October Movie List for Scared-y Creeps

October is probably my favorite month in the year. Fall is the best season (duh) and that’s when you really start to feel it. The nights get longer, there’s a chill in the air, beautiful leaves falling from the trees and pumpkin flavored everything. Some of my favorite recipes are perfect for fall dinners and of course Halloween! The best part about Halloween to me is the fact that it falls on the very at day of the month. That means that you have all 31 days to partake in Halloween themed activities. Haunted Houses, parties all month long, spooky baking, ghost tours and my favorite part watching creepy movies! Now I say ‘creepy’ because I am not a huge fan of ‘scary’ per say.  I’ll watch quirky, and a bit creepy but not crazy horror and gore. So I’ve compiled a list of my 10 favorite movies to watch in October. These are movies for those like me who enjoy the erieness that this month has to offer without the fear of peeing our pants while cuddling on a couch with your boo thing. I’m even offering up some tasty meal or snack options you can enjoy with each picture!  So in no particular order here we go, and don’t worry there really is no need to be scared…

                                                                   Hocus Pocus

This is by far probably my favorite on this list. I usually end up watching it October 1^st every year because I get so excited to see it. 3 Salem witches trying to make it through one night in the 90’s…awesomeness will ensue. This movie would be great served with Clark Bars and a bowl of dead men’s toes; or cut up hotdogs in macaroni and cheese. :) 

                                                          Rocky Horror Picture Show

Sex, Tim Curry in fishnets, great music, aliens, and a man made man. Hello Transylvania. Check out my entire menu for this movie here.

                                                          Kiki’s Delivery Service

So it’s not very Halloweenie, but it is about a witch who lives above a bakery and makes deliveries on her broomstick. Such a cute film that would be great to watch with hot tea and pancakes. You’ll see why…

                                                                     Beetlejuice

Michael Keaton. Tim Burton. Classic. Done. Serve with a big bowl of your favorite chili.

                                                      Nightmare Before Christmas

Another Tim Burton classic you can enjoy two months out of the year. If you've actually never heard of this movie, it's where the people of Halloween Town kidnap 'Sandy Claus' and try to take over Christmas. For Halloween I would watch this with a bowl of French onion soup and a lot of candy corn.

                                                It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown and his gang on Halloween. Just adorable. This is great with a small snack like hot chocolate, popcorn, and apple slices served with caramel.

                                                                           Freaks

One of the first movies of it’s kind. A troop of circus people seeks revenge on a gold digging beauty. Just any alcohol beverage with this one folks. This movie doesn’t necessarily give one an appetite. But it’s not scary, don’t worry! It wouldn’t be on this list then…

                                                                       Nosferatu

Silent film Dracula. Creepy beyond creeps. But not frightening. Another I would just serve with some pumpkin beer and be done with it. Or even a blood themed cocktail would be great. Oooooo……

                                                     The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

This movie is not scary but I will tell you when I was 14 or 15 I watched this movie on TCM’s Silent Sunday Night’s at midnight and when Lon Cheney revealed his face I did jump and ran to my sisters room immediately after. So just don’t watch it alone, late at night if you’re extra woosie like me. Otherwise you should be fine. I would serve this with red wine, and a platter of roasted chicken, fruits, cheeses and breads. Very rustic style. And everyone eat with his or her hands.

                                                            Young Frankenstein

The hilarious spoof of Frankenstein. Mel Brooks doesn’t disappoint with his take on the Mary Shelly classic. Another about a man who attempts to make a man. This is fun movie that would be great with a very green broccoli and cheese soup served in a bread bowl, loaded corn muffins, and a fun dessert that looks like Frankenstein’s monster.

                                      And as an added Bonus The Legend of Sleepy Hallow

Bing Crosby does all the talking and singing throughout the film plus it’s Disney. So it’s double awesome. Plus they take a really dark song about the Headless Horseman and make it super catchy! It’s great! This is another fun movie that’s pretty short and best enjoyed with a snack. I suggest hot apple cider and some pumpkin pie with whipped cream or ice cream.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do each year! What are some of your favorite 'non-scary' Halloween Movies? And what do you serve them with?

Haters Gonna Hate, and a Baker's Gonna Bake Bake Bake Bake Bake

It’s been way too long since I last did anything with this blog. I probably seem super flaky (which I can be) since I first started this guy a few years ago. I’ll do really well for a bit and stay creative for a few weeks, then something will happen and I’ll fall off the face of the planet again.  Well, here I am once again trying to attempt a triumphant return with the world of blogging. And gosh darn it I mean to really stick to it this time!

