Halloween In Nashville

Last week I received an invitation from one of my dearest friends, Tyler, to go to a Halloween party in Nashville. Tyler and I met in college about 100 years ago and have tried and failed to meet up over the past couple of years. Mix in one of my favorite people and a Halloween party and you better believe that 200 mile drive across the state of Tennessee was nothing short of a blink and I was there.

Having checked the weather report I knew it would be a chilly evening. I'm not talking about 68 degrees chilly kind of California weather where I need a scarf and Ugg boots, It was 32 degrees kind of chilly. This limited my costume options so I went with warm clothes and a mask knowing that the party was both inside and outside. We went out for lunch when I got there and costume shopping with Stacy. We then went to the liquor store for some party supplies and made an amazing concoction that was hauntingly delicious.


Haunted Jungle Juice (Party Size)

2 Good Bottles of Vodka (750ml)
1 Bottle of White Rum (750ml)
1 Handle Bottle Malibu Rum
2 Litre of Orange Drink
1 Carton Box of each:
Light Lemonade
Fruit Punch
Orange Pineapple Juice

Pour over ice into a large container and shake it around...be careful this stuff creeps up on you!

The party we went to was awesome. Everyone was dressed up. There were corpses and skeletons hanging in the trees. There was a coffin surrounded by candles. Each room had a different horror film playing. There were body parts floating in the pool. The decor and music outside was incredible. The food and treats were all Halloween related. The giant bonfire in the back yard out by the woods was warm and creepy since there were ghosts in the trees. My compliments to the hosts as we all had a wonderful time.

Happy Halloween! xoxo

Ghosts of Halloween

Halloween is quite possibly my favorite time of year. Ghouls, ghosts, goblins, witches brew, haunted houses, corn mazes, haunted hayrides, and dressing up! I love getting to be someone else for a day. For a long time I made my own costumes. I never liked the idea of being one of three "Sexy Cats" at a party, in fact, I have never been a cat. In third grade I bought a clear trash bag and filled it up with a bunch of multi-colored balloons and went to school as a bag of Jelly Belly's. My mother once helped me construct and sew an exact replica of The Bee Girl from the Blind Melon video, I tapped danced at every door while Trick-or-Treating. I have twice been a member of Kiss, and last year I wore a really cool Masquerade mask at a party where I knew everyone and went unrecognized even by people I have dated. That was really eye opening!

This year, it remains to be seen what I will come up with. I quite like the idea of a mask and comfy cute outfit considering the weather report for Nashville where I'm going has a low of 32 degrees that evening. It's not exactly conditions for standard sexy Halloween attire.

Another reason to love Halloween is all of the creative projects I have been able to do over the years. By far my favorite was an 82nd Birthday cake for Julie Adams, the actress from the original 1954 movie, Creature From The Black Lagoon. My friend whom is also a "Slider" in Ghost-town at Knott's Scary Farm, commissioned me to make her a cake. It was presented to her in front of a crowd of hundreds at a City wide Halloween celebration and haunted festival where they screened the film outside at a park and had a Q & A with the actress. It was awesome. I think they were expecting a little sheet cake with some frosting decorations. I instead made a Creature, completely out of sugar and sat his head in a murky pool of jello with a sugar webbed hand reaching out of the water. The detail was pretty amazing and the reaction was priceless. I got to spend some time with the actress before the cake was presented and she was so surprised when she found out later that I had made the cake.


However you choose to celebrate, be creative! Halloween only comes once per year and it is an awesome time to enjoy creative projects and fun with friends!

Origami Folding Fun

While searching for things to keep myself busy when I was at the craft store in California, I came across Origami paper. This can provide hours of entertainment. I contemplated purchasing a book but I remembered that the internet is an endless free resource for instructions and inspiration. I got a couple little packages of the six inch square paper. Years ago I learned how to make a frog out of a dollar bill and that continues to amuse people, generally people in bars when I'm bored. I like to stay busy.

I started my internet search with basic origami and found a cute little Panda pattern. After that I made a Pumpkin followed by a Lotus Flower which turned out pretty cool. This is a great craft that you can do when you're looking for something to keep you busy or to make with children. It can be challenging and rewarding and it all comes from a little piece of paper and a bit of time. Next, I think I will make more Halloween decorations. I saw instructions for a bat and some other cool things. Happy folding!

Happy Days in East Tennessee

Living, dining, driving, and just about every daily activity is an adventure in East Tennessee. Today was no exception. My father's golf buddy is visiting us from Florida and the two of them were out working in the garden while I was reading the Huffpost News on my iPad on the back deck. I was attacked by ladybugs. This seems odd to me. In the past several days I have seen so many ladybugs that I can't even begin to dream of the number (I run out of fingers and then stop counting). Gerry has been enjoying cutting the several acre lawn on the tractor for the past two days and has proved himself to be quite useful around R Ranch.

