Halloween Fun!

Last year, I had an AMAZING time celebrating Halloween in the Kansas City area with my brother and his family. It was so much fun to relive my childhood and go trick-or-treating with my nephew, but I have to say that this year was equally as fun with a little more of an "adult" Halloween!

This year, I spent the night at home with with a few very close friends. It was a low-key night, but still quite festive and I had a SUCH a great time! Who knew that fog machines and dry ice could be that much fun?!?!

Instead of a big meal,  we had a bunch of tasty appetizers and drinks that everyone contributed to.

Caprese Salad with Buratta, Bacon Wrapped Bleu Cheese Stuffed Dates, Brie Cheese and Blackberry Jam Pockets, Zombie Eye Deviled Eggs, Mini Mummy Dogs, Chips, Salsa, Guacamole, Pumpkin Beer and last but certainly not least - Blackberry Moonshine! 

YUM!!!

And because Halloween just isn't Halloween without dressing up in SOME way, 

here's a look at a few of the costumes I wore this year!

Devil Robyn and Devil Ming while prepping the yummy apps, Toga Robyn for the fun Halloween night festivities, and Black Cat Robyn for work!

Dairy Free Banana Bread

I haven't made goodies for my co-workers in awhile, and with Halloween coming up I knew I wanted to make some kind of bread/muffin. I purchased some adorable mini muffin liners awhile ago and really wanted to put them to use!

I had TONS of bananas in my freezer just waiting to be turned into delicious banana bread or muffins so I quickly knew I'd be making banana bread. I've made banana bread so many times I've lost count - but I wanted to switch it up and try to make it dairy free so my friend Matt at work could enjoy it too! 

After searching online for awhile, I decided to just use my GG's recipe and replaced the butter with oil and the sour cream with apple sauce. Seemed easy enough and I was just hoping for the best!

 The Goods

3 Tablespoons Oil

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg - beaten

1/2 Cup Applesauce

(*bonus points if homemade!)

2 Cups Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Banana - Mashed up

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Soooooo were my hopes too high? 

Absolutely not! And in fact - I can't even tell the difference between these one and the one's I've been making with butter and sour cream all these years! 

Here are just some of the cute lil gems I made to take to the office tomorrow.

And because I made a TRIPLE batch - I made some mini loaves too!!

Make the regular, make the diary free kind, heck - make BOTH, but make sure you make ONE of these soon!!!

Homemade Applesauce!

My brother was recently talking about making A LOT of applesauce (we're talking a bushel of apples here people!!), and it got me wanting some to eat and maybe even bake with. With that fresh in my mind, I bought a two pound bag of apples yesterday and made the delicious treat just hours later. 

I knew I wanted to keep my applesauce pretty simple, so I just used apples, water and a tiny pinch of sugar. That's IT! No cinnamon, no other sweeteners, nothing! It may sound boring but it's incredibly tasty and really doesn't need anything else.

Wash, peel and dice the apples.

Add a lil water and a pinch of sugar if desired.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes - until tender and starting to fall apart.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree to your liking.

Store in an airtight container in your fridge.

Homemade applesauce is amazing and I really should make some more often. 

Maybe even make bigger quantities like my brother!!

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 34

One of my best friends came over for dinner tonight and I made and old favorite - Turkey Sloppy Joe's! I had a craving for them last week so I decided to make them for Sunday Night Dinner and Alison wasn't objecting! 

With the Sloppy Joe's, I made some homemade Sweet Potato Fries that I baked instead of fried. 

We dipped them in ranch with a little spicy seasoning sprinkled on top.

And last but not least, some semi-homemade cole slaw. 

I thought we needed something "green" and this was better than nothing! 

All in all, tonight's dinner was a great Sunday Night dinner and it really didn't take too long to make. 

You should all try making your Sloppy Joe's with ground turkey - it's leaner and still amazingly tasty! :) 

MORE Fall Holiday Decorations

I recently posted about my Fall Holiday Decorations, but I completely forgot about a homemade Halloween banner I made last year and have added a couple NEW decorations too!

