Category — Random

Today I absolutely have to share this with you! Before you even see what I am sharing, I have to tell you… it’s already almost too late (November 6th deadline!) to order one of these beauties for Christmas. Already. Almost. Too. Late! But, hey, there are 364 other days in the year – which includes anniversaries, birthdays,  Valentines Day, and… well you get the point.  I am beyond tempted to get one of these for myself… Way To Cool! That being said, check this out!

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… from Mother Nature and Father Time!

Dave and I at our neighborhood Halloween Party on Saturday night.

It was always our Halloween tradition to make grilled pizzas before the kids went out to trick-or-treat. It didn’t matter if it was just the four of us, or if each of the kids had a dozen friends over, each person present made their own personal-size pizza. Dave and I and any of our friends who pop over will be making pizzas tonight out on the grill.  I’ll share the recipe and pictures with you tomorrow.

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Isn’t this view, oh so pretty!?!

And how about this one?

Yeah, not so much… this is my sprained ankle.

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We spent yesterday in Jerome with Connor. If you’re not familiar with Jerome, you can CLICK HERE to learn all about Arizona’s famous mining and ghost town – turned artist and tourist town.

Besides roaming around downtown, we also toured the Jerome State Park and checked out the mine shaft at The Audrey Head Frame Park.

This is the mine shaft you can look down… it is deeper than the Empire State Building is tall… just a bit of a drop!

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On Sunday night, Peggy and I attended a wonderful event at a fun new venue called The Accidental Yard, in Old Town Scottsdale. Doesn’t she look so pretty standing in front of the door that is the address of The Accidental Yard? Although I’m not actually certain that the door opens or if it really leads anywhere… since we followed the cute signs and walked around the corner to the entrance.

The property is between the Cavalliere Blacksmith Shop (est. 1910) and the Mission Restaurant and Lounge on Brown Avenue and Second Street. The Accidental Yard will encompass about 10,000 square feet on the L-shaped property that includes the two buildings and a yard that stretches to an area behind the blacksmith shop. The property had been vacant for years. It is being renovated by co-owners and founders, Joe and Kelly Garcia, into an urban garden that will soon have an attached coffeehouse, bakery, and restaurant. Joe and Kelly, are long-time vendors at the Old Town Farmer’s Market and Kelly owns Butter & Me Cupcakery.

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If you live in Arizona, and you don’t already follow Chow Bella, you really should! Doing so is the best way to stay up to the minute on all food-related happenings. You can CLICK HERE to go to their web page. Or CLICK HERE to go to their page on Facebook and then get updates by “liking” them. Or you can always follow Chow Bella on Twitter.  If you’re saying to yourself, “Why should I trust you and bother to do any one of those things?”  Well, if you’re going to be that way… here is just one fun reason why… from Chow Bella today…

Nine Awesome Ways to Get Candy Corn-ifed for Fall

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I found this lovely orange Kuri squash at the Phoenix Public Market in downtown Phoenix. It was almost too pretty to use, but I finally caved and made it into an equally lovely soup. Any winter squash will work just as well; butternut, pumpkin, acorn, whatever you find or have on hand.

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I have issues! Camera issues sleep issues, calendar issues, phone issues, and worst of all… website issues! It must have been the full moon. At least I hope so because the full moon only lasts one day and these issues need to cease! Let us address each issue, one at a time.

Camera – I had complete short-term memory loss on how to work my own camera yesterday morning when I took the photos for tomorrow’s post. A small portion of the problem could have been that it was about 4 AM when they were taken and that was after I had gone to the grocery store to get the coconut I could have sworn I had in my pantry. Obviously another memory loss issue on the coconut! One happy side note…when you shop at 3:30 AM, there is only you, the cleaning people, and the stocking staff in the store… kinda awesome!

Sleep – Already noted above, I cannot sleep! I fall asleep fine, but if something wakes me up, that’s it – I am up! Hate that! I really and truly hate that!!!

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Yesterday I told you about the new trend that has retail stores selling “found” stuff for big bucks.  Well, during my shopping excursion with Peggy last weekend, I found some stuff on my own that has been, or is currently, being offered in Pottery Barn’s “found” section.

One of the very first things I remember PB offering was these soda crates for $24 each. Somehow they’ve sold out of them and they are no longer available in stores or on their website.

I lusted after them, especially when I saw the way they were being used in the dining room at Estate, a gorgeous and delicious restaurant in Sonoma, California. Even so, I wasn’t willing to pay $24 each for old crates.

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Chayote squash is a member of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, along with melons, cucumbers and squash. Chayote is a good source of amino acids and vitamin C. The pear-shaped green fruit has a thin skin and a flattened pit (seed) that can be eaten but is generally discarded. Chayote may be eaten raw, but is usually cooked as a side dish. You’ll find it in the produce section sold individually in little plastic sleeves or wrapped in tissue paper, which helps protect the thin skin from being pierced or blemished.

Now that you know all about chayote, it’s time to tell you about the coyote. But first, a little history.

Our backyard is enclosed by a 6-foot tall solid block wall. Inside that wall live quail, bunnies, ground squirrels, and (gasp) roof rats. I can live with the cute quail and bunnies, even though the quail are stupid and bad parents and they tick me off and the bunnies eat my flowers. I used to think the squirrels were cute until one snuck into my house.  Well, he didn’t actually sneak in, he walked right in through the open door. It was two years ago, and I’m still not over it. Here is what I posted on Facebook that day – October 26, 2009
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