Gallery: 17 Frightfully Good Cupcakes (via Hostess with the Mostess)

This post is from the Hostess with the Mostess Blog. I think these designs are super-cute and know some moms and nanas that would love to make them! Enjoy...

Gallery: 17 Frightfully Good Cupcakes:

I’m loving the designs in this 17 Frightfully Good Halloween Cupcakes gallery from BHG for 2 reasons: 1. They’re clever & creative. 2. Most of them seem pretty simple & easy!

A few favorites pictured above, {clockwise from top left}:

1. Peeking Monster – would actually be great for Monster birthday parties year-round, too… and could even be modified for a dinosaur theme!

2.Who’s There? – also great for an Owl Theme baby shower or birthday party… might even be cute without the coconut.

3. Witch Feet – definitely modifying this one to “Santa Feet” for Christmas!

4. Green Goblin – cutest goblin I’ve ever seen!

More favorites… pictured above: Frankenstein and Under Wraps cupcakes.

Pictured above:

1. Spider Crawlers – a little more time-consuming, but guaranteed to make a statement with guests!

2. Spooky – Jordan almonds + cocoa puff cereal = spooky eyes…doesn’t get much easier than this!

3. Little Witch – with adorable sugar-cone hat!

4. Bare Bones – use licorice pastels & mints to create tiny skeleton motifs!

*****

Have fun!

Connor and Fiona at the Beach

Deirdre and the kids are back in Massachusetts for good now. Deirdre had some beach shots taken during their last days in Florida a few weeks ago. I really love the photos and couldn't help myself from sharing...

Enjoy!

What a Cutie

This post serves no purpose other than me to show off how cute I think our cat is...

When we left on Saturday for Pat's yard sale the grass was pretty wet. Mattie wanted to be out, and in the yard, but didn't want to get wet. So... Wouldn't it be great to lay on the table?!

I just think he is such a cutie!

Rainy Yard Sale

Pat's neighborhood had a group yard sale on Saturday. We stayed home for the weekend and decided to take a few things over, just in case... The weather ended up being icky all day -- rain mostly on and some off. Our EZ Up afforded a little more protection for items to be place outside.

The sale pretty much ended up being a bust... The most successful part was that Pat got to hang out with her friends Ellie and Eileen, who also tried to sell a few things. All in all, things balanced to be  good day.

Cook the Book: Vermont Croque Monsieur

Oh, my.... I am nearly moaning with anticipatory delight as I read this recipe... It sounds soooo good. Alas, I would need to modify the recipe a bit (nix pure maple syrup and use Splenda version, use Sugar Twin instead of brown sugar, possibly find a lower carb bread), but it is very tempting...

from Serious Eats:

Cook the Book: Vermont Croque Monsieur:

'Two cheeses, two types of meat, brown sugar and maple syrup?'

As a great lover of sandwiches, I keep many near and dear to my heart. The turkey club with its three slices of toasted white bread topped with mayo, salty bacon, and roasted turkey. The reuben with its creamy Russian dressing and tangy kraut. The simple grilled cheese and tomato. I could go on and on.

I am pleased to introduce the newest inductee to my personal sandwich hall-of fame. Drum roll, please. The Vermont Croque Monsieur from Tracey Medeiros's Dishing Up Vermont is about as close to sandwich perfection as you can get.

Slices of raisin nut bread are dipped into a cinnamon-nutmeg batter and fried to French toast perfection. Sounds pretty good, right? But wait, there's more! Roasted turkey, smoked ham, and Gouda goes in between the two slices. Hold on, it gets even better! A spread of maple-scented mascarpone—studded with chopped chives—keeps everything together. The whole thing is toasted in the oven until the cheese melts, the mascarpone oozes, and the French toast has just the slightest hint of crunch.

I made this sandwich as a late-night snack and was a bit skeptical upon first looking at the ingredients. Two cheeses, two types of meat, brown sugar and maple syrup? It seemed excessive but the first bite was a revelation. The flavors balanced absolutely perfectly (not too sweet or salty) and for all of the cheese involved, the sandwich had a mysterious lightness.

I ate two in rapid succession and am looking forward to another for breakfast tomorrow. Vermont Croque Monsieur, I salute you.

Win 'Dishing Up Vermont'

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Dushing Up Vermont to give away this week. Enter to win here »

Vermont Croque Monsieur

- makes 1 sandwich -

Adapted from Dishing Up Vermont by Tracey Medeiros.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon pure Vermont maple syrup

1 teaspoon chopped chives

2 tablespoon mascarpone cheese

2 eggs

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 slices maple cinnamon raisin bread

Unsalted butter

2 ounces roasted turkey breast, sliced

2 ounces smoked and cured ham, sliced

2 ounces Gouda cheese, shredded

Procedure

1. Mix together maple syrup, chives, and mascarpone in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Whisk together the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Dip the bread into the egg mixture until well soaked and shake gently to remove excess.