I love my blog. I’m proud of it. I enjoy creating for it. It makes me happy to share it with those few who read and dare I say actually try these recipes I come up with. It’s one of my favorite things to do more then anything, create and share! So where have I been for the past year? What possible excuse (or reason) could I have this time for abandoning the one thing I supposedly love? Well, I’ll give you the low down of what I’ve been up to and explain how I came back.  Go ahead and take this time to grab a snack.

So to start, work has been so crazy lately.  Crazy like where I was working six days a week, 12 hour days, throwing up almost every morning before I went in from fear of going. Crying everyday on my long drive home. It’s just been a mess. For those that don’t know I was a bakery manager for a very successful grocery store chain in the southeast. I would even be as bold to say that it is one of the best ones in the entire country. They’re always popping up on top 10 lists, prize winning baked goods, and even as a company on Forbes 100 best companies to work for list every year since the list was started. Sounds pretty impressive right? I made great money, worked hard to get where I was, I got to work in a bakery everyday and I was still as miserable as a glass of red wine that’s been sitting out over night. The stress of work was really getting to me more so over the past year then ever.  Things in the company were changing and a lot of their good people were leaving due to these changes. I knew as soon as I found something else I would be too.  So I’d work like a mad woman and be too drained when I got off to even fix myself a sandwich for dinner. I lived off of fast food and convenience. I had no energy or desire to create new recipes. Every ounce of everything I had was being sucked away. Now I know that sounds a bit overdramatic, but it’s true! I could give example after example why things were so bad there, but it’s probably best I not get into it.  I will say the only good thing about my job was it enabled me to support my ModCloth addiction. 

More alcohol please.

I’d spend all of my free time sleeping, crying to whoever would listen, and searching for my next job. I had even lost the desire to cook or bake for a living. I was so miserable in my current position I wanted out of the business altogether and was looking for any boring office job I could qualify for. When suddenly a miracle happened, my boyfriend’s boss recommended me to a nice woman who had her own macaron business. She was doing all of the baking herself but was looking to expand her brand and needed someone to come in and help. I interviewed and was excited but skeptical to work for someone whose business I had never even heard of. I researched her macarons and they were lovely. She had great reviews and seemed to be well on her way to growing for sure. So, after some time I got the job!I walked away from the money, stress, and misery of where I was and walked into the mess that is a growing business and I couldn’t be happier. They truly make the best macarons I’ve ever tasted. The quality of taste, texture, and look is unmatched anywhere in the Atlanta area. For the first time since I don’t know when, I love going to work! I have more days off now then I know what to do with, and when I leave work as happy as can be my longing to try new dishes I see online along with my passion to create myself has come flooding back! I love the family I work for, and I am so happy to get to be apart of their journey too. I’ve discovered my happy little baker self again and I feel more complete then ever before.

Look at that happy baker!

 That all has probably been the biggest issue with why I’ve abandoned this space of the Internet but there are a few happier things. For any of you that follow me on Instagram you’ve probably noticed that I met someone. His name is Peter and he is the most perfect person on the planet for me. He went to school for film, so his knowledge and passion for it just makes me swoon considering how much adore classic film in particular. He takes care of me, supports every decision I make, and has been encouraging me to get back on here and do more with this blog. Now he’s also been taking up a lot of my time. Getting to know someone new, and going on creative dates are what we’ve been up to over the past 8 months so that’s been a little distracting.  But now that we’re a bit more settled in our relationship and having more time together that we use to not because of our crazy schedules colliding I don’t feel the need to spend every spare second I have with him. I can spend more of it in the kitchen! (haha) And now he can just reap the rewards of it. (And sometimes take the disasters to his office) ;D

  

And finally the last excuse to go along with my lack of posting is not having the right tools for blogging, like you know, a computer. I guess that would be important wouldn’t it? I’ve had the same one for about six years now, and that fella has been through a lot with me. I don’t know much about computers so when the darn thing kept shutting off after 10 minutes of being on due to overheating I didn’t know what I should do. I didn’t know the first thing about what type of laptop I would need based on what I use it for. What’s the best brand and bang for your buck?  And probably most importantly How do I use it? So it’s been over a year since I last attempted to even turn it on and since I haven’t really been blogging anyway it hasn’t been that big of a deal. I bought a Nook to watch Netflix and Hulu on, send emails and use social media from my IPhone, along with taking and saving pictures. (I can’t even tell you the last time I used a digital camera and needed to upload photos. Geeze) so really what was the point?

Well once I was doing more cooking and baking again Peter suggested I start looking for one right away. He uses his a lot for photo and video editing so he was wonderful at helping me pick the best one for me.  I’m really bad at putting things off and I would have been perfectly content not getting a new laptop and continued waiting until one fell out of the sky, but Peter kept taking me to stores, he stayed on top of the prices and sales at certain places, and ultimately even made the final decision for me. Did I mention earlier how absolutely perfect he is for me? Yeah, I thought so. Homegirl just needs a giant push sometimes, and I couldn’t be happier with it! Peter was even patient enough to spend hours showing me how to use it, and downloading the programs I’ll need to get this blog started back up again! Yay! Technology!

