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Happy Halloween everyone!!  As much of a Halloween freak as I am, I don't hand out candy.  Mostly because every time the doorbell goes off, the dogs go off.  No. Thank. You.  So we usually turn down the lights and hide out down stairs to watch tv.  :)

Today is Vinci's 8th birthday!  Happy Birthday Beezo!!

And tonight for Halloween dinner we had pumpkin spice French toast and scrambled eggs.  Yummo!

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300th post!  Can you believe there are only 65 days left in the year??  I've been looking at this blog http://iowagirleats.com/ for hours and I've already found a few things I need to make. :)

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries  - I mean, hello.   And other than "coring" the strawberry they look pretty easy.

Gnocchi Mac n Cheese - shut the front door!

Avalanche Bars - a fun twist on the usual rice krispie bars

Its a good thing Lucas got my elliptical put together tonight....

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We had dinner tonight at The Bachelor Farmer tonight with Julie.  I was a bit skeptical because their menu is a bit intimidating, but...... WOW.

Here is an excerpt from their website:

Bachelor Farmer serves fresh and simple food that honors Minnesota’s Nordic heritage.  Paul Berglund and his team source the best ingredients available, which often means buying from local farmers and purveyors.  We use organic products whenever possible and also grow our own herbs and vegetables on our rooftop farm, which is the first of its kind in Minneapolis.


I didn't get any pictures because 1. the place is pretty dark and 2. it says right on the menu no flash photography.  I'll see if I can grab a couple pics off their website though.


So we shared a couple appetizers (these are served with some fancy toast):


Roasted beets, cucumber, radish, fresh cow’s milk cheese
Sugar and salt cured salmon, sweet mustard sauce, pickled cucumber <- OMG yum.  Yum.  Yum. Double Yum.


These are the toasts:

This is the salmon:

Entrees we had were:
Amber:   Meatballs, lingonberries, mashed potatoes, pickled cucumber
Julie:  House-cured pork loin and belly, braised cabbage, Thursday Night Pea Soup

Lucas:  Grilled venison, mashed rutabaga, fried kale, gjetost

It was all awesome.  Julie's not even a huge fan of Pea Soup and it was super good.  Lingonberries + Meatballs = Wow.  

Dessert:

Apple walnut tart, pralines, cinnamon custard

Oatmeal shortcake, spiced fruit compote, sweet creme fraiche - again, wow, wow, wow.

I highly recommend it.  And make reservations.  It was busy.  

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1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?

Cotton.  Clean.  Cool.  Crisp.  Oooh! That's alliteration.

2. What time zone are you in?

Central.  

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?

Hmm.... family time, yummy food, glitter everywhere!, twinkly lights, fresh snow, the smells (ya know - that "Christmas smell" of cinnamon, sugar, pumpkin goodness) and the fact that MOST people are in a generally jolly mood for a couple weeks.

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!)

Ho Ho Mocha (white mocha with a shot of peppermint topped with peppermint).

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

This is a hard one... I would say anyone who works outside in the horrible heat of summer (like dudes pouring black top on a 100 degree day) or anyone who has to work outside during the dead cold of winter (like my in laws - I helped ONE year cleaning horse stables on Christmas Day - emptying FROZEN buckets of water in below zero temperatures is not my idea of a fun job).  

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Some of you haven't figured out Pinterest yet - and honestly, I'm not completely sure what its for either, but this is what I use it for:

Holiday Party outfit inspiration?  Perhaps....

I love her hair... I might need to do this on Saturday when I get my hair cut - the only kicker is, I'm not sure I can "do" bangs - my hair is fine and I have a stupid cowlick that causes havoc....

I want shoes like this - I saw Kate Middleton in a pair exactly like this the day after her wedding.  As did everyone else - thus they are sold out everywhere.  

Totally want to do make up like this sometime:

Love these:

And this is for the ladies at work who luuurve Adam Levine:

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Wordless Wednesday

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Answers in pictures...




