How to Host the Creepiest Halloween Party on the Block

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It's just the right time of year to start making plans for Halloween. If you don't have small children, or if the weather just isn't right for trick-or-treating, you might want to consider hosting a fun and spooky Halloween party. Of course you'll want to use your own creative spark when hanging decorations and baking snacks, but here are a few basic ideas to get you started.

Decorations

You don't need to spend a lot of money to convert you house into the kind of creepy crawly locale suitable for Halloween. All it takes is a few supplies and a little imagination.

The first step is to choose a theme for your decorations. A little organization can lead to a much more appealing (and frightening) effect than simply taping scary images up. You can host your party in:

· A haunted mansion
· An eerie graveyard
· A mad scientist's laboratory
· A monster's lair
· A meeting place for fairy tale witches
· Any other place you can think of!

The next step is to gather your supplies. Of course, the kind of decorations you want to make will depend on your party's theme. If you're not sure what decorations would work best, or how to create the effect you want, there are plenty of websites with lots of great tips.

Refreshments

As we all know, refreshments are the lifeblood of a party. You don't want to serve any drab snack for a special night like Halloween. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to dress up your favorite foods to create the perfect spooky snack.

For example, let's say you're serving deviled eggs - the perfect food for a scary party, right? After you've prepared the eggs, get some black olives and cut them in half. One half can be placed domed side-up on the egg yolk. The other can be cut into slivers and arranged around the other half. There is now a swarm of huge spiders on your food table.

As you can see, anything you may be preparing can be turned into an appropriately awful surprise for your guests. Simple cookies can become bones, fingers, eyeballs, and bugs. Gelatin can be easily molded into delightful shapes, from brains to space aliens to ghostly ectoplasm. Even harmless homemade breadsticks can become gangly skeletons or witches' brooms.

For more information about party hosting and refreshments, visit http://www.cdkitchen.com

Joseph Devine

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Halloween Favors - Choose Among Many Options

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Halloween parties are gaining in popularity for kids and adults alike. Costumes have become more sophisticated, decorations much improved and the quality and selection of Halloween favors are better than ever.

Edible Halloween favors will always be beloved. And if you make them yourselves they are low in cost. Need inspiration for some homemade treats? Turn to Google Images for endless possibilities. Go to Google.com and then select Images from the choices in the upper left corner of the webpage. Type in either "Halloween Cookies" or "Halloween Cupcakes" and you'll be amazed by how many cookies and cupcakes you can choose from! Print out the ones you like best and then go for it! You can obtain terrific Halloween cookie cutters at many stores and certainly online.

Other easy and fun treats include decorated caramel corn balls, dipped pretzels, and rice crispy treats.  Place each item in a cello bag, tie it with a black or orange ribbon, and you have a finished Halloween favor.

If your baking and decorating skills are not your strong suit, or you don't have the time to do it yourself, leave it to the professions.   They have some really impressive offerings including bat cookies, skeletons, ghosts, monsters and, of course, pumpkins!

Non Edible Favors: Candle favors are perfect for this holiday. Search for votive holders that have a 'Halloween' motif including black and orange. An orange colored votive is perfect for the holder! (Black, too, if you can find them). Halloween party cups have also become popular. These are made from acrylic (so durable) and typically have a Halloween motif on them. Ultra cool party cups have 'compartment' bottoms that include a Halloween scene within the compartment.

If your party is before Halloween, you can give away glowing or blinking bracelets, necklaces, or buttons. They are both fun and practical, as they can be used to be spotted on the evening when you will be trick or treating.

Cool Party Favors, copyright 2009

Joyce Kreger is a party planner and recommends these fun Halloween Favors offered at Cool-Party-Favors.com

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10 Ways To Dress It Up For Halloween

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Don't use the same ole traditional halloween candy bowl you have used year after year. Let your creative juices flow and seek out something fun and unique this year. Here are 10 ideas sure to get the party off to a higher spirit.

1. Basket case. Hollow out a pumpkin to use as a fun filled candy basket and to finish it off, make a basket handle out of cut vines. Any backyard vine with stiff stems will work great. Clean out the pumpkin and let it sit for approximately 24 hours to make sure it is dry before filling it with treats. Bend the vines into a handle and secure them to the pumpkin with wire poked into each side.

2. Truckin. Let your creativity flow, find a vintage dump truck at your favorite antique store, second-hand store, maybe a flea market or a garage sell. Fill it full of bright, colorfully wrapped halloween candies, use halloween stickers to decorate the vintage dump truck doors, such as a cute little pumpkin. This makes for a great accent piece.

