Lake Metroparks Farmpark Halloween Hayride

We've taken the kids to Lake Farmpark a handful of times to watch cows being milked and the Border collies herd sheep. It has always been an educational and fun place for a summer outing. Last night was our first special event, Halloween Hayride. It was well worth the $5. per person ticket. We rode a 20 minute hayride around the park with our group. If you have a group of around 20, you get your own hayride. It was obvious that much planning and work went into the event. Teens provided most of the entertainment as we were pulled from small stage to stage. The Wizard of Oz, Peanuts gang, Thriller, witches, coffins, and plenty of hanging skeletons colored the landscape. It was family oriented except for the wandering happy scarecrows that turned into scarechildren. Sean wasn't a fan. The concern really wasn't if the kids were too afraid, it was the chill in the air. There was a even a small scale carnival fairway set up with corndogs and elephant ears. Overall, everybody had a good time.

chocolate toffee bark

chocolate toffee bark

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. butter

saltine crackers

1 c. chocolate chips

In a saucepan, boil the butter and sugar to the soft ball stage. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and arrange crackers on the sheet. (This is the base.) Pour the butter-sugar mixture over the crackers and bake at 400 degrees for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and return to the oven for 1 minute. Spread the melted chips over the entire surface. Cool and break into pieces.

It is a true test of patience to wait for a little one to line the cookie sheet with saltine crackers!

homemade play dough

homemade play dough

3 c. flour

1 1/2 c. salt

3 c. water

2 T. vegetable oil

1 T. cream of tartar

Put all ingredients into a large pot and cook over medium low heat until the dough pulls away from the pan. Cool and then knead into a ball.

Make colored dough by using food coloring or a packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid. We made pink lemonade dough which resulted in a sweet yet mild scent.

acorn frame

It's a rainy, windy, stay-at-home day, so we decided to do something with the bucket of acorns that we gathered yesterday. I cut out a frame shape so Sean could glue the acorn caps and dried berries on to the cardboard. Glue is one of Sean's simple pleasures. If I don't pay attention, he will have squirted out the entire tube into a pile on paper. Now we just have to find the perfect photo.

a la peanut butter sandwiches

I don't need the Amazing Mumford's magic to make the kids finish their lunch. Simple shapes and cutters transform sandwiches and make them disappear. A favorite shape is the train from Williams-Sonoma, a gift from my sister-in-law. Sean asks for a peanut butter and Nutella train sandwich just about every day.

Eddy Fruit Farm

Another gorgeous Fall day perfect for apple picking...this time at Eddy Fruit Farm in Chesterland. I love to go out and pick fruit. I keep track of the seasons and farms for strawberries, blueberries, apples- whatever is available and whatever I can use in a recipe. Picking fruit allows me to escape reality for a few hours. I am drawn to it and sometimes think that I fervently bake so that I can go back to pick more.

We first stopped by the barn to grab bags and check out a map of the more than 10 varieties of apples in the orchard. We were off, with kids in the wagon, to the labeled rows of apple trees to search for the best pick. We gathered Melrose, Ida Red (they make pink applesauce!), Blushing Golden, and Empire apples.

With thoughts of pink applesauce, apple tarts and everything else apple in my head, I excitedly asked Sean if he would like to have some slices of the apples that he picked. He replied, "No! I want apple dippers from McDonald's." Back to reality.

criss cross applesauce

"Let's make applesauce!" exclaimed Sean. Off I went to the Food Network's website for a recipe and found an easy one by Cathy Lowe. It was short enough for a scribble on scrap paper rather than to print it out.

Applesauce (Cathy Lowe)

2 T. butter

1 t. cinnamon

4 apples, peeled, cored, diced

1/2 t. nutmeg

2 T. water

1/4 c. sugar

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and stir over medium heat for about 30 minutes until apples get mushy. Mash them to desired consistency.

Sean chose to mash but only after I removed them from the stove and into a mixing bowl. After all of that work he wouldn't even eat it! The boy lives on apple slices but refuses applesauce- homemade! Thankfully, Kate lapped it up.