and so far so good. I’ve got on my big headphones today, you know the ones, and I’m sending you some intellectually spooky tunes to create the perfect background for you and your Halloween celebrations. Whether it’s playing in the background or you are actively listening, these pieces are sure to raise the hair on the back of your neck. Shall we begin? Franz Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on “B-A-C-H”…..no not that Bach: In

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Blogtoberfest – Halloween Cat Craft

I have three little ones. In an alternate life, I was a teacher. I can sense when it’s time to put away the books and the science experiments and take out the construction paper, pipe cleaners and the googly eyes. Crafts are a stress reliever. Coloring, cutting, pasting and putting things together can be a welcome respite from sweating over a keyboard. Especially where googly eyes are involved. I couldn’t do this any better than this blogger, so here is a link to her page: Halloween Cat Craft http://jennwa.blogspot.com/2008/09/halloween-paper-plate-crafts-black-cat.html