Sugar & Spice by Celeste

It's that time of year again...The one night of the year when all of the ghosts, ghouls and goblins come out to play. I always love Halloween...especially all of the haunted houses, decorations, costumes and...food, of course! Brad and I carved the pumpkins in the pic above on Thursday night...aren't they cool? It had been years since I had carved a pumpkin, and I had forgotten how fun it is! I saved the pumpkin seeds and plan to roast them...I'll let you know how they turn out. I also made these cupcakes for my co-workers...I had a lot of fun with them...Can you tell? :-) I hope that you all have a FABULOUSLY SPOOKY Halloween!!!

Vanilla Chai Macarons: Mocha Macarons: ***The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. Wow...this has been a busy month! Between my birthday on October 7th, learning to speak French, and making several batches of macarons...it's been a fun few weeks! Being the francophile that I am, I was absolutely thrilled to learn that the Daring Bakers were going to tackle the ever-elusive French Macaron this month...You might remember my earlier attempts to master macarons. The first time that I tried was very un-impressive...definitely nothing to write home about, haha. The SECOND ATTEMPT turned out much better! I was actually proud of those. Pumpkin Spice Latte Macaron: I've learned several little tricks that always come in handy and seem to result in better macarons: 1. Age your egg whites either at room temperature overnight, or in the fridge for

*** Okay folks, my taste buds are pretty happy right now. I just finished off a beautiful plate of this pasta, and it was fabulous! On a recent trip to New Orleans, LA (which is a city that I love!), we ate at a highly recommended little restaurant called Coop's Place. Wow...that place is fantastic! It's small in size, but if you're lucky enough to get a table, you certainly won't be disappointed. There was continously a line of people waiting for a table...it's worth it, though! Everyone LOVED their meal, and the prices were great too...You can't beat that! I ordered a dish called "Pasta Rosa." It was penne pasta with sauteed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, shrimp and pancetta...all topped off with crumbled goat cheese...YUM!!! It was incredible. I saved half of my meal just so that I could have it for lunch the next day...haha. Thank goodness for restaurants that give you generous portions...some places are so stingy these days. I kn

*** Broccoli...it's one of those veggies that you probably hated as a kid. I know that I did! My tastes have changed so much...even within the last 2 years! Ingredients that I never really liked before are finding their way into my grocery cart and then eventually onto my dinner plate. Two examples: mushrooms and olives! I know....now these are two of my favorite ingredients! Broccoli is also now one of my favorite veggies. It's loaded with tons of vitamins and nutrients, and there's just so many ways that you can incorporate it into a recipe. You can add it to pasta, bake it into a yummy casserole...or simply roast it like I did here. This side dish is a wonderfully easy recipe! I baked some chicken breasts tonight, with tomatoes and mushrooms, and this broccoli made a perfect addition. I saw Melissa d'Arabian make this on a recent episode of Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian . Like all of her other recipes, it is easy, delicious and cheap! Roasting the bro

I was so sad today to hear the news...After 70 years, Gourmet magazine is slated to close by the end of the year. Gourmet has long been my favorite foodie mag...I've always been so excited to find it in my mailbox month after month. Unfortunately, that's all about to come to a screaching halt. Here's the article from CNNMoney.com...You can find the original article HERE . " Gourmet magazine closes after 70 years Downturn and ad drought claim longstanding Gourmet magazine. Publisher Condé Nast announces 3 other closures: Cookie and bridal magazines Elegant Bride and Modern Bride. By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer Gourmet magazine will be shuttered after nearly 70 years. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Foodies got some sour news Monday. Gourmet, which has amassed a devoted following over nearly 70 years of publication, will be shut down, publisher Condé Nast said. The magazine, introduced in 1940, is expected to close by the end of the year. "I feel like Li

***I recently received a free copy of "Cuisine at home" magazine in the mail. I'm not sure why or where it came from, but I was really happy to get it! I opened it up to find countless yummy-looking recipes. Many of which I will be making soon (and of course blogging about!) I chose to make this recipe for Chicken Pomodoro first because it looked easy and the flavors sounded great and fresh. I have to say that this was such a flavorful, delicious dish! Not to mention, it makes a gorgeous presentation. This is a meal that would be perfect for those nights when you have company coming over or if you just want a special dinner without all of the fuss that goes into something complicated. The flavors are great and make for a perfect combination - a sauce made of white wine, cream, lemon juice, tomatoes, and scallions....all atop a perfectly sauteed chicken breast...YUM! The sauce tastes much more complicated than it actually is, and it came together in a flash. Brad LOVED thi