Weekend Herb Blogging # 58 - The Roundup

It's my turn to host this weekends Weekend Herb Blogging. This event goes into its 58th week and that is a mighty lot of herb blogging and cooking we've been doing. When I was first introduced to this lovely event, created by the lovelier Kalyn, it made me really look at my cooking in a different light. I am sure you will understand what I mean: we all spend many hours planning, shopping, preparing and eating our meals. Most of us probably decide on something, go out buy the ingredients and come back home and cook it. Do we however take notice of what goes into it? I don't mean from a nutrition point of view, because after visiting so many blogs I know many of you pay big attention to that. What I mean is the ingredients that just go into several dishes that are simply often taken for granted.

To highlight what I mean, I'll give you an example from my experience. Parsley is something I often use in my kitchen. Before I came across Weekend Herb Blogging it was just something I added to spruce up a dish or garnish a stew. No big attention or care given to the poor old parsley. Yes, I knew the health benefits and that it is good for several things, but my point is, I took it for granted. However, after becoming a part of the WHB team I look at this and all my other herbs differently. I do not just go out to the Farmer's Market and pick out my herbs now. I make it an event. Rubbing the leaves between my finger tips, taking in the aromas and picking with great care. This is what WHB did to me! What did the experience with this event do to you?

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Don't forget your dishes of thanks for the next Monthly Mingle - Give Thanks

Deadline: November 16, 2006
Please note: I will require a 75 x 75 picture of your dishes too.

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Without much more chatter I'd like to present this weekends roundup.

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
We start off with the creator herself. Kalyn is suffering from a cold this week and needed something warming and soothing to cure her cold. She threw in a few ingredients into her crockpot and used her Greek Oregano to create a heartwarming Chicken Soup with Oregano and Garbanzos. Hope you're feeling better Kalyn.

New Jersey, USA
Sandeepa gives a wonderful insight on the tastes of Bengali cuisine and prepares a healthy Shukto.

Nantes, France
If you are looking for something vegan and gluten free for the upcoming festivities take a look at Virgine's brilliant Pumpkin and White Chocolate Pie. Combining the flavors of vanilla, cinnamon and ginger I am sure this will be a runner.


Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Genie uses her own eggplant harvest to make one of my favorite dishes. She uses all four of the eggplants ;-) together with basel and Italian parsley to make Pasta arrabbiata with eggplant.

Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
A little closer to me and one of my favorite gals is Ilva, whose pictures and lovely Italian cuisine have me drooling for hours. I was really looking forward to seeing what Ilva would come up with. She really has a way with taking the most simplest of ingredients and turning them into amazing dishes. Ilva uses rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano to make some lip-smacking Roasted Potatoes.

Melbourne, Australia
We take a quick trip down under but we stick to the Italian cuisine. Haalo spoils my "Italian tooth", as she so charmingly put it, and uses an ingredient that I have not had the pleasure of preparing myself - Zucchini Flowers. Haalo makes amazing looking Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano and chives. Check her wonderful photos too.

France, Europe
Riana of Garlic Breath (brilliant name) plays a game with her husband. When she sends him grocery shopping she writes down "2 meats and 2 vegetables" on her list. Her husband being so creative comes back home with an interesting array of meats and vegetables. This time it was Cardons. I do admit I had to look that up myself. Check out what she created with them.

The Triangle, North Carolina, USA
Now if you are looking for a nifty little gadget to make apple sauce go and check Peggy's strainer. It is used to make bags full of Apple Sauce.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
When Becky slacked back on her studies last week she needed to catch up over the weekend. So, she decided to whip something up with the ingredients she had at home and that would let her carry on studying while it cooked. Well she cooked up a super healthy and delicious Lentils & Rice with Caramelized Onions.

Belgium, Europe
Poor VC! I think the worst thing for a cook is to make a dish and nobody to share it with. Something similar has happended to VC, who made this and then it seemd her server crashed. Now, no one can access the page. But please folks, do promise me that you'll check back there a little later this week.

