Halloween is just around the corner and this year my kids are looking forward to it with excitement. They love their costumes which they will be sporting for Howl Fest on Friday at my Son’s school. In the interim, we are still figuring out what to do for Halloween; especially treats we can make at home.
Be it food, drawings, movies or costumes, my kids have no interest in anything scary. I am sharing with you a few edible ideas that are kid-friendly, spooky and fun. When it comes to Halloween and food, creativity is endless. You can imagine and make something fun or you can find ideas on Pinterest.
I have loved Madeleines for as long as I can remember. They are one of my favorite comfort treats followed by Chocolate and I enjoy having them with a cup of coffee. Last night finally, after weeks of promises to my family, I got to use the Madeleines mold set I bought a couple of years ago from Bed Bath & Beyond. The air is still filled with the smell of freshly baked Madeleines, taking me back to my childhood. Another favorite food smell of mine are Crepes, Croissants, Empanadas as they remind me of my Mother.
Buttered & Floured Pan.Madeleines in Pan.Madeleines in Pan, out of the oven.
My Madeleines are a little ‘dorées’, just the way I like them. They were very soft inside as I let the butter melt substantially before adding it to the rest of the ingredients and blending it all together.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter and flour pan for large Madeleines (about 3 x 1 1/4 inches).
Using electric mixer, beat eggs and 2/3 cup sugar in large bowl just to blend. Beat in vanilla, lemon peel and salt. Add flour; beat just until blended. Gradually add cooled melted butter in a steady stream, beating just until blended. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each indentation in the pan. Bake until puffed and brown, about 16 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes. Gently remove from pan. Repeat process, buttering and flouring pan before each batch.
Click here to learn how to soften butter in the microwave oven and here for other methods to soften butter.
We had a fun weekend rich in discoveries, especially for my kids.
On Friday, while visiting Linda Marie’s Enchanted Treasures in Oro Grande, my son spotted a Paper Wasp.
According to Wikipedia, paper wasps are 0.7 to 1.0 inch (1.8 to 2.5 cm)-long wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water-resistant nests made of gray or brown papery material. Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests. Unlike yellowjackets and hornets, which can be very aggressive, polistine paper wasps will generally only attack if they themselves or their nest are threatened. Paper wasps feed on nectar, and other insects, including caterpillars, flies, and beetle larvae. Because they are a known pollinator and their diet of known garden pests, paper wasps are often considered to be beneficial by gardeners.
However, beneficial wasps can quickly become a nuisance to urban society. They pack a powerful, painful sting that can cause severe allergic reaction and even death in some human victims.
Paper Wasp.
On Saturday, while spending time in the backyard, my little explorer of a Son found what seems to be a Beetle with a stinger or retractable ovipositor (an organ located at the end of the abdomen used by female insects to lay eggs. It could also be used as a piercing, stinging organ in many parasitic species such as Wasps).
It looks similar to the Darkling Beetle, however, it was our first time seeing one with an ovipositor. I will inquire about this insect on WhatsThatBug.com. In the mean time, any information about this insect will be greatly appreciated.
Beetle with Ovipositor.
On Sunday morning, I spotted a Red-shafted Northern Flicker woodpecker on one of our next door neighbor’s tallest Pine Trees. They have red feather shafts and red on the underside of their tail feathers (as you can see on the picture below). The male and female differ in that only the male has red whisker marks. Unlike other woodpeckers, Northern Flickers prefer to hunt for insects on the ground. They eat nuts, ants, seeds, berries, beetle larvae as well as other insect larva. Click here or here to learn more about this bird.
Red-shafted Northern Flicker.
Thanks to the awesome weather, I did some gardening and got my hands dirty. I transplanted the last four Pendula Yucca sprouts to the new designed area in the backyard and my Mint into a large planter. My husband build a primitive wood planter for the “Peach Blossom” hybrid Oleander (the only I kept from last months giveaway). I removed spent fronds from my Palm Tree.