3. Conversation piece tray. Find a vintage tray with dividers or maybe a drawer with built in dividers, at your local hardware store, or an old wooden crate with dividers in it to display a variety of colorfully wrapped halloween candies, in some of the larger divided sections, full-sized wrapped candy bars work well, maybe find vintage wrapped candy bars. For health reasons, just remember to use only wrapped candies.

5. Strange and interesting vases. Seek out unique containers at a garage sell, maybe at a second-hand store, import stores, furnishings store or an antique store. Look around, you may have something special at home that would be ideal. These will make for great halloween foil-wrapped candy holders. A good example of one would be a wire umbrella type so the candies will stand out in a crowd.

6. Stand alone candies. If you would like to decorate with special halloween stand alone treats, as they are referred to, use a coated black cast iron decorative trivet to place on an end table or on a small serving table. You can also use a 2 or 3-tiered serving tray. Place pumpkin shaped or skeleton shaped suckers on it. Maybe choose some candied bones mixed with gummy body parts and scatter them all around on the trays. Use your imagination, this is the time of year to get a bit crazy.

7. Well, well well. Choose a gourd or a pumpkin in your desired size but with a nice deep well in the top of it and trim off the stem to make a ready made candy dish for loose chocolate-coated sesame seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, or decorative halloween wrapped candies or a combination of these. Use your imagination and just have fun.

8. Haunted house candies. Ever thought about maybe turning a dollhouse, or perhaps a new birdhouse, or any kind of shelter-style accessory into a spooky wicth's lair. Paint the house with black and dark green paints, them prop a witch figurine at the door. Tuck candies into the windows and doors. Pile up a bunch of candy in the middle of a room and combine some of those stand alone type treats.

9. Spooky garden planters. Find a unique looking, maybe an aged or weathered looking garden planter at a garage sell or a second-hand store and re-use it Maybe you have something that would work well in your own garden shed. Of course, make sure you wash it thoroughly and then use a food-safe liner, such as a plastic bowl or a bag to fit snuggly into the container to pour the halloween candies in to. Sweet.

10. Wired. Seek out an old second-hand inexpensive bicycle or a tricycle, the more run down it is, the better. Attach a large wired basket to it, or even an old fashioned inexpensive weave type basket will work. Fill the basket full of a large variety of halloween candies and set it by the front door for your guests to enjoy as they enter. What a great conversation piece.

If you would like a special Halloween product, feel free to visit http://halloweenunique.com/artic1e/Fun___Easy_Halloween_Party_Themes_and_Ideas.txt try out our latest search tool.

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Hosting A Halloween Party With Ease

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Putting together a costumed Halloween party for adults is not as difficult as it might sound. With the right tricks up your sleeve, the resulting party is a treat to lead.Some of the best ideas for creating a masquerade party that is a hit involve nothing more than a little careful planning. The keys lie in the invitations, the menu and focusing on the theme. When shortcuts and easy ideas are followed, the entire event will almost plan itself.The first thing to do is to get the invitations out early. The beginning to mid part of the month generally works well. If a high-end masquerade ball is anticipated, September is not out of the question either so guests have the time to really pull together their costumes. Make sure the invitations include response cards and be certain to highlight the costume requirement. If the event is Bring Your Own Brown Bag, say that to avoid any confusion later.Planning the menu will hinge a lot on the style of the party and the number of response cards. Easy ideas for foods include finger sandwiches, deli platters, restaurant catering and even lots of homemade treats. For higher end parties, consider catering to take the extra burden off hosting the gala. Do wait to order or start planning until the number of guests is reasonably in hand.Decorations for the holiday virtually plan themselves. Think streamers, balloons and plenty of ghosts, goblins and jack-o-lanterns. If dancing is desired, push the furniture in the living room back to the wall, but leave plenty of seating open for those who do not want to cut a rug.If an extra holiday flare is really desired, a horror movie marathon running on a screen or two in the house is not out of question. Ideas to keep this a little sequestered include offset family rooms, porches or even screening rooms if they are located in the house. Pull out the classics and some recent favorites and just keep them loaded up for the enjoyment of your guests.To give the party a little extra zing and pizzazz make a contest out of the costumes themselves. When guests arrive, give them a ballot. Let them vote on their favorites. Before the evening winds down, tally the numbers and hand out prizes to the top three party people. Ideas for prizes include Halloween themed decorations, gift baskets and even a bottle of fine spirits in keeping with the season.Hosting a costumed Halloween party is a great way for adults to get into the season. The effort does not have to take a ton of time, money or work to really pull off. Keep it simple by planning things ahead and taking shortcuts so personal enjoyment is also ensured.


