Eat, drink and be scary.

Best wishes for a hauntingly beautiful Halloween.

While I love Champagne in its purest form, poured from a frosty bottle into my ever refillable flute, I also enjoy a gala Champagne concoction.

Raspberry and Champagne Aperitif

1/4 cup frozen unsweetened whole raspberries

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

2 teaspoons cassis liqueur

3/4 cup chilled Champagne

Place the raspberries, Grand Marnier, cassis and Champagne in a blender and whizz until well combined and smooth. Pour into a tall flute and serve at once. If you wish to be fastidiously elegant, you may strain the drink through a small strainer to remove raspberry seeds. Personally I am rarely that patient. Makes 1 aperitif.

"O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away."

- Robert Frost, October

Best Scones In The World

8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup buttermilk

Optional: 1/2 cup currants, raisins, frozen blueberries,

dried cherries, chocolate bits or orange zest

Topping...2 tablespoons turbinado (raw sugar)

Combine all dry ingredients, add fruit, add butter

(cut in just until butter is coated with flour, the butter must be left in chunks). Add buttermilk until just absorbed. Scrape the bowl to make a big ball. Cut into eight pieces. Set scones on baking sheets. Brush the tops with the extra buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake at 350 until brown (15-20 minutes).

Serve with jam and whipped cream.

Ye Olde Tavern's Spiced White Wine

12 whole cloves

1 red apple

1 ripe pear

5 allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 (750 ml) bottles dry white wine

(such as chenin blanc)

1/2 cup Cointreau

Poke cloves into apple, then cut into 5 slices.

Cut the pear into 6 slices.

Combine fruit and remaining ingredients in pan and stir well to incorporate the brown sugar.

Warm the mixture over low heat, do not let boil. Let the flavors steep for an hour before serving. Serve warm in mugs. Garnish with orange slice.

On Hallowe'en the thing
you must do
Is pretend that nothing
can frighten you
An' if somethin' scares you
and you want to run
Jus' let on like
it's Hallowe'en fun.
from an Early Nineteenth Century Halloween Postcard

Chewy Walnut Squares

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Stir together egg, sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Add nuts.

Bake 20-25 minutes in 8" greased square pan at 350 degrees.

Will be soft in center when taken from oven.

Cool and cut into squares.

Fresh Apple Mojito

3 large sprigs fresh mint

1/4 apple, cut into chunks

2 ounces white rum

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 ounce Simple Syrup

Splash of chilled soda water

Tear the mint sprigs and drop into a cocktail shaker. Add the apple. With a muddler, press the mint and apple to release their flavors. Fill the shaker with ice. Measure in the rum, lime juice and simple syrup. Cap and shake vigorously. Pour into a large glass. Top with soda water.

Recipe from Sips & Apps by Kathy Casey

Spiced Rum Cider

1 cup apple cider

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

4 tablespoons rum

2 cinnamon sticks

Put cider, brown sugar and butter in saucepan. Heat, but do not boil.

Pour 2 tablespoons of rum in each of two cups. Fill with hot cider mixture.

Stir with a stick of cinnamon.

(This drink is better if the cider is a little on the hard side.)

At last the day drifted into a long lacquered afternoon.

Edith Sitwell

Opera Theatre: Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15
Presented by University of Delaware Music Department
$7-$21

official website

(sung in an English translation by Ruth and Thomas Martin) University of Delaware Opera Theatre opens its much-anticipated third season in beautiful Thompson Theatre with Mozart’s timeless masterpiece, The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart’s magical music meets the dramatic genius of librettist Lorenzo da Ponte with riotous results in what would be the first of three legendary collaborations, including Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni. Based on an eighteenth century French play, but set in Seville, The Marriage of Figaro chronicles the eventful wedding day of two clever peasants. It sounds so simple and sweet, but a philandering count, a tormented wife, some excitable adolescents and a few surprises turn the day into an adventure that you will not want to miss. Musical Director and Conductor Dr. Brian Stone will guide the University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra in this exciting new production produced and directed by Dr. Blake Smith and designed by Eddy Seger. Please note earlier performance times!

Dates:

• Friday, November 13, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
• Saturday, November 14, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
• Sunday, November 15, 2009 @ 3:00 pm

Peach-and-Plum Saffron Almond Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar ("Sugar in the Raw")

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1/4 cup whole milk

zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon pure almond extract

2 VERY ripe plums, pitted and cut into thick slices (about 1")

3 VERY ripe peaches, pitted and cut into thick slices (about 1")

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Sift together flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and saffron threads and heat until it boils then immediately turn off. Let steep for a minute or two, until the milk takes on a rich yellow hue. Let cool slightly and then pour into batter along with the lemon zest and almond extract. Incorporate well. (Note: if the batter curdles a bit, don't worry. It will fix itself once you add the flour and won't affect the final taste or texture.)

4. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and mix until well blended. Spread the prepared batter into the springform pan and smooth out the top.

5. Arrange the fruit in concentric circles, alternating the peaches and plums. Use all the fruit, even if you have to layer some on top of each other to fit (the fruit will sink during baking).

6. Sprinkle the fruit and top of cake with the 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar. Bake in oven for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool completely before serving.

When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.
~Author Unknown

Ginger Apple Stir Fry

Serves 4

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

2 tsp. sesame oil

4 green onions, sliced

1/3 lb. pea pods

1 small sweet red pepper, cut into strips

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

10 shiitake and/or white mushrooms, sliced

¼ tsp. pepper

1/3 cup applesauce, unsweetened

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. cornstarch

1/3 cup chicken broth or water

Steps: Heat sesame oil in nonstick skillet or wok. Add chicken and cook in hot oil. Remove chicken from skillet. Add vegetables and cook while stirring until tender crisp, sprinkle with pepper.

Combine applesauce, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and chicken broth or water. Add chicken to vegetables, add sauce mixture and cook until sauce is thickened and clear. Serve over steamed brown rice.— From U.S. Apple Association

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."

William Cullen Bryant

Apple Brown Betty

2 cups fresh dry bread crumbs

5 tbsp. melted butter

1 1⁄2 lbs. tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1⁄4" slices

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon

Juice and grated rind of 1⁄2 lemon

Heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 1 1⁄2-quart casserole or a 9" baking dish, preferably with a lid.

Lightly toss crumbs and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Spread about one-third of the crumb mixture in the baking dish. Combine apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice and rind in a medium bowl. Fan out half the apple mixture over crumbs. Add another layer of crumbs, a layer of the remaining apples, and a final layer of crumbs. Pour in 1 cup hot water. Cover with lid or with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Serve with heavy cream.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted unsalted pumpkin seeds

1/8 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, undisturbed, until a deep amber caramel forms, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and the dissolved baking soda and stir until combined, then quickly pour the mixture onto the baking sheet, spreading it into a thick layer with a spatula. Let cool until hardened. Break into shards and serve. The brittle can be kept in an airtight container up to a week.

Eve's Black Heart

Similar to a Black Velvet, which is made with Guinness and Champagne, this beer cocktail has a double hit of apples from both hard cider and apple brandy. Hence, the name, derived from Eve’s penchant for the forbidden fruit.

8 fl. oz. dry hard cider, chilled
1 14.9-fl.-oz. can Guinness draught, chilled
1 fl. oz. (2 Tbs.) Calvados

Divide the cider between two chilled pint glasses. To float the Guinness on top of the cider, pop the tab on the can, let it foam up, and then pour the beer slowly over the rounded back of a tablespoon measure held over each glass, stopping when almost full. Gently pour 1 Tbs. of the Calvados on top of each drink.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.

Fall poem by John Muir

Pear Ginger Toddies

According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, there are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat. Savor this sweet yet spicy pear concoction anytime.

Serves 4

2 cups pear nectar

4 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon maple syrup

4 shots spiced rum

Candied ginger on skewers for garnish

Combine pear nectar, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and syrup in a saucepan and bring to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, remove the cloves. I like to dip rim of coffee glass in cinnamon and sugar. Pour into 4 coffee glasses and add 1 shot rum to each glass. Garnish with ginger and serve.

Hot Apple Pie Cocktails

This is a warm aperitif made with Calvados.

2 whole cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

4 whole allspice berries

2 whole cloves

1/8 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

Pinch of ground ginger

3 cups apple cider

1/3 cup Calvados

1/3 cup light rum

Place the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and ginger in a saucepan.

Stir in the apple cider, Calvados and rum.

Warm over low heat for 30 minutes, until mixture reaches a hot serving temp.

Strain out spices.

You can store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Serve warm, garnished with freshly grated nutmeg.

I love this bread toasted with butter and jam.

Sesame Seed Bread

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven 375. Butter 2 small loaf pans.

Toast sesame seeds. Cream butter and stir in sesame seeds. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla into butter mixture. Stir in mixture of dry ingredients. Bake in the loaf pans for 25 minutes or until center of loaves tests done with toothpick.

I want to go to there.

It's been a long week and I have watched way too much Tina Fey.

Have a beautiful weekend.

(photo of Amalfi Beach)

Candy Corn Popcorn Balls

Chewy and sweet, just like the ones you remember!

8 cups popped popcorn

1 cup candy corn

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

10-oz. package marshmallows

Combine popcorn and candy corn in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; stir in salt and marshmallows. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 7 minutes or until marshmallows melt and mixture is smooth. Pour over popcorn mixture, stirring to coat. Lightly coat hands with vegetable spray and shape popcorn mixture into 4-inch balls. Makes about 10.

