It's time for Halloween and time for another video! Halloween is a super fun time of the year for a little quirkiness and turning the ordinary fabulous! I made a jello shot cocktail, a creepy crawly candleholder and all of it in no time at all.
Click through to watch the video and stay tuned all week for step by steps and recipes!
Tune into Q13 FOX News this morning at 8:20am and we'll celebrate Dia de los Muertes together!
Dia de los Muertes is most identified by elaborate skull face painting and masks made to resemble the dead. What better way to celebrate than by creating your own mask? Also - turns out the are unbelievably simple to create. All you need is a little doodling with a black sharpie.
I searched online for inspiration then just started doodling on the masks. You can decorate the top with faux flowers, tissue paper flowers, or giant colorful puff balls. Ole!
You can have your own Dia de los Muertes adventure inspired by the new movie
!
Visit
www.worldmarketsweepstakes.com
to enter the sweepstakes through October 24th, 2014. The Grand Prize is 5 days {6 nights} in Mexico at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, free movies for a year, $1,000 World Market Gift Card, and awesome Book of Life Merchandise from Cost Plus World Market!
Over the weekend we pressed apples with the family to make fresh apple cider. We had planned this before I knew it was National Apple Month - but it worked out perfectly! Since so many of you asked about pressing apples on our vintage apple press, I thought I'd share a bunch of our photos here {below the jump}.
We used a mix of Jonagold apples and Granny Smith apples. Some times we gather apples from a friend's orchard that they couldn't sell at market - this time my parents picked them up from the local fruit stand.
The apples go into the top of the press where there is a grinder with sort of vicious metal teeth. Mr. Hedin used an old axe handle to move the apples around so they don't get stuck in the teeth.
The children get to throw the apples in, but we are nervous that their fingers will get in there somehow. Lars had probably just gotten in trouble for getting too close to the teeth as they were turning. Thus, the charming expression.
Once the apples are ground up they drop into a slatted barrel that we line with cheese cloth.
After the slatted barrel is full the cheese cloth gets folded over the top of the apples and a large piece of wood is placed on top so the press can squeeze down evenly.
Juice then pours out the spout on the bottom of the press.
You can drink it right away. And we do. Some people pasteurize it but I've found it takes the "fresh" flavor out of the juice. So we just drink it fast or freeze it. We tried to make hard cider one year and it was an epic fail. Epic. I'll stick to buying it.
National Apple Month is like homecoming and a wedding reception and New Year's Eve all rolled into one when you live in Washington State. We are apple central people. It also means that fresh apple cider is at the farmer's market and that stuff is dreamy. When I was a little girl we used to press apples from my grandparents farm with a vintage apple press of my uncle.
Recently, my dad found the exact same cider press - only a new one - and we brought it home to the beach cabin. I love that we get to press cider with my children the same way I used to press cider with my grandparents.
The only trick with making your own cider is that you end up with BUCKETS of cider. B.U.C.K.E.T.S. I've found ways to use it up {and it freezes well} but these waffles may be my very very favorite. They perfectly capture the flavors of fall and are amazing topped with whipped cream, maple syrup and freshly chopped Honeycrisp apples.
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
½ cup reduced cider
½ cup butter milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine everything else and beat until a little fluffy. Quickly stir in dry ingredients - batter will be a little lumpy. Scoop batter onto hot waffle iron and bake.
Serve with fresh whipped cream, maple syrup, and sliced apples.
Does anything go better with the start of a new season than a good cocktail? I think no. This is it. A cocktail. And maybe an outdoor fire. And a sweater. Ok, so a drink at the fire wearing a cute sweater. That's the best way to start the new season.
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It's football season. It's time for a hail mary.
Is your pantry stocked for fall? Are you ready for fall entertaining? It doesn't take much to have a grand time!
Kettle Brand Salt & Pepper Popcorn
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Do you have a regular dinner that you go to every week? This is one of ours. The children can customize it - I can marinade the meat ahead and make the tzatziki ahead. It's done in no time. Because that's how much time I have after school and before dinner.
