The Main Event

 

Even if something is left undone,

everyone must take time to sit still
and watch the leaves turn.
Elizabeth Lawrence

Though don't rest too much, as you don't want to miss a new recipe from Ever Ready: Sausage Potato Soup with Veggies. 

Cook's Notes: It's rich, cheesy, and comforting, with Italian sausage and potatoes. and veggies in a creamy broth. This may be the BEST new soup I have tried. There are a few steps, but it's totally worth it. It lasts 3 nights and serves 6, depending on bowl size.  

Some pro tips:

Red Potatoes or Yukon Gold are best for soups and stews because they hold their shape much better due to their waxier consistency and lower starch content. 
Corn makes a good addition to this soup and can be added at the end of cooking.

Prepare seasoning ahead as well as cooking Italian Sausage 

Ingredients: 
Seasonings
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon each dried parsley, oregano, mustard powder
¼ teaspoon pepper

Dash of red pepper flakes

Soup

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage, hot or mild, cooked and crumbled
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup each diced onion, carrots, and celery 
• 3 cups torn baby spinach leaves, stems removed 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 5 cups diced potatoes or about 6 small potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup shredded white cheddar

Directions: 

• In a large soup pot, cook the sausage crumble and set aside. 
• In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the diced onions, celery, and carrots and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in seasonings.  
• Cover and sweat veggies for about 7 minutes.  
• Add in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Slowly stir in the heavy cream and soy sauce.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add in small potato cubes to the soup. Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add the sausage back and stir to combine.
• Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheeses and spinach. Mix well.  
• To reheat the next day, add a combination of water and broth, as potatoes will absorb a lot of the liquid.  

Meatball Sliders

 https://togetherasfamily.com/hawaiian-roll-meatball-sliders/ 

The recipe includes step-by-step photos, and I bought a bag of frozen Italian meatballs from Costco to cut down on prep time.  

Spinach Artichoke Pizza Bites

Puff Pastry Sausage Bites
https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2020/01/game-day-foods.html

UP NEXT: SWEET TREATS WITH NO TRICKS

New cookie recipe coming- see potato soup plate above

GHOULISH GOODIES

 

APPETIZERS

https://jessicasrecipes.com/seven-layer-spider-web-dip-recipe/

Two versions of Spooky Spider Guacamole Dip 

https://littlespoonbites.com/spooky-spider-halloween-appetizer-dip-recipe/

Oh, the possibilities for adding variety to the tray with broccoli florets and cauliflower bites and mini peppers 

Halloween Charcuterie board

Witches Guacamole 

and 24 more ideas found at this link. 

https://foodpluswords.com/halloween-recipes/

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2014/09/fun-and-easy-halloween-party-food-ideas.html

Includes Tombstone Taco Dip

SOME KID-FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN SNACKS IDEAS FROM Ever Ready

Check this link for more ideas

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2020/10/light-kid-friendly-halloween-treats.html

UP NEXT: Wednesday Halloween Entrees

A Week of Halloween Goodies and Drinks

Make your week SPOOKTACULAR-

add these ideas to your Halloween menu. 

MONDAY

Vampire's Dream Drink
This drink is made from two parts cranberry juice, one part pineapple juice, with a splash of grenadine.

Bloody Orange Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1 -1/2 ounces tequila (silver or gold, based on your preference)
• 1 ounce Grand Mariner
• 1- 1/2 ounces simple syrup
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1- 1/2 ounces blood orange juice (about 1-2 oranges)
• salt for the rim, lime/orange wedges for garnish

Directions:

• Rim the ridge of your glass with a lime wedge and dip in margarita salt.
• Fill the glass with ice. 
• Combine tequila, Grand Marnier, simple syrup, blood orange, and lime juice with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for about 30 seconds. 
• Pour over ice and squeeze in lemon and orange slices.
  
                                   Healthy Halloween Smoothies

https://www.thecraftpatchblog.com/halloween-smoothies/

Apple Cider Margarita

Shared by Ingrid O.

Cook's Notes:

• This cocktail uses Blanco tequila because of its lighter flavor profile. However, you can also use gold tequila if you prefer. 
• Triple sec, an orange-flavored liqueur, adds a depth of citrus flavor to the margarita. 
• Freshly squeezed lime juice is best to get the best flavor in this recipe! Don’t have limes handy? You can also use fresh lemon juice. 
• Use fresh apple cider! Make sure that it is not apple juice.
• You can make this ahead of time in a pitcher with no ice. Store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Add ice and stir to mix up sediment that might have settled on the bottom just before serving.
  You can easily halve the recipe, or make drinks in a cocktail shaker. 