Current Obsession - 

Wearing today- 

You'd like to learn to do- 

Last thing you bought- 

Listening to right now- 

Favorite weather- 

Like to get rid of- 

Dream job- 

Favorite beauty product- 

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More Halloween blogs. :)

1) What's your favorite Halloween candy?

I don't have a specific favorite Halloween candy but I like Twix and Hershey kisses. 

2) What's your favorite Halloween movie?

My favorite scary movie is The Shining because its creepy.  The Exorcist... because its the Exorcist and The Sixth Sense because I never saw that coming.

3) At what age did you stop trick-or-treating?

I don't really remember?  4th or 5th grade maybe.

4) What is your favorite Halloween costume that you've worn?

Its hard to pick..... My Marie Antoinette costume was pretty kick ass.  And I really like my Mary Poppins costume this year.

Holy hell, what a difference a few years make.

5) What's your least favorite costume that you've worn?

Ummm probably one of those plastic things we wore as kids.... ya know with the scary mask you could barely see or breathe through?  Yeah I was a Barbie one year and a Cabbage Patch doll one year.

6) Have you ever repeated a costume? If so, what was it?

Nope.

7) What are you going to be for Halloween this year?

Maaaaary Poppins!

8) Do you like going to haunted attractions?

Yes!  I go to one every year.  So far I've done Scream Town, ValleyScare, Haunted Basement (I quit this one - too freakin' scary), and the Mounds Theater ghost hunt.  And of course every vacation I go somewhere haunted too.

9) Vampires or werewolves?

Team Edward all the way!

10) Do you decorate your house for Halloween?

Not much - we put out a couple pumpkins.  We don't get alot of trick or treaters in our hood so I don't go all out.

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A few more pics from the party.  Here are the best costume winners:

The ladies of Hocus Pocus

Cheryl and Mom as Ethel and Luuuuucy

Dad the pirate and Luuucy

Me and my pirate

Jerry as the "Beeotch catcher" and Nick as "Queen Beeotch" and Kourtnie and "Baby Beeotch"

Granny pants as a Gypsy

Some of the fun food:

Outdoor display:

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Halloween Party 2011 complete.  Here we are as Mary Poppins and Bert!  

I'll post the rest of the pics on Facebook.

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Party preview

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When you're hungry, don't search on www.pinterest.com for recipes.....  this is why:

I really need to make Tater Tot Hotdish again.... tis the season!

I've never made a turkey.... perhaps I should make it a goal to make one this year.....  I'll think on that one.

I AM going to use my bread maker this winter!  I'm super excited.  I got it for Christmas last year but didn't drag it out of the box because I thought we might be moving - well you all know how well that's going so I'm making bread this year!

I could go for a cupcake.....

Good thing I have that elliptical on order.

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Halloween Quiz 1.  In your opinion, what is the best horror movie ever made? Hmmm.... The Shining 2. In your opinion, what is the best horror movie remake? None, leave them alone people. 3. In your opinion, what is the worst horror movie remake? All of them LOL.  Psycho was pretty bad... 4. What is the scariest horror movie you've ever seen?  Back in the day, Exorcist was faaaareaaaakkkyyy... 5. Who is your favorite horror movie villain? Hannibal Lector 6. Who is your favorite Disney villain? Maleficent 7. What spooky place would you like to spend the night at?  The Stanley Hotel - soon.  :) 8. Is there anything you have a fear of? Abandoned insane asylums? 9. Would or have you ever been to a haunted house? Real or other? DUH.  Been to The Queen Mary, Myrtles Plantation, and Mounds Theater.  All haunted. 10. What was your favorite Halloween costume you wore as a kid? Hmm... I was a Sleeping Beauty fanatic as a child - my mom made me a sweet Merriweather (the blue fairy) costume. 11. What was your favorite Halloween candy as a kid? Twix 12. What is your all time favorite thing about Halloween? Costumes and Spooky Movies 13. What is your favorite Halloween icon?      Draaaacula.

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The countdown is on.....  what are you being for Halloween?

Vintage Halloween.  :)