Happy Halloween!

I've heard that there's one in every town, but I think these folks might take the cake! This house takes decorating to a startling new level for every imaginable holiday. Halloween has brought out dozens of inflatable decorations along with the lights, window decorations, etc. They actually share a driveway with their neighbors and now some of the decorations have started to spill into the neighbors yard. It's impressive.

The night that we pulled over to take this photo there were actually about a dozen people milling around the yard looking at all the decorations!! It was pretty funny. Hopefully we'll have our good camera with us tonight to get a better photo. Til then, this gives you an idea of the craziness. Jared has suggested that I start a new series tracking their decorations, so just you wait... Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

I'll close with a picture of the kids' jack-o-lanterns that we carved on Wednesday night! Predictably, Max LOVED the goo and Ruby refused to get her hands messy. What a girl.

Lastly, I found this poem/prayer yesterday and will definitely save it for next year. Enjoy!

Dear God,

As I carve my pumpkin help me say this prayer....

Open my mind so I can learn about you. (Cut the top of the pumpkin)

Take away all my sins and forgive me for the wrong things I do. (Clean out the inside)

Open my eyes so Your love I will see. (Cut the eyes out in the shape of a cross)

Open my ears so Your Word I will hear. (Cut the ears shaped like the Bible-rectangles)

Open my mouth so I can tell others You are near. (Cut the mouth)

Let Your light shine in all I say and do! (Place a candle inside and light it)

AMEN!

Charlie Brown!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Part 1)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Part 2)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Part 3)

Working with Super Dad

Last weekend Jared took the kids to the church work day while I lazed around the house in my pajamas reading The Host. We all enjoyed our morning a lot. The kids love the apple trees in front of the church and apparently spent most of the morning there gorging themselves on apples, picking up rotten ones, raking leaves, and climbing the apple tree. I was afraid that Jared wouldn't be able to help much with the kids, but he said that he was still able to help some and as you can see, the kids did there best to pitch in too!

I sure am thankful for my wonderful husband. How many dads will take the kids on their own to a church work day and encourage thier wife to "just relax"! I needed it and it was so appreciated.

The kids are always in a frenzy when they see him in the evenings. They know that they're in for fun, excitement, and they'll probably learn something too. Ruby recently informed me that she doesn't learn much of anything from me (except maybe that she should pick up her toys!), but learns all kinds of neat things from Daddy. That makes me wonder a bit at my mothering, but makes me so thankful to have a husband who loves his family more than anything else.

Back to the great outdoors, the trees in our back yard still have most of their leaves, the raking session back there will likely come some time in November. I'm looking forward to it--I think that the kids will really have a blast playing in the leaves. I know I loved building up big piles of leaves and jumping in--often times from a low tree branch! Maybe I won't suggest that though. Having a kid in a cast is not on my wishlist.


I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season as much as we are and not suffering too much from these pesky cold viruses. Check back tomorrow for some Halloween fun.

Fabulous Fall Favorites

I started thinking about what I would put up for Tasty Tuesday this week and couldn't think of ANYTHING! I think that's one of the side effects of a cold--nothing really sounds good since you can't really taste anything anyway. After a minute, though, it hit me! I need to shared some of my favorite seasonal recipes, so this week we'll have a bit of a collection. Hopefully there will be something that floats your boat on the menu!

Updated Mulled Cider

1 large orange
3 whole cloves
2 3/4 cups fresh orange juice
8 cups apple juice
1/4 cup raisins
1 cinnamon stick

1. Peel the skin from the orange leaving the bitter white pith behind. Stick the cloves into the skin. Squeeze the juice from the orange and add to the 2-3/4 cups orange juice. Place all ingredients into a large nonreactive pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Remove from heat, cover and allow to stand at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve warm or cold.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
2. Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish.
3. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Butternut and Apple Harvest Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in leeks and onions, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, squash, carrots, apple, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender, or use a stick blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Once the soup has been pureed, return it to the pot and stir in wine and cream. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper; simmer gently for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives.

Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes.
4. Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and turn the cake onto the towel. Carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes.
5. Make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.
6. When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it. Immediately re-roll (not in the towel this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze it for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.

Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Cooking spray
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg); cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Combine buttermilk and pumpkin; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 12 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.
4. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until golden.
5. Prepare Orange-Honey Butter by combining butter, honey, and orange rind. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
6. Serve biscuits warm with Orange-Honey Butter.

I could go on, but I think I better stop there! The first four recipes can be found on allrecipes.com and the last one on myrecipes.com. Hope you have a wonderful day!

The Host

Ruby and I have succumbed to our first cold of the season--probably due to our insanely busy schedule the last few weeks! My solution to the problem has been to ignore all housework and do minimal cooking so that I have time to read... and read... and read. (And rest of course!) So, here we are with another book discussion!

I read this 600+ pager in less than a week--it's really that good. I don't know how many of you have been sucked into Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (I've only read the first book), but this is Meyer's first book for adults. That being said, it isn't raunchy or anything, just a bit more advanced plot ideas than her teenage series--and not at all about vampires. This one is still sci-fi/fantasy material though, so if you aren't crazy about that genre, you probably aren't interested.

The Host is about an alien parasitic species that implants themselves into the brains of host bodies. The "souls", as they are called, have populated at least nine planets and are always scouting out new ones. The main character, Wanderer, is implanted into one of the few remaining true humans left on earth, Melanie. This is Wanderer's ninth life, each spent on different planets, in different species, but this time she experiences something she never has before--Melanie fights back. She doesn't cease to exist, as the other hosts have, she fights to keep information from Wanderer in the beginning, but eventually they become allies as Wanderer starts to love Melanie's brother and partner as much as Melanie herself and wants to find them. This is just the beginning of a long journey for Wanderer as she learns about love and what it means to be human.

I really enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down over the weekend! Even though it's fantasy and not a "real" scenario at all, it still gave me some food for thought. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a little bit of sci-fi. It's not intense, there's a great plot line of family, love, and relationships. There's also a little bit of thinking involved, but not too much!

I've ordered the first book in Francine River's Mark of the Lion series that several people have recommended to me. I'll let you know when I get through! Until then I've got a few more good reads I'm working my way through. As always, I love your comments!!

Children See. Children Do.

My sister, Alyssa, sent this to me this morning and I thought it was so important I had to share it. This is tough to watch, but the message is clear.

Banoffee Pie

I'm sorry that I have to keep putting these dessert recipes up, but really, there are so many delicious desserts out there it's hard to resist! Here's one that I learned about in Denmark from an American friend who had lived in the UK for quite a while. It's a bit unconventional, but absolutely delicious!! And, by the way, this time this is my own photo--notice it's not nearly as good!

Banoffee Pie

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 bananas, sliced

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Mix crumbs to ginger. Press into a 9" pie plate. Cool in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
2. In a sauce pan, boil the unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for THREE hours. Make sure to keep the can submerged in water by adding more water periodically. Remove the can from the pan and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
3. Open the can and pout toffee into cooled pie crust. Allow to cool.
4. Slice bananas over toffee.
5. Whip 2 cups of cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla and spoon over the bananas. Refrigerate until serving.
6. You may garnish the pie with cocoa, instant coffee granules, chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce. Any and all combinations are absolutely delicious!

By the way, I have to give a 'hurray!" because this is my 100th Nutty Nelson's post!! I can't believe it! Hope a few of you have enjoyed the last nine months as much as I have!