3. Melt a pat of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread and cook until golden brown on each side. Remove the bread from pan and spread the mascarpone mixture over one slice. Layer turkey, ham, and Gouda over mascarpone. Top with the second slice of bread and bake until warmed through and the cheese has melted.

Anniversary of 9-11

Today, as we all know, is the 8th anniversary of the terrible 9-11 terrorist acts. Thinking of my own crystalline memories, the day is clear to me in how it played out, who I talked with, and what I felt (similar, in fact, the my memory of the Oklahoma City bombing).

The satellites circling our planet also captured the crisis in motion. This website contains an image of the twin towers from space. I don't know when the image was captured or how it was obtained, but it is pretty incredible.

May those who lost their lives rest in peace, and may their families find solace on this difficult day.

Me, Winner of the DumA** of the Day Award

Do you see me frowning? No, really, look closer. You'll see the tears in my eyes, too...

I cut a corner too close this morning and nudged (nice euphemism, ay?) the curb. It nudged the car right back. Oops.

It doesn't look too bad from here. The damage is on the passenger side of the bumper.

But, once you get closer, it is ugly. Really ugly. The measurement is from the edge of the bumper, so really the scratch is about 9" long.

The body shop has given me an estimate of $325 to repair and repaint my stupidity. The sickness in my stomach (from this stupid mistake) is beginning to subside. I guess I am paying a small price for a big lesson.

Another Successful Spaghetto

This past Sunday marked the 26th Spaghetto at camp. Todd, Carolyn, Steve, and Sherry were this year's organizers. It was their first year (after Bob and Carla left at the end of last season) and they did a great job.

Festivities began in the 8 o'clock hour, per the usual routine. Sauce and pasta pots were washed and coated with soap (on the outside to make cleaning easier), the salad tent was erected, the line was staked out, and sauce was poured in the pots. The salad prep team assembled by 11 am and began slicing and dicing the vast array of salad toppings. The first band member arrived before 1, and the rest were there and playing before 2 pm. Volunteers made their toast shortly after 2 pm, then serving began.

301 people, 1 hour 45 minutes, and many smiles later, the meal was complete. Mike took the group photo and we enjoyed the waning hours of the afternoon. Steve and Helen joined the festivities, which made the occasion all the more special. We had a late dinner, went to the fire, to the dance, and then crashed. What a day!

You really should join us if you haven't been to Spaghetto. It is a fun time filled with laughter, friendship, and good times.

Ready, Set, Go!

This is a shot of our fridge on Thursday. I crammed everything (not frozen, canned, or boxed) onto the biggest shelf. By the time you see this blog post the food will be packed into one or more coolers and Mike and I will be headed to camp.

Aside from the yogurt, eggs, cheese, whipping cream, and veggies you can see peeking out are fresh fruits, meat, creme fraiche and more. We better be hungry! In addition to the meal for Sunday afternoon (Spaghetto) and Monday morning (worker's breakfast) being taken care of, we are have prime rib at the clubhouse Saturday. So why is there so much food? Dunno. Mike wasn't there to police me. I got food for company (you haven't seen the frozen food :) ) and for just in case.

It'll get eaten. Really.

Getting My Ducks in a Row

Yesterday was the first time I got to use my ducks -- shopping bags -- that is. I picked up these guys at Bath and Body Works for $5 each (a savings of 50%). The ducks are just a little storage sleeve.

The bag is nice and sturdy. I filled all three on one of my grocery trips last night and they did great.

The best part? The looks I got in the checkout line were priceless.

Have a happy day!

Julie and Julia -- the day after

We went and watched Julie and Julia last night (as I mentioned yesterday). I liked it. I didn't love love it, but I did like it. I loved the Julia part and her relationship with her husband Paul. The Julie part was ok. Fine. I think they contrasted things the way they did for a reason.

So, you might wonder (or, maybe not), is The Julie/Julia Project blog still up? Why, yes, my sweets, it is. And it looks just like the one in the movie. Now let me tell you, you can read the entire contents if you wish, but navigation is not uber-friendly. Blogs have been around for about 10 years now. The Julie/Julia Project began on August 25, 2002 when blogging was only 3 years old. So what? Well, the navigation is a little clunky. You have to use the calendar on the right to navigate through the blogs, clicking on highlighted days, or the next month, to advance.

Now, what about this: which of Julia's recipes were shown in the movie? Well, thanks to the power of the internet, I found a list here. It is not comprehensive. Moreover, I'm not convinced all the recipes linked here are from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Some of the ones that tickled my tastebuds are included: Bruschetta, Beef Burgundy, Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce (I thought that looked killa!), and the Chicken with Cream and Mushrooms.

