Last Minute Halloween Recipes

Like the sparkly, myspace, ghetto fab image I found? Thanks Google!

CakeSpy.com has some last minute Halloween recipes for all you slackers out there (including myself). I plan on making one or two of these goodies this weekend. Enjoy!

Homemade Candy Corn

What happens to Halloween Candy when it dies?

Wicked Witch's hat

Candy Corn Nanaimo Bars

Putting the "fun" back in Fun-Size Candies!

Ghoulish Halloween Cupcakes!

Dracula Cookies!

They have tons more. Just go to their site!

More Halloween Recipes at Cakespy.com!!

30 Rock

30 Rock is the best show on television. Hands down. And that's all I have to say about that.

WTF Wednesday

Jon Gosselin and Octomom Set to Date on Reality Show

WTF? Really? This is the stupidest idea I have ever heard. Yeah, let's give two fame whores more publicity by giving them their own reality show. No one would ever watch trash like this, well okay, I'm sure there would be some people that would... I mean, people watch The Hillls right? These are two people that need to seriously Go Away. Forever. Together. Happily Ever After. We will take care of your destined-to-be-fucked-up children. Buh bye.

Miss New Booty

Don't I have a cute butt? HAH! Ben and I had the best pumpkin carving EVEEEEERRR!

Apple Crisp

In addition to the Pumpkin Pie cupcakes this past weekend I thought, "Hmmm, why not make another unhealthy dessert to eat." Well, actually, Ben and I decided to take advantage of a great fall day in central Virginia and go apple picking. We ended up with waaay too many apples, so of course my mind went right to dessert. Plus, I have more material for my blog! By the way... if you google Apple Crisp there are a ton of different twists on the recipes. I picked this recipe because I already had all the ingredients readily available. Enjoy!

1 c. sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 peeled and sliced large apples
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter

Combine 1/2 c. sugar, lemon juice, water and cinnamon in bottom of small baking pan. Slice in apples. Blend remaining 1/2 c. sugar, flour, salt and butter until crumbly. Spread over apples and pat smooth.Bake at 375°F. for 40-50 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is browned.

Anything tastes better if you do ALL the hard work!

All the ingredients, minus a BUNCH of apples.

Oh THERE are more apples! :)

Ben helped me with the peeling (my least favorite part)

Mixing together the sugar, lemon juice, water and cinnamon

Enter apples.

The remaining sugar, flour, salt and butter. Tip: melt the butter a bit first.

Pre baking (I added brown sugar for extra nominess).

It's done!! Don't mind the big bite taken out of the corner of this!

WTF Wednesday

Do you know who those two people are above? No it's not Lloyd and Harry. It's our awesome Redskins franchise owner Dan Snyder and his GM Vinny Cerrato. I say awesome with the most sarcasm you could ever imagine in your whole life. Speaking of lives... they are ruining MINE! WTF!?!? Just leave our city and sell the Redskins to someone that will actually make smart decisions! Snyder, you cursed us from the moment you bought the team 10 years ago, double cursed us when you made Vinny your GM and triple cursed us when you invited Tom Cruise to our craptastic stadium. WTF?? GO AWAY AND STOP MAKING MY FOOTBALL SEASON MISERABLE!

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

These cupcakes seemed like such a great idea. Who doesn't love pumpkin pie? And in cupcake form??? How can that possibly go wrong? Well in this case, if it ain't broke don't fix it. They were hard to eat... the paper stuck to the cake, they were wet... need I go on? Blame it on the cooks maybe, but the only thing that really saved these was Ben's idea to whip up some apple cider icing for them. Also, we put chocolate chips in some, which were better than the plain ones in my opinion. So here are the cupcakes I will never make again :)

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup half and half (or evaporated milk)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and half and half until well combined. Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.
Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/3 cup of batter.
Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. They will sink as they cool.
Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 12

Artsy?

Dry ingredients

mix mix mix

More mixin'

Looks like they will be delish right?

At least they look pretty with the whipped topping

Doing the part that no one likes or ever talks about: CLEANING UP!

Monday

Today I moved back to my old building at work and I just love love love it now that it's been renovated! I have all my old decorations up and there's lots of light, plus we have a specialty coffee machine and I just made chocolate nut coffee :)

This weekend Ben and I baked two things! We did the Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes which were not as good as they sound and will probably never be made again. We also went apple picking and because we had SO MANY apples we made an apple crisp that was delish!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Monday as much as me!

Let the sunshine in!!

Yes, I have two computers :)

FALL!

I love fall and I love this photo! I hope I get to see lots of pumpkins and fall-y things this weekend!

Credit: Oh Happy Day

Dear Mother Nature

STOP RAINING!! I WANT TO GO SEE THE PRETTY LEAVES THIS WEEKEND. Thanks and good day.

WTF Wednesday

STRAUBING, Germany — A German artist is posing 1,250 garden gnomes with their arms outstretched in the stiff-armed Hitler salute in an installation that he calls a protest of lingering fascist tendencies in German society.

WTF???

Vino

This wine is the shiznit. 4 bottles in this sucker and only $23 at The Teet. For realz. It's good. Don't judge a wine by its box.

Salad with Pasta

So Ben and I took the salad recipe below and turned it into our own salad. Here are the ingredients:

1 bag of white frozen corn, roasted
3 tomatoes, chopped
chicken tenders broiled and shredded
3 handfuls of arugula
1 box of whole wheat tortellini
shredded parm to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoon olive oil

Roasting the corn

Chicken on the broiler, make sure to rotate.

chop chop tomatoes

Final product!

Sorry I slacked on the pics :)

Dinner Tonight

I'm planning on making a version of this for dinner tonight. Probably add chicken and sub different kind of pasta. I could be talked into some ravioli!! I'll keep you updated!

October

I thought this was pretty. Too bad I hadn't found it sooner. Better late than never right?

WTF Wednesday

No caption necessary.

Chocolate Cakes Grilled in Orange Shells

I really really really need to make these... SOON!

Cloud Shelf

CUTE!!!

I Want...

...this bed. It's hand made and beautiful! I took this picture this weekend at the Waterford Fair in VA.

Wedding Food

Two of my college friends were married a couple weekends ago and I just had to share some of the nomlicous food they served at their reception. So yes, I was that piggy at the wedding taking pictures of food :)

The glorious menu

The appetizer table that greeted us with: Artisanal Cheeses, Grilled and Roasted Vegetables and a selection of local Charcuterie.

Salad: Finger Lakes Heirloom Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella, Micro Greens, a crispy Zucchini Blossom and Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

I first hit up the meat station, but I forgot to take pics... so here is the sushi and salmon station shot I took. I actually barely ate any b/c I was so full.

Truffled Mac & Cheese that I ate way too much of and got a tummy ache :(

Well, I'm sure this Butternut Squash Ravioli with Heron Hill (the family's vineyard) Riesling, Brown Butter and Sage contributed.

Wedding Cake presented with Raspberry Sorbet in an Almond Sugar Tuile with Ingle Vineyard (oh yeah... the family's other vineyard) Riesling Apricot Sauce.

What Ben's plate looked like after... all three of them. Yes, he had 3 servings. :)

Okay, so these we picked up at Wegman's on the drive home, but NOM!