Eyeball Cookies

These little eyeball cookies taste as good as they look and they're looking right at you!  They come together quickly and are a great way to impress your Halloween guests.

Ingredients
1 cup salted butter, softened (use real butter or at least half real butter)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teas vanilla
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
red gel or powdered food coloring
2 Tbsp vodka
fine paint brush
green candy melts (I added a little bit of brown to make the irises muddy)
small piping bag
chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together the butter and powdered sugar, blend-in the vanilla.  Add the flour and combine until the dough is smooth and uniform.

Roll walnut sized balls and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Combine the vodka with enough red food coloring to give it a nice dark tint.  Use the paint brush to add random lines to make the eye look bloodshot.  The very top of the cookie will be covered so start brushstrokes there and drag the coloring down the sides, tapering down the lines and making branches wherever possible.

Bake 9-10 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool.

Melt the green candy melts according to directions and pour into a piping bag.  Cut the tip off, leaving about a 1/4" wide opening.

Pipe an iris and when cool enough to touch it, press it down flat.  Then quickly add a chocolate chip.  Allow the chocolate to set.

You Are Not So Smart

I love You Are Not So Smart!  It's a fabulous look at the trappings of our human minds  I'm excited to read David McRaney's new book.  I feel like his writing is geared for the geeky among us who are not psychologists but who like to examine our lives, reality, and the universe of which we are a part.  As the mother of a child with Aspergers, understanding and examining our own behavior is part of daily life.  I have spent years trying to teach my kids how to function within the perplexing human condition that still confounds me on a daily basis.  It's great to have help.

Pirate Booty

Arrr!

Today is "International Talk Like A Pirate Day!"  In honor of the occassion, I made this copycat of a Tortuga Rum Cake.

My husband is very adept at pirate-speak.  It's practically a gift.  I've been hearing it, I've been called a saucy wench (which, in case you didn't know, seems to be a good thing), and I've cooked Caribbean food in honor of the day.  Now it's time for me to partake of the cake!

Creepy Eye-Following Pictures

I am decorating for Halloween!  My family room's theme is "Abandoned House" so I created some old-fashioned, creepy eye-following portraits for that room.  For full instructions and pictures, please visit my Instructables submission dedicated to the project.

Make Your Own Write-On Wine Glass Tags

These little drink tags are simple to make and easily customizable.  I used a large circle cutter to cut outer circle but it can be hand-cut..  However, I recommend using a 3/4" - 1" circle punch to make the center hole.

For step-by-step instructions with photos, visit my Wine Glass Tags contribution on Instructables.

Sauerkraut

I have never made sauerkraut and have never tasted the fresh stuff--just what's sold in jars in the supermarket.  What an easy thing to make!  I still have a long wait to try it but I hope it's worth it.  Because it's what I had on hand, I made mine from purple cabbage.  It occurs to me that this would make a lovely addition to my Halloween menu.

I have referred to the Basic Sauerkraut Recipe from Old Growth Yiddishkeit..