Halloween

Weeks ago, literally between finishing the turkey and turning our thoughts towards the pumpkin tiramisu, Jack announced it was time to get the Halloween decorations out.

The excitement has been building ever since.

So the house is festooned with black bats taped to every available surface, the pumpkin lights glow merrily (or should that be eerily?) in the littles bedroom, and there have been several practice rounds of trick or treat.

Jack went retro, opting to be a Ghostbuster. I should really figure out how to post recordings on here because that boy can really belt out the Ghostbuster theme song.

I love how his proton pack is almost the size of him.

Anna went with a couple of options. A mermaid for indoor affairs and a witch for warmth on Halloween night.

I've always been partial to witches and am glad to see she's carrying on the tradition. This is her third witch in six years.

The littles carved their own jack-o-lantern's this year. We were pretty impressed with the outcomes.

Anna's was mischievous looking and Jack's had a cool two-sided, two-faced Dr. Jykell and Mr. Hyde vibe about it.

Trick or treating couldn't have been more fun. A clear chilly starry night, a group of friends, bags brimming with treats. We soaked up every spooky moment.

Happy Halloween!

Harvest Bounty: Chocolate Zucchini Cake

We celebrated Thanksgiving today, an opportunity to spend time with those we see far less often than we'd like. After a mad day of prep work yesterday, I was soaking it all in.
Until that is, my oven died. A small flame on the heating element and it was done. Luckily for us the turkey already was.
So we warmed the side dishes in the microwave, ate until we popped and enjoyed a gorgeous autumn afternoon.
But the dark cloud remains over my head.
 I can't bake.
This is very unsettling. I have plans and a new doughnut cutter that is begging for a trial run.




So I'll trade kitchen for computer and write up posts for the yumminess I've been making lately.

Starting with a chocolate zucchini cake.

My lovely friend Marnie gifted us with an enormous zucchini after a recent playdate.

 I immediately thought of the chocolate zucchini cake my mom used to make. Sprinkled with chocolate chips, it was moist and very un-vegetable like.

After some searching I found this recipe and added my own glaze. The espresso adds a great depth of flavour to an already fantastic chocolate cake. It was especially good slightly warm with a glass of milk. Jack completely agreed and he had no idea that the vegetable he played strong man with had found it's way inside.

Chocolate Espresso Glaze

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp instant espresso
6 tbsp milk

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake.

Enjoy!