Happy Halloween/Samhain.

Bonfire time. :)

October Full Moon.

A few October Full Moon names: Full Blood Moon, Full Travel Moon, Full Dying Grass Moon. It is also known as the Storytelling Spider Moon.

 http://gypsymagicspells.blogspot.com/

 Blood Moon on A Chilly Night.   http://www.etsy.com/listing/102843442/art-prints-the-blood-moon-on-a-chilly

Blood Moon http://fineartamerica.com/featured/blood-moon-jim-miller.html

Enjoy the night sky and full moon.  

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone on the east cost. Stay safe.  

I'm exhausted. We're still harvesting Pecans.  I hope to post pictures soon.  My autoimmune disease is causing all kinds of complications. I have a terrible rash, joint, muscle and nerve pain and extreme fatigue.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to post tonight. I'll stop whining now. :D

 I'm making sour patch kid vodka. I'm going to use the cherry and lime ones.  It has to sit for two days and you have to shake it three times a day.  Thanks, Nadia G! http://bitchinlifestyle.com/  Then I will drain it and use the sour cherry/lime vodka with cola, ice and fresh slices of lime (lime from our lime trees. We will have a wonderful citrus harvest this year. A few limes were ready early. Just in time for my cocktail :) ). I will also put sour patch kids on a skewer . :) ETA: I decided to make a lemon/orange candy vodka, too. I'll add orange juice, ice and lemon and orange slices from our citrus harvest. I will take pictures. I have Halloween ales and a witches' brew, too.  

We're having Gumbo, tonight. It smells so good!  Thinking about making chili for Halloween or just eat leftover Gumbo. It will depend on how I feel.  Looking forward to sitting outside next to the bonfire.  

I'm currently reading " A Halloween Reader: Poems, Stories and Plays from Halloweens Past" -Edited by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne.  I love reading spooky stories while listing to scary music. I plan on watching lots of Horror movies and Halloween Specials. :) 

I still need to send e-mails. Thanks for everyone's patience. 

La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) Martini

http://www.muybuenocookbook.com/2012/10/la-llorona-the-weeping-woman/

Cauldron/Halloween Decor.

Fire and the Moon

My Aunt Pat passed away on October 3. Since my father's passing on January 18, 2009, we've lost eight more relatives.  It's been so terribly painful. Family, friends, my cats and nature have been a great source of comfort.

Image Link

Keep Calm and WELCOME OCTOBER Poster

Keep Calm and WELCOME OCTOBER Poster

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

http://wishesndishes.com/pumpkin-butterscotch-cookies/

INGREDIENTS:   

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips

PREPARATION:
  

Preheat the oven to 325  degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the  paper.Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon  together in a medium bowl and set aside.In a large bowl, using an  electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and  lightened in color, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the  sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  On low speed, mix the oil,  pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.  Mix in the flour mixture to  incorporate it.  Mix in the chips. (Note: I chilled the dough at this point to make it easier to scoop.)

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop the  dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2  1/2-inches apart.  You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if  you don’t have a  scoop.  Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten  the rounds.

Bake the  cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a  toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes.  Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a  metal spatula to  transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Optional: dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

The cookies can  be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

  Recipe Source: adapted from joythebaker.com

Celtic Tree Month of Ivy Begins

Celtic Tree Month of Ivy-Ivy Moon: September 30 - October 27

Kate Bush Ivy Pics. 

Kate Bush-Under The Ivy 

ORANGE PUMPKIN CLOVERLEAFS

MAKES1 DOZEN ROLLS

• ACTIVE TIME:40 MIN
 
• START TO FINISH:4 3/4 HR

FEBRUARY 2009

Classic shape plus not-so-classic flavors gives these rolls an element of surprise. That’s not to say the wintry blend of pumpkin and orange is overpowering; it’s actually very subtle, so the rolls go with just about anything you put on the dinner table. Leftovers would be awfully good slathered with butter and toasted for breakfast.

• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted, divided
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-ounce package)
• 1/4 cup warm milk (105–115°F)
• 1 tablespoon mild honey or sugar
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 2 large eggs, divided, plus 1 yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon water

• EQUIPMENT: 

  a muffin pan with 12 (1/3- to 1/2-cup) muffin cups

• Butter muffin cups with 1 Tbsp melted butter.
• Stir together yeast, warm milk, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Mix flour, salt, pumpkin, 1 whole egg, yolk, orange zest and juice, and remaining 5 Tbsp butter into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, dusting surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
• Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Roll half of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands into a 12-inch-long log (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap).
• Cut log into 6 equal pieces, then cut each piece into thirds. Roll each piece into a 1-inch ball by cupping your hand and pushing dough against work surface as you roll in a circular motion. Put 3 balls side by side in each of 6 muffin cups.
• Make more rolls with remaining dough in same manner. Cover rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough is about 1 inch above rim of muffin cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Whisk together remaining egg and water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.)
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.

COOKS’ NOTE: Rolls are best the day they’re made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.

RECIPE BY RUTH COUSINEAU

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROMULO YANES

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/02/orange-pumpkin-cloverleafs