Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

I thought I'd share a quick savory treat for anyone looking to make something to add to their Halloween table tonight...eerie eyeballs on edible spoons (that's a tongue twister)!

I found these spoon molds at Fran's a local cake and candy supply store here in northern Virginia. My first thought was to use them for cookies in a tea themed party and then my mind started going crazy with all the things I could use them for.

If you can't find spoon molds in your local craft or cake supply store, this recipe is great for spoon shapes cut out free handed using a real spoon as your guide.  Just remember to add some width at the neck to prevent breakage.

Cheesy Crackers:

1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, chilled
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons cold water, or as needed
  
  
  1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, white pepper and mustard. Cut in butter with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in Cheddar cheese. Stir in water one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is able to hold together. Press the mixture into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. If you're using the molds, lighty oil them and press enough dough to fill each mold. Poke holes with a fork in the dough to avoid rising.
  4. If you're going free hand. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Using a spoon as your guide, cut around the spoon adding a little width to the neck of the spoon. Place the spoons onto the prepared baking sheets spaced about 1 inch apart.
  5. Bake the free handed crackers for 10-15 mins.  Bake the molded crackers for 18-22 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden and crispy. Cool completely.
• To assemble:  mix equal parts softened goat cheese and cream cheese.  Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe balls atop each spoon cracker. Then top each ball with a slice of green olives stuffed with pimento.

 

Enjoy!

 

BOO!

About 6 years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to my first 'boo-ing'.  It wasn't a traditional boo since it wasn't anonymous but nonetheless I thought it was a fun and creative way to treat your friends and neighbors at Halloween.

For those of you that are not familiar and would like to start this Halloween tradition, here are the rules that I follow, or you can get creative and change it up a bit:

• Start by typing up some simple instructions or using this one found on the tomkat studio

 

• Make or purchase your favorite Halloween treats.  I made a few of my favorite fall treats as well as a couple that I found on Pinterest.  I tend to use edible treats but I have received Halloween stickers, pencils, notepads and even bakeware.  I decided to incorporate some wine in one boo package for a wine lover in our neighborhood...I think I'm going to have to make it an annual addition to my boo packages

• Plan to 'boo'  at least 2 families, I couldn't narrow it down, so I did 5
• Secretly deliver your 'boos' and watch all the 'We've been booed' signs pop up in the neighborhood!

Happy Halloween!

Fall is here!

Fall is without a doubt, my favorite season.  I'm not sure if it's the crisp days and chilly nights, the smell in the air, the amazing fall colors? Or maybe it's knowing all the fun holidays are right around the corner...

Normally I try to plan a fall gathering of some kind but being so busy this month, the only fall gatherings I'm planning this year are those of clients. Although I'm blessed to be able to plan fun gatherings for a living (because I wouldn't trade it for anything) having a fall event of my own kind of forced me to decorate and get into the spirit of the season.

So this year, I looked around on pinterest and found a quick, easy and festive way to add fall to my doorstep:

 It worked out perfectly because I had quite a few lanterns hanging around from my son's train party.

 

This is another one of my favorite ways to decorate the front door:

 

 

I just used my planters as a base and stacked pumpkins atop (held together by hammering a dowel through them) and added some fall leaf garland.  This was from last year and I took the picture before the whole porch was complete.  Eventually, they were moved up towards the door and mums were placed in front of them.

 

Happy Fall everyone!