Halloween Recipe: Frightful Witch Finger Cookies

I agreed to bake 4 dozen Fall cookies for an event tomorrow. As tomorrow is the first day of October, I opted for several spooky recipes to help welcome the season. I have attached the recipe for one of my favorites, as it's the perfect recipe to pull the kids into the kitchen and the result is always a SCREAM...

Frightful Witch Finger Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup almond slices
1 tube red decorating icing
1 tube green food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add drops of green food coloring to dough until you achieve a nice deep green color. Divide the dough into four equal parts, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take one quarter of the dough at a time from the refrigerator. Break off one heaping teaspoonful and roll it into a finger shape the diameter of a thin Crayola marker (they expand a lot in the oven).  Squeeze in around the middle of the finger to create a knuckle shape. Then, using a butter knife, make indents in several places to resemble a finger. Repeat with rest of dough.

Place cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes. Let cool.

Squeeze red decorating gel or icing onto the tip of each finger and gently press an almond sliver on top so the icing oozes out from underneath. Can serve once the icing sets!

"Pin it" here:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/33214115977083099/ 

Weekend Happenings...

Friday is quickly approaching and there is a LOT going on in St. Louis this weekend! If you are still contemplating your plans for the weekend, here are a few of my local favorites to consider...

1) Taste of St. Louis

A celebration of the best food, art music and culture St. Louis has to offer. There is something for everyone at the Taste, including the International Village, Celebrity Chef appearances, and bigger and better versions of the Taste favorites: Sauce Magazine's Restaurant Row, the News Channel 5 Top Chef Competition, The Bud Light Tasty Band Competition and national acts on the U.S. Bank Main Stage, The Art Dimensions Village, The Charter Marketplace, and The Family Entertainment Stage. 300,000 patrons attended last year's event! This year's event takes place downtown with plenty of free parking, a beautiful park atmosphere, and a great view of the Arch.

DATES & TIMES:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2: 4 PM TO 11 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3: 11 AM TO 11 PM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4: 11 AM TO 9 PM

LOCATION: Soldier's Memorial (12th & Market)

ADMISSION: Free to the Public - open to all ages

PARTIALLY BENEFITS: Make-A-Wish® Foundation

Learn more here

2) Shaw Art Fair

The Historic Shaw Art Fair is one of the premier fine art and fine craft fairs in the St. Louis area , featuring over 135 artists from around the country who work in a large variety of media and styles.

DATES & TIMES:

Saturday & Sunday, October 3-4, 2009
Saturday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

LOCATION: 4100 and 4200 Flora Place just east of Missouri Botanical Garden

ADMISSION: $5.00, though children 14 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.

BENEFITS: The activities of the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association.

Learn more here.

3) Best of Missouri

The 18th annual Best of Missouri Market returns to the Missouri Botanical Garden this weekend, featuring more than 145 Missouri food producers, artisans, and vendors. The event offers fun for all ages and an outstanding selection of unique products, baked goods, and locally-grown fresh and dried flowers and herbs. More than 25,000 visitors will enjoy musical performances as they shop for handcrafted items, baskets, wooden toys, custom jewelry, and other specialty items. A wide array of children's activities will also be available in the Kid's Corner.

DATES & TIMES:
Saturday–Sunday, October 3–4
9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rain or shine

Members-only early bird shopping: Saturday, October 3 from 7 a.m.–9 a.m.

ADMISSION:
Ages 13–64: $12
Seniors (ages 65+): $10
Children (ages 3–12): $5
Garden members: $5 (members' children 12 and under are free)

Learn more here.

4) St. Louis Wine Festival

This festival provides an opportunity to sample from more than 200 wines from around the world. Learn about new and exciting varieties from the experts in a relaxed festival setting. Wine seminars and cooking demonstrations are conducted by event sponsors, exhibiting wineries, area chefs and restaurateurs. Enjoy food from some of the St. Louis area’s finest restaurants and caterers. Local musical talent will perform live each day.

DATES & TIMES:

Saturday, October 3rd -12:00 to 7:00PM
(Ticket sales end at 5:30PM, alcohol sampling and sales end at 6:30PM)

Sunday, October 4th - 12:00 to 6:00PM
(Ticket sales end at 4:30PM, alcohol sampling and sales end at 5:30PM)

LOCATION: The Grand Basin in Forest Park just below the Art Museum

ADMISSION: $25 at the door for adults ($20 in advance), $10 for Designated Driver.

