Costume Party!

The class project to save pumpkins from
being carved turned pumpkins into book
characters. T-Bug picked Wonder Woman!
I love how she thinks and the resulting
creativity.

October has been drama-filled for me: illnesses; a new car; a car accident; a costume party; a bridal shower; and, a trip to Urgent Care to stitch up a finger mangled by an emulsion blender. I enjoyed some of those events much more than others, so I'm going to focus on those.
My granddaughter "T-Bug" celebrated her seventh birthday with a costume party. 
As we were planning her party I asked her what she envisioned happening. She described confetti cannons announcing her entrance into the room! She's my Pinterest-Girl! Big ideas on a small budget. I counseled her to aim a little lower and we began planning. 
Her other grandmother had already received the cake order:

A Jet's fan like her dad, T-Bug requested two cakes:

 

A football and a helmet.

Grammy outdid herself with the two requested and a
pumpkin too!

T and I created our centerpiece using a vase filled with
mallowcreme pumpkins, Peep ghosts, M&M's, candy body
parts and black roses. Mysteriously, some of the candy went missing
before the party.

We added a few more spooky treats and viola, "It's a Party!"

In addition to plenty of cake and ice cream, healthy treats were
like a bowlful of eyeballs (grapes) and fingers (carrot sticks) were
offered. Our mini pumpkins (created using magic markers on tiny
clementines) were the absolute favorites. Baby L decided to put glasses
on her pumpkin as a salute to GiGi!

Colorful straws for

bottles of water decorated with duct tape.

My glow-in-the dark mouse

and Jello-brain added a note of creepiness.

We didn't like the way our spider deviled eggs turned
out. Next time we will buy smaller olives. In spite of
that every single one was eaten.

The birthday girl told her mom, "Thanks for the best party EVER!"

Hope you have a blast handing out treats tomorrow night. Silently pray blessings on the heads of the children who come to your home. It's a treat that will bless you.

Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad and serve it often. I rarely make it the same way twice. My favorite way is to add chopped dried apricots, curry powder and toasted almond slivers to the mayo mixture. So yummy!

For the bridal shower I gave last weekend, I kept it simple with this basic recipe.

Make it at least a day before serving to give the flavors time to blend. For that reason I don't put onions or eggs in my salad. It just doesn't smell right to me. If you like it, go for it! That's also the reason I don't add the grapes until time to serve. I like them crisp, not mushy.

My son-in-law, Ben, gave me a genius tip--put the cooked chicken breast in your Kitchenaid Mixer with the regular paddle. In 30 seconds you will have perfectly shredded chicken. Add the remaining ingredients, mix for another thirty seconds, and you are done! For the bridal shower I shredded about five pounds of chicken breasts. Using the mixer saved me so much time!

Place cooked chicken breast in mixing bowl.

Mix on low for thirty seconds.

Perfectly shredded chicken!

Chicken Salad

2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken breasts

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped toasted pecans

2 T. chopped fresh dill

½ tsp. Mrs Dash

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

½ cup Greek yogurt (I like 0% fat Fage)

1 cup sliced, seedless grapes

Placed cooked chicken breast in bowl of Kitchenaid mixer. Using regular paddle turn on mixer for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients. Beat until mixture is thoroughly combined. Add chopped grapes or serve grapes on the side. Use for sandwiches or scoop into lettuce cups. Serves 10

Snickerdoodles

Photo by Naylor Made Photography

Rolled in cinnamon and sugar and baked until they are crispy on the outside but chewy in the middle. These cookies bring a sense of warmth and happiness. I've been known to call them "boy bait" 'cause I've never met a man who could resist them.

SNICKERDOODLES

1 cup soft shortening (part butter)
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
¼ tsp. salt
Heat oven to 400. Mix shortening, sugar and eggs thoroughly. Blend all dry ingredients; stir in.
Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll in mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Place 2” apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. (These cookies puff up at first, then flatten out.) Makes about 5 dozen 2” cookies.

Double the recipe and put half the dough in a quart-size freezer bag. When things get crazy during the holidays or your kids pull an "Oh-by-the-way-I-need-cookies-for-school-tomorrow!" you will be all set!

Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

Fall has finally arrived! Here in Texas the temperatures have dropped into the 80's, so the air isn't exactly crisp, but it sure beats the heck out of the 100's we had this summer. What it does mean is football games, homecoming, and pumpkin patch mazes. This recipe is perfect when you need a quick hearty meal. Make it on the weekend while you're watching college games, refrigerate it, and fast as your microwave can ding, it's ready for Friday Night Lights.
You only need thirty minutes to throw this together. You have to do some chopping, but you can buy frozen chopped broccoli and use canned cubed potatoes or use leftover mashed potatoes. I like to use fresh potatoes and cook them until they are tender crisp, not mushy.

Gather all your ingredients. You can buy onion and celery already chopped or
use a frozen mirepoix mix.

Saute onions and celery in 2 tablespoons of butter.

Stir and cook until onions are translucent.

Add chopped ham, flour and seasonings.

Stir until blended 

This is my secret ingredient--Better Than Bouillon

A tablespoon added to any soup kicks it up a notch.
Beef, vegetable, and ham bouillon are also available.

Add milk, broth and potatoes. Cook until mixture thickens
and comes to a boil.

Cover and cook on low until potatoes are tender

Add steamed broccoli

 Cook over low until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Ummm, wonder what it would taste
like with a smokey gouda? I might try that next time.

No matter how much substance I put in the soup,
my husband still likes crumbled-up crackers.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Prep Time: 10 min.; Total Time: 30 min; Servings: 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine

1/4 cup flour

4 cups diced peeled potatoes

2 1/2 cups chopped broccoli, steamed until crisp tender

1 cup chopped ham

3 cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon Better than Bouillon

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups skim milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 dash paprika

salt

minced fresh parsley, if desired

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter over medium heat until tender.

Add flour, pepper, salt, and paprika and stir until smooth.

Add broth, milk, ham and potatoes, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in cheese and cooked broccoli and cook over low until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.

Sprinkle individual servings with parsley if desired.

You can change this recipe to satisfy dairy-free by using soy cheese, almond milk, and Earth Balance buttery spread.

ENJOY!