Check out the fun new things I have around my place...

Homemade Banner, Carved Pumpkin, Chalkboard Art and Fresh Flowers!

Spiders, spiders and MORE spiders!!!

Do you decorate for the holidays? 

I LOVE it and cannot wait for all the upcoming holidays in the next few months! 

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 33

Since the whole Salmonella outbreak, I've been afraid to eat chicken so I've pretty much been avoiding it altogether. Actually, I honestly can't tell you the last time I did eat chicken. I've been creative with my meal choices, but one can only east SO much bacon...

So while thinking about what I'd eat for dinner tonight AND what to have for lunches this week, I decided on roasting a turkey breast! I know, I know - Thanksgiving isn't for weeks, but it IS Fall and who doesn't love some turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy? YUM!

For dinner tonight I enjoyed a lil Thanksgiving dinner just a little early.  Hate all you want, but I'll eat this meal no matter what month it is because it's alway tasty! Anyway...I had some delicious roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and some rosemary sourdough. 

Hello Thanksgiving Wannabe Dinner!

I plan to use the leftovers for lunches and dinners this week and may even freeze some of the turkey breast. 

What did YOU have for dinner tonight?

Pumpkin Carving and Seed Roasting!

It's not Halloween to me if I don't carve a pumpkin and then roast the seeds. I usually do it closer to the holiday, but the I had the opportunity to carve pumpkins and hang out with a great friend this past weekend. 

Our pumpkins and carving tools!

I've always been a fan of carving pumpkins and I am not against using patterns. I purchased a new book and went with the hardest possible pattern! What can I say - I like a lil challenge!

Not bad, right? I think I did a pretty good job if I do say so.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of my friend's pumpkin, but it was interesting to say the least. :) Let's just say they were the first person I've ever seen who carved their pumpkin before scooping out and and cleaning up the goop. 

I dried the seeds overnight and then roasted them with a little melted butter and salt. Once they were crisped to perfection, I took them out and tossed half with cinnamon sugar and half with a spicy mixture. Both turned out great and I think I'll be using this method from not on! I want another pumpkin just for it's seeds now...

MMMmmm Pumpkin Seeds!

Did you carve a pumpkin or still planning to do so? 

Do you do roast the seeds or just throw them out with the other scraps? 

Look for more Halloween related posts to come soon!

Garden In Transition

I know it's been FOREVER since I updated you about the garden, but it's mostly because there hasn't been anything to really update...

I haven't added to it in awhile, but I've removed a lot of dead plants and old window box linings. I'm working VERY slow, but I'm prepping to have some kind of Fall Garden. I'm just waiting until I know it won't be too hot and it's forecast to be about 90 again this week! C'mon crisp cool Fall temperatures! 

I can't wait to go shopping for some new goodies soon! Until then though, I figured I'd give you a quick update about what's actually still living! 

Empty window boxes...

Blueberry and Raspberry Plants

Herbs!

Dill, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Parsley and Basil

Marigolds still goin' strong!

The ol' cherry tomato plant.

Check back in the next few weeks (hopefully) to see what new things I have growing.

Fall Holiday Decorations

I love decorating. I love decorating for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Fall in general. This time of year is one of my favorite times and I look forward to decorating when every October rolls around!

Take a look below at the set up so far this year! 

I've accumulated these decorations over the years and plan to keep adding to my collection!

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 32

I was originally planning to make Roasted Squash for dinner, but turns out I'd had my squash too long. :( Oh well, I wasn't too disappointed and was happy to replace the squash with a grilled cheese sandwich. Mmm mmm mmm!!!

I'm sure roasted squash would have been very tasty, but I'm not sad I had to have the grilled cheese instead... 

I was already planning on making a salad tonight, but once the squash was out I opted to roast some brussels sprouts to have with the salad and grilled cheese. 

While things didn't go as I'd originally planned, tonight's dinner was absolutely a success.