Recipe from Get-Togethers with Gooseberry Patch

ARTIST: CAMILLE PISSARRO

"We are in for a spell of perfect weather now, every day luminous, every night brimmed with stars. Picnics at noon, supper by the applewood fire at night, a walk in the cool moonlight before bed." Gladys Taber

Pumpkin Risotto

For the pumpkin risotto
570ml/1 pint vegetable or chicken stock
1 small onion, chopped
12 fresh sage leaves, chopped finely
2 tbsp olive oil
170g/6oz arborio (risotto) rice
250g/9oz pumpkin or butternut squash, diced small
50g/2oz butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the crispy sage
12-16 fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp sunflower oil
For serving
piece fresh parmesan, or vegetarian parmesan-style grating cheese

Method

1. Heat the stock until almost boiling and then keep over a very low heat. In a separate heavy-based saucepan sweat the onion in the oil until soft but not browned. Add the chopped sage and cook for a couple more minutes.

2. Add the rice and mix well for a few seconds to coat the grains with oil, then pour in one-third of the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until almost all the stock is absorbed. Add the pumpkin or squash and a little more stock, and continue to simmer gently until the stock is absorbed.

3. From then on add more stock a little at a time, until the pumpkin is soft and the rice nicely al dente. You may not need all the stock, but the texture should be loose and creamy.

4. When the risotto is almost ready, heat the sunflower oil in a small pan and quickly fry the sage leaves until crispy - it takes a matter of seconds.

5. Stir the butter into the risotto, and season well with salt and pepper. Divide into four servings and throw a few crispy sage leaves over each portion. Bring the cheese and a grater to the table for your guests to serve themselves.

BBC Recipe

Harvest Moon Martini

makes 2 drinks

1/2 cup sweet & sour

1/2 cup carbonated water

1/4 cup apricot brandy

4 tsp. pomegranate juice

Put 1st 3 ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well & strain into martini glasses. Gently pour 2 tsp. pomegranate juice into each glass, do not stir.

The summer-flower has run to seed,
And yellow is the woodland bough;
And every leaf of bush and weed
Is tipt with autumn’s pencil now.

Autumn, John Clare, 1821

After School Cinnamon Apple Cake

Apple Batter

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup skim milk

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples, peeled and cored

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven 400. Butter 8x8 baking dish.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl mix milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Add to dry

ingredients and gently mix until just moistened. Stir in apples. Spoon half the batter into baking dish. Combine streusel topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the half-filled pan with half the streusel then cover with remaining batter, top with remaining streusel. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick

inserted in center comes out clean.

Cut into squares and serve warm.

October 16 - 18, 2009 Don't miss out on a beautiful journey. Click here to register today. The Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day will begin with an inspiring Opening Ceremony in Willow Grove. Walkers will travel through beautiful suburban neighborhoods. Once in Philadelphia, the route will go through Chestnut Hill and Manayunk, two popular areas filled with interesting architecture as well as many small shops and restaurants. On Saturday morning, we'll rise and shine, ready to hit the trail. Enjoy the beautiful neighborhoods of Haverford, Lower Merion and the Main Line. From Haverford and Bryn Mawr College, to the Haverford and Baldwin Schools, the walk will include some of the most prestigious schools and affluent neighborhoods in this area. With many small towns filled with shops and restaurants, there will be plenty to see along the way. The final day of our journey will showcase Center City. The day begins with a stroll down Main Street Manayunk, complete with endless shops, restaurants and coffee houses. The rest of the day is filled with all the hotspots and hidden treasures Philadelphia and Fairmount Park have to offer. From the Art Museum & City Hall to the Liberty Bell and the Japenese Tea House, there is much to see and enjoy. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Philadelphia walk without South Philadelphia and Pat’s Steaks. At the end of the journey, enjoy sharing Closing Ceremonies with your family and friends at Philadelphia historic Navy Yard. Register for the 2009 Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day today. Register for 2010.

GIRLS NIGHT
The Musical

DuPont Theatre, Wilmington, Delaware
October 1 - 2, 2009

Share the fun & laughter at this hilarious, feel-good comedy as five girlfriends - to whom we can all relate - go from heartbreak to happiness during a wild night of karaoke. You don't need an excuse for a good time... so grab your sisters, friends and coworkers and prepare to dance in the aisles! Lady Marmalade, It's Raining Men, Man, I Feel Like a Woman, I Will Survive and many more!

“All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken.” Thomas Wolfe

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

2 cups canned pumpkin

3 cups sugar

1 cups water

1 cups canola oil

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 1/3 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, sugar, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl; beat until well mixed. Set aside. Stir together remaining ingredients in another bowl; slowly add to pumpkin mixture, beating until smooth. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans, 9x5. Divide batter between pans. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes, until toothpick tests clean. Let cool in pans.