Pumpkin Smash

Halloween was just so great this year! That seems to be the general consensus anyway. Our Halloween was no less than really awesome. Friday, I spent the day frantically finishing costumes for our church party that night. I was buying accessories, cutting, sewing, and hot gluing like a maniac all day. We were also going to bring a chili to the chili cook-off that night so I also had to buy ingredients for that and make it while getting Cal and I dressed. I was so grateful that Carson came home in the middle of the flurry and could shred chicken hot off the George Foreman while I bustled and hustled to get out the door.

The party was so great! There were really good costumes this year- the highlights being Hagrid and Hermione (which was a little awkward when they were holding hands...), Cruella De Ville and Jasper, packages of Skittles, Mr and Mrs Pac-man, Princess Leia and the little Ewok Wicket, and others. Of course everyone's babies were so cute. We went as Wild Things with Calvin as Max, King of the Wild Things. I love his costume. It was really easy to make and I think it turned out great! (The hardest part was removing the giant embroidered Tigger thread by thread from the front of the sleeper. That took a couple weeks and couldn't have been done without help from Victoria.)

Tyler's pants took the longest.

Some people thought he was Shrek.
That'd be bad Shrek costume, but a pretty good Wild Thing.

Not only did we have fun, but we won, too! Calvin won best baby costume, and our chili won Best Chili. Both of these contests had very intense competition. But I think Calvin's costume is very cool, and since we used our friend Jennifer's amazing recipe, I was sorta hoping to win. Jennifer, your chili is amazing. We have already made it again since we didn't get to eat enough at the cook-off.

So that was Friday.

After Friday, I just wanted a fun, but not-too-intense Halloween. I spent the morning making an apron full of harvest colors to cook in later in the evening. I bought some fantastic orange Tulips when I went out for more ingredients for the evening festivity. It still felt like a pretty busy day, but I felt like I was living life so fully. Like really enjoying the finer things in life. That's a good feeling. We had fun as a family and then had our friends Dave and Kate over that night for Iron Chef: Pumpkin Battle. It was less of a battle actually, but no less delicious. It was maybe like if a couple of Iron Chefs got together some weekend with a theme ingredient for some sort of exhibition.

Tyler caramelizing the onions and pumpkin.

Here's the menu:
Hearty Bread with melted Gouda and a rich Pumpkin Spread
Pumpkin Sauce Penne
Japanese Kabocha Soup with Sesame Oil
Almond Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Is your mouth watering yet? It was so delicious. It was everything I had envisioned for this pumpkin exhibition. The best part about it is it didn't leave me feeling pumpkin'd out. I would do it again this week. And I found a neat recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi that I didn't even get to try yet. Man, do I love pumpkin.

Witches why I love Halloween.