So there you have it. My past year; new job, new man, new laptop, heck even a new me! I’m the happiest little baker you’ve ever seen now! I get to make French cookies for a living at work, I’ve even been asked to do a few baking jobs on the side too! Making cupcakes and wedding cakes for weddings (duh) parties, and showers! Which is perfect timing because I actually have the time and energy to do it now!  Will you stay tuned and see where else life takes me next? Spoiler alert: it’s going to be in a kitchen Stay tuned!

The Philadelphia Story

‘You've got all the arrogance of your class, haven't you?’

It’s Philadelphia in the 40’s and socialite Tracy Lord (played by Katherine Hepburn)  is getting ready for her second marriage to self made George Kittridge. There’s buzz all over the house getting ready for their wedding, but not as much buzz as is all over the tabloids. However Tracy is a very private person that doesn’t like the media in her business so of course no one from the press is allowed to cover the wedding.

……..

Meanwhile C.K. Dexter Haven, (played by Cary Grant) a descendent of one of Philadelphia’s oldest families, former employee of Spy Magazine, drunk, and also Ms Tracy Lord’s first husband devises a plan to allow the magazine to cover the ‘Wedding of the Year.’ He enables writer Mike Connor (James Stewart) and Liz Imbrie into the Lord’s mansion by posing as very good friends of Tracy’s absent brother. Now he’s not doing this to get back at his ex. Sure they married quickly and had an equally passionate divorce as they did marriage. But, Dexter is bargaining with Spy’s editor in chief not to publish a very unflattering story about Tracy’s father Seth, who is believed to be having an affair in New York with a dancer. Even Tracy herself believes this story.

Tracy, smart and hard headed, figures out who they are but reluctantly allows them to stay (they don’t know she knows they’re reporters). With them in the house Tracy gets to know Mike much more through his writing, feels sympathetic towards Liz, and continues to fight with Dexter. Hilarity ensues, multiple love triangles form, and Ms. Tracy discovers who she really is. I can’t get into anymore of the story line without giving away what happens so you’ll just have to watch.

 'I'm going crazy. I'm standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy.'-Tracy Lord

This is one of my absolute favorite films! Every time I watch it I still laugh, swoon, and get excited about how things are all going to work out in the end. All of the characters are likeable, the story lines are entertaining, and the dialogue fantastic! All of which make this such a fun film to watch! Creating this menu was a lot of fun and I even got some help from a couple of my friends that are from Philadelphia. I wanted to create a menu that showcased the city. Though we’re dealing with rich families this meal is not at all stuck up. First up for the appetizer, a Philly staple: Soft Pretzels. Next, Philadelphia Cheese steaks of course. One of my friends said every time she goes back home for a visit she get’s a Philly on a Kaiser Bun. “It’s gotta be a Kaiser and cheese  whiz.“ I went to my friend Timothy about how the most authentic way to prepare a ‘proper cheese steak’ and his tips were great considering I’ve never even been to Philadelphia before. Tim’s great advice was ‘Ok, I do em on the cheap, so they aren’t as good, but nothing can touch a real Philly, so why bother? Find a good sub roll, grill up some steak-ums, and melt cheez whiz. I slather the cheese on the bun and load it up with meat ( I don’t do onions, but you can. Peppers too.) It’s not pretty or elegant-but it’s not suppose to be, it’s a goddamn cheese steak!’ This advice was better than anything I could have researched on the internet. But my favorite thing he said was ‘Just do me favor: if you make it fancy and use a croissant or nice cheese or something, don’t call it a Philly. Call it a Cheese Steak.’

Well Tim, and all Philly fans I decided to stick to the original in this case and keep that Cheese Steak as authentic as possible. I wanted to create a sandwich that Mike Connor would love.

For dessert we have cool Lemon Ice. This tangy treat is very popular in Philadelphia and is perfect to enjoy while taking an ‘innocent swim in the pool’ or on a yacht with your love.

And finally we’ll wash it all down with a Millionaire Cocktail, a strong drink that I think C.K. Dexter Haven would appreciate. I even prepared it with egg whites to stay true to the way classic cocktails were made. I hope you enjoy these recipes with this wonderful film, whether you choose to see it again or discover it for the first time!

