Eerie Edibles

Halloween is on Friday, and I started to get in the spirit today by making these "brainy" sweets. I got this idea from Marthastewart.com. You can get the recipe here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/brain-cupcakes

The cake portion of the recipe was very easy, but I used the Wilton recipe for buttercream as I thought it would pipe easier.

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing

I will bring them with me to work tomorrow to share. Enjoy the pictures.

One Giant Light Fixture

When the painters were done today, I asked them if they would install a new entry way light fixture using their very tall ladder. I had picked a new one out at Lowes over the weekend. Isn't it great?





This is the view from the entry way floor.

View from the staircase.

This is the view from the upstairs.

Dog Sitting - Adventures with Sammi

This weekend, I am dog sitting my friend Jaime's dog, Sammi while Jaime and her husband are out of town. Tom and I were trying to figure out what kind of dog Sammi is. We think she is Lab, Pit Bull, and Dalmatian. She is a very sweet dog and Lola loves having her stay. I can't say the same thing about Dexter... he is a little timid around new dogs, but he is getting used to her. This afternoon I snapped some shots of our dogs in the backyard.

Has Anyone Ever Heard of a Purple Potato?

As I wrote in an earlier post, I recently visited my favorite grocery store, Central Market. This store is about 45 min from my house, so I do not visit as regularly as I'd like, but when I do visit, I make it a point to pick out some new ingredients. Central Market is a Mecca for aspiring cooks like myself. There are just endless selections of the freshest produce, fish, and meat sections. Central Market also carries lots of rare things like Purple Potatoes.

I purchased them for their strange looking exterior, which is a dark purplish black color. The potatoes have an elongated shape, that look like a stubby finger. When I sliced into them, behold they were purple inside! Below, I am posting some pictures of them along with the recipe I used to bake them.

Roasted Purple Potato Faux Fries

12 Small Purple Potatoes

Kosher Salt, Pepper

Olive Oil

Slice each potato vertically, making 2 oval shapes. Then slice vertically again, so there are 4 "fry shaped" pieces. Cut up all the potatoes and toss in the baking pan all together. Drizzle olive oil and coat each piece. Arrange so pieces are not overlapping or laying on top of one another. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the tops. Bake in oven at 425 for 40 min. Test doneness with a fork and bake longer if required.