New Hampshire, USA
Oh boy this one recipe sounds just too good not to include - it does have squash in it. At least that is the version Pat will stick to as she whips up some Chocolate Chip Butternut Squash Spice Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. Hmmmn!

Longview, Washington, USA
Another way to use up squash is to make a creative side dish. Chris served up a fantastic butternut squash bread pudding with Italian sausage. It does not end there though.She used a little surprise ingredient to jazz it up even more.

England, Europe
Now I can imagine that there are one or two of you who are probably not too keen on the taste of fennel. However, I would recommend that you go on over to to Betul's blog and check out her delicious looking Fennel Fritters. Together with feta cheese I can only imagine how divine these taste. A must make on my list.

Davis, California, USA
Sher honors her sturdy and determined eggplants with a gorgeous and scrumptious looking Eggplant Gratin With Saffron Cream. See, while she was clearing away her eggplant bushes she forgot two. They thrived all by themselves, surprising Sher how well they looked. Well one thing is for sure that Gratin looks brilliant.

New Jersey, USA
The gorgeous Gattina never seizes to amaze me. She whips up some of the most beautiful looking dishes and I do not have to tell you about the equally beautiful photos she takes. This time she spoils us with a great treat for Christmas. Her Fried cardamom cookies look and sound fantastic.

Somewhere on this Earth
OK I have to admit I had a bit of trouble finding more info on our next entry. So, I hope you will excuse me when I missed the information on your blog. However, the most important part in this roundup is of course the dishand the herb. This one is full of wonderful ingredients. From the Yum Yum Mum Mum blog I introduce Minty Masala Vegetables.

Singapore, Asia
Looking for power over the cold and dreary November days. Angie buys a pumpkin and turns it into a 'Powerhouse' Soup. It looks so thick and creamy and perfect for this time of year.

Melbourne, Australia
Anh uses dill in her dish and has a great story about how this herb got it's Vietnamese name. Using this, Anh, makes us a refreshing Vietnamese Prawn Rice Vermicelli in Broth.

Buffalo, New York, USA
Mandira bought a few fresh clams with the idea of making a particular recipe. However, when she realized she did not have all the ingredients she made up her own type of fusion food. Boy am I glad she did, because her Pasta with clams is bursting with flavors of rosemary, garlic, coconut milk and many other ingredients.

Toronto, Canada
Now if you are looking for party food I have to tell you, hurry on over to Ruth's. She has got some gorgeous looking Grilled Shrimp with a Spicy Chipotle Dip and as the recipe is from a South Beach Diet cookbook you can indulge without feeling guilty. I have to go on over and check that drooling picture one more time.

New Jersey, USA
Pickles are a must in Indian food and no meal is complete with some kind of pickle on the table. My friend Shaheen makes a wonderful combination of dates and carrots and serves us a divine Carrot and Date Pickle. What is really great, it is easy to make.

Sydney, Australia
I enjoyed reading Anna's post about their recent trip to Hunter Valley. My kind of short break as they visited wineries, cheese shops and olive festivals. PARADISE. The best thing Anna came back a changed woman. She found her passion for Gnocchi. For the WHB she dishes up dishes fit for queens. Just go on over and check out Anna's Recipes From Hunter Valley. You'll be mighty sorry if you miss this one.

Bloomington, USA
If you like Turkish food and do not want to waste anytime trying out Fava beans like Burcu did then just have a look at the wonderful Fava Beans à la Turque, with dill, mint and parsley.

Greenwich Village, New York, USA
The Chocolate Lady has an incredible post, in which she explains how to prepare an oven roasted pumpkin with Herbed Hominy Stuffing. I just thought WOW!

Vendee, France
Kate is switching from summer herbs to winter herbs. She uses two winter herbs - thyme and parsley, to create two lovely dishes. A warm and soothing White Bean Soup with Red Pepper Coulis and Potatoes Savoyard.