Randy Gardner is Romeo-Your Romance Resource and is the exclusive writer for Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations. Visit Ask Romeo Blog [http://askromeoblog.gottohaveitromanticgiftcreations.com/ask_romeo_blog/] to read more of Romeo’s articles about dating, romance, relationships and romantic and holiday gifts. To find that perfect unique romantic gift for that special someone, go to Got To Have It

Halloween Games for Kids' Parties

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Maybe your child has a birthday on October 30 or 31, and you want to have a party. Or you are having a traditional celebration in party form and are looking for ways to keep the kids entertained safely. There are lots of Halloween games for kids, both active and quiet, that will keep them occupied and having fun. Here are some ideas.
Monster FreezePut on some Halloween music. It can be funny and upbeat, or slow and scary. Tell kids to move the way the music feels. When the music stops, they have to freeze. Kids love Monster Mash and Michael Jackson's Thriller songs.
Pin the Nose on the WitchThis is a variation on Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Use a large picture of a witch, and paste it up on a wall. Give each kid a nose made from construction paper, with a loop of masking or painter's tape on the back.Blindfold each child in turn, spin them around three times (kids love the spinning best of all), and then point them in the direction of the witch poster. They stick the nose on when they think they have it in the correct position.
Pass the Jack-O-LanternDivide the kids into two teams, and line each team up. Give the first person in each line a jack-o-lantern. You can use an orange with a face drawn on with black marking pen. Or use orange balloons with or without faces.The first child puts the fake pumpkin under their chin and keeps it there, without using their hands. They have to pass it along, from one child to the next in line, from chin to chin, without using any hands. The first team to finish wins.
Spooky TelephoneAgain, using teams in two lines, say the same spooky message to the first child in each line. They need to whisper the message to the next kid, and so on, down the line. At the end, the last kid has to tell you what the sentence was. Kids love to hear the funny things they end up saying.
Cookie DecoratingYou can make or buy sugar cookies and decorate them with icing, sprinkles, and small candies, such as M and Ms. If you spread round cookies with orange icing, then give kids black or brown, they can decorate them to look like jack-o-lanterns.If you use black or brown frosting, then give kids white icing, they can make spider webs. You can top those with gummy worms or bugs, to make them super gross.Remember, if you have very young children at the party, keep the toys and favors large, to prevent choking. And in general, the grosser, the better. Kids love yucky! Using these simple Halloween party games, you can keep the kids amused and safe this year.

Orange-Ginger Pumpkin Bread

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I have a small thing about pumpkins. Okay, not so small. And, it's true that I stock up on about 200 lbs. (or more) of pumpkins, squash and sweet potatoes annually. Before you contact "Hoarders" with my info, just know that I do actually cook my stash. And bury the evidence in the compost heap. By spring, no one would ever know.

I have an alibi that smells like pumpkin bread, too. And soup. And pie. Cookies, cake, stew, gratin ... the latest recipe is for bread, though. You can make this into a cake, however, or muffins or cupcakes.

Orange-Ginger Pumpkin Bread
Dry ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground mace, or nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Wet ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
1/2 cup milk, 2 percent is okay but not skim
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbs. plus 1 tsp. organic canola oil
3 tbs. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract

Bonus:
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
1/2 cup raisins, if you want them

First, decide what type of pumpkin dessert you want here. For a loaf pan, use 9x5x3. For muffins, you'll make about 12 normal sized muffins. If you are making a cake, you may have to double the batch depending on your cake pan of choice. You'll need to base the cooking time for a cake on the recipes that come with the pan there.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line your pan/muffin pan/cupcake papers, etc..

First, mix the dry ingredients well with a whisk. This makes sure the spices and leavening are evenly distributed. It's harder to do this if you add the dry ingredients one at a time to the wet ones.

Next, in your mixer bowl, add all the "wet" ingredients, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing on low speed as you go. Beat on higher speed for a minute. Fold in the candied ginger. Raisins, if you like them.

Pour the mixture evenly into your pan(s). Bake as follows:
• For cake, "guesstimate" the time from recipes that come with your cake pan, check in advance of the time so you don't overcook. My cute little pumpkin cake pan took about 50 minutes.
• For the loaf pan, about 60 minutes
• About 18-20 minutes for standard muffins
• About 10-12 minutes for mini muffins

Check to be sure they are done in center, of course. If this is a dessert such as cake or cupcake, or you just love cream cheese frosting, because, who doesn't, then you might like the recipe below.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (1/2 batch of frosting, double for a cake)
4 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. orange extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix the butter and cream cheese well, add extracts. Beat in two cups of powdered sugar until fluffy.

