Halloween

Ever since I grew out of trick-or-treating, my excitement for Halloween has diminished. I wanted to try to bring back that old excitement I used to have for Halloween so I decided to start some new Halloween traditions with my family this year.

So, we decided to have a small Halloween feast.

Here it is with decorations included.

Close up of the centerpiece.

I've been trying to cook more so I figured Halloween would be a great time to try some fun, new recipes. For lunch, the recipes I prepared were:

Munchable Mice

Taco Mac Cupcakes

Apple Sangria

And Parmesan Basil Biscuits.

I didn't make these. My mother found them at Williams Sonoma and they were too cute to pass up.

She also purchased these candies from Williams Sonoma. They were so good.

It was so much fun trying these new recipes. With classic Halloween tunes playing in the background and a tablescape that created an elegant but spooky atmosphere, it wasn't hard to be swept up in the Halloween spirit.

Even Rocky got into the Halloween Spirit.

And, at night, the tablescape looked even more elegant and spooky.

The full tablescape lit up at night.

And here's a close-up of the centerpiece.

We ate pizza (a family Halloween tradition) and watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, another Halloween classic. Still in the Halloween spirit, I decided to try one more recipe.

Goblin Good Orange Cookies. A perfect way to end a meal.

While cooking all day was exhausting, I really enjoyed making the new recipes and sharing them with my family. I definitely think that I'll keep this Halloween tradition.

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween. And most importantly, I hope everyone remembered...

~A.E. Keener

Happy New Year!

It's the start of a new year. A new year means new adventures and new resolutions. 2012 has had its up and downs; but, for the most part, I've enjoyed it.
Besides the adventures that I've already posted, I finished my first year of grad school in California and started my 2nd year.

I explored and had tea on the Queen Mary.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.

I love mini desserts!

I was able to watch as the Endeavor take its last flight.

Not the best photo; but, hey, I was enjoying the moment.

I was able to see the Monarch Butterfly migration in Santa Barbara, CA. This migration is considered one of the great migrations of the world.

Look closely. Those aren't leaves at the end of the branches. They're Monarchs clustered together.

I hope that this year will be filled with adventures as well.

As for resolutions for this year, I have 4 pages worth of them. Hopefully, I'll be able to write about some of them. 

I hope everyone has a great new year and success in their goals as well.