Halloween is a special holiday for kids of all ages.  Every year since I can remember I get excited about figuring out what I’ll dress up as for Halloween.  The possibilities are truly endless.  And, if you’re anything like me you always want to make sure it has an element of creativity.  Because, honestly sometimes it’s more fun designing and creating the costume than it is running around trying to gather candy.  I also tend to get the best reaction out of my simple DIY costume creations than anything store bought.  My best advice, keep it simple.  It doesn’t have to take a lot of money or a lot of supplies to really be a show stopper – all it takes is a little imagination.

Lego Indiana Jones!

Super Cute, Super Mario Brothers

The internet is a wonderful place for costume inspiration and I’ve come across some of my favorite DIY costume ideas to share with you.  Does your kid love legos?  How about an awesome Lego Indian Jones DIY kids Halloween costume, complete with tutorial.  Since I was Toadstool a couple years back, I may be partial to this super cute Super Mario Brothers costume.

With only a couple weeks away, what do you have in store for your kids Halloween costume?  If you’re still trying to figure out what to do for your kids Halloween costume, here are some great online resources I’ve come across to help with your search:

1. 50 Easy DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

2. Homemade Kids’ Halloween Costumes

3. Unique Halloween Costumes for Kids

So whether your kid wants to be a hippie, a princess, a pirate or a shark (yes, all of these made an appearance in my costume history), it’s easy to find a way to make cool kids homemade costume that your kid will want to wear more than just once a year.  With my family it meant lots of great hand-me-down costumes between kids each year.  I’d love to hear about your favorite costumes, whether it was your own or your kids cool halloween costume…I’m always looking for my next costume idea.

Happy Halloween Costuming!

Lisa McCreary
Channel Marketing Manager – AxlsCloset.com

It is raining tomatoes in my corner of the world. With 35 tomato plants in my backyard, we are eating tomatoes for every meal and I’m not joking. At first my summer staple, a simple Caprese salad, was enough to cover our tomato consumption. However , the end of summer harvest has left us with the red sea in our backyard and I can’t let such beautiful produce rot on the vine!  I’ve gotten pretty creative with how to handle our endless batches of tomatoes. I’ve even caught the the canning fever. You might find me stirring a boiling pot of preserves at 2 am in what my husband has dubbed my own little sweat shop. Here are a few of my favorite recipes from tomato land.

Tomatoes for Breakfast

You may wrinkle your nose and have your doubts but, just wait. Tomato jam with cream cheese on toast is a fabulous way to start your day. Recipe compliments of Food in Jars, my new favorite canning blog!

Tomato Jam Recipe
2010 yield: 4 1/2 pints
2011 yield: 3 pints
2012 yield: 2 1/2 pints

The finished yield on this recipe varies depending on the kind of tomato you use, the width of your pan and the finished thickness to which you cook it.

5 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon red chili flakes

Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, simmer* the jam until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This will take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, depending on how high you keep your heat.

When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

*In my kitchen, the word simmer means to cook just below a boil. There should still be a few bubbles, but it shouldn’t be splashing all over your cooktop. If you cook at lower temperatures, the cooking time will increase.

Tomatoes for Lunch

If you find yourself day dreaming of sun soaked Italy at lunch time, this may curb the urge to buy a one way ticket to the Amalfi coast. A quick and easy recipe for Caprese thanks to The Pioneer Woman.

Caprese Salad Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups Balsamic Vinegar
3 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Sliced Thick
12 ounces, weight Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thick
Fresh Basil Leaves
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic has reduced to a thicker glaze. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or cruet. Allow to cool.

When you’re ready to serve, arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter. Arrange basil leaves between the slices. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad, getting a little bit on each slice. Do the same with the balsamic reduction, making designs if you want. Store extra balsamic reduction in fridge for a later use.

End with a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper. Serve as a lunch, with crusty bread. Or serve alongside a beef main course for dinner.

Tomatoes for Dinner

Fall is here and all I want to do is eat soup. A simple grill cheese and homemade tomato soup are the perfect way to welcome in the cooler temps and changing colors. I’m loving the tomato soup recipe I found on My Life In Food.

Slow Roasted Tomato Soup
adapted from My Father’s Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow
serves 4

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

12 tomatoes (plum, beefsteak or heirloom), quartered, stems removed
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
olive oil
Kosher salt

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Line a 18×13 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes skin side down and drizzle with olive oil until all tomatoes are covered. Drop unpeeled garlic cloves randomly around the sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle everything generously with salt. Roast for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tomatoes are shriveled, but still juicy. When done, allow the pan to cool and pop the roasted garlic out from the skin and reserve for the soup.

Slow Roasted Tomato Soup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or more as desired)
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 fresh, large basil leaves
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juices
1 recipe slow roasted tomatoes, with the garlic roasted with them, removed from the skins
Kosher salt (I used 2 teaspoons)
Freshly ground pepper (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

I added a few handfuls of baby spinach as well

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for two minutes, stirring so that it doesn’t burn. Add the basil leaves, roasted garlic reserved from the roasted tomatoes, tomatoes and juice, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low and simmer it uncovered for 40 minutes. As it simmers gently break apart the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. After cooking stir in the slow-roasted tomatoes with any juices and season with salt and pepper. Simmer everything together for 5 more minutes and serve hot. Sprinkle with Romano cheese if desired.

You’re composting. You sort your trash daily trying to recycle anything you can. You’ve even tried taking public transportation to work. You’ve gone green! Great work but we are talking about a different type of green.

Trying to get your tikes to get their daily dose of greens can be rough. If coaxing a few more carrots and peas is an Everest type feat, trust us, we understand.  We have compiled a few of our favorite veggies heavy recipes that even your toughest tiny critic won’t turn away. Our philosophy: sneak them in with a smile and they won’t even know those healthy things are there!

Macaroni and Cheese With Cauliflower

Ingredients
12 ounces multigrain elbow macaroni
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 slices multigrain bread, torn
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions
Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.
Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper; pulse to combine.
Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix in the pasta and cauliflower and the cheese, sour cream, milk, and mustard.
Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Check out more recipes: Real Simple

Zucchini Oven Chips

Ingredients
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free milk $
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Check out more recipes: Cooking Light

 Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Ingredients
6 large sweet peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/3 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup cubed Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (4-1/4 ounces) chopped ripe olives
4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions
Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, corn, onion and beans. Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, olives, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon into peppers.Combine spaghetti sauce and water; pour half into an oval 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the stuffed peppers. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until peppers are tender and filling is heated through. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Check out more recipes: Taste of Home