Black-eyed Peas in a Healthy Soup for New Year's Luck

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For the last few years, we've made sure to make black-eyed peas for New Year's. I never even questioned the source of this mostly southern tradition. It's an excuse to eat black-eyed peas with smoked ham hock. 'Nuff said. That more traditional recipe is in our cookbook, The Cleaner Plate Club, and plenty of greens recipes to go with it, too.

In the South, the peas symbolize prosperity, greens mean money and the pork is said to symbolize the pig's hard efforts at foraging for itself. Some of the history behind the custom comes from Civil War days when the Union soliders wiped out all the food crops in the South, leaving just "animal feed" like field corn and the black-eyed peas.

Other history point to farther back, such as ancient Syria and Jewish Rosh Hashana, then brought to the US by Jewish immigrants in the 1700s.

This year, we skipped the ham and went for a vegetarian approach. After the holiday excess, I have to admit that we were all ready for something light. This soup is based on the Fall Vegetable Soup in the book, with the addition of farro, a wholegrain the offers some protein, and, of course, black-eyed peas which are available fresh this time of year. Also check in the freezer section for frozen ones.

Still, we have the peas for prosperity, kale as the greens for money, and the cheap, healthy protein source of farro for my own foraging, as well as some herbs from my garden (what has not totally frozen yet). And, without the saturated fat from the smoked pork, well, this soup adds a healthy start on your New Year's resolutions.

To modify the recipe for dried black-eyed peas, you'll need to soak them overnight. After sweating the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot, add the stock and black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed from the soaking water) and bring those to a boil, then simmer for 1.5 hours before going forward with the rest of the recipe.

Makes 12 servings

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2/3 cup chopped carrot (about 
3 medium carrots)

2/3 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbsp dried summer savory

2 tsp dried thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 small Parmesan rinds, optional

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small (¼-inch cubes)

1 lb winter squash, peeled and diced small (¼-inch cubes)
1 cup farro, rinsed and drained or 1 cup lentils, rinsed, sorted and drained

1 lb. fresh or frozen black-eyed peas

1 bunch (about 12 oz) kale or chard greens, stemmed and chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Warm the oil over medium-low heat and add the onion, carrot and celery. Sweat this combination, known as a mirepoix, until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the stock and the savory, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the sweet potato, squash and Parmesan rinds, and then simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the farro or lentils and black-eyed peas and simmer for 30 more minutes (or until the lentils, if present, are al dente).
4. Add the greens, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rinds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

When we were eating, my six-year-old who often won't eat soft textures of orange foods, said, "Mom, can we have this soup every New Year?" As picky as kids can be, especially after a sugar rush of holiday desserts, I think that's about as lucky as it gets.

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you are off to a healthy, happy new start.

Ani's Raw Food Essentials Book Giveaway!

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This Giveaway has ended. Please click here to see who won.

Thanks to all who entered.

Scroll down to see an awesome recipe from Ani's Raw Food Essentials:)

Hi everyone! I am back with the details of my first blog giveaway!

I am so happy to be able to give one of you* a chance to win the awesome new book Raw Food Essentials by the lovely raw food chef, Ani Phyo.

Check out my post from yesterday to see all the incredible recipes I have made so far from Ani's Raw Food Essentials, and my review of the book.

*This contest is open to residents of the United States only, as stipulated by the sponsor. Sincere thanks to the lovely Lindsey Triebel of Perseus Books Group for arranging this giveaway!

Now, here is how to enter:

Entry number one:
1.) Please check out my post from yesterday, then come back here and tell me which one of the recipes I made from Ani's Raw Food Essentials you are most interested in trying. Also, I would love to know if you have a favorite recipe from raw Chef Ani Phyo. If you haven't tried one yet, visit her incredible website and tell me which recipe you would most like to try. Leave your comment on this post for one entry.

Entry number two:
2.) For another chance to win, leave me a second comment on this post and tell me what you like to see most in an un-cookbook. Are you someone who loves raw sweets and desserts, looking for quick everyday recipes, or meals for the whole family, etc. Are you interested in all kinds of raw info, or just the recipes? Please mention if you do buy un-cookbooks, and if you prefer e-books, or printed books in your comment.

Entry number three:
3.) For a third chance to win, mention this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter with a link to this post. If you don't blog, Facebook, or tweet, be a subscriber or follower of the happy raw kitchen blog:) Just tell me which one you did for this additional entry. You only need to do one mention for this, but anything extra is appreciated:)

Bonus:
4.) For a fourth and final chance to win, stand on your head while facing west, put on some hot pink lipstick, and whistle the Happy Birthd....HAHAHA! Forgive me :) Just having some fun!