The men decided we were going out to eat this evening. I quite liked the idea since there would be less dishes to clean up and it is a welcome break from cooking. We headed down into town and towards the "Good Mexican" restaurant. It's Sunday in the bible belt. It was closed. Thankfully Siri lives in my new iPhone and was there to help. The men laughed when I pushed a button on my phone while we were sitting in an empty parking lot and said, "I'm hungry." Less than three seconds later I had a response from my new BFF saying, "Okay, there are 12 restaurants open near you", and then they were listed with maps and directions. Siri is awesome, minus the fact that those restaurants were all fast food joints. Not her/it's fault though, Siri has no gender but sounds female.

I then recalled a BBQ and Seafood joint a bit down the road that I have wanted to try. Riverview Grill. We headed off in that direction. Gerry was now intrigued by my personal assistant. When we drove up there were all sorts of cars parked outside. Success! Not only was it open but it had a Bud Light sign glowing in the window. This means they have beer! Epic win on a Sunday in Tennessee.

In the parking lot were several classic and unique cars. A group of folks gathered to eat and talk cars in the restaurant that overlooks the river, hence the name Riverview. We were greeted by a woman who was sweet as a summer peach and she showed us to our table. Her Southern mannerisms were so cute and proper. I might have surprised her when I was excited to be able to order a beer in a restaurant but it doesn't take much to get me riled up these days. The men ordered ice teas and were asked, "Sweet or un?", to which they replied, " Un." Then, bless her heart, she asked, "Would y'all both like leeh minz?" I looked at my puzzled father and grabbed his arm and answered for him, "No thank you, no lemons", just as she started to repeat herself. I thought he was going to burst out laughing and the lady was so sweet that I didn't want her to think he was laughing at her. When she walked away he was of course laughing but at the fact that he had no idea what she said and I did.

Living in California and New York etc., I don't see menus with a credit card minimum printed on the cover. In TN, they find it necessary to not only have a minimum but it's $6.99!?! At what point am I able to walk in to a semi-decent clean restaurant and order a bite to eat and even a tea for less than $6.99? Oh, yeah I guess it happens here. A single beer costs more than that where I was raised and you sure weren't getting a bite of food for anything near that price. This does not speak to the quality of the food or cleanliness of the place. I was actually quite impressed. They even had fried pickles on the menu! This always brings me joy and is my secret inner glutton treat. The guys had burgers that looked lovely and the smoker pit out front is calling me back to try their BBQ. It was a wonderful dinner out and I look forward to going back. Heck, I might even work there someday, it was so much fun.

My Tennessee adventures continue with smiles and laughter and I like it just fine, thaank yoouu ;)

Mini Meat Balls

If you know anything about me, you know my fear of mystery meats. I have long steered clear of ground animal products and have probably missed out on some great meals because of this. With the invention of a food processor, and a few extra minutes of prep time, I finally am able to enjoy things I haven't had in years. The simplicity of pushing a button and knowing exactly what is in my meal give me peace of mind and satisfaction. If you make it yourself it is bound to taste better than the prepared products that you might purchase in a store.

I have some foodie friends whom made a feast while we were in San Francisco on a trip together. I watched as they made their own sausage and that evening I made ten individual chocolate soufflé's and a boozy Chantilly Cream to top them. It was wonderful. Cooking is such a wonderful way to bring people together. You should never share a meal with someone you don't like.

That being said, I purchased some beef chuck. My father has wanted a burger for a while and I decided that the only way I will make it is if I know what is in it.

I rough chopped the beef and put it in the food processor. Then I pulsed it. I realized how much ground meat I had and decided to portion out the part for the burgers and make the rest into mini meat balls!

Mini Meat Balls

1/2 lb or more Beef Chuck
1 egg yolk
3 Tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh grated Italian cheese
1 tsp fresh herbs, thyme, sage etc.
Good Salt & Pepper TT

Pulse all ingredients until well combined. Add additional egg yolk if necessary or additional breadcrumbs. Form into teaspoon size balls forming them in your hands. Heat a large skillet and add some olive oil. Gently add in the meatballs and allow to brown before shaking the pan. They should roll around and brown nicely on all sides. Remove from heat and allow to drain on a paper towel. They can now be added to your favorite red sauce and served with pasta, or used in anything you like.

