Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I want to run and hide...

Here looks like the perfect place dont you think?




Its been one of those months.

The kind of month that makes you want a do over... to jump in bed and pull the covers over your head till it all goes away.
And that makes me really sad because October is so magical... but I cant find the magic anywhere... it must be hiding.

Be good to each other will you... please? For me?
♥ Tawny

Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Sunday Dinner Dedication...

The tiny Diva and I spent a bit of our afternoon with our Granny today... I always love watching Bella interact with her, and find it amazing that she explores that house the exact same way I did as a child... why is underneath my grannys dinning room table so exciting?

My granny, 86 years young... forgets who I am sometimes. But she ALWAYS remembers that tiny diva!


This is my granny... at 18. You can read a bit more about her HERE

I found a few treasures while we were visiting... my granny and grandpas Marriage licence {astoundingly beautiful!} and a trove of old cookbooks!

I imagined her in the kitchen, apron on, searching for the perfect recipe to make my grandpa for dinner... and wished Chris and I could take a time machine back to 1951.

After a bit of begging, granny let me take this beauty home...

Yeah... that's a Sears and Roebuck cookbook!!!

Its more than amazing! Filled with all kinds of helpful tips for the American housewife! Today I learned how to pack an attractive and healthful lunch for my husband and children... {"The men in the family will prefer spicy condiments and sauces on their sandwiches, while the school child will like a mild more delicate flavor."} I am so in love!

As I was reading bits and pieces to my chef I came across a marked page and knew exactly what today's feature would be...

My Granny cooked most of my meals as a child, and out of thousands of dishes... there are 2 that will always remind me of her... Pink Stuff {which we will get to closer to Thanksgiving} And her waffles!

There was nothing in this universe better than my Granny's waffles! One of the best gifts she ever gave me was her waffle iron so I could make Sunday morning waffles for the kiddos!

I hope you enjoy...


JoAnna Dodson's Waffles

Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 whole eggs, beaten
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt,cinnamon and sugar. In another bowl beat together eggs, vanilla and melted butter, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.


Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the iron cook until the waffle is golden on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

I know its simple... ridiculously so... but I sware you can taste the love and the magic in every bite.

Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

PS...
she also gave me a 1936 copyright Pride and Prejudice... my all time favorite book!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The witching hour is almost gone....

Am I late??

My broom broke down on the I95 and I had to hitch a ride home... there is nothing like a hitchin witch!

But that wont make the party stop!

The table is set...



The guests have arrived... they dont mind my tardiness {the undead rarely do}



and even the coven came to the soiree...


The best friends a witch could have!

Are you ready to eat?
The menu is set...



and the butler is ready to serve...



Its such a special occasion that I had to break out my special cook books... from my dear love Edgar, he was a wiz in the kitchen!



And to quinch your hallow~thirst fill your cauldron with our Sunday Dinner Recipe...

Butter Beer:


The Traditional Hogsmeade-Style Butterbeer recipe was originally from the Hogwarts Celebrations,
now appearing annually for Halloween by popular demand!

Makes 2 quarts.

Ingredients
1 cup butterscotch schnapps
7 cups cream soda (almost one 2 liter bottle)

Directions
Carefully mix just before serving, adding the schnapps to the soda then stirring gently to mix well, or the fizz will dissipate too soon. To keep butterbeer on hand, pour 1 cup cream soda out of the 2-liter bottle, quickly add 1 cup butterscotch schnapps, and recap the bottle. I did make a refill batch using 1 cup schnapps to a whole 2 liter bottle of cream soda, which was ratio of 1 to 8, but people tasted the difference and complained, so fair warning!

There is not much alcohol content in the butterbeer mixture, just enough to make a house-elf tipsy and to give it the warm, buttery aftertaste to the fizzy cream soda. Yum!

All your wizard friends will love it!

Be Blessed, Have a fantastic Halloweek...
Be good to each other!

☠ Tawny

PS Its not to late to join the other parties around the interwebs... Check out A Fanciful Twist ms Vanessa has put on quite a shindig of her own!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Did you hear that??

Can it really be only 4 days till my very most favorite Party of the year?

It was the faint sound of cackles in the distance that reminded me!

The moon seems just... about... right.



Im gathering such wonderful things for our bewitching event... I cant wait to share them all!

Look....
it seems as if one of my sisters has missed her landing!



And in doing so, to much chagrin... THIS happened...



That EVIL sister of mine fell and crushed my sweet friend... and coworker... and fellow blogger... Bobbie's hand! What a horribly horrible witch! {and yet such a snappy dresser...}
Hope your hand is okay BOBster!

And as for all of you.... the time draws near... what fun we shall have!

Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

Sunday, October 10, 2010

What a fantastic beard you have!

Every year around this time 100 men from all over the world gather in Europe with the hopes to be crowned Worlds Beard and Mustache Champion...

The rules??
Grow and style the most outragious beard and or mustache the world has ever seen!

Im pretty much in love!!

This mister is my fave...



I wonder if I could get The Chef to do this with his fantastic beard?




What would you do if you saw this walking down the street?



And this cheerful fellow was a freestyle champion... I should say so!



I will dream tonight of bearded peoples and circus folk! How marvelous!!

Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

Sunday Dinner... fall desserts!

Have you heard? The canned pumpkin shortage is OVER! Kitchens and pumpkin lovers across the country are doing a jig!