Please have your entries posted by 12 midnight EST Sunday, June 6, 2010. Winner will be announced on, or shortly after Monday, June 7.

Good Luck Everyone!!!

p.s. I am not able to post in the comments at this time, please feel free to email me with any questions regarding this giveaway, contact info on my profile here. Also, if you are having problems posting a comment, contact me.

Now, I do have something special for all of you! I was given permission to share a recipe from the book, and believe me, it is awesome!

MEDITERRANEAN WRAP WITH RED PEPPER
HUMMUS (BEAN-FREE)

Photo credit: Tyler Golden.

From the book Ani's Raw Food Essentials by Ani Phyo. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2010.

MAKES 4 WRAPS

This recipe uses collard leaves for wrapping up vegetables, such as spinach, zucchini, black olives, and avocado, with a delicious Red Pepper Hummus.

2 large collard leaves
2 cups spinach, washed well
½ recipe Red Pepper Hummus (page 184)
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
½ cup zucchini, cut into long, thin spears
¼ cup pitted, chopped black olives

Cut the leaves away from the thick center stem of each collard leaf to make a total
of four flat pieces.

Top each collard section with spinach leaves. Then, spoon Red Pepper Hummus across the bottom edge of the shorter width of each leaf. Top with avocado, zucchini, and black olives. Roll up into a wrap and serve.

Will keep for up to a day at room temperature, or store for a day or two in the
fridge.

RED PEPPER HUMMUS (BEAN-FREE)

MAKES 2 CUPS

This hummus is made using tahini, as in traditional recipes, but instead of chickpeas, I use red bell pepper and a pinch of cumin for a richer flavor. Sesame powder helps absorb some of the excess liquid from the juicy bell pepper.

½ cup sesame seeds, ground into a powder
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups seeded and diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin

In a food processor, process the sesame seeds, garlic, and salt into small pieces.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

I have already made this yummy recipe, and it is fantastic!

Huge thanks to lovely raw Chef Ani Phyo for allowing me to share this amazing recipe, and for creating this incredible book.

Keepin' My Cool :)

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Welcome back everyone! Hope you are all staying cool. The Adirondack mountains have chilled out a bit lately, but it is still warm enough for one of my favorite raw treats, Popsicles!

They are so easy to create, and help keep you hydrated in the hot weather in a fun way.

The "recipe" is simple, just use your favorite liquid like fruit puree, juice, or smoothie (yup, even a green one). If you like fudgesicles, you can use your favorite avocado pudding, yum!

Even banana soft-serve is delish as a Popsicle. For the pops pictured, the white was 1 young Thai coconut, pureed with a splash of coconut water, a dash of coconut nectar, and a squeeze of lime. The yellow was sweet, juicy pineapple, and the red was dark, sweet cherries with a spoon of coconut nectar. Some flavors taste a bit less sweet to me when frozen, but you can omit all sweeteners if you prefer:)

My favorite flavors in this pop were the pineapple and cherry:)

Check out this very cool stainless steel ONYX Popsicle Mold from the tickle Trunk. I absolutely adore it!

The mold is so well made, I think it could become a family heirloom!

One great feature is that the pops can be made one at a time, the perfect thing to make with that little extra smoothie that won't fit in the glass. Frozen pops can be removed as soon as they are solid, and new treats can be made since you need to use a new stick each time. The company is actually working on re-usable bamboo sticks! In the meantime they do come with extra sticks, and you can find replacements if needed.

The tops have a colorful silicone seal around the stick, and they give you an extra set, too. I found it easier to insert the stick from the underside of the top, so the seal doesn't pop out.


I will be reusing the 'spent' sticks myself in a crafty trivet or something :)

I stored a few Popsicles (removed from molds) in the freezer, wrapped in parchment paper:

I even made some like my bloggie friend, bitt, who used sweetened tea. Mine were double strength mint tea, sweetened with coconut nectar. Yum!!! The orange pops are persimmon...absolutely fantastic! The nice ripe persimmons got a little smushed on the way home from the market this weekend, so into the Popsicle they went! I still have an older plastic mold, so I used that for this batch.


They were all so cool and refreshing, but the mint was especially nice.

If it is hot where you live, I would love to hear about your ways of staying cool!

For those interested, I should be back soon with a kombucha update since momma SCOBY has given birth haha!!!

I would also like to thank the lovely Pure2Raw twins, Michelle and Lori, for featuring a few of my socca pictures on their blog earlier this week in a feature called "Socca Sunday"! Although it is not raw, I am totally in love with it! Thanks so much, Michelle and Lori:)

I'm Nuts About This Post!

