Happy Halloween 2010

Happy Halloween Friends!

More Pumpkin Carving

There's a lot of concentration going on here...

My #1 King's Fan

Some serious ipod listening going on.

Mr. CHiPy's pumpkin on the left, Allie's pumpkin on the right.   Just so we're clear.

I ♥ this time of year!

Kneaders' Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This is how I'm kicking off our Halloween weekend...

Kneaders' Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

• 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
  
• 2 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
  
• 3 c. sugar
  
• 1 c. oil
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1-15oz can mashed pumpkin
  
• 2/3 c. water
  
• 1 c. chocolate chips
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream sugar, oil and eggs until well incorporated.  Add mashed pumpkin.   Alternate adding dry ingredients with water.   Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into three (3) greased bread pans and bake at 325 degrees for 60 -70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes before removing from wire rack to completely cool.

Simply heaven.

"Enhancing Beauty, Enhancing Life:"

BEFORE:  DARK ROOTS

Once upon a time I was blond. Really blond. I was born that way. White-blond, tow-headed blond.  For years I've tried to keep that look and it was fairly easy until recent years when my hair started turning dark.  Very dark.  Dark roots + blond hair = not good.  (Especially when you're tired from not sleeping well and you didn't know you were going to get a before and after photo taken!  (thanks Sean!) 
 

AFTER:  BLONDE AGAIN

Thank goodness my good friend Kim came to my rescue!   Kim has a fantastic, professional hair studio right inside of her home.  How cool is that??   K.Smith Hair Designs is an entire room dedicated to "Enhancing Beauty, Enhancing Life".  Enhance she did!  I loved Kim's pampering and her TANTALIZING conditioning scalp massage.  Man!  I could sit in that chair all day and enjoy that scalp massage.  I'm really pleased with my results.  Now that it's fall I'm going for a more blended look with caramel-blond highlights.  Oh, and I was not compensated in any way for my recommendation...I just thought I'd share my experience with my AMORRIS friends.

If you live up my way, send Kim and email for an appointment at kimmayann@msn.com

 

You'll be glad you did.

Container Organization

My container drawer is a hot mess. I have a bunch of cheap disposable containers that really are intended for single use which is probably why the lids are misshapen and don't fit the containers like they should. 

HOT MESS

 BEFORE - drives me crazy looking at this drawer!

Costco to the rescue!

This Snapware set is seriously money well spent.  It's awesome! I've never heard of this brand until last month when I visited family and tried out their set.  Pretty good stuff.  I was sold. The lids fit the containers and snap shut on all four sides very easily so that the contents are airtight.

 AFTER:

No more nuttiness!  The containers stack together really nicely.  Much better.

It works for me.

Halloween Bark

I love how easy this is to make and how great the presentation is for gifting.  Simply place in a cellophane bag and tie with a bow. 

Photo Credit: Your Home Based Mom.  Inspired by Recipe Girl

 Halloween Bark

1 pound melting chocolate or almond bark

14 Oreos

1 1/2 cups pretzel sticks, broken

1 cup candy corn

Halloween colored sprinkles

Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Break Oreos and pretzels and toss them along with 3/4 cup of the candy corn onto the cookie sheet. Melt chocolate and drizzle over the top and sprinkle with remaining candy corn and some sprinkles. Allow to cool and harden completely before breaking into pieces.

Cookie Party Success

Saturday night's party was a huge success. The cookie decorating area that I was in charge of had many visitors and I was glad I had lots of cookies, icing and decorations to share.  Our cookie decorators included little princesses, super heroes, pirates, an avatar, lady bugs, fairies, cowboys, dragons and a scuba diver!  So, so cute!  These and many other darling costumes were worn by the cutest kids.   Mr. CHiPy and I dressed up as Chief Blackkdogg and Shining Waters and had the sweetest little Indian stop by and ask for a picture with us.

All of these kids are the reason I love to volunteer my time.  They were so much fun and even the teens had to get in on the action.  I couldn't have done it without Chief Blackkdogg's help.  He really made it fun for the kids and easy for me.

p.s.  A big THANK YOU to my own Zombie Survivor, Gangster and Lady Bug for helping out with the party clean-up.  Oh yes...Mr. Gangster I know it was YOU who deleted all my pictures - remember, paybacks are DOUBLE!!

Cookie Prep

Today I had a date with my Kitchen Aid finishing the pumpkin and kitty cookies and making orange, green and purple decorating icing for tonight's party guests. 

I ended up with three giant pans filled with about 150 cookies. 

 

Same time last year I was doing THIS.

Happy Halloween week!

