Halloween: Sun-Maid Raisin Girl!

Bwah-ha - I pulled it off!

To totally toot my horn: this was my best costume ever. Not only was it well-received, it was comfortable (jeans and red flip-flops on the bottom). Oh, and I didn't look like a hooker! I think that's one reason why people (especially ladies in underwear-as-outerwear costumes) liked my costume: it was original and didn't pander...note that I wasn't a "sexy" boobs-a-poppin' Sun-Maid Raisin Girl. And I had little boxes of raisins to hand out! People love getting miniature food items on Halloween!

Components:

• 23" embroidery hoop
• Yellow fabric
• Elastic arm straps
• Custom-made bonnet from Grandma's Girl
• White top from Goodwill
• Basket tray from Goodwill
• Fake grapes - the most expensive part of my costume!
• Sun-Maid Raisins

Why, oh, why does Halloween only come once a year? Sigh. I had a great one this year: went to a fun party with work people, drank good beer (Dead Guy Ale), reunited with my somewhat estranged boyfriend, was asked to pose in pictures with various strangers - a really fun night.

Another fun part of my night? Handing out eyeball kamikaze jelly shots! Those are coming up tomorrow - stay tuned!

Sign-posting: Who am I and where are we going?

Every once in awhile, I come across a book I should have written. The book is always nonfiction (I have a tough time with fiction and I love documentaries; however, I also closely follow Gossip Girl and that show couldn't be further from reality - so I do, in fact, have an imagination) and the topic is always one close to my heart or experience. Why didn't I publish the book first?

Oh, that's right - I don't write regularly. Or share my writing. I need to start.

Not that I'm aiming to write a book, here. No, no, no. I just don't want people to keep stealing my ideas from my brain. They can steal them from my blog!

The story of how I found myself on Blogger today is long-ish with boring details, so I'll spare you. I will say, though, that it was a book that I should have written that inspired me - who knew that there were so many lifelong vegetarians who entered the meat-eating world in adulthood with no clue on how to prepare flesh for consumption? That's me! And apparently it's also someone else who happens to have a book agent!

This blog won't (just) be about becoming an omnivore. Rather, I hope to share my adventures in food: cooking, eating, reading. I'm no gourmand; in fact, I'm just getting over a break-up and have recently re-incorporated solid food into my diet. I lived for two weeks on low-fat chocolate milk (so healthy!). The food that I'm now eating barely constitutes "food." However, I'm sure there are people out there like me, who don't want to feel alone in calling a fistful of dry spaghetti "dinner."

So, maybe this blog will feature a little "cooking for one" in it!

Despite my current dietary habits and associated food-neuroses, I do love to cook food. And eat food. And think about food. And grow food. I even teach children about food, in a garden setting. Food gives us life and can make us happy! I know it makes me happy. There's nothing like bison steaks from the Missoula farmer's market, or Thai scallops from Truluck's, or my Great-grandma Selma's Butter Riches recipe...or dry Ramen. That makes me happy, too. Oddly. What's my problem with boiling water? Gah, not that hard, BPDubs.

Anyway, I hope you'll join me. I set a place at the table for you - but you have to bring the beer.