'The prettiest sight in this fine pretty world is the privileged class enjoying its privileges.'-Mike Connor

Soft Pretzels:
1 Packet Dry Yeast
4 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 ½ Cups Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, Melted

10 Cups Water
2/3 Cup Baking Soda

1 Egg Yolk & 1 Tablespoon water for Egg Wash

Combine water, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit until mixture gets foamy about 5-8 minutes. Add the flour and butter and with the dough hook mix on low speed for 30 seconds or until ingredients are combined. Turn to medium speed and allow dough to mix for 5-6 minutes until dough pulls away from the bowl. Place dough in a separate oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put bowl on top of stove while oven is preheating as a warm spot to help the dough proof nicely. Dough needs to sit and double in size, this will take about an hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and brush with oil.  Combine water and baking soda in a pot and bring to a roiling boil. Remove dough from bowl and place in a slightly oiled surface. Divide into 8 equal parts. Roll each piece into a 22 inch rope. Hold it up in a ‘U’ shape and cross each end over each other and press into the bottom of the ‘U’ to make the pretzel shape. Place each pretzel on cookie sheet. Two at a time drop each pretzel into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from water using a flat spatula. Place puffed pretzels back on the cookie sheet and brush with egg wash and sprinkle coarse salt. Bake 12-14 minutes. Serve with spicy mustard and enjoy!

           
                  

'I thought all writers drank to excess and beat their wives. You know one time I secretly wanted to be a writer.'-C.K. Dexter Haven' 

‘Philadelphia Story’ Cheese Steak:
1 Container Cheese Whiz
4 Hoagie Style Sub Rolls or Kaiser Rolls
1 Green Pepper, Sliced
1 Sweet Yellow Onion, Sliced
2 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
1 ½ Pounds Tenderloin Steak (Any beef of your choice.)

Place steak in freezer for about 20 minutes to make it easier to slice. Slice as thin as possible and season with salt and pepper. Preheat skillet with some Olive Oil and sauté garlic with peppers and onions until translucent. Set aside. Preheat skillet again and cook steak until well done. Heat cheese whiz jar in microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm and easy to spread. Plop some cheese on bottom bun, layer meat, then pepper and onion mixture and top with more cheese whiz. Place on top bun and dig in!

'You have everything it takes to make a lovely woman except the one essential: an understanding heart. And without that you might just as well be made of bronze.'-Seth Lord

 Lemon Ice:
3 Cups Water
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Grated Lemon Zest

Mix water and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil, stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest. Pour into a 13x9 baking dish and freeze for one hour. Take a fork and stir ice. Do this every hour for about 4 hours. Scoop into serving dish and pucker up!

Millionaire:
2 oz. Whiskey
½ oz Grand Marnier
1 Dash Grenadine
½ Egg White

Mix ingredients in shaker with crushed ice and shake it up! Serve in martini glass and sip.

 'A magnificence that comes out of your eyes, in your voice, in the way you stand there, in the way you walk. You're lit from within, Tracy. You've got fires banked down in you, hearth-fires and holocausts.'- Mike Connor

'I don't seem to you made of bronze?'-Tracy Lord

The Philadelphia Story: Starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Ruth Hussey, and John Howard. Directed by: George Cukor. Released 1940 MGM. Oscar wins for Jimmy Stewart as Best Actor and Donald Ogden for Best Screenplay. Nominated for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, & Best Picture.

There's Always Money In The Banana Stand

I don't know if it's the fact that everyone is talking about Arrested Development again because of the new season on Netflix, or the fact that it's summer and I crave frozen things when it's hot but I have been aching for some frozen bananas lately. The ones you can pick up in the frozen food section of your local grocery store are NOT all that, and the wrappers you can buy to place over the bananas just aren't as good to me either. I love using the hard bakers chocolate (in DARK chocolate) and covering them with bright colored dinosaur sprinkles. However you can top your treat with any toppings your heartdesires: caramel, peanuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, anything! Here are the few easy steps it takes to make this yummy summer favorite.

Peel bananas

Cut bananas in half

Insert popsicle sticks into cut side of bananas

Dip banana in bakers chocolate

While chocolate is wet cover with desired toppings

Place on a wax paper lined plate

 

Freeze for 45 minutes

Etsy Wish List

I spend hours of my life online shopping, mostly just 'window' shopping and wishing at a lot of the things I see. Quite often I splurge but only if I cacth myself still thinking about (insert dress, brooch, shoe here) I immediatley return to the website and order it right away. So here I'll keep a list of some things I've been dreaming about.

Is everyone else enjoying the new season of Arrested Devolpment on the Netflix? How cute is this brooch from  Kate Rowland?

She also makes this awesome Astronaut too!

                                                           

And these fantastic Dinosaur Magnets from The YellowSpoon

She also makes this girly, mint green Mermaid wall hook!

And what good is summer without a cool 80's Vintage swimsuit?