Toffee Dip (Great with Apples too)

Toffee Dip

1-10 oz. tub of soft cream cheese or 1-8 oz. block softened
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 pkg of a 8 oz. bag of SKOR English Toffee Bits


Mix together with a spoon until smooth – cream cheese, sugars and vanilla. Fold in toffee bits just before serving so they don’t get soggy. (soggy is yummy too!)

This dip is great with graham crackers, but try it with green apples also.  I cut the apples just before serving to prevent them turning brown.

The Great Pumpkin Dessert

Oh how I love this recipe. It just speaks Fall to me. (hmmm....could that mean I'm a food whisperer? I like the sound of that...Food Whisperer).  

So tonight I'm having dinner guests and I want the house to smell like Fall. You know what I mean, right?   I love it when the house is cozy, warm and smells like pumpkin pie.  To me, The Great Pumpkin Dessert fit the bill.

The Great Pumpkin Dessert

Serves 8-10

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 12 fluid ounce can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 C white sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 package yellow cake mix
3/4 C butter, melted
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I'm allergic, so I use pecans instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrres F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spice. Mix well and pour into pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top, then drizzle with melted butter. Top with nuts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Serve with ice cream or a dollop of real whipped cream. Enjoy this little bit of Fall heaven.

A Christmas Open House Invite

My wonderful friend and "other mom" Joy Allen is hosting a fabulous Christmas event in November right here in Nor Cal (Cameron Park). I've known Joy my entire life and she was the one that took me on camp outs and other fun outings back in Southern California when my own mom couldn't.  She's a talented artist and has illustrated over 60 books and even has one of her books, Baby Signs
on Oprah Winfrey's reading book list.



I can't wait to see all of Joy's new ornaments, books and her Princess Party items.  I'm going and I hope my local friends will go too.  Let me know if you want to carpool!...

Happy Fall, Y'all

Two Great Stockpiling Deals

I don't grocery shop like most people.  I stockpile when I shop...a little here and a little there and it really adds up over time. 
 
Here is a good example of my stockpile shopping. Starting today my local Safeway has a great deal on Jimmy Dean Sausage.  The deal is even better when you add coupons. Mr. CHiPy and my 13 year old son LOVE sausage and the deal offered ($1.49/lb.) is really good.

Jimmy Dean items- Buy 4 and Get $4 off at checkout. Includes:
Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll $3.49
Get $1 off when you buy 4
use $1/2 printable
or use $1/1 any Jimmy Dean facebook coupon
Final Price: $1.49-$1.99 each

I had a stockpile of  the $1/2 and the $1/1 facebook coupons.  I went shopping today and filled my cart...

Another great deal going on at many stores is the Progresso Soup Sale.  Right now Safeway has Progresso for $.88 with card and in ad coupon, plus add the coupon for $1 off 4 cans and it makes for a sweet deal.  My kids love to eat canned soup for lunch on a Saturday afternoon with a grilled cheese sammy and at this price, I'm happy to let them do it. 

 
Have you found any stockpiling deals in your area?

Canned Salsa

My garden has had a bounty of three items this year - Roma tomatoes, green peppers and zucchini. The zucchini plant gave up the ghost last month after a bumper crop all summer along with over 70 cups of shredded zucchini that is put away in my freezer. The tomatoes and peppers are still going strong and I've already got a freezer full put away for winter.

With this weekend's bounty I decided to try a canned salsa recipe and I think it was successful.  The house smelled delicious all afternoon long while it was simmering.

Canned Salsa
16 C tomatoes, chopped
5 green peppers, chopped
5 onions, chopped
4 anaheim peppers, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 C brown sugar
3 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp pepper
2 C apple cider vinegar
Put all ingredients into pot.  Boil down for 3-4 hours.  Put into pint jars.  Process for 15 minutes.  Makes 8-10 pints.

Chips and salsa anyone?

Favorite Fall Snack Mix

Here it is...our snack mix of the Fall season.  Its sugary, chocolaty and salty goodness makes it a favorite around here.

The ingredients are simple:

Fall Snack Mix
1 lb. bag plain M&M's
1 jar Planter's Salted Peanuts
1 large bag candy corn (any flavor)

Mix together and serve.

Careful...it's addictive.

 Just sayin'.

Pumpkin Carving Practice

Pumpkins are on sale this week at Raley's for $3.00 week so I purchased a couple for Mr. CHiPy. He's been busy practicing his pumpkin carving skills. This year he's trying new techniques and using different types of tools to refine his craft. Each year he carves a pumpkin for each of the family's he home teaches in our church. Basically home teachers visit their assigned families at least once each month to teach and strengthen them. He tries to establish a relationship of trust with these families so that the families can call upon him in times of need.  I love this program and I love that Mr. CHiPy takes good care of his families.

Here's his newest design that he worked on tonight:

Isn't that cool!  The kids just love this time of year and can't wait to see what the pumpkins end up looking like.  More to come soon.