Domestic Geeks

my halloween menu

happy halloween! i whipped up some horrific but delicious treats to celebrate my favorite holiday:

of course, you should always start out with a festive drink.

witches brew (spiced rum & apple cider)

appetizers...

strawberry spider bites (Robusto gouda, spinach, strawberry, and a dash of raspberry dressing)

pigs smothered in a blanket (croissant rolled mini turkey sausages with mustard, dijon, & spicy ketchup dipping sauces

 

chum chili (chicken & veggie packed 4 bean chili)

and last but not least, for dessert...i was inspired by a new blog i am following, One Charming Party.

spooky owl cupcakes

hope you had a SPOOKTACULAR halloween!

<3 kt

tentacle pot pie

yes, OF COURSE i am making this amazing personal pot pie for Halloween this year: while i stay at home on ALL HALLOWS EVE and countdown to AMC's WALKING DEAD, i will be nom noming on this!

*thanks to Babble.com & Megan Reardon at NotMartha.org!

<3 kt

4th of July festive decorations

i do not like to waste money on expensive decorations.  rather, i like to find simple things i can make!  with that being said, pool toys are a MUST when it comes to the 4th of July!  i spend a lot of time out by the pool and what better way to celebrate with some fun new toys, which you can use regardless of the holiday.   my cousins picked up this winner at Marshall's for $6.99!

i just love the idea of having useful or edible decorations instead of blowing wads of money on paper and balloons that you will throw away eventually!

speaking of edible...Associated Content has a great idea for 4th of July Eco-Friendly Edible Decorations:

Consider the food you are serving a decorative element, as well. Use blueberries, strawberries and cherries to garnish dishes. Desserts can be decorated with colored icing and given patriotic motifs. Food as a 4th of July party decoration can be considered eco-friendly because of the many functions it serves. These edible decorations also leave behind little to no waste.

this edible fruit American flag, courtesy of Divine Dinner Party is too cute and it looks like it takes no effort to put together. here's the instruction on how to make this flag:

"For an outdoor party, a great 4th of July decoration idea is a fruit bouquet. To make this, you'll want to skewer slices of pineapple, cherries, melon, pear, etc. and then arrange them decoratively in a base of Styrofoam that's been covered with paint so it looks festive. You can get as fancy as you want with this - just remember to have extra skewers ready to fill in the arrangement as the guests eat."

obviously utilizing plants and flowers for your decorations is another easy green choice.  i love this display from one of my favorite websites, RealSimple.com:

"Floating peonies and gardenias make a pretty centerpiece. Just pour water into a large serving platter, and trim the stems off each flower."

what kind of decorations will YOU be buying, making, or eating? :)

<3

katetheshark

4th of July festive eats

with the 4th of July approaching rapidly this weekend, i am in full blown planning mode.  i am traveling down to San Diego to visit my family and need to make-ahead items to take with me.  i plan on baking some delicious and festive blueberry muffins to go with the RED, WHITE, & BLUE theme.

Kemp’s “You-Won’t-Believe-They’re-Whole-Wheat” Blueberry Muffins

from Gourmet - AUGUST 2009

For Muffins

• 1 3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (about 7 ounces)

For topping

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• Equipment:

  a muffin pan (preferably nonstick) with 12 (1/3- to 1/2-cup) muffin cups

Make muffin batter:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter muffin pan.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, then whisk in zest.
• Whisk egg in another bowl, then whisk in milk and butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (batter will be dense). Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Make topping:

• Stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over batter in cups.
• Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then unmold onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooks’ notes:

• You might be surprised to discover that whole-wheat pastry flour is actually in your supermarket or big-box store (look for King Arthur, Arrowhead Mills or Bob’s Red Mill brands). Otherwise, you’ll find it at natural food stores.
• Any fresh blueberries work beautifully in this muffin. If you really want to experience the extra-special flavor of wild blueberries, though, and the only ones you can find are frozen, do not thaw them; stir them in while they are still hard.
• You can save time and line your muffin cups with paper liners, skipping the messy business of getting your hands coated with softened butter (unless you are the type to use a pastry brush and melted butter), but whenever I cut that corner, I mourn the loss of the significant amount of muffin that invariably seems to stick to the paper when I try to peel it off.
• Feel free to substitute almond milk or soy milk for cow’s milk. I’ve made the recipe with great success using each of them.

i also plan on making this easy healthy recipe courtesy of RealSimple.com:

Oatmeal Raspberry Jam Bars

Serves 24 Hands-On Time: 15m Total Time: 2hr 35m

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats, such as Quaker
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the ingredients are combined and a crumbly dough is formed. Add the oats and lemon zest. Pulse quickly twice to combine.
2. Press 2/3 of the dough firmly into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread the jam evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the jam, gently pressing down.
3. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 24 bars. Store in airtight containers

i am going to add some bran and flax to my bars as well (for extra fiber)!  also, my favorite part is that these delicious bars are not too bad for you: 191 calories/bar!

what are you going to make for your 4th of July???

<3

katietheshark

8Bit Heart Cookies

Snack or Die has a new recipe up just in time for Valentines Day! 8Bit Heart Sugar Cookies Mmmm pixels and sugar, a match made in heaven! If youve been hesitant to try a Snack or Die recipe because you feel your confectionery skills are not up to par, this is surely a good beginners project. Hell all you need to do is buy a vat of pre-made sugar cookie dough, a heart sapped cookie cutter and some M&Ms and youre halfway done! I love that the only problem Jocelyn ran into was getting the right color M&Ms, however her solution was quite clever...and delicious...

"What I ended up doing is pouring a bag of M&Ms into a small dish and ate all the non-red M&Ms. Problem solved."

<3 seanalyn