Pumpkin Patch Top

“Her husband was on his hands and knees groping wildly on the floor in search of the paw. If only he could find it before the thing outside got in. A perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house, and he heard the scraping of a chair as his wife put it down in the passage against the door. He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. The knocking ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in the house. He heard the chair drawn back, and the door opened. A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him the courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road.” – W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey’s Paw

Patchwork Pinwheel

Tomorrow nearly half of the adults in the country will answer their doorbells and hand out candy. Most of the rest will be escorting their costumed offspring from door to door in search of sweets. The candies most in demand will be chocolates. M&Ms, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers top the list every year. Then come Skittles, Starburst and Red Vines/Twizzlers. The least favorite Halloween treats are Good and Plenty, Smarties, Tootsie Rolls, Necco wafers and candy corn. The Necco factory was recently shuttered (more about that later), so we can scratch it off our list. Candy corn would probably disappear, too, if it wasn’t such a seasonal thing. By the time they reappear next autumn, we’ll have forgotten how much we dislike them and just buy more. Comic Lewis Black claims all the candy corn ever made was produced in 1911. Since no one ever eats it, it’s just recycled. A cheerful thought for National Candy Corn Day!

Four Wonky Pumpkins

“Divine discontent comes when we compare what we are to what we have the power to become. Each of us feels a gap between where and who we are, and where and who we want to become. We yearn for greater personal capacity. We have these feelings because we are daughters and sons of God, born with the Light of Christ yet living in a fallen world. These feelings are God given and create an urgency to act. We should welcome feelings of divine discontent that call us to a higher way, while recognizing and avoiding Satan’s counterfeit—paralyzing discouragement. We can choose to walk the higher path that leads us to seek for God and His peace and grace, or we can listen to Satan, who bombards us with messages that we will never be enough: rich enough, smart enough, beautiful enough, anything enough. Our discontent can become divine—or destructive.” – Michelle D. Craig

Patchwork Triangle

We had a neighborhood chili cook-off Thursday. There were so many amazing entries, but several people commented about the one dish from last year that didn’t show up this year. I have lots of recipes I’d call crowd-pleasers, but I don’t think many would have people missing them a year later.

Cornbread Chili Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef

16 ounces thick and chunky salsa

19 ounces kidney beans, drained

15 ounces canned diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups corn

3 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

6.5 ounce Betty Crocker cornbread/muffin mix

1/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 400F. Brown beef in a large skillet, drain. Return to skillet and add  salsa, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Heat thoroughly. Prepare cornbread mix using milk. Spoon mix around edges of greased 9x13 baking pan. Fill center with hot chili. Bake 20 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown. Serve hot with shredded cheddar, sour cream and sliced green onions.

Wonky Pumpkin

It’s easy to see why Halloween happens at the end of October. It would never fly in January or July. This time of year is just creepier. The leaves have all become crispy, so that any breath of wind makes them rattle. An eerie mist hovers over the pond and ragged wisps seep up from the storm drains. In the predawn dark, your mind plays tricks on you at this time of year. I was delivering newspapers in October years ago when a neighbor’s wet suit hanging out to dry scared the beejeebers out of me. Just last week I was walking the dogs about an hour before sunrise. As I passed by my neighbors EMPTY pickup truck, it suddenly beeped, flipped on its headlights and revved its engine. Of course it was just my neighbor warming up his cold truck by remote. But if I’d been carrying a rifle, I’d have given it both barrels.  

Nine LeMoyne Stars

Millions of Muslims around the world observe Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fast by skipping two consecutive meals every month. In both cases fasting is accompanied by prayer. Both fasts are intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of those less fortunate. Both fasts usually coincide with donations to the poor. Before Ramadan this spring, Bishop Fakatou of the Solihull ward in West Midlands, UK became aware the local Muslim community had no place large enough to accommodate their members. After receiving permission from his stake president, the bishop offered his chapel for nightly prayers, iftar (breaking the fast) feasts, and reading from the Quran. A grateful Muslim community responded with a generous contribution to LDS Charities. I love to see what happens when people remember their differences are less important than what they have in common.

Cozy Cottage

I’m always on the lookout for super simple meals, especially on Sundays. It doesn’t get much simpler than last week's Sunday lunch:

One-pan Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

14 ounces fresh tomatoes, diced

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Over medium heat, warm oil in your biggest frying pan or stock pot. Gently saute onions and garlic until golden brown. Add tomatoes, broth, basil and bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly and add spaghetti. Be sure spaghetti is completely immersed in liquid, even if you have to break the spaghetti to make it fit. Cover and cook until spaghetti is al dente. Serve hot, topped with Parmesan and parsley.