Halloween Feast

As an artist there are many intriguing things about Halloween. Creepy Tim Burton art, gourd dolls, the beautiful Dia de Los Muertos figurines and paper cuttings are among those. Carving Pumpkins has become an artistic competition.  But that type of art for Halloween really isn’t for me.

Being older, I do not have a child trick or treating.  I view Halloween as a time for friends to get together and…. Eat!

Halloween is a great time to invite friends over for a wonderful meal.  They can all help pass out candy to the ‘lil ones knocking on your door. This year I would like to share my menu with you all! Yes I have links to the recipes as  all of them are available online.

Snacks:
Screaming Hot Peanuts: Spicy and Tasty

Pumpkin Dip: Serve in a hollowed out pumpkin. Use graham crackers, ginger snaps, vanilla wafers and apple wedges for dipping.  A healthier sweet tooth fix.

Asparagus and Prosciutto wrapped in Phylo: Light, yummy and different.

Dinner:

I like to make dinner easy especially with all the yummy snacks and a desert.

Green Chile Stew: Hearty, yummy, a twist on the traditional. 

Serve with cornbread or tortillas. Maybe you have a cute cast iron mold for the corn bread, and some places sell orange tortillas around Halloween.

As for a salad have not decided what kind yet.  Perhaps a simple green salad, or maybe more a harvest salad or salad on a stick.  Be creative. Perhaps a coleslaw!

Dessert:

I normally do only one desert on Halloween because of all the candy.

A Chewy Chocolate Fix: Chocolately, Carmely, Yummly.

I hope you enjoy!

It is only October

Halloween has not even happened yet but there are Christmas lights on display for purchase at Target.  Several stores (not to name names but Costco, Sears, and Home Depot) already have full-fledged Holiday displays up in all their glory.  While it is true that 40% of Americans start their Holiday shopping before Halloween, I find seeing Christmas Trees and Winterwonderlands admist tombstones and spiders a lil creepy.

            I am a traditionalist, the Holidays start with Thanksgiving (it does not matter your faith). The Holiday season and all its trimmings then follow.  If I saw a giant Tom Turkey next to Casper I probably wouldn’t think much of it, but Beetlejuice and Rudolph just don’t go.

It is interesting that Nordstrom’s will not be putting out a single snowflake or Santa until the day after Thanksgiving. While they may sell holiday decorations in their home department (for those who wish to purchase a pink Christmas tree to hang out with their purple pumpkin) their store decorations and holiday campaigns do not start until Black Friday. According to them, it works for them.  Other may be having heart palpitations over such a policy (which they have had since their inception) but to me this just makes plain sense.

Falling into Fall

I love fall even though I don’t paint many fall scenes, my genre just doesn’t really lend itself to such depictions.  However, as an artist I do enjoy the colors of fall immensely.  When else do you see vibrant hues of yellows, oranges, reds and even purples against dark, eerie, and inky colored skies? Nature is at its best during fall. Weather is cooler and smells turn to fallen leaves and apple pie.  Here is a list of what I love about fall:

Sweater Weather – Target special, hand knit, or hand-me-down it does not matter.

Pumpkin: Pumpkin pie, pumpkin carving, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Spray from Bath and Body Works, Pumpkin Chili, Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, and Pumpkin Cookies (See recipe below).

Spooky stuff: Night of the Living Dead, Dracula, Frankenstein, Edgar Allan Poe Stories

That about covers it – Here is the recipe – super easy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 Boxes Spice Cake Mix

1 Large can Pumpkin ( can use Pumpkin or Pumpkin Pie Filling)

1 bag Chocolate Chips

Mix

Drop tablespoons on greased Cookie Sheet

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes

Enjoy!

Hello.... So Long...

As a painter I am regularly faced with the daunting task of staring at blank canvas with the challenge to making it “un-blank.” This week I have entered the world of social networking, and that same feeling of starting at a blank canvas comes to mind, except this time I am not trained.  I do not have a degree in social networking, or years of working experience in such field. The concept of technology completely fazes me as my regular tools are a brush, paint, and something to paint on. No electricity, networking, cabling, wi-fi or keyboard/touchscreen required.

However, the brilliance of those things are nothing short of genius. It’s a curious thing that two days ago,  I added the following quote to my Facebook profile:

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do..

…attributed to Steve Jobs

….I can’t imagine the feeling he got the first time he turned on the box called McIntosh and it worked………….. The idea that most found out about his death via a device he CREATED is a testament to his genius.

            So as I begin my foray into the world of technology, I say my so longs to the man who made much of it possible…

….That is all for now.