Getting ready for some Halloween Fun!

Sometimes - just altering your recipes a bit and introducing the food with a fun title can transform a simple meal into one your children will remember as a great one!

Halloween menus sound nasty but taste good! It takes a certain sense of humor to label your food like that and swallow it. Try these!

Classic Sloppy Joe's!


Marinated Tapeworms
(Pasta Salad)

1 box noodles (any variety)
1 bottle Italian dressing
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 tomatoes, diced
McCormick's Salad Supreme seasoning

Cook noodles as directed. Mix all together and let sit overnight.


Maggot Casserole
(Sausage-Rice Casserole)

2 pounds mild sausage, cooked and crumbled
4 cups Minute Rice, cooked
1 bell pepper, diced
1 dozen eggs, scrambled
Sour cream
Salsa

Combine all ingredients. Top with sour cream and salsa (or you may combine the sour cream and salsa with the rice mixture).


Ghostly Potatoes
(Stuffed New Potatoes)
3 to 4 pounds red potatoes
8 to 9 slices American cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup evaporated milk
12 to 15 new red potatoes
1 stick margarine
Chopped black olives

Boil red potatoes until fork tender, in preparation for whipping as filling.

Boil new potatoes whole until done. Allow to cool slightly. Cut small slice off bottom of potato so it will sit up with flat bottom. Cut off top of potato and scoop out. Place hollowed potatoes in casserole dish. Whip the cooked red potatoes and add all other ingredients. Over stuff the new potatoes with the whipped potatoes until they resemble ghost-like figures. Make eyes and mouths on each potato with pieces of chopped black olives.

Candy Corn!

So you have "regular" Candy Corn

Then you have different shapes of Candy Corn

Candy Corn Costume

Candy Corn Plants

Candy Corn Soda

..and probably the worst Candy Corn recipe!
Okay - Please know that I find this recipe over the top ~ too sweet - but I wanted to post it because I know someone would ask!
Candy Corn Crispy Balls
Ingredients:
4 C. rice crisp cereal
4 C. miniature marshmallows (10 oz.) or 40 large marshmallows
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. butter or margarine
2 C. (1 lb.) Candy Corn
Cellophane and orange ribbon
Directions:

Combine cereal and Candy Corn in large bowl and set aside.
Melt margarine and peanut butter in large saucepan. Add marshmallows, stirring until completely melted.
Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and stir to coat.
With buttered fingers roll into balls, (or press into 9 x 13 inch pan and cut into squares.)
Cut a 8-inch square of cellophane.
Roll each ball in cellophane and twist ends closed. Tie with ribbon.
Makes 16 balls.

Challenge to All!

Tell me about the charitable organizations you donate to or support with volunteer time - other than your house of worship.
These are 2 of my favorites:
I sponsor a child through Compassion www.compassion.com

I help raise money and also support Saddlebred Rescuewww.saddlebredrescue.com

I Took Delivery of my Bike!

Last Year's Halloween Decor

Can you see the real spider web behind the pumpkin?

Yes - this is a skelton climbing up and over the fence!

Lets Get back to Fall!

Fall is the best time to give a fruit basket as a gift. There is a huge variety of fresh apples, grapes, and nuts. Pomegranets become available now too, somthing I used to love to eat as a child!





Umm - can you tell I am on a strict diet and have not had my breakfast yet???

Fun Game!

While I was catching up on all of my blog friends - I found this fun game on Home Again ~ Vintage Treasures

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet,current car) Snoop Z3
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) J SIZ
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Red Horse
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Jeanette Houston
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) SIZ-JU
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)The Green Grasshopper
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)Eric James
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy), Laura Ashley Payday
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ), Elanor Edmund
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Mouton Madisonville
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Winter Gardenia
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Cherry Shoey
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) TicTac Oak
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The building wind Tour

Help me find a creative idea for this!

I won a box of silver plated items at an estate auction recently. Inside the box were a few incomplete items and this fondu stand is one those orphaned items. Can anyone come up with an idea of what I might be able to do with it? Although the lion head details are nice, this is not an expensive piece - so I would be open to pretty much anything - as long as it ends up having a purpose! Thanks!

An Interesting Hotel..or MOTEL Adventure!

Overall, I had a wonderful time covering the Saddlebred Horse show at the State Fair, but it did get off to quite a rocky start! So here is the story!

I booked the host hotel, a place recommended by the show management. I contacted the hotel directly to see if I was allowed to bring my dog Chrissy, a small Pembroke Welsh Corgi and they said it was fine with no charge. I sleep so much better in a hotel room when I am alone, with her with me and she is very well behaved. Also makes it easier to strike up a conversation with anyone when you have a cute dog on a leash!

