Local Halloween Fun

Our fun-filled Halloween day.
Witch Puppets
See more photos at Flickr.

Skeleton Crew Theater (SCT) shows play out as part scavenger hunt and part theater. Participants, accompanied by a mysterious guide called “The Seer”, are lead through a mysterious forest, filled with strange and wonderful characters. Along the way, SCT participants can choose to interact with this cast of characters, collect clues and artifacts, and ultimately determine the ending of their own show.

SCT tailors each show to the philosophy of “The Hero’s Journey”, the classic mythical story structure that has aided such works as George Lucas’s Star Wars Trilogy and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Participants play the role of the “hero” in a tale of myth and mystery, with their choices determining the end of the story.”

And check out more Halloween events in the Pioneer Valley at Suggested Events for October 27th – November 2nd, 2012 « Hilltown Families.

Photo Jaunt

Had a lovely ride around Gill, MA
White Horse
See more at Flickr.

Fall Fun

Gilly & Liam having fun in the leaves

See more at Flickr.

Autumn 2012

Don’t you just love these faces? :)

See more at Flickr.

Snail Mail Fun

These creative snail (postal) mail ideas are perfect for kids and pen-pals.

This post came about when I began looking for some fun ideas for Syna’s (6yo dd) new pen-pal hobby. I started thinking about what you could actually send through the mail. I found this great post: Improbable Research – Postal Experiments. As interesting as determining if a hammer or $20 bill would make it through the postal system is, I thought I’d keep looking for some more appropriate mail fun for kids. Here’s what I found.

My Favorite Funny T-Rex Images















Rememberance


Rememberance

Today I honor the service of our fallen troops, no matter our philosophical or political differences. And "Thank You" to those of you who are serving or have served.

In Flanders Fields

Image adapted from Auntie P’s "Field Poppies"

How to Observe Memorial Day

Birthday Gifts for the Beer Enthusiast

For Jim’s birthday this year, I went with a bit of a theme: beer. But not any old beer, IPA.

First I decided that a beer of the month club would be cool if I could find one that only ships IPAs. And what do you know? Half Time Beverage does (they have 12 BOTM Clubs to choose from): Beer of the Month Club – Ipa Hop Head. Perfect.

Then, I thought, “Well, I think he’d like to brew his own IPA.” So I found Chinook IPA Extract Kit from Northern Brewer. Great. Buuuuut, he needs a kit to brew; and this is all new to him. Obviously, Northern Brewer also sells brewing kits. So I picked one of those up, too. It even comes with a getting started DVD. This could turn into quite the hobby.

Check out Bitter Beer for more info on IPAs and other hoppy brews.

Weeks 2 & 3 CSA Vegetable Recipes

yum
Syna enjoying some farm fresh Caprese Salad

Week 2 from Intervale Family Farm’s CSA (in Westhampton, MA) we received:

  • flower bouquet
  • lettuce
  • summer squash & zucchini
  • carrots
  • eggplant
  • cubanelle or italian frying pepper
  • cucumbers
  • garlic
  • cherry tomatoes
  • new potatoes
  • jalapeno
  • sweet corn
  • kale (didn’t use in time – went bad):
  • bunch of basil (didn’t use in time – went bad):
  • arugula (didn’t take)
  • herbs (didn’t take)

And this week we received:

  • flower bouquet
  • lettuce
  • sweet onions
  • carrots
  • kale
  • eggplant
  • cubanelle or italian frying pepper
  • green beans
  • cucumbers
  • chard
  • leeks
  • broccoli
  • garlic
  • jalapeno
  • tomatoes
  • cherry tomatoes
  • red potatoes
  • sweet corn
  • summer squash & zucchini
  • arugula
  • herbs/basil

And with that fresh picked goodness I’ve made:
Tuesday

I’ve also started picking up farm eggs, Hillman Farm herb & garlic goat cheese and Mapleline Farm milk each week.

Planned:

Week 1 CSA Vegetable Recipes

CSA flowers

This week from Intervale Family Farm’s CSA (in Westhampton, MA) we received:

  • 1 flower bouquet (pictured above)
  • 1 large head of romaine lettuce
  • 6 summer squash
  • small bunch of beets
  • 6 ears of corn
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • 8 carrots
  • 1 lb swiss chard
  • .25 lb arugula
  • 5 slicing cucumbers, 5 pickling cukes
  • 1 lb green and wax beans
  • 1 small bulb garlic
  • some basil, mint & chives
  • kale (forgot to grab; bummer – i would have made Crispy Kale Chips)
  • new potatoes (forgot to grab)

And with that fresh picked goodness I’ve made:
Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Friday



Basil Tomato Soup Recipe – 9 servings

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes
  2. Add basil and sugar, and reduce heat to low
  3. stir in cream and butter and cook until butter is melted

*Many of us are concerned about BPA these days, and with the chemical lining most metal cans as well as jar lids, where to find BPA-free canned tomatoes is a frequent question. If you’re not into putting up your own (with BPA-free canning lids), then Pomì might be the answer.