Halloween or Bust

Did everyone have a great Halloween? Personally, I have a fierce love for all holidays, but my last few Halloweens have been a little lackluster. When I was a kid, my sisters and I used to plan our costumes for ages. My mom was super handy with paint, glitter, and a glue gun; we actually still have these huge monarch butterfly wings she made for me one year!

We were so dedicated to trick-or-treating that we’d plot out our routes in advance. Since my childhood days were pre-cell phones, my dad would drive around the neighborhood around dinnertime until he found us girls and our friends and pass us slices of pizza through the car window for sustenance. Hardcore, I know. We just couldn’t stand to miss one single second of candy collecting!

While I used to have a unique and amazing outfit every year, now I’ve resorted to recycling costume ideas from my youth.  Kitten then…

Kitten now!  Is it weird or amazing that I look exactly the same, bangs included?

This year, I had the very best intentions, but almost every single one of my plans fell apart at the last minute. Luckily, I had a few consolations to keep me happy. First, the Dia De Los Blancos wine I got from World Market. It was way too sweet for my taste but the dancing skeletons more than made up for it.  

I also had candy. A lot of candy, actually. Here’s a preview of the package I got from my mom…

She still makes Halloween bags for me and my sisters, and we get to relive our youth since she uses pillowcases from when we were kids. For me this year, Popples. How awesome, right?

Saturday night, I ended up grabbing a drink (Dark & Stormy, so Halloween-appropriate now that I think about it) at my favorite Santa Monica bar. I dressed up as a ballerina, which was great because I love all things uber girly.  My tutu kept sticking up in the back, but I did get it in the toddler section at Target, so that makes sense…thank goodness for elastic waistbands AND sparkly tiaras.

Sunday I barely left my apartment and stayed in to clean and cook. I used up all the vegetables in my fridge to make a proper roast with butternut squash, potatoes, zucchini, shallots and jalapeño chicken sausage. The squash and potatoes got coated with rosemary, sea salt, pepper and a tablespoon of Honey Ridge Farms Balsamic Honey Vinegar that I received in my Foodzie tasting box.

I dumped the bowl above onto a baking sheet and roasted it for an hour at 400 degrees; everything else cooked for 20 minutes at the same temperature. The final result was great! I haven’t had a big mix like this in a while. Next time, I would add more Balsamic Honey Vinegar, because the taste got lost a bit. Maybe I’ll use it on salad greens or raw tomatoes so the flavor shines through! 

Of course, it isn’t Halloween without [more] candy…

And a True Blood marathon! Rachel and I bummed around all day and finished off Season 3.

Note to self, think vampire fangs for next Halloween 🙂