"That means an end to the hoarding, rationing and even pumpkin profiteering that have been going on since heavy rain ruined last year's harvest and caused a shortfall. " -USA Today

THIS artical reports that last year around the holidays, canned pumpkin was being sold on ebay for $6-$7 a can!

I for one LOVE pumpkin... and mostly use fresh... {but we do like to keep a few cans around the house just in case we need it!}

And I thought to celebrate the return of canned pumpkin to american kitchens I would give you my all time favorite cheesecake recipe!

Pumpkin Cheesecake



Ingredients
Crust:
1 3/4 cups ginger snap crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.


Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Your gonna LOVE it!!

Well, Im off to finish spookify~ing! {I will post pics here in a few!}

Have a spooktastic Sunday morning!

♥Tawny

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Things I ♥ right now...

From sweet sweater handbags to Halloween decor that will give you cavities; my eyes have had a feast of beautiful things lately & I thought I should share them with you!

Etsy seller Laura Bucci has created the perfect saturday morning coffee accessory! Wont all the moms on the soccer field be jealous of not only my stunning good looks, but also my totally cool & eco friendly coffee jewlery!



Laura has many different cozie designs and colors, and the vintage inspired ones are simply darling! Your saturday morning coffee needs these!

Okay... I was trying to drop a hint to the chef about this bag... I said "oh this would be perfect with my new fall boots!"... I said "honey, look at this adorable bag... isnt it perfect for fall?" and even got a bit more specific when I told him "THIS IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO GET ME FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!"... his response was "its white... you will kill it the first night you take it to Edna's" UGH. He doesnt understand. So Im gonna treat myself! {insert super big grin here}




Located in Europe NZL Bags on Etsy has soooo many delicious bags! I cant decide.. do I want the cream or the orange?? ..OH or maybe the moss green!! OH LORD the decisions! Get your orders in with her now... because I have a feeling this girl is gonna be BUSY when Christmas rolls around!

Next, I came across this next seller a few days ago... these sweet arm warmers are too freakin cute! And she has soooo many different styles to choose from!



I love to keep my hands all snugglie in my shirts when it gets cold out, and these arm warmers look like they will do the trick! And the sweet button thumb straps are super cute!
These are my favorites from MiloCreative... I may need more than one pair... L♥L!

And now for my paper addiction... OMG. I have been looking for cool, one of a kind, handmade Halloween decorations to add to our Haunted House, and when I came across
Joosy Card Co. I was THRILLED. You see, I have developed a small obession for Marie Antoinette recently and when I saw this banner I was in L♥VE...



No, not for Halloween... but my studio walls are calling for this pink sparkley treat! THIS is what I now have in my etsy basket... and I may grab a few of her uber cute mustaches on sticks {you know I love a good mustache!} or maybe that adorable monster crown!

Hey... do you want Daily Icing AND Lollipops Sugar Shoppe updates to come right to your email??
Join my mailing list!{top right corner} For deals on sweets and all the up to date Lollipops info!


Be good to each other & enjoy your week!

♥Tawny

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sunday Dinner... All cozied up with the things I love most!

This weekend has been all about recharging... I spent Friday puttering around in the kitchen with my favorite chef making some amazing treats for Destiny Christians' Fall Festival

{Blueberry gingerbread cake with lemon glaze... looks yummy huh??}
Saturday was all about me time... shopping with some of my girlfriends that I had not seen in FOREVER and then home for movie night with the familia... and now today, all snuggled in with whoopie pies in the oven, a lovely blend of honey chamomille tea, and puppies snuggled between us on the couch... maybe some Halloween decorating later... ahhhhhh I do love weekends in the fall!

And as always, there is Sunday Dinner...
today on the menu is one of MY personal faves... {thought I would give the chef the day off}


Pot Roast
Its simple... its familiar... its hearty... its home. Perfect Sunday Dinner.



Ingredients


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 5-pound beef chuck roast
Salt and pepper
2 cups beef stock or reduced sodium canned beef broth
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
3 onions, cut into large wedges
4 cloves garlic , chopped
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 pounds carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place in pan, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
2.Turn meat fat side up. Add stock, wine, {if using} onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir in tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, cover; put in the oven, and roast for 3 hours. Add carrots and potatoes, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 1 hour more.
3.Transfer the roast, carrots, and potatoes to a platter. With a spoon, skim the fat off the surface of the cooking liquid. Cut the roast into thick slices, and serve with the vegetables. Pass the pan juices separately.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Now Im off to sneak a sweet snack... that gingerbread cake is calling my name!

Be good to each other and have a wonderful Sunday!
♥Tawny

And the winners are.....

Well, so I am a day late getting the winners announced... sorry.

I know you all have been on the edge of your seats waiting!!

So without futher ado...

The winners are:

♥♥ For the amazing Chocolate Body Scrub From Sea Shore Paradise...



Thanks to Random Generator...
WENDY!!
Congrats!!
I hope you enjoy your body scrub!!


♥♥ For the $10 Gift Certificate from Wish Fox...



Thanks to Random Generator...
SUSAN!
Congrats!!


And Finally...

Our beautiful Good Witch Bad Witch tags from my dear friend Rowena of Crafty Pagen...



And the winner is...
KELLI!

Congrats!
I hope you enjoy your tags!

Thanks again to everyone who entered & shared in our awesome party fun!

Be Blessed & Love one another!
♥ Tawny