toil and trouble

Don't hate me. This week has been coconuts. I started to calculate how I've been spending my time and it was a little alarming, because I'm not one to normally fill my days to the brim with activities. I need my downtime. I realized Thursday evening that the 15 minute telephone conversation I had with my dad was the first one all week that a) happened outside of work/school and b) wasn't about work/school. So there's that.

Anyway, I bring you Halloween party pictures! Our party was last Friday night and, per the usual, we were running around trying to get everything ready, including our costumes. It was madness. I didn't walk in the door until about 6:15 and the party started at 8. But we made it happen, and it was tons of fun.

My favorite part was looking for recipes and ideas, and I found a lot. We had decided earlier to keep the menu somewhat simple, since the party was Friday rather than Saturday. So Sanne made some Devil's Food cupcakes with "blood" and "Ectoplasm" frosting. We had shrivel-y-roasted-brain-like potatoes with a feta-roasted red pepper dip, mummy-pigs in a blanket with horseradish mustard, and Witch's Curry!

I must have eaten about 30% of this batch of cupcakes myself, they were so good.

For the witch's curry, I found this recipe from Martha Stewart. I showed it to Susie last week (who got a job in Andover and moved back! Yay!!), and since neither of us enjoy being bound to recipes, just looked at the ingredients and winged it, following the basic idea of Susie's own recipe.

So Sanne pureed the spinach and cilantro

Susie seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and coconut milk.

And we sauteed jalapenos, coriander seeds a little more cilantro and spinach, and some Indian spices.

We added the chicken and milk, more spices, and the spinach/cilantro paste and let it simmer for a while.

Until it looked like this...

perfect

the MacGillicuddys

 Rajiv's sister Bharathy brought homemade curry as well...

spiders not included

But enough about food, you want to see the costumes...

NJ the cat

Raymond as Cesar, Elizabeth as Magenta

Bharathy the Good Witch

Sanne the Bad Witch

Rajiv the creep

Susie was crazy? 

Doc Brown

Happy Halloween everybody!! What are your costumes? What are your plans?
Tonight Sanne and I are starting Thanksgiving Test Kitchen! I'm so excited!

m