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Halloween Costumes

October 23, 2012 by Shanna Hatfield

I’ve noticed recently a number of both fascinating and disturbing pins on Pinterest with Halloween makeup and costume ideas.

They are elaborate, interesting and way beyond anything I’d have the patience to sit still for.

I remember way back, just past the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, when I got to go trick-or-treating, thinking I was uptown because I had a bat girl mask.

I couldn’t tell you what I wore for a costume, because my mother always made me wear a coat over it anyway. But I remember thinking I was sleek and strong and sassy because I was BAT GIRL!

Nevermind that it was impossible to see out of the ridiculous eye holes or breath through the nose holes, which were so precisely placed (as you can see in above photo). The inside of the mask would be all sweaty and have sticky candy residue around the mouth hole. It was cool, way back in the day.

Needless to say, that is a far cry from what people are wearing out on Halloween this year…

(click on the photos to go to their websites)

She Who Needs to Step it Up a Bit This Year

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Pumpkin Recipe Hop

October 22, 2012 by Shanna Hatfield

If you are looking for some super-yummy pumpkin recipes, I’d like to direct your attention to the Sew-licious Pumpkin Recipe Hop.

Marti has gathered some of the best of the best pumpkin recipes and posted them there.

Check it out! You’ll be drooling over your keyboard!

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining Ideas, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Pumpkin Custard

October 19, 2012 by Shanna Hatfield

Captain Cavedweller loves custard and I love pumpkin so the other day I decided to see what would happen if I combined the two.

Good things happened. Very good things.

This recipe comes together quickly and is so easy (and yummy).

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 

Mix pumpkin, eggs, cream, sugar and spice.

You need 1/2 inch of boiling water in a baking dish. You can pour it in or, if you are lazy like me, nuke the pan and water in the microwave.

 

Pour custard into 8-ounce cups sitting in the boiling water.

 

While the custard is baking, mix up topping. Melt butter.

Add sugar and vanilla and mix well.

 

Drizzle on top of custard that has baked about 20 minutes (or until tops are set).

 

Remove from oven when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (about 40-50 minutes total).

Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon! Yum!

 

Pumpkin Custard

1 can (15 ounces)  pumpkin

2 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/4 cup turbinado (raw) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Whipped cream and ground cinnamon, optional
Preheat oven to 350.

Beat eggs lightly then add in pumpkin, cream, sugar and spice.

Pour into 8-ounce custard cups set in a baking dish with 1/2 inch of boiling water. I boil the water right in the dish in the microwave, but you can also put the cups in the pan, fill them, then pour in water around them. The point is that you want the cups to be setting in 1/2 inch of boiling water while they bake.

Once the custard is in the oven, bake about 20 minutes, until the tops are set, then drizzle on topping.

To make the topping, melt butter, stir in vanilla, sugar. This gives the custard an almost brulée taste and texture.

Continue baking another 20-30 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Top with whipped cream dusted with cinnamon (if you so desire, which I greatly did) and devour!

She Who Must Get Over Her Pumpkin Obsession

Posted in Comfort Food, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Puddings and Custards, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Camp 18

October 18, 2012 by Shanna Hatfield

When Captain Cavedweller and I were on the coast, one place we went to eat not once, but twice, was Camp 18 in Elsie, Oregon.

The food is fantastic, the restaurant is pretty awe-inspiring and the museum and grounds are a lot of fun to explore.

Told you it was impressive!

Camp 18 is a dream that began in the early 1970s when Gordon Smith started out with a few rusty pieces of equipment which led to the construction of the massive log cabin. He was joined by Maurie Clark, who had logging industry knowledge. All of the timber used in the building came from the surrounding area and was logged by Smith. Each log was hauled in, hand-peeled and draw-knifed with the help of his friends and family.

Once you walk inside the restaurant, its hard to miss the massive 85-foot ridge pole in the main room, the largest such structural member reported in the US. According to information from the restaurant, it weighed approximately 25 tons when cut and has 5,600 board of feed of lumber in it.

Another not to be missed feature are the hand-carved main doors cut from an old growth fir log. Each door is  4 1/2 inches thick and weighs 500 pounds. So that phrase “don’t let the door hit you on the way out”  you definitely don’t want hit with one of these.

The restaurant took its name from the logging operations in the area in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, logging camps were numbered. Since the museum and restaurant at mile post 18, the name Camp 18 was chosen.

We sat by some big windows one morning and watched blue jays fight over the multitude of bird feeders outside. One evening, we cozied up to a table by the fireplace to chase away the evening chill.

You can roam the grounds, browse the gift shop and enjoy tasty, hearty-food here.

The Train Car

Table made from a large log.

The tower

This outdoor space was cool with the large logs used to construct it.

I particularly liked the wishbone look of this log.

You can even see a wooden-carved statue of Bigfoot, who apparently is quite popular in this neck of the woods. We did not, however, see him in any of our travels.

There is a creek just below the restaurant.

Where a mossy elephant lives.

And the landscaping was quite lovely.

Trees…

More bright colors…

Gold and burgundy hues…

Beautiful red leaves…

Announcing fall has arrived!

If you ever find yourself traveling Highway 26 from Portland to the coast, stop in at Camp 18. You’ll be so glad you did!

She Who Loves Log Cabins in the Autumn Woods

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