But. But. But... The grande finale, the pièce de résistance, was not included in this list! The final dish Julie made was the Pate de canard en croute. You remember it, don't you? The boned, stuffed duck in pastry crust? That's the one! I'm not sure what I think of it yet. The jury is still out.

On to other tidbits of interest... Julie's kitty in the movie that looks so much like Mattie, was played by a tom named Terry. Powell writes about her real cat Maxine's "not inconsiderable role" in her story. Folks, Julie loved her cat Maxine. A photo of the real Maxine is on the right. You can read all about her real role in the story here along with other parts of the real story that the movie butchered.

Finally, you may be interested in checking out Julie Powell's current and active blog, What Could Happen. Her last post was made just over a week ago.

Smiles!

p.s. Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe can be found on Knopf's website.

Julie and Julia

Tonight I am going to see Julie and Julia with Deb and Helen. I am sooo excited. I'm sure I'll love it and let you know all about it. In the meantime, the trailer is below (embedded) if you have not seen it.






Stay tuned!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

We went to camp last weekend. The weather was gray, which was appropriate to the mood with Senator Kennedy's funeral. I looked outside during the Mass and knew I had to capture these scenes.

 

 

I thought the fog that was rolling off the mountains while the windmill turned was beautiful.

A new picture for my office

I just love this...

A Great Time in Newport (RI)

Mike and I started off last weekend with a trip to the Sole Proprietor for dinner (lobster salad sandwich -- extra yum!), then we headed out to camp. We ended up driving through a deluge in spots and arrived to a quiet campground. We watched the first few innings of the horrible Yankees vs. Red Sox game (Red Sox lost 20-11), then just hung out.

By Saturday morning we had decided that since the rain was set into the Berkshires and it was sunny at home, we'd beat feet back. Steve and Helen had mentioned a trip to Newport Saturday afternoon and were still willing to have us along. We all wanted to see the big waves from Hurricane Bill, about 100 miles east of the coast.

The four of us headed out around 3 pm. We stopped at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown to look at the waves. The surf was pretty impressive.

I like these pictures of Mike, so had to include them!

Helen and I also took the time to explore the lighthouse museum. It was a really neat place, complete with a fourth-order Fresnel lens that was replaced by a rotating beacon in 1991.

Next, we headed over to the Brenton Point State Park in Newport. The waves were crashing like crazy there, but that didn't prevent the kite fliers from enjoying the breeze. At that point we realized the memory in Mike's camera was not fully inserted while we were at Beavertail. The only photos we got were the ones above. He righted the memory and got some more shots of Brenton Point.

We were hungry for dinner at that point and decided to head to downtown Newport. Busker's Irish Pub had available seats and turned out to be a great place for dinner. Mike and I got the Shepherd's Pie, while Steve got Chicken Marsala and Helen got the Garlic Herb Chicken. We gave four thumbs up!

We rounded out the night by walking around the downtown and stopping for gelato at Cold Fusion. It gave us the energy for the ride back home. Hmm, ok, I slept on the ride back home... But it gave me energy to stay up with Mike until 3 am after we got home!!!

Eating my way through the Vista (Columbia, SC)

As mentioned in previous posts, I traveled to Columbia, South Carolina for work last week. I stayed at the Hilton Columbia Center, located in a part of the city called "The Vista." I did not rent a car, but there were plenty of places to visit on foot so it was a great location.

I arrived on Monday night. I didn't feel like venturing out of the hotel, so I went to Ruth's Chris for dinner. They were offering a Summer Specials menu that had a three course meal for $39.99. I started with a mixed greens and asparagus salad. It was very good (and big!). I selected the Petite Filet and Shrimp for my entree with Sautéed Mushrooms for my side. It was very nicely prepared. The steak was by far the strong point. The mushrooms were fine, just button mushrooms. I had the Fresh Seasonal Berries with Sweet Cream Sauce for dessert to round out the meal. If you are interested, yes, I ate everything (remind me of that when I next complain about weight gain).

By Tuesday night I was ready to explore the area. I saw the Motor Supply Company Bistro in some area literature and decided to give it a try. It was by far my favorite dining experience of the week. The menus are hand-written and change daily, and the food was prepared exquisitely. I had a lovely cold cucumber peach soup to start. It was delicious.

Next, I had White Shrimp served with bacon, corn, and green beans over a bed of rice grits. This truly southern dish was superb. I mean, it was just wow.

I got the Crème brûlée for dessert. I was just tingling with happiness after the meal.