The following recipe serves 8 and is made in a pitcher. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Blanco tequila
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 cups apple cider
• rimming sugar
  
  
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• garnish with cinnamon sticks and apple slices

Directions:

• Rim the glass-Stir together the sugar and ground cinnamon for the rimming sugar. Spread the sugar on a small plate evenly. Rub the edge of your cocktail glass with a lime wedge to wet it. Roll the wet rim of the glass through the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set aside.
• Fill a pitcher with ice, then pour in the ingredients, stirring to combine. Serve in cinnamon-sugar-rimmed glasses filled with ice. Garnish with cinnamon sticks!

Vampire Kiss Martini

https://www.thespruceeats.com/vampire-kiss-martini-recipe-761200

Fanta Jack-O-Lantern Floats

https://belleofthekitchen.com/fanta-jack-o-lantern-floats/

UP NEXT: TUESDAY

PART ONE APPETIZERS 

French Themed Luncheon

The French consider cooking an art and their cuisine is famous and popular around the world. French cookbooks date back to the Middle Ages, and French standards were an early gauge of cooking. Nouvelle cuisine, which emerged in the 1960s, reacted against the heavy style of cooking then in use, which relied on rich ingredients. While many Nouvelle cuisine dishes used expensive ingredients, they were much lighter; portions were smaller, and the presentation more artistic.
About this time, Julia Child emerged as a popular American chef, author, and television personality. With her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, she brought French cuisine to the American public. Her subsequent television programs, most notably French Chef, premiered in 1963. In the 1970s and 1980s, she starred in numerous cooking shows and wrote several more cookbooks. Child’s signature use of ingredients like butter and cream drew criticism from food critics and nutritionists. In a 1990 interview, she addressed these critics, saying, “Everybody is overreacting. If fear of food continues, it will be the death of gastronomy in the United States. Fortunately, the French don’t suffer from the same hysteria we do. We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life.”

Enjoy photos from a recent themed French lunch. I consider myself fortunate our book club has many talented cooks who were willing to share their culinary skills for this luncheon.

Imagine this lunch being served in Monet's kitchen

or at an outdoor cafe in Paris. 

or at The Ready's house where we had a lunch to celebrate friendship.

I was so caught up in the food photos, I forgot to take a photo of the guests. 😁 This photo below is from another book club gathering
Clare, Carol, and Ingrid are missing, as they have yet to arrive in Arizona, and also  remembering one of our members, Cis, who recently passed away. I found small Monet place cards online featuring examples of several of Monet's paintings.  

Monet's The Cliffs at Étretat 1885

We started with France's signature drink, a Kir champagne cocktail, to toast Toni's recent birthday and our safe arrival back to Arizona. 

Followed by light appetizers. 

Main Meal

Bacon and Asparagus Quiche

Fresh Fruit Plate

Croissants

French Wine

Salad Niçoise

and for the Grand Finale 

Chocolate Mousse 

and a stunning Lemon Raspberry Sponge Cake from a French Bakery. Gosh, who knew Tucson had this hidden gem!

Ann was our resident barista who made espressos and cappuccinos 

Indeed, this lunch was a feast, and I'm so grateful we could all gather around the table once more to celebrate friendship and fine foods. 

Book Review

Crows Calling  

 An imaginative, thoughtful look at our planet, overbuilt by our species and on the verge of being lost. The story becomes a fable when a supernatural crow, Koro, narrates it from a bird's-eye view of the planet. This clairvoyant bird sees in depth the damage done by Venture capitalists, increased technology use, and the growth of Silicon Valley, which harms the Earth through resource exploitation.

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip in California accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately to defend it.

This earth-centered novel blends environmental advocacy with mythic imagination. Crows Calling is Bruce McConnell's debut novel. It immerses the reader in a richly drawn family and community that, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to caring for Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Instead, a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—accompanies them, with long memories and ancient healing ways. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz, friends, and family members are working for. Ultimately, they find that when the group forms concrete initiatives and supports them, they can make a difference.

A strength of the story is its vivid imagery of the interconnectivity between humans and animals, giving the natural world a compassionate, urgent voice. McConnell acknowledges the realities of climate change, environmental degradation, and human greed, but ultimately argues that empathy, collaboration, and individual action can still make a meaningful difference. The book invites readers of all ages to reconsider their relationship with the natural world and reminds us that caring for the planet begins with caring for one another. As a reader, I came away with a greater appreciation of nature and a better sense of how we can learn valuable lessons by paying closer attention to the world around us, becoming more action-focused, and adapting our lifestyles to ensure a sustainable future as stewards.

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bruce McConnell is an agile, accomplished shapeshifter who has flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of poems, Living from Here, appeared in 2018, followed by a novel, Crows Calling, in 2025. A second novel, set in Southern Oregon, is expected in 2027.

He is a leading advocate for global peace and security among governments, business, and civil society for three decades.