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend.

We did the usual...shopping:)

The rain stopped us from a day trip to Vermont, but we were just there last weekend anyway:) Below is a picture of Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains in the background. It was so lovely.

Our main reason for going to Vermont last week was an Antique and Classic car show in Stowe. Have you ever seen a car with a record player in the dashboard?

Raise your hand if you actually know what a 'record player' is! :)

Since we usually have to do our food shopping on weekends, I was so happy to find a great Natural Foods store right on the same road as the show:) We stopped on the way home for a much needed cold coconut water and a few pantry essentials. If you find yourself in Waterbury Center, Vermont make sure to stop by Sunflower Natural Foods.

The store was very well stocked,

and so neat and clean with a very friendly staff:) There was even a sweet play nook upstairs for the little ones:)

Don't you wish you were 4 or 5 again?

My recent post, Raw Pantry Essentials, showed a few pictures from one of my usual places to shop. But sometimes, a 'special ingredient' can only be found online.

I recently ordered Heathy's Moonie Pie ebook (they look amazing btw), and noticed that I didn't have one of the ingredients. Hmmm...as well stocked as my favorite store is, they do not carry this one special ingredient. A quick online search for it brought me to NutsOnline.

My order was placed on Monday, and the box arrived at my door Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours later! What a pleasant surprise:) Everything looked great!

NutsOnline has a huge selection of organic and raw products, as well as hundreds of other products.

While checking out their blog, I was thrilled to see they had linked up to my Sprouting Chia seeds post:) Thanks NutsOnline!

So, I am very excited to tell you NutsOnline has generously offered one of you* a chance to try 2 of their products!

One pound of Organic Chia Seeds, and one pound of Raw Organic Hemp Seeds! YAY!!!!!

Thanks so much to the lovely Katie Ide from NutsOnline for making this giveaway possible.

These products were hand picked by yours truly:), but you can change them if you have issues with either of these...for anything of a lesser or equal value:)

*This giveaway is limited to residents of the United States and Canada only.

Requirements to enter this giveaway are simple:

Mandatory for entry #1:
Visit NutsOnline and leave a comment below telling me which of their products you would love to try, and what you would make with them.

For one additional entry:
Subscribe to the NutsOnline Newsletter to receive special offers and coupons, leave a comment here telling me you did so, for entry #2.

That's it! This giveaway will close at midnight EST Sunday August 29, 2010. Winner will be announced on, or shortly after Monday, August 30.

You probably already have a favorite recipe using hemp or chia seeds, but if you don't, here are several pictures of a few of mine to whet your appetite.

All the links are to my posts which either have the recipe, or tell you where to find it:

Chia Puddings

Bitts Hemp Brownies

Kate Magic's Marching Biscuits

Magic Chocolate

Hemp Power Ball Truffles

Chia-Sesame Cracker

Oh my...I think we need something with a little green:)

Russell James' Wilted Kale Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing


My S&M Salad with Creamy Macadamia-Lime Hemp Dressing

There, that's better!

Good luck everyone!!!!

Halloween Is A Favorite Holiday For Kids Everywhere But With Crafts It Can Be Even More Fun

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Halloween will always be a favorite holiday with kids everywhere. Decorations are a big part of this holiday. Why not let your kids have fun and make their own decorations for this favorite holiday? They are easy to make and your kids will enjoy them more knowing they made them themselves.One very easy but fun Halloween craft is the egg carton bats. You will need egg cartons, crayons or markers and scissors. Googly eyes are great to have too. The first thing they will need to do is to separate 3 cups from their egg carton. Then they need to cut out part of the bottoms from 2 of the cups so that they look like bat wings. Now they can draw the eyes and mouth and decorate their bat however they want to. The last thing they will do is to attach a string or rubber band so that they can hang up their bats.A second craft is the egg carton spider. You will need to have egg cartons, crayons or markers, scissors and pipe cleaners. You can use googly eyes if you want to. Separate one cup from the egg carton. With scissors you want to make 8 small holes at the base of the cup. Make sure there are 4 holes on each side. Then put the pipe cleaner into each of the holes so that there are eight legs. Now draw the face and decorate how you want to. These two crafts make Halloween more fun for kids of any age.

Ani's Raw Food Essentials Book Giveaway!

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This Giveaway has ended. Please click here to see who won.

Thanks to all who entered.

Scroll down to see an awesome recipe from Ani's Raw Food Essentials:)

Hi everyone! I am back with the details of my first blog giveaway!