Patrons under 21 are free when accompanied by a paid adult.

PARTIALLY BENEFITS: The Flora Conservancy of Forest Park.
Learn more here.

Wow! You look great for your age...

My husband is convinced that I am an old soul, as literally NOTHING brings a smile to my face and gets me all giddy like walking into a home in an older part of town to find it's architectural goodies preserved and in the original state. Love, love, love it.

Perhaps it's a result of my summers spent as a child in my dad's rehabs in the city... stained glass window transoms, claw foot tubs, and all.

Or the time spent in my grandparent’s home on Stanford in University City, with its rich woods and rounded plaster doorways.

Or perhaps it’s just a result of all of the horrific BOTCH jobs I have witnessed over the years, thick and globby paint on Mahogany carvings and homes stripped of their original fixtures/ features. Ack! Regardless, give me dark wood, intricate carvings, and coffered ceiling goodness every day of the week. I literally can't get enough.

St. Louis has a treasure trove of homes that have well preserved the design aesthetic of yesteryear. Here’s a little architectural eye candy from current active listings around the city…

Retail Fun...

I am in love with the idea of incorporating practicality into design. I bumped into these super cool Green Pocket ceramic tiles by Maruja Fuentes. What a brilliant idea for a kitchen, sun room, or even an outside space herb garden...Beautiful and stylish solution for those of us who appreciate fresh herbs, but don't necessarily have the garden space. Learn more here.

Better late than never...

Below are a few random mobile uploads from last weekend's Strassenfest that I had mentioned. Though the crowd was rather sparse due to stormy skies, a good time was still had by all. I'm not sold on the new West County location as I missed the vibe and authenticity of the traditional downtown site. That being said, hopefully the Strassenfest continues its rejuvenation and once financially feasible... eventually makes its way back home to Soldiers Memorial where it belongs.

Fall has officially arrived...

... at the Nenonen house!

Have a great weekend!

#5608 Tholozan Ave - South City

I love it when a Seller thinks outside of the box in planning home a renovation! Rather than doing the standard and expected galley renovation of the unfinished attic space, this Seller opened it up to create an open and airy loft in this 70 year old 3 bed/2 bath South City brick bungalow...

Not sure what this reno does for the interior historical integrity of the home, but it has brought the property into the 21st century and is an interesting example of what can be done with a little bit of space and a lot of thought and creativity.

Offered for $239, 900 by Re/Max Results - 314-781-7777

If interested in viewing this property, please call me at 315-452-7675.

In the kitchen: Jamie Oliver's "Funky Spaghetti" recipe

I saw a recipe for Jamie Oliver's Funky Spaghetti on Oprah.com the other day, and figured it would be the perfect use of the remainder of last week's Thies Farm finds. It totally intrigued me, as the sauce does not require cooking?! Love it!!

The official recipe worked as great inspiration. I modified it, however, to what I had on hand, and it worked out extremely well. That's the beauty of this recipe... you have the freedom to do that! The result: healthy, FRESH, and delish. Even the kids loved it.

I diced 4 large heirloom tomatoes, 4 different kinds and colors, and placed them into a bowl. I then added a splash of red wine vinegar, a splash of garlic infused olive oil, a few diced portabellas, and fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste.

I then employed my youngest to tear in herbs/veggies from my deck garden including spinach leaves, 2 kinds of parsley, oregano, and basil...

Next, I had him mush everything up with his hands. Note: he LOVED this part =)...

The result: a wonderfully fragrant "sauce"...

I let the "sauce" sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours before I begin the process of preparing the pasta, to allow the flavors to release/blend. This is not a part of Jamie's recipe, but I have found it makes for a more balanced flavor.

When you are ready to eat, boil your noodles- I used a whole wheat linguine noodle.  I also add a dash of garlic infused olive oil to the water, as we are major garlic lovers in our house...

While the pasta is cooking, transfer your sauce into a large sauce pan and heat just enough to take the chill off.  NOTE:  You do NOT want to cook it- just heat it to luke warm. 

Once the pasta is done, transfer the noodles to the sauce DIRECTLY from the water! That's right... NO DRAINING. The heat from the hot pasta further releases the flavor from the veggies and the spices. Phenomenal.

Add fresh Parmesan cheese, fresh ground pepper, and voila...


It is a fabulous recipe for Meatless Monday.  It would also be wonderful with fresh shrimp tossed in!