Happy Halloween

This Batman party on Coco & Kelley is like the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.  Since my boys are getting older, kiddie parties are out of the question but this would be very cool for a couple of boys turning 13 this year.  The decorations are spot on and the individual place card/costumes are perfect.  I want to go attend this party.







Just for Halloween some creepy old photos. 






This would freak the hell out of me. 

 



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15

My oldest son turned 15 this past weekend and I honestly can not believe how fast the time has gone. 

I know I may be a bit bias but he really is turning into an incredible man, I could not be more proud of him. He is wise beyond his years and he so kind.  I am blessed.  

I had these pictures printed up at Staples.  I got the idea from Annie at Most Lovely Things, who got the idea from Paula of Two Ellie.  Aren't they a great?  They are super cheap, I think I paid about $12.00 for all 4 of these, plus they would be great for a graduation party or my Mother's 70th birthday coming up.  I think I may have went a bit overboard though, maybe next time I wont get them quite so big.

Clayton doesn't like cake, damn kid, so he requested cookies and ice cream sandwiches, which everyone seemed to enjoy.  When I make cookies I always use The Barefoot Contessa's recipes, I made chocolate chunk cookies and chocolate-chocolate chunk cookies but I used regular chocolate chunks instead of white chocolate.  I have been making these cookies for about 10 years and in my opinion, these cookies are the best. 

Happy Easter!

This cake has got to be one of the most impressive cakes I have ever seen.  It's too pretty to eat.




I can't stop thinking about these cookies.  They are so cute and look delicious.  I'm not very good at cut outs or decorating cookies but for these I may try. 

St. Patrick's Day Desserts

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I'm thinking about a special St. Patrick's Day dessert to make this weekend and I have narrowed it down to one of these or maybe two of these.  They all look so delicious. 



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I think these Irish Car Bomb Cheesecakes or Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes below, made by Bakers Royale are on my must make list. 
A dessert made with Guiness, Baileys and Whiskey, how can you go wrong?



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Baked Fontina



Baked Fontina  from Alexandra's Kitchen has been my go to appetizer lately.  It is so easy and it not only looks impressive but it taste really fresh.  I made it this weekend for my birthday and everyone loved it. I served it with some fresh bread rounds and it disappeared quickly.   Recently, I have been focusing on cooking things that have a lot of flavor but not a lot of ingredients.  With this baked cheese you can really taste the flavors of the garlic, olive oil, cheese and fresh herbs.  Honestly, I could eat this with some fresh crusty bread and a glass of wine for dinner every night.

 

How come whenever I cook anything it just doesn't look as good as the original?  I could blame my

camera on my phone just to make myself feel better.



 

 

Thanksgiving Table

This will be my first year hosting Thanksgiving and I can't stop thinking about tablescapes. I'm excited the torch has been passed from my Mother and Father on to me. Time to get ideas because Thanksgiving will be here before you know it.

Homade Oreos

I made these bad boys yesterday and damn they were good.  I wanted to make homemade Oreos for a long time now and I finally got around to it.  My son was having his girlfriend over for the first time, yikes, to watch a movie, The Hunger Games, and since I was banded for the TV room I thought I better busy myself in the kitchen.  This way I could still keep an eye on them as I bake. 

I followed this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, who just so happens to have a new cookbook.  The recipe is easy to follow and the cookies not too make or to put together difficult.  The only thing I did is add a little more powdered sugar to the cream filling to make it a little sweeter.  If it is too thick you can add a little more butter.  When you make the cream filling just taste it until you get the sweetness and consistency you like.  So far eveyone who has tasted them has loved them and I tpotally have to agree these are really good cookies, too bad I didn't have time for a few more batches.  These are definitely going on my Christmas cookie list. They make great gifts.

West Elm/ Pottery Barn Halloween

West Elm plates.




Pottery Barn



Pottery Barn Skulls



Pottery Barn Mice
I so want these mice, they really creap me out because I have a very legitimate fear of mice. 



Pottery Barn

Mayer Brothers Cider Mill

Recently, I have enjoyed two treats from Mayer Brothers Cider Mill, thanks to my dear friend Roger, donuts and caramel apple pie. I am not really a donut person but these were so, so good. The apple cider donuts were moist, because they are made with their cider, and perfectly cakey. I prefer a cake donut.  The maple donuts had just the right amount of maple flavor, not overpowering.

The caramel apple pie is a must for Thanksgiving, but I think if I served it again I would drizzle more caramel over the individual pieces.

However, you must get there fast because the bakery and store are only open through Thanksgiving. I'm definitely heading back before they close for the season.
The Cider Mill Store will open this year from August 17th until Thanksgiving.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

1540 Seneca Creek Rd
West Seneca, NY
14224-2522
716-668-5260

The Best Pumpkin Bread

My Ex-Mother in Law used to send us pumpkin bread when we were in college and it was the best pumpkin bread I have ever had. Eventually, she quit sending it or we decided we wanted it more then once a year, so she sent the recipe instead. This pumpkin bread is very moist, more cake like then bread like.  It can be made into a loaf or muffins.  Also, it is great with cream cheese frosting.

Recipe
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat together

1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups of sugar
4 eggs
1 cup of oil
1 1/2 tsp salt

Then Add

1 cup of pumpkin
2/3 cup of water
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups of flour

Things you can add
Chocolate chips  (kids favorite)
Raisins  ( Sister and Dad's favorite)
Cranberries
Walnuts

Grease and flour three loaf pans.  My Mother in law would make them in 1 lb coffee cans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The Viking Lobster Company

Last weekend was my dear friend Roger's Birthday. Luckily, he picked The Viking Lobster Company for his dinner celebration.

 One of the great things about the restaurant is they don't serve alcohol so you can bring your own.  This saved us money, because we tend to drink a lot and we were not limited to an overpriced wine list.  Plus you can bring the wines you really enjoy.  As you see we each brought a bottle of wine, good thing there is no corking fee, and somehow we manged to drink it all. 

 

I'm not sure what was better the food or the service?  They both were by far the best I have had in a very long time.  The seafood was so fresh and cooked perfectly, which can be hard to do.  We ordered two of the Admiral's Feast so we could try everything.  Fresh scallops, shrimp, fish, crab legs and lobster.  We stared with clams casino and lobster egg rolls, unfortunately they were so good I forgot to take a picture.  You can also choose between soup, seafood chowder or a seafood gumbo, or a salad.  

 

I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone I could.  This is definitely the best place for seafood in Buffalo.  The food, the service and the casual, friendly atmosphere can not be beat.  I am already trying to figure out a time I can get back there.  Reservations are recommended. 

S'mores Bars

These are so good I can't stop eating them, the perfect summer time dessert.  They are easy to make but a little hard to cut up because the marshmallows are so sticky.  I made these for the 4th of July and as I was relaxing in the pool before dinner I noticed everytime someone went into the house they came out eating one of these bad boys. 

You can find the recipe here S'mores Bars

Bar Carts

 I love this bar cart.  The white walls, the wood floor, the incredible print and the bar cart so perfect. 

 What a great look, the chalkboard wall with globes.  This is my kind of classroom.

 Vintage.

 Oh the orange.

All of these bar carts can be purchased at Society Social, I better start saving up for one of these beauties.