Weimar, Germany
As your hostess this week I decided to take a trip to the Provence region - culinarily speaking that is. Bursting with the aromatic flavors of Herbes de Provence I made a Provencal Fried Fish.

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That was Weekend Herb Blogging from Germany this week. I had a great time and hope you all enjoyed your visit here. Now I ask you to pack your herbs and fly down to Mumbai, India where my good friend Nandita of Saffron Trail will be hosting the next session.

Auf Wiedersehen!

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Fried Fish Provencal Style

There are some recipes that at first sight seem just a bit ordinary - or so you think when you look at the list of ingredients. It takes a second look to change that first impression. Because you realize the simplicity of the recipe has big taste attached to it.

That is what I thought when I first saw the recipe for this fish. We really enjoy our fish and it is important to me to show Soeren that there are plenty of tastier and healthier ways to enjoy fish as the ever so popular fish fingers. For some reason the first time I looked at the recipe I missed the big herb bit. When I went through it again the combination of the herbs and the garlic from the Aioli just sounded too good to pass up. I adapted the recipe by making my own herb mixture from fresh herbs.

This recipe uses Herbes de Provence, a herb mixture of aromatic plants native to the beautiful Provence region of France. The fresh herbs are gathered from the mountain sides and used in traditional dishes. These are sold typically (but not always) dried and in larger bags than the regular sized bags for other herb mixtures.
Traditionally, Herbes de Provence contains a mixture of rosemary, marjoram, bay leaf, basil, savory and thyme. You might also find lavender flowers and fennel in the herb bag too. You can also use other herbs like tarragon, chervil and sage. The flavor of thyme is most dominating in this mixture.

Commonly it is used with grilled foods like fish and meat, but it is also often found in vegetable stews as well. The reason this mixture is best made with dried herbs is due to the fact that the fresher variety will lose their flavor if cooking for longer than 20 minutes.

As I was using this herb mixture blended in the coating I made a mixture using fresh herbs from sage, marjoram, rosemary, basil, thyme and tarragon. I also added a bit of dried orange zest to my mixture giving the entire mixture a tangy aromatic flavor.

For those of you who give this recipe a try will straight away realize that it is quick and easy to make and you will presumably replace those fish fingers. Nothing against fish fingers, but why settle for frozen processed sticks with more batter than fish, when you can enjoy a healthier and tastier fish big on taste.

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Don't forget to send in your warming and soothing dishes to the next Monthly Mingle - Give Thanks

Deadline: November 16, 2006
Please note: I will require a 75 x 75 picture of your dishes too.

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Music while cooking:

Robbie Williams - Lovelight - This is such a hot single and the video is ohhhh just gorgeous, a major distraction while cooking. New on my iPod
Album: Rudebox

*Artwork and music courtesy of iTunes

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Ingredients:

For the fish
400g - cod filets
6 tablespoons fresh Herbes de Provence mixture - finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1 egg - beaten
2 tablespoons milk
100g bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Oil

For the Aioli
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lime - juice and zest
1-2 garlic cloves - mashed

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Method:

To make the Aioli
In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice and zest and the mashed garlic together. Keep cool.

To make the fish
Place the flour in a deep plate. In another mix together the egg and milk and in yet another mix the breadcrumbs and the herbs together.

Cut the fish filets in 2-4 pieces and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Take each fish piece coat each side first with flour, then soak with the egg mixture and finally completely coat with breadcrumbs and herb mixture.

In a large pan heat the oil and fry the fish pieces on each side for 3-4 minutes. Set on some paper towel to soak excess oil.

Serve with the Aioli and some fresh lime wedges.

Alternative ideas:
You can use different types of herb mixtures for a new flavor each time. Try my Italian Herb Mixture.

