The Halloween Festival, Day 1

I recently read someone (not an American) say that Halloween was their favorite "festival." I like that idea. Today was busy but so autumnal in every way that I've decided it should be Day 1 of this festival.

The sun shone through a few times but for the most part it was Mystery Weather. Chilly and rainish and thickly cloudy but cloudy with texture. I worked in the morning, and rather further into the afternoon than planned. When i got there i discovered half a dozen lovely pears! We never have pears at work and i love them so i was glad. Once i found out they were indeed for me, i put them in a tart.

Judging by the scraps left in the pan when i moved the tart to this plate, the pears basically tasted like apples once they were baked in butter and sugar and cinnamon, which i kind of regret. I should have done something that celebrated their pear-ness. But i was too excited to use them and i have two days off coming, so i fit them into a recipe that i had on hand. But i love that pears are an autumn fruit. I never realized that before this year, for some reason. I guess it was the neighbor's pear tree that clued me in.

I also made a lemon almond cake. This cake has a lot of butter. So much butter that the last few times i made it, i made it with half the amount of butter the recipe calls for (not on purpose....i just didn't read carefully) and didn't even notice. Usually it has blueberries in it, or lately raspberries, but today there were no berries so i just sprinkled some extra almonds on top and gave it some extra lemon drizzle. And, also quite unintentionally, cut it into eleven pieces. I couldn't have done that if i'd actually wanted to.

This recipe calls for superfine sugar, which i haven't had at work or home lately so i just use regular, but today a customer told me (quite spontaneously) about "bar" sugar and that you can make your own. So i did! How easy! I never dreamed. Sugar.

I also made these peanut butter cookies. They're so simple, i love them!
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Mix well and bake about 10 minutes at 350! No flour! When i made the poofier ones on the left, i added half a cup of oats and a little vanilla. And i forgot to flatten them. They're not very oaty though once they're cooked, i wonder if i could add even more oats?

After all that baking, i rushed home to change and set some lunch in front of Gramma, then picked up Laura so we could watch both Janna's and Brianna's marching band shows.

We were a bit early, so we got some concessions, then shared some raspberries.

Janna's show is called "Helios," and quite appropriate the sun came out right after they played. She did very well. She was also very easy to pick out at any given time, being on color guard.

Bri the flute player was not so easy to pick out. But they did well, as they should, but it was over before i expected. I wonder if it's done? We were never done till States, and then they always re-wrote the closer drill before Nationals two weeks later. I liked the prologue best - they use some Sigur Ros music. Another band also played a song i happened to have on a CD in my car, so that was enjoyable too.

So autumn baking in the morning, marching band in the afternoon. How to end the first day of the Halloween Festival? We stopped for chai and then went to the Cider Mill, of course. We got lost in a corn maze (rather spookier this year with the dark windy night, but a little crowded to truly be spooky), ate too many donuts, and sat around the bonfire. I actually didn't drink any cider. Now, with that kind of cozy feeling that comes with slowly warming up after being out in the chilly wind all day, i'm going to get under blankets and try and figure out how i'm going to keep up with this kind of autumn extravaganza for the rest of the Halloween Festival....