Spooky Halloween Decor

Three more days.  Our pumpkins are still waiting to be carved, and it's been too rainy and windy to put out any outdoor decorations. 

But I've got a few quick and easy things in mind for this weekend.  And a few more complicated ideas to think about for next year.

Porch Pumpkins and Crows, Pottery Barn style

Halloween Countdown Picture Tree

Pumpkin Lanterns

Flying Bats on the wall

3D Paper Haunted Village

Creepy Mummy Pumpkin

Spooky Bat Chandelier

Lawn Ghosts

DIY Chalkboard Tombstones

Spooky Creatures Framed Halloween Art

Trick or Treat Wood Blocks

Owl Night Watchers Entryway

This Halloween Window Display has become a tradition for us.  My kids get all the credit for it.

Where do you get your creative inspiration?

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Friday, it's Friday!

I found these wise words on Tumblr this week.  

They reminded of an article I read a while back.  We really need to stop the glorification of busy.

I sometimes forget about my Tumblr account, but this week I've been happily reading inspirational snippets and re-blogging all the pretty autumn things.

This was amusing.  Can Men Really Have It All?

And this dad's Hilarious Letters to excuse his kids for being late for school are priceless!

These gorgeous Espresso Shortbread Cookies caught my eye.   So did these Chocolate Pretzel Caramel Crumb Bars.  Dangerous baked goods, that's what they are.

I love this Felt Leaf Wreath.  

And this Bat Chandelier would be an easy and amazing Halloween Decoration.  Wonder if my kids are up to it?

Halloween Colouring Pages, for grown-ups.

And a quick and easy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole to add to our weeknight dinner rotation.

Did you see the dog photos I shared this week?

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

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Off the Leash

We call one of our sons the dog whisperer.  He's one of the few that can take all three dogs off leash without any of them trying to leave town.  It's amazing to me how well they listen to him.  I was thrilled to find that he took my camera with him on their last outing.  Despite being unfamiliar with the settings, he managed to get a few good shots.  I'm hoping he goes out with it again soon, with a bit more camera knowledge under his belt :)

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Friday, it's Friday!

In keeping with my focus on gratitude for the rest of the year...

Grateful for a new puppy that is smart and surprisingly well behaved.  And now as tall as our six year old Cockapoo.

Irish pubs and amazing pub food.  Perfect for celebrating a 50th birthday.

Colourful, windy, autumn.

Monkey bread.

Our son's creative girlfriend, who made us an amazing Thanksgiving centrepiece, and a wonderful batch of cupcakes.

Kids that will eat a cheese platter for dinner, when dinner ended up taking four hours more than I thought it would.  Hello, who knew butter chicken needs to marinate first?

Discovering that acorn squash seeds taste just as good as pumpkin seeds.

We're getting ready to re-create our annual Halloween Window Display.

We're excited to be able to cheer on our Toronto Blue Jays for another series.  Cue all of the game foods, like Spinach Dip and Buffalo Chicken Dip.

 

I'm still looking for ways to use up all of the apples after our apple orchard outing.  I'm thinking about Slow Cooker Bourbon Apple Butter.  Yep, bourbon :)

And I found these Spiced Almond Butter Chocolate Cups.  Like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, but for grown ups.

Show your dog some love with these Cheesy Sweet Potato Treats.

Show yourself some love with No-churn Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream.

You know how all those awesome casserole dishes always call for canned soup?  We all need this Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe in our lives.

These Oreo Truffle Bats are the coolest Halloween treat I've seen.

And this Deathly Hallows Cheese Board blew me away.  I have never seen anything like it.  Wow. just wow.

In other news, we're under a snow squall warning for tonight and tomorrow... AND we turned on the fireplace for the first time last night.  Maybe it really is time to put my flip flops away.  It's all downhill once that happens.

And hey, did you like my Facebook page yet?

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

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Pumpkin Patch

We had the best weather this weekend.  After all the turkey and baseball (Go Jays Go!), we headed to a local farm to check out their pumpkin patch.

We brought home five of them, and they will likely rot before Halloween...which means we get to do this all over again.  Unless I get ambitious and make all the pumpkin things...

My pumpkin Pinboard, overflowing with all sorts of pumpkin-y goodness.  Just click on the image to see what I might be getting up to in my kitchen.

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Friday, it's Friday!

In keeping with my focus on gratitude for the rest of the year...

I'm grateful for lakes on beautiful fall days.

New books.

Growing kids, even if it means more new clothes.

Time in my kitchen to try new recipes.

Apples, fresh and crisp, right off the tree.

Puppies.

Hockey.

Time for coffee with friends.

I'm also thankful for my hard working husband, who's turning 50 today :)

We went apple picking last weekend, and we've already eaten our way through almost one bag of apples.  There's nothing like a freshly picked apple, and I've got a few ideas on how to put them to good use.

I made this Buffalo Chicken Dip again, I think we're addicted.

I think my cabbage roll loving hubby might like this dish.

I love hard boiled eggs, I hate peeling them.  Easy to Peel Eggs - thank you.

I love these DIY Fabric and Burlap Pumpkins!

THIS twisty pumpkin pastry, awesome!

Our daughter wants to go to Ireland.  I think I need to go with her.

How cool is this Black and White Halloween Topiary?  And how is it that Halloween is only three weeks away??

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada.  I haven't planned or prepared a thing, so tomorrow will be a busy day for me.  See my old Thanksgiving posts here.

And I've created a Facebook page for this blog.  I tried resisting the commitment to more social media, but what can I say, I gave in to peer pressure.  

*Sigh*  

Likes appreciated.

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend, Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Oven Roasted Broccoli

I may never steam broccoli again.  I've discovered that roasted broccoli tastes so much better.  

I've never been a big fan of boiled or steamed veggies.  I usually prefer them raw, with some sort of dressing or dip to smother them in.  Maybe I just don't prepare them properly, but bland, mushy vegetables aren't my favourite.

Roasted vegetables, on the other hand, are an amazing thing.  Better flavour, better texture.  Crisp and crunchy, yet still tender, without being soft.  A little bit spicy.  You need to try this.

Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper... all tossed with broccoli florets.

Spread out on a pan, and baked.

It's so simple that it barely needs a recipe.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Two bunches of broccoli, cut into florets

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, optional

Combine oil and spices, toss with broccoli florets.  Bake in a 425°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until florets are browned and stalks are fork tender.  Toss with parmesan cheese if desired.

Looking for more broccoli recipes?

 

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