Day 9: The Nightmare Before Christmas... and my Birthday!

Today was the best day of Halloween so far... which is why I chose to spend part of the evening with the Pumpkin King! It was actually my birthday today and to be honest, I think it was one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Thank you to all of my family and my friends for making me feel so loved!

I get to spend the next two days at the Happiest Place on Earth with my Aunt Shari, Shaina, Riley and Ryan so I won't be posting but I will be back with some yummy new recipes and some fun Halloween activities/ideas. Right now I have to pack for Disneyland. :)

Day 8: What Lies Beneath

No matter how many times I watch this, and even though it is obviously not realistic, this movie still makes me jump. There is just something really creepy about dead girls and water. Ew. 

Day 7: The Corpse Bride

I think that I could probably just make October a Tim Burton fest. :) The Corpse Bride is one of my favorites because it's unique, it's spooky in a fun way, and every time I watch it, I catch new things. Besides, how can I resist the Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter team? They are awesome! 

Pork Chops with Apples and Smashed Sweet Potatoes

I forgot to take a picture so I am using the one from the recipe I found online. It's Bobby Flay's from the Food Network but I tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients

• 1 pound small fingerling potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• Kosher salt
• 4 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (5 ounces each)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Put the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and continue cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.

Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan; add the buttermilk and mash, adding cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops, onion and apples. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Per serving: Calories 413; Fat 16 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 76 mg; Sodium 98 mg; Carbohydrate 40 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 26 g

Photograph by Antonis Achilleos

So naturally mine didn't turn out as pretty as... but it was tasty! If you are looking for a fun Fall recipe to try out, I would recommend this one. The only thing I did different was use butter instead of olive oil and I added brown sugar to the apples and onions as they were cooking. :)

We didn't have regular potatoes, so I decided to make Smashed Sweet Potatoes instead. I made up my own recipe and it turned out pretty good!

Katie's Smashed Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato
2 T fresh chopped chives
2 T butter melted
1/4 c of half and half cream
salt and pepper to taste

Basically, peel and chop up your sweet potato into 1-1 1/2 inch chunks, boil in water with salt until nice and tender. Drain water, add chives, butter, cream, and beat with mixer until nice and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste! Makes just the right amount for 2-3 people.

Day 6: The Others

This is a good one to watch with people who haven't seen it before. I still like it even though I know how it ends. It has a creepy old house, a creepy story, creepy children, a few places that still make me jump and I am a fan of Nicole Kidman... so what is not to like? :)

Day 5: Ghostbusters 2

Day 5 already! I think the second Ghostbusters is by far my favorite of the two. My favorite scene would have to be when they are digging a hole in the middle of the street and the cops come up to ask why they are digging. All of a sudden Peter, Ray and Egon have New Jersey accents and they're all talking at the same time. Dan Ackroyd was awesome. The only thing I wished this movie had more of was Slimer. :)

Day 4: Ghostbusters!

Ok I'm slacking - I forgot to post last night's movie before I went to bed. Not that I really need to say anything about it... I mean, it's Ghostbusters! I do have one question though, how did Bill Murray end up as the ladies man? :) I love Bill Murray but...