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Verdict:
Hmmm! This was a pleasure from beginning to end. While preparing the dish the kitchen was filled with a wonderful herby aroma. My men just could not wait to get to the dinner table. At the table, the full flavor of these herbs and the crunchy coating combined with the garlicy mayonnaise was a delight in every bite. It's one of those recipes that lingers on your tastebuds long after the meal is over and you just do not want to eat anything else, because you do not want that flavor to dissolve. Do you know what I mean?

I am the host for this weekend's Weekend Herb Blogging created by the lovely and currently a bit under the weather Kalyn so do two things: first go over to Kalyn's blog and give her a huge get well soon hug and then send me your recipes for the event!

Roundup will be on Monday.

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Greek Symbol

What symbolizes Greece more than the olive. We visited an olive plantation on our recent trip to Greece and I took just this one close up.

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Spotlight on: Cranberry Upside-Downer

My mother-in-law said it best on the weekend, "Meeta is in baking fever!" It's true, I have found a new liking. I won't call it a passion just yet but I think with Dorie Greenspan's - Baking: From My Home To Yours it might just turn into that.

When Sara contacted me and asked me if I would like to take part in the Spotlight On project, I found it hard to refuse. I was a little intimidated about the fact that it was a baking book. I should not have had any reservations - it is a lovely book. Some might think "OK she's just saying that because it has to look good!" No, I'm not. I even asked Sara what happens if I don't find the book good. Be honest was the decision. And this is my honest opinion of the book.

I am sure there will be a few who place this book as NOT one of their favorites but it will certainly be up there even with the professional bakers among us. It is with me. I like Dorie's style (as I mentioned here). I feel a friend is in the kitchen with me and we are baking up the delicious recipes together. I enjoy her little tips and tricks, making baking actually fun.

While browsing through the cookbook this cake was one of the first that caught my eye. So perfect for this time of year.



Even Dorie says, "I wanted something simple and festive to end the big meal (Thanksgiving) and this was perfect."

My sentiments exactly. I have been looking for a few recipes lately to put my Thanksgiving menu together and this looked like the perfect dessert.

The day I actually made the cake, I did not realize the symbolic nature this cake would take on. After a little downer in my mood lately, I decided to take some time for myself and go into therapy. Therapy for me almost always means going into the kitchen, turning up the music and cooking something up. I brewed some herbal tea and poured myself a large cup. That done, I started with my therapy. As the ingredients came together, I could feel myself relax and slowly but surely I started smiling. As the aromas of the caramelized sugar, butter and cinnamon wafted into the air I started humming. Finally, when the cake was in the oven I pulled up my chair to the oven and sipped my tea, watching the cake bake. It was raining outside and the patter of the raindrops against the window, the warmth of the kitchen and the aromas of the cake worked their magic and I felt my spirits brighten up.

I had been invited to a tea party and the cake was meant to be a little present for my friend. Once again the cake played a big role here too. After a few weeks of nothing but work I had neglected my friends. So, this was my way of saying thanks to them for still thinking of me and not giving up on me. It was a fantastic afternoon.

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Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4nsticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 chopped walnuts or pecans - I used walnuts this time
2 cups cranberries - I used fresh. If you are using frozen do not thaw)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup cranberry jelly

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Method:

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees Celsius).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the sugar and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this over the bottom of a 8 x 2 inch round cake pan. Scatter the nuts and top with the cranberries. Press down gently using your fingertips. If frozen berries were used this might cause the butter to congeal - don't worry as everything will melt in the oven. Set this aside.

Using a hand mixture beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue until the mixture is pale and creamy. If you used brown sugar like I did - it won't turn pale ;-). Beat for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Pour in the vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk and then the remaining dry ingredients. Spoon the batter over the cranberries and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and run a blunt knife between the sides of the sides of the pan and the cake. Turn the cake out onto a serving platter.

Warm the jelly in a small saucepan over a low heat. Gently brush the glaze over the hot cake.

