Happy Halloween

It's a quiet day for us here, honoring those who have passed, thinking especially of Mom, would do anything to have her here for one more holiday.

Samhain Blessings,

If Mama Ain't Happy....

Beren and I are here at our "weekend/vacation house" where I am presented with different challenges than at home. First off, I am just building up my freezer/pantry so my recipe ingredients are limited. I also don't have the same cooking equipment I'm used to (no slowcooker, etc) and since we're only here on weekends I've got to be conscious of the spoilage-factor so I'm required to shop for fresh produce more often and watch my portion sizes, can't stand to throw away veggies! Lastly, Beren's girls are here and they are very picky eaters..groan...and my own children (not-so-picky but mostly vegetarian) are visiting as well so cooking a family meal is quite a feat! Add all of these issues to my new low-carb diet and you have a recipe for disaster, or at the very least a very frustrated mama!

Since I am determined not to compromise my weight loss for anybody else's convenience (call me selfish, I don't care), I'm making a shopping list and a menu plan which the Other People will just have to deal with. Now & then the Cook has to be accommodated, right? Harrumph.

I did a bit of searching and found this tasty, easy recipe for stuffed peppers which, if I substitute veggie crumbles for half the recipe, should appease the carnivores and vegetarians alike. Hope they like it, otherwise there's always PB&J. *wink*

MAKE ME STUFFED PEPPERS

2 large green peppers, halved lengthwise, 6 ounces each
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped, 1 1/4 ounces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato, chopped, about 2 ounces
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (pre-shredded not recommended)
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping

In a large pot, bring about half potful of water to boil. Add the peppers and boil for 3 minutes. Drain. In same pot, brown the hamburger, onion and garlic. Drain fat and stir in tomatoes and seasonings. Cook until tomatoes are hot; remove from heat and stir in the 4 ounces cheese. Put the pepper halves in a greased 8x8" baking pan and fill with meat mixture. Sprinkle the extra cheese on top, if using. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Per Serving: 388 Calories; 27g Fat; 30g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

Need a Boost!

Your mileage may vary, originally uploaded by wackystuff.

So sorry that I've been remiss in posting lately, dear friends, I have been totally overwhelmed and stressed out to the max! As much as I love our Ormond home and the time we've been spending up there, being away every weekend is taking it's toll. The Castle is a mess, frankly, not having me, the primary caretaker, there as often to care for it 3 days a week! It's a busy time at the office so I'm putting in more than my normal hours & I'm just plain exhausted both physically and emotionally, still deaing with some personal issues that are ever-so-slowly being put to rest. In addition, my weight is not good and I'm starting to get a cold. *sigh* All of this makes for a very weary witch, indeed! I have had little time to honor or plan for Samhain, a very important holiday to me.

So, this weekend I'm going to enlist the help of my willing volunteers (victims) in the homemaking department, am hoping to come home to find the Castle spic & span!

Crossing fingers and twinkling my nose..perhaps a little magick is in order?

Blessings,

Rapunzel

Witch Mix

I shared this a couple of years ago but it's always worth a second (or hundredth!) viewing, especially at this time of year!



Enjoy!

Sunday Funnies: Simon's Cat

If you haven't discovered Simon's Cat yet, do yourself a favor and zip on over to YouTube right now! Absolutely hysterical, especially for us crazy cat lovers!

Autumn Hearth & Home

Since we live in the tropics where there is barely a change of season, we have to work a bit harder to get into the Autumn spirit! I do this by decorating every spare inch of The Castle, lol! Since I've been so busy the past few weeks setting up our other house, I've decided to decorate slowly, one area at a time, appreciating the transformation, just like Mother Nature does with our earth home!

If you were to come visit me today, you'd be greeted by a bright new doormat welcoming you to my Castle...



a cheerful little jack o' lantern at the entryway...



and fresh flowers on the table enveloped with my favorite Fall tablecloth.



"What's that heavenly scent?," you might ask. Ah, dear friend, that would be the loaf of freshly baked cinnamon bread! Won't you sit down and share some with me?

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

Ingredients

* 1 cup milk
* 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1 egg
* 3 cups bread flour
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

Bake using the sweet bread setting if your machine has it. If not, use white bread setting.

When the bread is done, remove from the machine and let sit on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Enjoy!

And don't mind Lily's new baby Clementine, adopted just in time for Samhain...she won't nibble much...wink...



Brightest Blessings,

Happy October 1st

"October, the tenth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the second month of Autumn’s rule, derives its name from octo, theLatin word meaning “eight,” as October was the eighth month of the old Romancalendar. The traditional birthstone amulets of October are opal, rose sapphire, and tourmaline; and the calendula is the month’s traditional flower.

October is shared by the astrological signs of Libra the Scales (or Balance) and Scorpio the Scorpion, and is sacred to the following Pagan deities: Cernunnos, Hecate, the Morrigan, Osiris, and the Wiccan Goddess in Her dark aspect as the Crone. During the month of October, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to Halloween (Samhain Eve), one of the four Grand Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world."
- Secrets of a Witch

Ah...my favorite month is finally upon us! Since I'm participating in Domestic Witch's October Blog Party, I'm going to do my best to fully embrace October, and in the process post a bit more often.

Whether you are in the midst of gorgeous autumn colors or, like me, still suffering through 85 degree heat, wishing you the brightest blessings of this season!