Pumpkinpalooza is Saturday October 28th!

It's that time of year again! Time to come hang out with the Foxes and wallow in the glory of the pumpkin (or punkin if you'd rather). Each October we purchase a glut of pumpkins (last year we were up to 30) then invite a bunch of people over for carving and eats. This year we will continue with our all pumpkin menu, but we will also try on few new traditions. That said....

Something old:

Dinner will be around 7ish and yes, our menu will remain the same with the traditional pumpkin sausage pasta, baguette, and tossed green salad with pumpkin seed viniagrette. Dessert will feature pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cream puffs, chocolate pumpkin orange cupcakes, and yes, pumpkin pie. Wanna bring an appetizer? Some bread? A beverage? Another dessert? That would be great! Give me a jingle.

Something(s) new:

Carving will begin around 4. We will provide a few carving implements, plenty of sharpies and newspaper and, if you need one, a pumpkin. You provide the skill, inspiration, and any special tools (i.e. stencils, exacto knives, leather/ceramic tooling kits, or electic helps such as jigsaws, drills, or extension cords).

This year will mark our first judging of the carved goods. If your jack-o-lantern wins you shall be dubbed High Pumpkin Mucky-Muck! To acknowledge your superlative pumpkin carving skills and incredible creativity we will slap your name on a tacky trophy and grant you one year of bragging rights. Afore said trophy will accompany you home where it will be kept in a highly visible place (we think your mantle or kitchen table best) till next Pumpkinfest. Huzzah!

After bellies are full of pumpkiny goodness and the jack-o-lanterns are all lit, we'll sit and sip on cider and listen to tales of pumpkins... scary, silly, short, long, fictional, or real it doesn't matter. The only rule is your story must have the word "pumpkin" in it or somehow, in someway pertain to pumpkins. Best story will be met with laughter (or tears as it might merit).

Something borrowed:

Cool thing about having had a catering business is we have all sorts of entertaining goodies like chaffing dishes, serving pieces, linens, and just mass quantities of silverware and plates. What we lack are CHAIRS! Please bring a couple of folding chairs if you can. They will be MUCH appreciated.

Please no camp chairs. Wielding a knife and managing a heavy gourd while perched in one of these flopsy bits can be a messy undertaking and we live a long way from the nearest hospital.

Something blue:

You. Please dress warmly. We're hoping that with Saturday's forecasted clear weather and some hot cider we'll be able to pull this shin-dig off outside. We'll have a roaring fire inside should the need for warmth and shelter be neccessary, but the bulk of activities are going to occur in the backyard so bring a jacket, your favorite lap blanket, and warm socks.

In short, this night is meant for good friends and good food and the sounds of merriment, oh, and pumpkins... which have for too long been missing from our home...

Listen! the wind is rising,
and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
now for October eves!
- Humbert Wolfe

RSVP to Beth

Because Kathie Asked...

So went to visit Kathie in Idaho last weekend and I bought some groceries foolishly thinking that I might do some cooking. PLeeZe! Between all the pumpkin beer, chips, and chocolate (oh yes, and the candy corn- musn't forget that) who had time or stomach for real food?

Anywho, one of the things I left in Kathie's frig was a mess of radishes and she wanted to know what to do with 'em. Well, you can clean and stem them then submit them to the ranch dressing treatment, but that is so boring and for some people raw radishes are too peppery. Me, I like to cook them in some butter with a clove or two of diced garlic and some salt and pepper. Cooking them mellows the flavor considerably and the garlic, well, makes them garlicy.

I don't have exact measurements because this is really one of those from the hip kinda dishes. Just make sure your radishes are about the same size, if you have to cut some of the larger ones in half go for it. How much butter? As much as you want it's your heart, though I find 2-3 tablespoons sufficient. Cook the radishes with the garlic until the radishes are pink and tender-crisp. Don't cook on too high a heat or you'll burn the garlic, but a little carmalization on the radishes is a tastey thing. Salt and pepper to taste.

I like this dish because 1) you can always find radishes 2) they are always cheap and 3) no one ever thinks to cook 'em which makes them fun to serve to guests. Grill up some chicken (rubbed with olive oil, salt, white pepper, maybe a little cumin for Holly), make some rice (like that rice dish you make in the wee birdie casserole), warm up a loaf of good bakery bread (or if you're feeling all Martha-y bake some), put some heavy cream and a bit of salt in a mason jar and have a guest shake it into butter (cheap party trick that you can eat- always the best kind of trick- the kind you can smear on your warm from the oven bread) while you cook up the radishes (they don't take but a few minutes) and look, you have a party!

A Clash of Addictions

So with the season premier of Lost on Wednesday and the season premier of Battlestar Gallactica on Friday I am all a-quiver! Man, if only they would bring back Firefly my TV watching experience would be complete. Anyway, I found this the other day and laughed my head off. This is for the rest of you Battlestar Lost freaks (meaning Chris and Lisa):

Dwight Schrute's Blog: Lost Battlestar