Storing recommendations: The cake is best served the day it is made, but it can be covered and kept at room temperature overnight. It's not such a great idea to freeze this, due to the cranberry topping.

This recipe was adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin Company, November 2006.

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Verdict:

This cranberry dream has become an all time favorite for almost everyone who had this cake. As I mentioned, I took this to a tea party and believe me, my girls went wild. The only time I have seen a load of ladies in such a frenzy was at the sight of the new Jimmy Choo collection!
At the reaction I got from them I made the cake the same evening again!! Soeren got a few slices in his lunchbox and as I had expected, when I picked him up his teachers wanted the recipe. "Oh it smells so wonderful!" The rest I took over to my in-laws over the weekend. My mum-in-law is a very good baker and I was eager to hear her opinion. As she bit into it I already saw it in her eyes. This cake is a hit and certainly will have a place of honor at my Thanksgiving table this year. Thanks Dorie.

Also see the Classic Brownies from Baking: From My Home To Yours.

It will be no surprise then, that I use this cake to say a few thank yous to a few people out there. It's been an exciting year for me in almost every way. I rediscovered my passion for photography and seem to be improving my skills. I started blogging back in February and I finally visited my family in the USA after ... well after far too long.

The theme to my Monthly Mingle is Give Thanks. I would like to present this cake and give my thanks.

My list is really huge and I could carry on my thanks forever. But I am going to concentrate it down to a few.

When I started blogging early this year there was one special lady who helped me get things right. She gave me tips and tricks and motivated me. I wonder if she remembers.
Then of course there are all the people over at this brilliant blog. Everyone here just goes out and helps unconditionally. I am always surprised at the brilliant support one gets there.
Another fantastic gal is this one. Without her kind words, I think I would still be down. Thanks sweetie! You know how much that one meant.

In the photography section there are also a few that inspire me to extreme lengths. Since I have been a part of Flickr I have met so many exceptional people and photographers. Each one teaching me something new. I hope that with these lessons learnt I am able to really put them to good practical use. First up is a lady that I will always admire. She was the one who advised me in several aspects of photography. I'll always remember that. Thanks!
Then there is Philippe who's photos are so breathtaking that I am often left speechless. He inspires a novice like me to go out and capture the beauty of nature. Through his eyes I am learning how beautiful the world around me is. Merci Philippe!
Leen and I have a few things in common. Besides a passion for photography she has an adorable son whom she lovingly captures in exceptional portraits.
Then there is my friend Andrew who is never too afraid to take on one of my crazy challenges.

I thank each and every one of you too. There are so many and the space is just not enough. I thank you for your comments, thoughts, mails, compassion and just being around.

The biggest thank you I have to say is to my parents though. As far as I can remember they have stuck by me no matter what. They put up with all my wildness in my teenage years and supported me in every way. Even to date they are there when I need them for advice, love and affection. They patiently lend me a sympathetic ear when I call them screaming at something that bugs the hell out of me or crying when I just feel terribly let down or laughing when I am happy. With them on my side I am stronger and I always know that I will never fall to steep because they will always be there to offer me a net and catch me. I wish you were here so I can share these moments with you in person ... Thank You!

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Monthly Mingle: Give Thanks

Deadline: November 16, 2006
Please note: I will require a 75 x 75 picture of your dishes too.

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Spotlight on: Baking: From My Home To Yours

This is the latest book by the brilliant Dorie Greenspan - Baking: From My Home To Yours.

Yes, I have been one of the few lucky ones to get my hands on it already. All thanks to the lovely Sara. She drummed up word to a few selected bloggers and requested if we would be interested in taking part in this project. This is how it works: We get our copies of this book and pick out 1 or 2 recipes, bake them and blog about them.

I was really excited about this however a bit worried as I am not really a great baker. I know I have said that here often enough and I keep sharing my experiments with you, but I am still a little hesitant.