So Thursday, I was on schedule - planning to get to Dallas at 10:30am. I drove up to the said "Host Hotel" and was shocked! Actually I was shocked before I got there as only 1 block away was an abandoned building and a Cabaret show...and I ain't talking about the good kind either! To make matters worse, this hotel - which I always thought had such a good reputation, was literally falling down! As God is my witness, the 2nd floor was sagging down! I swear - I am not a snob about all of this and I actually went and got my key to check in. I went to my room - which was around the back and ran into a drunk man. Trying to just get away from him, I proceeded to my room. (You entered your room from the exterior of the hotel.) The card key would not work and as I tried to move the door handle back and forth while inserting the key, the DOOR FRAME MOVED!...in other words, I think the door had been kicked in at some time!..Well, that was the last straw. I walked straight back to the front desk and told the lady about everything that had just happened to me. She acted like she knew who the drunk man was and told me she would have him removed if I wanted her to! OMG - NO...just clear my credit card and let me out of here I told her. While I was in the lobby, there were other people checking out for the same reason I was.

I proceeded towards Mesquite, just a few miles away, but a much nicer area and started my search for a new hotel. Hotel after hotel turned me down because of my dog. At the fifth hotel chain that I stopped in, I realized that if they did not give me a room, I was going to be late for my first show. As the man behind the counter started to tell me that they had a no pet policy, I burst into tears. I was so stressed, I could not hold it in. His eyes widened like saucers, he lowered his chin and he corrected his statement by saying,
"Never mind, I have a room for you." I thanked him profusely and assured him my dog was not going to be a problem and also offered to come and go through a back door. I got settled into my room, changed and made it to the show maybe 5 minutes before the first class started.

I was in a room that is cost $109.00 base per night and then another $10.00 per night was charged for my dog. Roughly twice the price of the first hotel. I had to accept it and felt fine about offering to pay for part of this room. My new boss had nothing to do with this situation, as we are given free will to book any hotel we want as long as it is within a reasonable price range. I knew if I had done more research I could have found a nice hotel for half of what I was now paying! That night I constructed a long e-mail to my new boss telling him all of what I just told you and he graciously told me he would NEVER want me to stay in a hotel that I did not feel safe in and said he would gladly pay for the room I was in. What a relief and proof that the nice things that have been said about this man are very very true!

Product Approval!

There is a longer story that goes with this picture that I will tell you tomorrow...but for now, I just wanted to share a message from Chrissy. Chrissy gives two paws up for Temperpedic Matresses!!!

Off to the Texas State Fair!

I am leaving tomorrow to cover my first American Saddlebred horse show as Editor for Saddle and Bridle Magazine. www.saddleandbridle.com I could not be more excited than I am! So I thought I would show you a bit of what I am going to see and the breed of horses that stole my heart!

Here is Big Tex in all his glory!

Fried Coke????? Okay - I may have to try this since our office diet begins on Tuesday the 18th of September!

THE AMERICAN SADDLEBRED HORSEThis is a Saddlebred being shown "in hand". One handler runs beside the horse, showing the horses natural motion and gaits, while a second handler (not shown in this photo) runs behind the horse to keep him moving forward. This is done with weanling's, yearlings and two year olds.

Here is a weanling being shown "in hand" after they have trotted up and down the rail. He is now posed so that the judge can see his conformation. The mane is completely roached (shaved) off so that nothing is hidden.

This horse is being shown in Fine Harness. We break our horses to drive before they are broke to saddle. Again - notice the natural motion!

This is my friend Susan Norton, showing her horse Snow Fooling in a Parade class. Saddlebreds make the most wonderful parade horses because they prance. They are naturally fearless and are taught to move forward through unfamiliar situations. BTW - that silver saddle set weighs in at more than 250 pounds!

This is a champion 5 gaited Saddlebred performing at the rack. Please notice that we do not put huge shoes on our horses to "make" them use their legs. Saddlebred's are bred to have their necks set higher up on their backs, therefore freeing their shoulders, allowing them to easily raise their legs much higher than low headed horses such as Quarter Horses.

Here is a gorgeous grey Saddlebred performing the trot. Again - notice the high animation. Saddlebreds come in all colors - even pintos!

This Saddlebred is being shown in Hunt Seat. Some of the riding styles we show our horses in are Hunt Seat, Side Saddle, Western Pleasure and most commonly Saddleseat.

Here the Saddlebred is being shown in the discipline of Western Pleasure.

Ready to be Shocked, Amazed & Bored?

