Dinner Party Pictures!

A couple of Halloweens ago, I decorated my apartment up and hosted a haunted dinner party. I took a bunch of pictures, but have never gotten to share them. So, I'm sharing them with you, now! Here they are.

So, the first few and the last one were just me showing off my new lanterns (I have a slight obsession with lanterns/cages). I'm thinking about making that last one some sort of topper for my blog...It depends on whether I'm smart enough for that.
The rest of them are from the dinner party, including wonderful top hats, crows, and cages. I was pretty proud of myself. The food was delicious, too, if I do say so myself. One problem I had and that I had to take note on for later times was the lack of food. I completely underestimated how much food I needed.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed these! STAY SPOOKY!

Castin' My Spell On You!

Hello! Happy Lammas to my pagan friends! I have a book that gives a bunch of recipes for each pagan holiday, and I've been looking through it today, deciding which ones I'd like to try after I've gone shopping. This, naturally, got me thinking of some of my favorite foods to eat during the Holidays. Why not have a fall food appreciation blog?!

I'm going to start with perhaps my favorite recipe ever: Witches' Brew. It's a delicious pea-infused-with-bacon soup. Here is a picture I took a couple years back while making this delicious concoction:

Mmmmmmm....Anyway, here are the ingredients you will need:

1-2 bags of frozen peas

1 carton of vegetable stock

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 onion

Salt/Pepper (to taste)

BACOOONNNNN!!!

Alright, you have to start with the stuff you need tender before making the soup. So, I saute the onion and garlic before adding about half of the peas and stirring them around to warm them up. In the past, I've cooked the bacon while sauteing the veggies so I can add the grease with the vegetable stock--this is for those who aren't afraid of FATNESS or potentially face-melting FLAVOR.

Once the peas are all warm and the onions are tender, add the vegetable stock, salt and pepper, and the rest of the peas. If you haven't added the bacon grease, now is the time to put at least one strip of bacon (cooked) in the pot to boil with the rest of the ingredients. Boil until everything is nice and fused together (always taste to tell).

At this point, you have another option: either blend it (the chowder option) or serve it as is (the soupy mcsoup-soup option). Either one you choose, it will be equally delectable and dream-worthy. Serve with the soup topped with bacon. Enjoy!

This recipe is pretty close to its originator: WITCHES' BREW. I'm not real big on measuring, but the website gives more specific measurements to work with. Here are a few more links to recipes I'm planning on trying this year:

APPLE TOFFEE COOKIES! I'm more of a cook than a baker, but these are worth the risk of burning down the kitchen.

GARLICKY PUMPKIN RISOTTO! Something to make if you're feeling particularly fancy - pantsy one night.

Ooooh, and STICKY POPCORN POTS! In case you're needing something completely delicious and comforting to snack on during movie night!

Please share any fun recipes you have stored up in your archives! I love trying new dishes, especially in the fall (if all year were fall, I would actually be somewhere in life). Thanks for reading. STAY SPOOOOKY!