Boo!

Happy Halloween!

Photos taken by the talented David Butler. See his great work at www.dabutler.com

Happy Halloween!

I whipped up a curried sweet potato soup this morning in between getting ready for work. I decided to go as Medusa since I love Greek Mythology, so here I am stirring my cauldron with “snakes” in my hair.

I made this soup for my neighbor who just got out of the hospital after emergency surgery. I omitted the curry flavors in case she prefers not to have the extra flavor. This is still a great soup without the curry, but if your a fan of Indian spice combinations, go for it!

Here’s the recipe:

Simple Curried* Sweet Potato Soup
1-1/2T Olive oil
1-2/3C chopped onion
1 large clove garlic
1T fresh ginger
1t cumin*
1/2t ground coriander*
1/4t cardamom*
1/4t tumeric*
1/8t hot pepper flakes*
2-1/2lbs sweet potatoes
6C. low sodium chicken or veggie stock
salt pepper to taste
(*curry spices may be omitted if you prefer)

Brown onions and garlic, About 7 minutes, in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add ginger and curry spices, then stock. Peel and cut potatoes and cook until very soft or roast potatoes on grill for smokey flavor, then peel and add to soup. Puree with immersion bender and add salt and pepper to taste.

The key is an immersion blender. Transferring this hot meal to a regular blender is no fun at all.

Today is the first day of the Holidays ~ Enjoy!

Halloween craft idea #1: paper skeletons >>
Halloween craft idea #2: R.I.P. votive holder >>
Halloween craft idea #3: puffball spiders >>
Halloween craft idea #4: torture-tilla chips >>
Halloween craft idea #5: head on a stick marshmallows >>
Halloween craft idea #6: paint a pumpkin >>
Halloween craft idea #7: screen print a table runner >>
Halloween craft idea #8: spiderweb mobile >>
Halloween craft idea #9: pumpkin cupcakes >>
Halloween craft idea #10: decorate existing bowls with vinyl >>
Halloween craft idea #11: candy and cupcake tier >>
Halloween craft idea #12: tombstone candy holder >>
Halloween craft idea #13: monsters memory game >>
Halloween craft idea #14: trick-or-treat bag >>
Halloween craft idea #15: blackbird butterfly tree >>
Halloween craft idea #16: YUDU screen printed bat placemats>>
Halloween craft idea #17: YUDU screen printed bat napkins
Halloween craft idea #18: Black bean soup >>
Halloween craft idea #19: trick-or-treat bucket >>
Halloween craft idea #20: hot glue spiderweb for the window >>

Before we get to the treat~a short commercial break (could this be called a trick??). 26 Letters is starting something new! Come to the launch party this Saturday to find out what it is~or wait til Monday! Here are the details and directions:

Fall Fling in the Garden (and Launch Party for 26 Letters) Phoenix, AZ
When: Sat., Oct 30th, 9am-4pm
Where: The glorious garden of Denise Pemberton (open to the public for this event only)
Address: 7846 N. Dreamy Draw Drive. Phoenix, AZ 85020 (Mapped, click here)
Call me if you need to: 602-320-6655

Hope to see you there! Now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

Make a spiderweb by drawing them with a hot glue gun on a Bazzill Spat mat. Once cool, they easily peel off and attach to a window. You can be sure I’ll be making these into icicles in December.