A New Sous Chef

I would like to introduce you to the new sous chef  at Love and Life at Leadora!  You can see her as young witch here.  Sous chef Willow is very lucky to have a talented grandmother who originally sewed this chef's costume many years ago for her big sister, Zoe.  This has been a very popular costume at Love and Life at Leadora because Willow's older brother,  Graeme,  also wore it. In fact, Graeme liked being a chef so much that he wore the costume two years in a row.   Unfortunately, after this Halloween, the chef's costume will probably have to be retired.

While the sous chef at Love and Life at Leadora was at school, the executive chef prepared cinammon baked french toast for a breakfast with friends.  This recipe is easy to make and quite tasty too.  With the holidays fast approaching, this would be a great recipe to consider serving Christmas morning.  In the meantime, have a happy and safe Halloween!

Spiderweb Cookies

Step 1

Frost your sugar cookie with white royal frosting.

Step 2

Squeeze concentric circles in an contrasting color, such as orange or black.

Step 3

Beginning at the center of the cookie, draw a toothpick through each line to the edge of the cookie.  Alternate the direction you use to draw the toothpick through each row.

Enjoy!

Which Witch is Which??

A few years ago, my mother and I purchased this Halloween witch at Costco.  This year we thought it would be interesting to share with our blog friends how each of us decorated our witches!  You can see my mom's Halloween witch here.

My Halloween witch sits in the dining room on the sideboard at Love and Life at Leadora.   Black bats fly above, and a yellow crescent moon hangs from the ceiling.  When you visit La Vie Quotidienne, you will notice that my mother loves ceiling ornamentation.  With her in mind, I taped black butcher spider webs to the ceiling. 

Only 8 more days until Halloween!  Make sure you hurry over to  La Vie Quotidienne and see which witch is which!  

I am participating in Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

I Won!

Even though it was a dreary, rainy day at Love and Life at Leadora, I found a ray of sunshine in my mailbox today!  I won a giveaway from Connie at The Home Place!  You can find her blog here. When I opened the box, I found one of her cute handmade fall bags filled with candy, lotion, and a sweet sentiment.  Thanks Connie!  You made my day!

Spooky Front Porch

Many of you may remember my front porch before it was "spookified".

First, black crows came to nest.

Then, three evil jack-o-lanterns took over.

And the last visitor at Love and Life at Leadora left their skull!

Along with old pages of a book and scary graphics from the Graphics Fairy!



Hope you enjoyed my spooky front porch!

I joined the link parties at Graphics Fairy and Metamorphosis Monday!

Pumpkin Bars

Well, hello!  So sorry, blogging got left behind while I have been busy substitute teaching.  On top of that, today I have a sore throat and runny nose!

Over the weekend, I did bake some delicious pumpkin cupcakes with delectable cream cheese frosting.  I do not like pumpkin pie (it's a texture thing), but I absolutely love pumpkin in other baked goods and you can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting!  This recipe from Paula Deen is one of my favorites. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-bars-recipe/index.html

You will notice that Paula's recipe calls for a baking pan.  I prefer  pumpkin cupcakes so that I can easily give away leftovers.  Otherwise, I am tempted to eat it all!   I poured the batter into lined muffin pans and then baked the cupcakes for about 15-20 minutes.  Let me know how this recipe comes out for you!