About a week and a half ago I was tagged by sweet Sandy at Dream ~ Create ~ Inspire. She tagged me to tell a bit about myself using the letters from my middle name. Well - I tried ..honestly I did..but my middle name is Jeanette. I think it was the 3 E's that killed me. I promised her I would give you a look see into my 'ahemm' interesting life later...and here it is!
This is my husband Don and I. I do not normally have such bad taste in jewelry, but a party boat went by and pelted us with these sparkley things. I later gave most of them to a little girl who was thrilled!

I have a Dorky look on my face, huh???

Okay - yeah, I am buying a BMW motorcycle! I have always wanted to learn how to ride and one day I just up and signed up for a 2 day class to see if I really liked it ...and I did!!! Can't wait to get my very own bike now...and yes Dad, I will always wear my helmet, jacket, gloves and boots!

This is my hair. I have had a life long love affair with long hair since I was a child and even though I had to go to extrodinary lengths to get it, I LOVE MY HAIR!

I LOVE American Saddlebred Horses!!! This is not your ordinary lay down, dead dog broke, will babysit you on a trail ride if you get drunk, kind of horse....NOOOO - Saddlebreds are big, bright, intellegent and full of spirit. They are called the Peacock's of the Show Ring for a reason..because they love to strut their stuff! Yep - that is my kind of horse!


Yes - this is the love of my life Madison Nicole Snyder, also known as my first Grandchild!

This is the farm that my blog is named after. Equus Villa is Latin for Horse Farm. My heart and soul are in this land. The moment I walked on it, I knew God told me it was to be my home. I designed it from the ground up to the decor. The origonal plans were to build a normal house further back on the property a few years after this was built, but many things happened, including September 11th. That is still the plan. The date is just not set in stone yet.

And Lastly - this is where my Father lives and where I stay when I am with him. We are way up high on the right side.

Oh! My Aching Neck!!!

Don and I went to Kemah, TX. yesterday afternoon. The weather was nice and there was a breeze off of Galveston Bay. There are quaint shops, wonderful restaurants and the newest addition is a wooden roller coaster. This is no ordinary roller coaster though. It is the largest wooden roller coaster built in the smallest amount of space! What does that mean? Well, for one, it meant that there were many many twists and very tight turns - jerky turns at that! To me it meant that in the middle of the intensity and excitement of it all, my neck cracked and OM gosh... I had to nurse my neck and back all night last night!

I saw the sign that read, "You must be at least 48" tall to ride this ride." but I must have missed the fine print that said, "and under 40 years old!"

Persimmon Tart

When we moved to our farm I noticed a strange little tree that was growing on the fence line of our back pasture. It bore a bright orange-red fruit and I soon discovered I owned a persimmon tree! I had to search long and hard for good recipes for this fruit - and I came back around to this very simple one that I wanted to share with you.
Persimmons are delicious whether eaten fresh, dried, or cooked. As a fresh fruit, they are unsurpassed. The taste of a fully ripe persimmon is superb, incomparable to any other fruit. Do NOT eat them fresh unless they are fully ripe!



Persimmon Tart
Makes 6-8 servings
***For dough:
1 stick (115 g) cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (155 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For filling:
3 persimmons, peeled, seeded and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 stick (55 g) cold butter, sliced thin
Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream
Make dough: Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest lumps about pea-sized. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water evenly over and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.
When you squeeze a small handful of the dough, it should hold together without crumbling. If it doesn't, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until incorporated (keep testing). Don't overwork the mixture or add too much water, or your dough will be tough.
Form dough: Divide the dough into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once across your work surface in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with a pastry scraper and form it into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
When you are ready to assemble the tart, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 13-inch round and fit it into a 10-inch tart tin, trimming the excess. Arrange the persimmon slices decoratively on the pastry shell, overlapping them. Mix the nutmeg and ginger with the sugar and sprinkle on top of the fruit. Top with butter slices and bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the persimmon slices are lightly browned. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

***In a hurry? As a shortcut you can use a refrigerated crust to save time...but it probably won't be quite as tasty!

A Sweet Gift

When I stay with my Father, I have a room where I keep my things, but sometimes it still does not feel like my own space. One of my very best friends gave me these, a pumpkin and the figurine of a colonial man, that look adorable on my bedside table along with my daughters portraits. Thank you Vicki! I love you.

More Fall Eye Candy!

I love fall!..because for us it signals the end of the intense heat of summer. Summer heat, that is so suffocating combined with the humidity that it causes me to worry about our outside animals, especially our aging 4 legged friends. There are but a hand full of trees down here that actually produce the beautiful colored leaves that the North easterners take for granted and even then, they only appear for us under certain conditions. Sometimes I have to create a fall atmosphere and will go to the length of spreading some fake orange and red leaves in my garden beds around the holiday decor - just to add some magic!

I also love Winter, Spring and well - I just try and prepare myself for summer each year!