I tried Ristorante Divino Wednesday night. I started with the Insalata Divino (Baby greens, plum tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar). It was nice. I selected Cioppino (Fresh fish, scallops, mussels, calamari, and shrimp in a tomato-garlic saffron broth over linguini) for my entree. There was so much food!!! Very little linguine, and there must have been 15 mussels. This dish was great!

I had a walnut pie with ice cream for dessert. It was very rich. I'd have it over pecan pie any day of the week...

I am glad my meals from Mon-Wed were such hits, because dinner at the Blue Marlin my final night was a huge disappointment. The iceburg wedge was marginal, the Firecracker Flounder was overcooked (and accompanying grits were not seasoned correctly; coleslaw didn't hit the spot), and the Blackout cake was just too much. I ate less than half of the entree and about a third of the dessert. I would not go back to the Blue Marlin.

So, if you ever find yourself in the Vista of Columbia, be sure to check out Motor Supply Co if you have the time! I'd pick Ristorante Divino as second because it is local, and Ruth's Chris last because they have locations everywhere.

Bon appetit!

The Story of My Life...

What I've Been Reading (Last week, anyway)

I know I have been a bit quiet as of late. Traveling kept me busy last week. The free time that surrounded my training sessions was filled with a lot of reading, and very little of much else. I was about 1/2 way through reading Roadside Crosses by Jeffrey Deaver when I left for my trip on Monday. The story features Kathryn Dance, a spin-off character from the Lincoln Rhyme series. The plot is two-pronged: one prong is the continuation of the Daniel Pell case (The Sleeping Doll) and the mercy death of an injured police officer; the other prong follows a serial killer who announces his intentions using roadside crosses. This suspenseful book kept me going. I finished it on my way down to Columbia.




My second book of the week was Lisa Kleypas' Smooth Talking Stranger. This is the third book in Kleypas' series about the wealthy Travis family. Middle son Jack meets strong-willed Ella Varner in this story of unexpected parenthood and family "issues". The story was well-paced and interesting. It was definitely an easy read as a romance.I finished it on Tuesday night...




 Next up was The Neighbor, by Lisa Gardner. Detective D.D. Warren is calling to a missing person's case when Jason Jones reports his wife missing. Of course Jones immediately becomes the primary suspect, and exacerbates suspicion by refusing to talk with the police or actively look for his wife. I kept thinking something about his character struck a chord as I read. Near the end, the tie-in with Gardner's Say Goodbye (which, by the way, was a horrific but well-written story). I was sucked into this story and couldn't wait to find out what happened. Gardner's writing is fast-paced and contains lots of twists and turns. I really like her.


Having finished my supply of books by my flight Friday morning, I stopped at an airport bookstore to get something for the flights home. I had no clue what to get, so I called up Amazon on my iPhone to read ratings and reviews of the books I had to choose from (yup, this really is how I shop). Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had great reviews, so I got it. Larsson was the second best selling author in 2008, behind Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns). Larsson, a Swedish journalist and editor of Expo, died from a heart attack weeks after providing three manuscripts to his publisher for this series. His writing style is very engaging and the story is well written. I am glad there are other books in the series to be read next. The Girl... is set in Sweden and intertwines stories of publisher Mikael Blomkvist, corporate magnate Henrik Vagner, and the troubled Lisbeth Salander. The story line as described by Amazon.com:

Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. --Dave Callanan

I am about 1/2 way through and can barely put it down!

The Safest Airlines to Fly On (via Lifehacker)

I got this today from Lifehacker. It is very interesting...

The Safest Airlines to Fly On [Travel]:

There's no accounting for terrible fate and random events, but The Daily Beast wants you to see how major and regional airlines rank in accidents and incidents. It's worth a peek before booking your next flight.

Rudy Maxa ranked, charted, and broke down data from 10 major air carriers using data from Airline-safety-records.com, which itself pulls data regularly from the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Then he did the same for about 25 prominent regional carriers, the smaller airlines usually contracted by the bigger guys to connect passengers between smaller cities.

Maxa's charts reveal some interesting factoids—like how passengers seated near a plane's tail are 40 percent more likely to survive a crash than those in the first few rows. More interesting, or perhaps disheartening, are the statistics on regional operators, which have

[Regional carriers have] an accidents and incidents rate more than twice as high as the national carriers. 'In the industry, one of the biggest concerns are the regional operators,' says Jim Asker, the managing editor of the trade magazine Aviation Week. Among those The Daily Beast measured, several smaller airlines had perfect safety records, while Midwest (based in Milwaukee and now a subsidiary of Republic Airlines, which has won an auction to acquire Frontier Airlines) had the worst.

Hit the link for a full helping of charts and analysis, and tell us what safety factors you consider when you're arranging air travel in the comments.

How Safe Is Your Airline? [The Daily Beast]

It doesn't take much...

So this made me laugh!