Halloween Weekend Things!

Happy Halloween weekend! I�ve got some Halloween bits and bobs for you, below! I hope everyone�s planning to do something fun and spooky involving costumes and candy. I�m hosting a little get together. The theme? Your favorite 90s sitcom�complete with 90s potluck food! Obviously I�m dressing up as the queen of 90s sitcoms, Roseanne. And I�m trying to convince Evan to go as her sister Jackie. BTW�one time I met Roseanne in a lobby in Vegas, and shouted out �I�M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!� and got my photo with her. NBD.


Speaking of dressing up, below are some of my faves from recent years. There�s the time we went as the Addams Family�I was Wednesday, Evan was a killer Morticia, my sister was Pugsley, and her husband Pete was Gomez. We won a prize! There�s also the time I was Wayne and Amanda was Garth and I was incredibly comfortable all night in dude�s jeans, chucks, and a basic tshirt. And then there was the year Evan dressed as Fantastic Mr. Fox, Pete was a Deadliest Catch guy, Amanda was the most freakin amazing Beetlejuice ever (I mean seriously� look at that� she�s a cute girl you guys!), and I was the girl from the Ring. I even made a little cardboard TV to climb out of all night! And, once again, I was super cozy and warm all night in that nightgown!

In celebration of Halloween, Bev shared some ghost stories on her blog today! So, here�s (one of) mine: In college, I lived in a big, old, falling down house in the heart of Greek Row, with 5 other girls (we weren�t part of the Greek system, but our location meant we had access to great parties and also threw great parties� like, epic parties). Anyway, our house had 3 floors�V & Tasha lived in the creepy ass basement that flooded often, was full of spiders and mold, and had a random storage room that was scary AF that we never went in (that basement is basically a scary story in itself). The main floor had the living room, etc, and upstairs, Bree and I had the two smaller rooms facing the frat behind us, and Kristy and Andrea had the two bigger rooms facing the street (also, there was a creepy crawl space attic that we never explored, but we had a theory that our slumlord lived up there). So one night, Andrea and V were out of town, and Tasha was fast asleep down in the dungeon. Which left Kristy, Bree, and me upstairs. We all said goodnight, closed our doors, and seconds later, heard the TV in the living room turn on. Obviously we all had a WTF moment, but since we did have downstairs roomies, we thought maybe? So we tiptoed out of our rooms, to the top of the landing and hollered down. No response. A few minutes later, the TV shut off. We were a little freaked out, but started retreating to our rooms again, WHEN THE TV TURNED ON AGAIN. At this point we were freaked the fuck out, so we ran into Kristy�s room, locked the door, and called the cops. When they arrived, we threw a key out the window to them, and they came in and searched the house. THEY FOUND NOTHING. And they seemed super annoyed at us. So after they left, we were too scared to go back to our separate rooms, so the three of us huddled up in Kristy�s bed with the bedroom door locked, and ended up having a weird, on-edge, hilarious night coming up with some of our best comedic material to date. You know who didn�t have a hilarious night? Tasha! We totally forgot about her asleep in the basement, and didn�t even realize until the next day when she very angrily told us about her night� which involved getting woken up to a cop shining a flashlight in her face and yelling �DO YOU LIVE HERE?!�

The TV turned on again, late late at night, a few more times (we seriously checked everything� no timers were on, etc), and we�re pretty certain the house was haunted. SWEET DREAMS YOU GUYS. Also, sorry Tasha!

And finally, in the less scary/more delicious category, here are some fun Halloween snackies for you to make this weekend!

• Peanut Butter Marshmallow Popcorn Balls from the archives
• Molly�s Halloween Bark and Pumpkin Chocolate Icebox Cake
• Steph�s adorable Totoro Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
• Jonathan�s Frankenstein Cake
• Todd and Erica�s Halloween Oaxaca Old Fashioned
• Naomi�s Ghostly Pot de Cr�me
• Ashley�s Bittersweet Chocolate Pepita Butter Bites
• And... the time I discussed my favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes (and shared a recipe for pumpkin and mushroom pasta)

Happy Halloween!! 

TODAY tonight: Pumpkin & Sausage Lasanga

Mid-mornings in our house go something like this.  Carson comes home from the Today Show, telling me all about what he's just eaten.  "Oh my god, Ina was on today and she made filet mignon with a creamy mustard sauce and it was the most incredible thing I've ever eaten."  And my reply?  "I found a half-eaten piece of frozen waffle by the fireplace and I ate that.  It was dusty."  But, pathetic breakfast aside, I do appreciate his opinion because sometimes I see food on TV and I'm not sure if it will translate at home.  Well, a few weeks ago he came home raving about this lasagna made with a creamy, cheesy pumpkin sauce.  He knows I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin, especially if the flavor is strong, but he insisted I'd love this.  He was right!  Don't tell him.