Once I got this wonderful book, I was in complete awe. I cannot put it down! Dorie's writing style is so lovely. It is almost like she is in my kitchen with me showing me how it all comes together. There are a large varieties of recipes and I am really sure everyone will find several recipes they would want to make. I know I did. My copy has been bookmarked with several Post-its and if I could I would make something from it everyday. Yes, I would! Because all the recipes are easy to follow, so even a baking idiot like me would get it right.

I probably will in the future too. But for now I will blog about the first recipe from this book.

Classic Brownies




If you have kids this is a great one to make with them. I showed Soeren the picture from the book and asked if we should get our aprons out for a baking session. He ran to the rack and pulled his red apron out and said "Yes, I get to lick the chocolate off the spoon, OK?"

Dorie says "Fudgy but not gooey, intensely chocolaty, dry on top and melty in the middle ..."

That was enough for us to go for it. Exactly the way we like our brownies.

I made one or two minor changes to the recipe but nothing too drastic. I did not use the espresso powder and instead of the walnuts I went for pecan nuts. I prefer pecans to walnuts. Other than that I stuck to the recipe. The only thing I had to do was to convert the measurements, but thanks to the great Widget on my Mac I was able to figure them out easily ;-). For you folks I have used the measurements from the book.

I found a some usefule websites for cooking conversions and for those (like me) always hassling with conversion matters I think they might be very valuable.

All Recipes has got a couple of nice tables on their Converting Cups to Grams page. These are listed according to the ingredient being used.

Convert Me has a splendid list of many ingredients and by simply giving in any measurement in any unit it converts the entire list. Check out the Cooking Converter - really helpful.

I've added these to the side bar so you can always find these links easily ;-).

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Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
optional: 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

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Method:




Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolates and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted - you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

With a whisk, stir in the sugar. Don't be concerned when your smooth mixture turns grainy. One by one, whisk in the eggs. Add the vanilla and give the ingredients a vigorous whisking before gently stirring the espresso, if you are using it, salt and flour; stir only till incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped nuts.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top in dull and a thin knife inserted into the center come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies to room temperature.

When the brownies are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares, each a scant 2 inches on a side.

This makes about 16 brownies.

Storing recommendations: These are best eaten within 2 days of baking - ours did not even last that long. To keep them at room temperature, just cut what you need and wrap the rest tightly in plastic wrap. To freeze for up to 2 months, wrap the brownies airtight.

This recipe was adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin Company, November 2006.

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Verdict:

Just like Dorie said in her opening words to the recipe - fudgy, chocolaty and melty. Tom just loved sinking his teeth into these. Soeren not only loved the batter but could not stop eating these scrumptious squares. He wanted one after dinner as dessert and of course a few in his lunchbox. A few were eaten by our neighbors kids and they keep coming back and asking when I'll be making these again.

I think with Dorie's book I can finally evolve to becoming a bit of a baker girl ;-)

Look forward to more recipes from this book.

Try this Cranberry Upside Downer from Baking: From My Home To Yours

Check out what the other 24 bloggers around the world baked up and read about their thoughts on this new cookbook here.

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Photo: Somewhere over the Rainbow

Somewhere over the Rainbow

We say goodbye to October!

In Weimar we had a real golden October with warm temperatures reaching up to 25 degrees Celsius. This lovely Fall month was a perfect picture taking opportunity. I was able to get quite a few lovely shots during my many walks with Soeren.

One of them was this rare, but awesome moment. Capturing two rainbows above a perfect Fall backdrop. Click on the picture to enjoy it in large.

I really wanted to share this with you and say a big thank you for your friendship and kind thoughts. I have not been feeling all that high lately and I am touched my the mails I have received from a few of you, motivating me. I love you for that.

Inspired by these lovely autumn colors, I also did a little make-over to my blog. New colors, new banners and other tweaks are all part of the redo. I will be tweaking a bit more here and there but on the whole I like it the way it is. Hope you do to.

