cowboys and indians

it was really hard for me... but i put down the skeleton long johns (what my boys alllllllways wear for halloween) and ventured out into costume land. tagg chose his costume according to what weapon he would get to carry (pirate:sword, cowboy:gun). guns always win.

he was happy with his decision.

i found these legitimate cowboy boots at a local antique shop. they were only $12 and fit tagg perfectly. i love them.

by default, sully was the indian. i couldn't find a cute baby indian costume so i bought a pair of girls' pajamas from gap, turned them inside out and added the trimmings.

um. i told sully he was lucky he isn't a girl because i would make him wear things on his head more than just once a year. such a baby.

he chilled out long enough for me to get a cute little shot.

last nite, craig and i went to a halloween party. we don't usually dress up, but since it was a costume party i felt like we ought to. let me introduce you to steve jobs and his iphone.

happy halloween.

browned butter pumpkin cupcakes

i love any recipe that calls for browned butter. or pumpkin. or buttermilk. so when i found this recipe for browned butter pumpkin cake i was little excited. a quick cream cheese frosting tops off this perfect autumn treat.

browned butter pumpkin cake

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

3/4 cups butter

2 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cups packed brown sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees. melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it is golden brown and has a nutty aroma (about 4 minutes). remove butter from heat and let cool. in a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. in a separate, larger, bowl mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and buttermilk until well combined. stir the dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture until just combined. then stir in the browned butter. bake cupcakes/cake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

cream cheese frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

about 1/4 cup whole milk

mix all ingredients together until smooth. add powdered sugar or milk to get desired consistency.

donut party 2011

last nite was our annual donut party. it is seriously my favorite tradition. i was excited to use the little halloween print i found on the internet as the highlight for the party theme.

i also made this BOO banner to hang over the donut and cider table.

the table all set up before the masses arrived.

tagg had been counting down the days until the party. i cannot tell you how many times we had to go over the list of his friends who would be there.

becky, cutting the dough. the donuts were the absolute best this year. we perfected the rising time of the dough and it made all the difference. the donuts have always been good but this year they were insane.

instead of the ghost pumpkins, i did little luminaries in the front yard this year. at the last minute i remembered i had a witch punch upstairs and used it on the top of each bag.

every year we try to decide which donut is our favorite, cinnamon & sugar, glazed, or chocolate glazed. it is impossible to decide.

of course, the apple cider with dry ice.

my mom, becky, me and megan. we made 270 donuts this year!

i kind of can't wait until next year for more donuts.... maybe a thanksgiving donut party is in order....

tonite we went to a square dancing party. it was fun doing something different. but also very tiring. ha!

tagg & sully's halloween party

yesterday, tagg and sully hosted their first halloween party. it was very fun.

my little hosts.

luckily my mom came to help. sully suuuuuuuure does like to be held.

the table. before the balloons freaking deflated (despite the fact that i had paid extra for high-float) by the time our friends arrived, the balloons were on the ground.

balloon jack-o-lanterns and place settings.

as soon as everyone arrived, we served lunch. the kids snacked on pumpkin-shaped pb&j sandwiches, ghost string cheese, and apple mouths.

i am so mad because just a few hours after the party ended, i saw another idea for a cute halloween snack.... oh well. guess it will have to wait until next year.

the whole reason i decided to throw this little party was because i saw these milk ghosts in a magazine and had to do them myself! they were my favorite part.

while the babies ate, my friends and i ate our big girl lunches. sandwiches....

tomato soup.....

and fruit skewers.

after lunch, the kids made pumpkin plates.

hanna, thing 1 and thing 2 took in the craziness from the couch.

then we pumpkin bowled.

after bowling, everyone made popcorn witch hands. such a classic.

i barely tied off the glove before tagg was ripping it back open to devour the popcorn.

then we had dessert.

i made ginger cookies, peanut butter filled pretzels covered with chocolate and heath bits and.....

owl cupcakes. besides trying to separate the oreo while keeping the white stuff intact, these little guys were super easy to put together. and so stinking cute.

and before everyone left, i made sure they had a turn at the photo wall.

megan and emery.

cutest little scratched up bee around!

charlie and jack.

spicy little mia.

and as if i hadn't loaded up the kids with enough crap.... i made sure they didn't forget their treat bags before they left.

i love planning these parties and then enjoying them with my friends. and it was an added bonus that my boys got to have such a great time with their little friends too.

kona banana bread

this take on banana bread (leave it my family to turn banana bread into basically a banana cake with brown sugar/coconut frosting on it) is a crowd pleaser. seriously. its addictive.

kona banana bread

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar (i use half brown and half white)

2 eggs

3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

cream butter and sugar until light. add eggs. stir in bananas. sift together dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. mix until well blended. pour into a greased dish (i use a 8x8 pan). bake at 350 degrees until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (about 30 minutes).

brown sugar coconut frosting

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons evaporated milk

8 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 cup coconut

in a sauce pan, melt butter and milk. add brown sugar and coconut and mix well. spread on baked banana bread. put under broiler until lightly browned.

nelson and erica

i was asked to help style the wedding for nelson and erica. erica wanted a woodsy/shabby chic autumn feel for the reception. i kinda love how it all turned out. ( i ended up painting the words on the welcome sign with q-tips because my brush wasn't cutting it!)

erica was such a sweet bride. i loved her bouquet.

i was a little busy running around during the reception so this is the only picture i got of the cake table. erica did such a great job putting the photo collage together.

i loved the contrast of mercury glass with the rustic wood rounds.

more centerpieces.

erica's precious niece.

you can't go wrong with a white tent and white lights. it is my favorite look.