I LOVED this lasagna.  The pumpkin isn't overwhelming, but it turns this dish into fall comfort food at it's best, with help from flavors like a dash of nutmeg and fresh sage.  It will feed an army, so make it for a World Series game or Halloween or the Circus (election night).     

Recipe here.

*Side note, I made this for a dinner party that I ended up canceling because my son caught the stomach bug.  I thought it was probably irresponsible to serve food with a side of lysol.  Oh, and if you're wondering if my daughters ended up getting sick, yes they did.  At the same time, and I can't decide if I like that better or worse than staggering the illness.  

Stomach Bug for President!  I'm delirious.     

Four New Burnaby Food First Workshops in November

These workshops are FREE and child-friendly, but registration is required. See the poster below for e-mail & telephone contact information.

 

Save the following dates: 

 

November 2nd: Healthy After-School Snacks for Kids

November 16th: Soups On! Healthy, Low Cost, Great Tasting

November 23rd: How to Use Leftover Bread in Tasty Meals

November 30th: Healthy Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen

Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding

When I was a kid, June was by far my favorite month. School got out for the summer, it was my birthday, we had that perfect spring weather�sunny and warm but not full on summer hot�and our field was filled with little purple flowers. And did I mention my birthday is in June? Of course I loved summer and also other months with holidays (particularly ones where I received gifts and/or cake and/or cookies), but I didn�t see how anyone could love any month better than June.


Now that I�m an adult and live in a place where spring is usually rainy and grey, I�ve grown to really love October (except for when, you know, it�s also rainy and grey). I�ve always loved Halloween and cuddling up with a warm treat and a scary movie (oh and my mom�s birthday� happy bday ma!), but didn�t always fully appreciate the changing colors on the trees, the crisp and cool but still sunny fall days, the pumpkin everything (sidenote, Evan and I saw a sign on a bank for a Pumpkin Spice Membership Level� sorry pumpkin spice, that�s just too far). Now I love all those things, and appreciate the opportunity to slow down and rest and stay indoors guilt-free, something that Seattleites don�t do during the summer months. Oh, and did I mention my wedding anniversary is in October (we celebrated our 2nd wedding anni earlier this month... with a trip to Italy... which I'll eventually hopefully tell you about)? #allthegiftsandcakesplease

In honor of all things pumpkin and October, I�ve once again teamed up with the best of the best to give you all the pumpkin recipes you�ll ever need�sweet, savory, pumpkin spicy, pumpkin squashy, and everything in between. It�s Sara at Cake Over Steak�s #virtualpumpkinparty (plus co-host Aimee of Twigg Studios!). And I�m bringing a savory, cheesy pumpkin bread pudding that should also have a place on your Thanksgiving table next month, because it�s basically stuffing/dressing on steroids. To see the full list of amazing pumpkin party recipes (there are TONS) head over to Sara's site and Aimee's site! 

Unrelated: if you want to talk Westworld theories...LET ME KNOW! I�ve been aggressively debating certain storyline and character theories with friends all weekend, and am basically scaring them all away� so you know, I need new friends to scare away. 

Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions
Note: there are a few different steps, so be sure to read through the whole recipe before getting started. 

1 small sugar pie pumpkin (or other pumpkin or winter squash)
6 thick slices of bacon, diced 
1 medium sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
� teaspoon salt
1 loaf of stale/ crusty french or rustic bread, cubed (about 8-9 loose cups)
2 cups shredded gruyere cheese 
3 eggs
1.5 cups heavy cream
� cup chicken broth 
Heavy pinch of salt + fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Cut pumpkin in half, and scoop out the innards. Save for roasted seeds (or whatever). Cut into roughly 3 inch pieces, and place on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 30 minutes--pumpkin should be just tender but not super soft. Let cool enough to handle it, and then remove peel (either peel off or cut). Cut pumpkin into bite-sized cubes, should have about 4-5 cups worth, and put in a large bowl. Set aside. 

While pumpkin is in oven, prepare the other filling ingredients.

Once you remove pumpkin from oven, turn temp down to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8x8 pans (or one larger, or many smaller) with cooking spray. 

Note: if your bread is fresh, just put the cubed bread on a baking sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes, until it�s a little crustier. 

Cook bacon in a skillet, until crispy, set aside to drain, but leave grease in skillet. 