November is a month where we all get together to enjoy family and friends. Keeping with this theme I would like to invite you all to join me in my monthly mingle and Give Thanks to anyone and everyone you would like to. Look forward to having you over.

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Around the Home: A Cut Above The Rest

It's Halloween on Tuesday! Have you all gone out and gotten your pumpkins yet? Better go and get that done, then come back and read on. I've got a few cool ideas for a different type of face for ole Jack this year.

For those unfamiliar with the Halloween history and those thinking "Who is Jack?", allow me to explain.

This is not something that originated in the USA as some might think. As a matter of fact, Halloween originated among the Celts in Ireland and in Northern France as the Pagan Celtic harvest festival, Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1, the day marking the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. The general belief was, on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On October 31 they celebrated Samhain, believed to be the night when the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. The Celts thought that the presence of these spirits made it easier for the Druids and their priests to make predictions about the future. These people were entirely dependent on the volatile natural world and such prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. During the Samhain festival, the Celts wore costumes and told each other's fortunes.

In the 19th Century the Irish immigrants to North America brought this tradition with them. In the 20th and the 21st century this festival is celebrated all over the world as a part of American pop culture.

Jack is the pumpkin carved for Halloween. Full name Jack O'Lantern. Irish legend tells us the story of a lazy but clever farmer called Jack. He tricks the Devil and refused to free him until the Devil agrees never to let jack into Hell when he dies. When Jack really died the Devil kept his promise and refused to let him into Hell. So, Jack carved out one of his pumpkins, placed a candle in it and wandered the Earth for a resting place. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern". The term jack-o'-lantern actually means a night watchman or a man with a lantern.

Before the pumpkin became the trademark for Halloween it was associated with the harvest season in North America.

Right - close those History books and let's get to the fun part.

Get fresh pumpkins if possible. Straight off the vine are best, leaving a few inches of vine on the stem. After carving, your pumpkin will last 2-5 days before they start to shrivel.

Of course the usual face for Jack is a tradition, but how about trying out a few other ideas. Here are mine.

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Flower Power




You'll need:
A pumpkin - I used a smaller one.
An apple corer
A sharp knife
A spoon or an ice cream spoon
A bowl
Newspapers
Hairspray
Candle

How To:
Spread the newspapers across the table. Using the sharp knife, cut the top off of the pumpkin. Scoop out the insides into the bowl. Save the flesh and make a soup out of it. With the apple corer poke holes into the pumpkin, making a nice design. I tried to go for a little flower like pattern. Spray the insides with hairspray. This seals the pumpkin and it will keep a day or two longer.

I placed this on the window sill of my kitchen at first I used a small candle but then I had another idea. I had a small set of fairy lights (string of lights that you put on a Christmas tree) and placed those inside the pumpkin. A few of the bulbs, I stuck out of the holes. That looked amazing.

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The Boo Pumpkin



You'll need:
A large pumpkin
A sharp knife
A spoon or an ice cream spoon
A marker
Toothpicks
A bowl
Newspapers
Hairspray
Candle

How To:
Spread the newspapers across the table. Using a sharp knife, cut the top of the pumpkin. Keep the design for the top simple. Scoop out the insides into the bowl keeping a 2 cm thick edge on the pumpkin. With the marker write the word "BOO" (or any other word). For beginners keep the letters as "squarish" as possible as it is easier to cut out. The inside of the letters - "B" "O" - can be fixed by inserting a toothpick on both sides and fixing it to the pumpkin. Spray a generous amount of hairspray to make the pumpkin last a few more days. Place a candle inside and "BOO" away everyone that comes over!!

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If you've got your pumpkins carved out, leave a link to your photos in the comments of the box. It'll give us all more ideas for designs.

Check out Asha's great Spooktacular Halloween.

Happy Trick and Treating folks. Hope you have a great Halloween wherever you are.

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