I am so happy to be able to give one of you* a chance to win the awesome new book Raw Food Essentials by the lovely raw food chef, Ani Phyo.

Check out my post from yesterday to see all the incredible recipes I have made so far from Ani's Raw Food Essentials, and my review of the book.

*This contest is open to residents of the United States only, as stipulated by the sponsor. Sincere thanks to the lovely Lindsey Triebel of Perseus Books Group for arranging this giveaway!

Now, here is how to enter:

Entry number one:
1.) Please check out my post from yesterday, then come back here and tell me which one of the recipes I made from Ani's Raw Food Essentials you are most interested in trying. Also, I would love to know if you have a favorite recipe from raw Chef Ani Phyo. If you haven't tried one yet, visit her incredible website and tell me which recipe you would most like to try. Leave your comment on this post for one entry.

Entry number two:
2.) For another chance to win, leave me a second comment on this post and tell me what you like to see most in an un-cookbook. Are you someone who loves raw sweets and desserts, looking for quick everyday recipes, or meals for the whole family, etc. Are you interested in all kinds of raw info, or just the recipes? Please mention if you do buy un-cookbooks, and if you prefer e-books, or printed books in your comment.

Entry number three:
3.) For a third chance to win, mention this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter with a link to this post. If you don't blog, Facebook, or tweet, be a subscriber or follower of the happy raw kitchen blog:) Just tell me which one you did for this additional entry. You only need to do one mention for this, but anything extra is appreciated:)

Bonus:
4.) For a fourth and final chance to win, stand on your head while facing west, put on some hot pink lipstick, and whistle the Happy Birthd....HAHAHA! Forgive me :) Just having some fun!

Please have your entries posted by 12 midnight EST Sunday, June 6, 2010. Winner will be announced on, or shortly after Monday, June 7.

Good Luck Everyone!!!

p.s. I am not able to post in the comments at this time, please feel free to email me with any questions regarding this giveaway, contact info on my profile here. Also, if you are having problems posting a comment, contact me.

Now, I do have something special for all of you! I was given permission to share a recipe from the book, and believe me, it is awesome!

MEDITERRANEAN WRAP WITH RED PEPPER
HUMMUS (BEAN-FREE)

Photo credit: Tyler Golden.

From the book Ani's Raw Food Essentials by Ani Phyo. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2010.

MAKES 4 WRAPS

This recipe uses collard leaves for wrapping up vegetables, such as spinach, zucchini, black olives, and avocado, with a delicious Red Pepper Hummus.

2 large collard leaves
2 cups spinach, washed well
½ recipe Red Pepper Hummus (page 184)
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
½ cup zucchini, cut into long, thin spears
¼ cup pitted, chopped black olives

Cut the leaves away from the thick center stem of each collard leaf to make a total
of four flat pieces.

Top each collard section with spinach leaves. Then, spoon Red Pepper Hummus across the bottom edge of the shorter width of each leaf. Top with avocado, zucchini, and black olives. Roll up into a wrap and serve.

Will keep for up to a day at room temperature, or store for a day or two in the
fridge.

RED PEPPER HUMMUS (BEAN-FREE)

MAKES 2 CUPS

This hummus is made using tahini, as in traditional recipes, but instead of chickpeas, I use red bell pepper and a pinch of cumin for a richer flavor. Sesame powder helps absorb some of the excess liquid from the juicy bell pepper.

½ cup sesame seeds, ground into a powder
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups seeded and diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin

In a food processor, process the sesame seeds, garlic, and salt into small pieces.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

I have already made this yummy recipe, and it is fantastic!

Huge thanks to lovely raw Chef Ani Phyo for allowing me to share this amazing recipe, and for creating this incredible book.

Keepin' My Cool :)

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Welcome back everyone! Hope you are all staying cool. The Adirondack mountains have chilled out a bit lately, but it is still warm enough for one of my favorite raw treats, Popsicles!

They are so easy to create, and help keep you hydrated in the hot weather in a fun way.

The "recipe" is simple, just use your favorite liquid like fruit puree, juice, or smoothie (yup, even a green one). If you like fudgesicles, you can use your favorite avocado pudding, yum!

Even banana soft-serve is delish as a Popsicle. For the pops pictured, the white was 1 young Thai coconut, pureed with a splash of coconut water, a dash of coconut nectar, and a squeeze of lime. The yellow was sweet, juicy pineapple, and the red was dark, sweet cherries with a spoon of coconut nectar. Some flavors taste a bit less sweet to me when frozen, but you can omit all sweeteners if you prefer:)

My favorite flavors in this pop were the pineapple and cherry:)

Check out this very cool stainless steel ONYX Popsicle Mold from the tickle Trunk. I absolutely adore it!

