Happy Halloween

This type of decoration is created by scratching the surface of the pumpkin with a sharp object while it is still growing on the vine.  The pumpkin heals itself and creates a raised scar that looks like natural puffy paint.  I saw this pumpkin at a cider mill and saved this image to post for you today.  May you eat as many fun size candy bars as you want. Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

Wishing you a safe and Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I just want to put the idea in your head...Pumpkin Pancakes!

A friend of mine suggested brunch after church a few weeks ago. She said that everyone was talking about a local nightclub that serves breakfast (!) and she wanted to check it out. Hmm...okay, I'm game.

We found it (a little bar in Ferndale called Club Bart) and were seated at a high table with bar stools in the window. When we heard the specials, we were hooked. We picked the omelette-of-the-day and the pumpkin pancakes to share. Just look! The syrup was a homemade brandy sauce (yum!) and we devoured every bite.

No matter where you live, it is very likely that the local breakfast spot is whipping up pumpkin pancakes. Maybe its time to invite a friend to brunch.

Pumpkin Tower

I think this is just beautiful! A simple tower made of three different pumpkins.

There are so many beautiful squash and pumpkin varieties available - check out this link to see my favorite photo guide of them on the web.

Do you know the phrase "Gilding the Lily?" It refers to when unnecessary adornment is added to something that is naturally beautiful.

I have seen some "paint, carve and glue" tips swirling around and I would like to suggest that you keep it simple.

Just gather a few beautiful shades together and let them speak for themselves. Mother Nature will spark far more comments than anything you can do with a glue gun.

White Pumpkins

I am not a "Halloween" girl.
No orange & purple. No creepy touches. I know that ghosts, bones and dry ice are all the rage, but it is just not me.

My tribute to Halloween is a little more... beautiful.

A white pumpkin next to a rose-filled sugar bowl (the one I got at the Country Living Fair!) is much more my style.

What do you think?

Country Living Fair 2009, Part 2

Yum! Country Living contributing Food Editor, Cheryl Slocum, was all about the pumpkin at this year's Country Living Fair. She worked her magic with three recipes from the October issue: Pumpkin Bread, Curried Pumpkin & Peas and Pumpkin Cannelloni with Sage Brown Butter Sauce (above).

The genius in the cannelloni recipe is the Barilla "Oven Ready" lasagna sheets. Give them a minute or two in boiling water and they become soft enough to fill and roll! Ricotta, pumpkin, salt & sage made the filling for this delicious entree.

I have started using this magic pasta myself for quick dinners and they work like a dream.

Thanks, Cheryl, for an excellent and entertaining Fall food demonstration!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Since this is a big weekend for Halloween parties, I thought I would share an appropriate recipe: Pumpkin Bread Pudding from Cooking Light. A nice, cozy dessert that is perfect for a chilly October evening. Light a fire in the fireplace, put this dessert in the oven to bake and read a good book. Happy Halloween from me to you...

The Palest of Pumpkins

I love these gorgeous pumpkins! My parents bought me a perfect white pumpkin for my living room - thank you! 

They are hard to find around here and I always need one. I will show you so, but for now look at these yummy apricot ones! 

I took this photo at a sheep & wool festival in Romeo last year. This display belongs in a magazine. Hmmm...maybe I'll make it into a DELIGHT cover.

Enjoy the day.