This was an easy dual application of a cut of beef. I'm excited to have the meatballs with some of my homemade fresh pasta and the wonderful Red Sauce from the 25lbs of Tennessee tomatoes, and my father will finally get that burger he has been asking for.

Live, Love, Eat!

Awesome Project: Clay Roasted Chicken

My friend and fellow Pastry Chef Jeff or JJ as I refer to him, sent me a link to the most awesome thing ever! Clay that you mold and then bake an entire chicken in, then you have to break it open. I love roasted chicken, but mix in a crafty project and the fun of breaking it after and I'm sold! The kit is available from the Williams-Sonoma website and is $14.99. Totally worth the fun and time and I'm really happy I ordered two kits without having tried it. This is something I want to do again.

Besides the kit you will need a few extra supplies for this project:

Rolling pin
Parchment paper
Sheet pan
1 whole chicken 4-5lbs
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
4-5 fresh sage leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
4-5 sprigs of thyme
4 garlic cloves chopped
Good Salt & Pepper TT

Rinse and pat dry the chicken, removing and disposing of any parts sitting inside the cavity. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Finely chop the herbs and garlic, removing the stems. Mix all of the ingredients into the butter. Separate the skin from the meat gently using your hands to create a pocket. Fill the gap with the herbed lemon butter mixture and make sure it is distributed evenly. Cover the chicken with the remaining butter mixture.

On a piece of parchment paper, roll out the clay into a large oval about the thickness of a pie crust. Place the clay still on the parchment paper onto your sheet pan. Roll out the other sheet of clay on another sheet of parchment paper.

Take a large piece of parchment paper and place the chicken in the center, breast side down. Fold the parchment over the chicken and then fold the side up so it is completely covered in a little package. Flip it over and place it seam side down on the clay oval. Top with the other clay oval using the parchment to move and flip over the clay so it is on top of the chicken. Remove the parchment and discard. Crimp the sides of the clay together and decorate as desired. I used a bit of the extra clay and made a quick Jack-O-Lantern. Next time I will make sure I have enough time to make it a bit more elaborate, but the clay is super fun to play with and you can make some really creative designs to entertain your guests. I had to feed two hungry men so mine went into the oven before I could jazz it up to my liking.

Bake the chicken for about an hour and a half. Allow to rest and cool for 15-20 minutes before you fight over who gets to break the clay. We used a hammer but anything will work. Crack open your dinner treasure and then remove the chicken from the parchment package and carve.

This meal was not only delicious but fun for our guest to break the clay. The roasting clay can be used for a fish or basically anything you want to put inside of it. It is a special food safe clay. Just remember to wrap whatever you put inside in a sheet of parchment paper to keep the clay from adhering to your food and keep the juices from turning the clay to mush.

So much fun! The chicken was moist and flavorful. It was not as golden brown as a traditional roasted chicken but very delicious.

Fall Harvest: Pumpkin Fun!

The garden harvest seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. I have made a huge variety of items from the pumpkins including a really great Turkey Pumpkin Chili. With Halloween just around the corner I decided to decorate a couple of my homegrown pumpkins. I had no idea what I was going to do. My craft supplies here are a bit limited. I have Mod Podge, a couple colors of paint, some Swarovski crystals.

I knew I want a gold and crystal covered pumpkin. That was an easy decision. I painted it and then applied each of the 150 Swarovski crystals by hand. It took some time but I'm happy with the outcome. The photos don't do it justice. When you walk by it it sparkles and is so pretty.

Next, I made some copies of photos from the trips I have taken with my father. I covered a pumpkin in Mod Podge and allowed it to cure. It became shiny and glorious. I cut out the photos and placed them all over the pumpkin and again a layer of Mod Podge. Instant decoupage pumpkin of wonderful memories from two Italian vacations, a trip to Spain and another to Paris. I plan to paint the pumpkin a bit more and add some flair to it.

The third pumpkin was painted pearl. It turned out more silver than pearl, but still pretty. I again covered it in Mod Podge to give it some shine and seal the delicate paint. After staring at it for a day I decided it needed some lace. I didn't have any on hand. Then, I thought it would be fun to put a fishnet stocking on it. I found a thigh high fishnet stocking for under $5 at the store and realized the lace top version would be perfect! I slipped it on the pumpkin and again gave it a covering of Mod Podge to protect it and adhere the stocking to the pumpkin.

When it dried, I was left with a unique pumpkin that was extremely easy to decorate. I really enjoyed this project and while searching for lace in the archives here, I found a huge inflatable pumpkin from 1988. It was once used for in store promotion of Friday The 13th being available on videocassette. Awesome find and I'm excited to be in the holiday spirit!