Primitive Wood Planter.
To top it all off, we spend our night looking at the stars under a gorgeous full moon.
Fall has settled in and here in the High Desert, we have tasted its mood swings. Some of us are happy to be getting back into our warm outfits (enjoying the peaceful and cheerful atmosphere of a cozy evening by the fireplace) and others not so much. Fall is a beautiful season and I love it for everything except the shortening daylight. The kids on the other hand are excited as they look forward to falling leaves and gathering around the table for Thanksgiving. Here in the High Desert, it’s the same old; though one can’t get accustomed to it.
What about Gardening?
There is quite a lot to deal with in Fall that we often forget about gardening. Between shopping and organizing Halloween parties, Thanksgiving gatherings, finding time to rake falling leaves (and everything in between) to putting up the Christmas Tree, decorating the house/yard and buying gifts, there is very little to no time allocated for gardening. No time to start something, yet Fall is the time to find that unique spot surrounded by trees with leaves starting to change colors for that perfect engagement, maternity, family or self-portrait. What about taking a moment to plan, execute and start enchantment in your backyard with beautiful plants of your choice?
Fall is the best time for planting, transplanting and propagating pretty much everything as the soil is ideal at this time for the plant to develop roots while dormant. Fall is also a good time to find deals on plants as nurseries deeply discount them to make room for new inventories.
What Can You Do Now?
Grow your favorite plants from seed
Prune Roses, Shrubs, Trees and trim Perennials, hedges to prevent Winter damage
If you had houseplants outdoors, now is the time to bring them back indoors
Plant a new Lawn or fertilize the one you have
Protect Cacti and Succulents from excessive rain and frost by wrapping them with plastic
Protect Roses and Perennial beds for Winter from drying and frost by heaving with cedar mulch, mulch of straw, pine needles, chopped leaves or wood chips
Visit garden centers for tools, seeds and plants at discounted prices
I ordered some seeds and plants last month and I planted them a few days ago. My Roses and Shrubs have been pruned for the last time until next Spring. My Pyracantha has began producing red berries (which are mildly poisonous, by the way) and the Tulbaghia ‘Silver Lace’ are still flowering. A few more from this morning:
Texas Sage ‘Green Cloud’ – Drought resistant and blooming from early Summer through Fall. I have another variety called ‘Heavenly Cloud’ with green to gray foliage and deep purple blooms.
Texas Sage (‘Green Cloud’).
Red Autumn Sage – Drought resistant with long periods of bloom.
Red Autumn Sage (‘Furman’s Red’).
Tulbaghia ‘Silver Lace’ – Drought resistant and garlic-scented semi-evergreen hardy plant blooming from early Summer through Fall with beautiful umbels of lilac flowers.
Tulbaghia Violacea (‘Silver Lace’).
One of my goals is to surround my garden with a lot more Native Plants as there are many benefits of growing them and going native (they are beautiful, low maintenance, save water, attract and provide habitat for birds, attract beneficial insects). Click here or here to learn about going Native.
Early this year I blogged about a ‘Little Pete’ Rose Sucker I discovered around the base of the mother plant. Unlike previous transplants, this one was unsuccessful. A few days later I discovered another sucker rapidly growing on the opposite side of the plant (as you can see on the picture below). It took the sucker less than a week to grow to that length. This time the sucker emerged from the rootstock.
We used a pruner to cut off the sucker, which we now realized that it wasn’t the most efficient method as it just encouraged and stimulated more sucker growth. This morning I found a new sucker growth and tomorrow I will implement the recommended method to getting rid of the sucker. Digging and removing the soil around the roots where the sucker is originating and then pulling, twisting and/or tearing it off.
‘Little Pete’ Rose Sucker (March 2013).
If you are still having issues dealing with Rose Suckers or identifying them, take a couple of minutes to view this educational video about Removing Sucker Growth from Roses.
Happy Columbus Day and have a great week Gardening!
By JM Perez