With heat on medium, add onion, and caramelize until golden (turn down heat if they�re getting too dark). About 15-20 minutes. Add mushrooms and butter, and cook another 5-10 minutes, until mushrooms are saut�ed through. Add thyme, garlic, and salt, and cook until garlic is fragrant, a couple of minutes. 

Add bacon and onion mixture to the pumpkin cubes. Toss lightly until combined, and then add cheese and bread, tossing gently until everything is evenly mixed. 

In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, broth, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread mixture, and using your hands, toss to make sure everything is coated. Add to baking dish.

Bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of dishes you use). It�s done when the cheese is all melty, it�s golden on top, and springy to the touch. 

Don't forget to visit Sara's site and Aimee's site for a giant list of #virtualpumpkinparty recipes... from cakes to drinks to savory to sweet and everything in-between! 

Anti-inflammatory foods on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Yesterday morning I introduced these recipes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with Host Terry MacLeod.  These are easy and delicious foods that have the added benefits of helping, and not harming you.  They help with inflammation.  Allium foods, such as onions, garlic, leeks, etc., are top of the list of anti-inflammatory foods.  Others include turmeric, cloves, pineapple, and high antioxidant foods such as beets, blueberries, saskatoons, etc.

Gorgeous beets, dark leafy greens, etc. are all available now at the Farmer's Market!

 Enjoy! 

Anti-inflammatory foods

1. Grilled Pineapple Salsa

1 pineapple, cored then grilled, then chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, roasted whole over grill then chopped

1 ear corn, roasted or 1 cup pan fried

1/2 cup cooked black beans

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle peppers

1/2 cup chopped or pureed tomatoes

salt, to taste

2 tbs brown sugar

2-4 tbs vinegar

drizzle olive oil

3 tbs fresh chopped mint

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate and enjoy with tortillas or in your favourite dish.  Try with fish tacos.  Excellent local corn tortillas are available at Dino's Grocery Mart on Notre Dame.

2. Beet Chips (you might want to use gloves)

1-3 beets (try red, white, chiogga, golden, etc.)

Sea salt, to tastes.

Olive oil, to coat

Preheat oven to 400F.  Thinly slice beets with a mandolin (USE GUARD!), or with a food processor.  Place beets in a bowl of cold water and soak for about an hour.  Drain well on paper towels.  Lay chips on a Silpat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil over chips and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Bake until starting to crisp up, about 15 minutes, checking.  Cool or place chips in a bowl and toss with salt.  Alternatively, you can fry in small batches in sunflower or canola oil. 

 Enjoy!

Silky Zucchini Soup

Remember that one time I was on the Today Show making soup, and I used my favorite tool (the immersion blender), and I sprayed soup all over the cameras and Matt Lauer?  It feels just like yesterday, oh, because it was (you can view the recipes and segment here).  You might not believe me, but I really DO know how to use that thing... I just like to give the national TV people something to slo-mo once in awhile.  Anyway, this silky smooth zucchini soup was a result of my PROFESSIONAL immersion blending, and it was delicious.  Dairy-free, vegan (if you don't use the butter... I used the butter) and superb.  

Recipe here.

Cheesy Green Rice Casserole

There was a time in my life when my younger sister and I lived together, and we ate chicken and rice every night.  We usually threw in some onions and green bell peppers, and there was always cheddar cheese on top.  We would start with a small helping and then we would go back for more, and more and more, because we are sisters, and we are the same.  We usually drank Bacardi and Diet Coke as well, and we watched stupid television.  I can actually taste all of this as I type.  Especially the rum.  

This cheesy rice casserole reminded me a little of our chicken and rice nights.  Maybe because it was very simple to make?  Comfort food at it's best?  Or maybe because it's a casserole, and my sister and I come from the Land of Casseroles (aka Midwest).  All I know is I LOVED this.  It's the perfect thing to make if you have a lot of leftover rice (or if you have the "boil in a bag" kind like me).  And while I added finely diced broccoli and peas, you could really throw anything in here.  Cubed ham, bell peppers, onions, chicken, etc.  The result will be the same delicious, cheesy dish.  I used a can of coconut milk, but I'm sure you could substitute that with 2 cups of regular milk, however I loved the subtle flavor the coconut milk offered.  Make this tonight!  And drink some rum with your sister.

Cheesy Green Rice Casserole
(Serves 8-10)
Printable recipe

2 cups cooked rice
2 cups broccoli, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated cheddar
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together rice, broccoli, peas, coconut milk and cream cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place mixture in a 9x13 baking dish, and sprinkle with grated cheddar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.