The mold is so well made, I think it could become a family heirloom!

One great feature is that the pops can be made one at a time, the perfect thing to make with that little extra smoothie that won't fit in the glass. Frozen pops can be removed as soon as they are solid, and new treats can be made since you need to use a new stick each time. The company is actually working on re-usable bamboo sticks! In the meantime they do come with extra sticks, and you can find replacements if needed.

The tops have a colorful silicone seal around the stick, and they give you an extra set, too. I found it easier to insert the stick from the underside of the top, so the seal doesn't pop out.


I will be reusing the 'spent' sticks myself in a crafty trivet or something :)

I stored a few Popsicles (removed from molds) in the freezer, wrapped in parchment paper:

I even made some like my bloggie friend, bitt, who used sweetened tea. Mine were double strength mint tea, sweetened with coconut nectar. Yum!!! The orange pops are persimmon...absolutely fantastic! The nice ripe persimmons got a little smushed on the way home from the market this weekend, so into the Popsicle they went! I still have an older plastic mold, so I used that for this batch.


They were all so cool and refreshing, but the mint was especially nice.

If it is hot where you live, I would love to hear about your ways of staying cool!

For those interested, I should be back soon with a kombucha update since momma SCOBY has given birth haha!!!

I would also like to thank the lovely Pure2Raw twins, Michelle and Lori, for featuring a few of my socca pictures on their blog earlier this week in a feature called "Socca Sunday"! Although it is not raw, I am totally in love with it! Thanks so much, Michelle and Lori:)

I'm Nuts About This Post!

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend.

We did the usual...shopping:)

The rain stopped us from a day trip to Vermont, but we were just there last weekend anyway:) Below is a picture of Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains in the background. It was so lovely.

Our main reason for going to Vermont last week was an Antique and Classic car show in Stowe. Have you ever seen a car with a record player in the dashboard?

Raise your hand if you actually know what a 'record player' is! :)

Since we usually have to do our food shopping on weekends, I was so happy to find a great Natural Foods store right on the same road as the show:) We stopped on the way home for a much needed cold coconut water and a few pantry essentials. If you find yourself in Waterbury Center, Vermont make sure to stop by Sunflower Natural Foods.

The store was very well stocked,

and so neat and clean with a very friendly staff:) There was even a sweet play nook upstairs for the little ones:)

Don't you wish you were 4 or 5 again?

My recent post, Raw Pantry Essentials, showed a few pictures from one of my usual places to shop. But sometimes, a 'special ingredient' can only be found online.

I recently ordered Heathy's Moonie Pie ebook (they look amazing btw), and noticed that I didn't have one of the ingredients. Hmmm...as well stocked as my favorite store is, they do not carry this one special ingredient. A quick online search for it brought me to NutsOnline.

My order was placed on Monday, and the box arrived at my door Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours later! What a pleasant surprise:) Everything looked great!

NutsOnline has a huge selection of organic and raw products, as well as hundreds of other products.

While checking out their blog, I was thrilled to see they had linked up to my Sprouting Chia seeds post:) Thanks NutsOnline!

So, I am very excited to tell you NutsOnline has generously offered one of you* a chance to try 2 of their products!

One pound of Organic Chia Seeds, and one pound of Raw Organic Hemp Seeds! YAY!!!!!

Thanks so much to the lovely Katie Ide from NutsOnline for making this giveaway possible.

These products were hand picked by yours truly:), but you can change them if you have issues with either of these...for anything of a lesser or equal value:)

*This giveaway is limited to residents of the United States and Canada only.

Requirements to enter this giveaway are simple:

Mandatory for entry #1:
Visit NutsOnline and leave a comment below telling me which of their products you would love to try, and what you would make with them.

For one additional entry:
Subscribe to the NutsOnline Newsletter to receive special offers and coupons, leave a comment here telling me you did so, for entry #2.

That's it! This giveaway will close at midnight EST Sunday August 29, 2010. Winner will be announced on, or shortly after Monday, August 30.

You probably already have a favorite recipe using hemp or chia seeds, but if you don't, here are several pictures of a few of mine to whet your appetite.

All the links are to my posts which either have the recipe, or tell you where to find it:

Chia Puddings

Bitts Hemp Brownies

Kate Magic's Marching Biscuits

Magic Chocolate

Hemp Power Ball Truffles

Chia-Sesame Cracker

Oh my...I think we need something with a little green:)

Russell James' Wilted Kale Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing


My S&M Salad with Creamy Macadamia-Lime Hemp Dressing

There, that's better!

Good luck everyone!!!!