Seasonal walks amongst colourful, leafy forests and local parks have given me time to think these past few weeks.
I took this picture by chance at Shawsbridge last October – it looked like a young Witch practicing her levitation exercises! It’s one of my favourites!
Once my brain hits Halloween, it stops for a minute to remember my own childhood Halloween celebrations – Turnips hollowed out into a Jack O’Lantern by Dad, bobbing for apples; dressing up in old clothes (no bought costumes for us, back in the day), cardboard masks that got soft and damp if you wore them for too long – anyone remember those? And getting sweets, apples and the odd sixpence from our neighbours.. Good times..
I was driving though my local neighbourhood yesterday and so many people have their Halloween decorations up! I was smiling as I drove by.. Time was, my house was festooned with skeletons and witches too, but nowadays it’s a much more refined event with an Autumnal wreath on the door, and a sparkly Pumpkin that I couldn’t resist from a shop in town
There are lots of Pumpkin-inspired cakes and pies, and plenty of cosy dinner recipes over on www.eatingforireland.com to warm us up when we’ve been out in the chilly air so head over and have a wee look..
Pumpkin Scones:https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/pumpkin-scones/
Pumpkin Scones!
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/pumpkin-polenta-and-rum-cake/
Mmm..Pumpkin and Rum Cake!
Pumpkin Pie!
Roasted Squash, and other veggies!
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/pumpkin-pie/
There’s a load of hearty, warming winter recipes over on Eating for Ireland, so do please spend a happy – and hopefully useful – half hour there for some perfect dinners for cold days and nights.
Once I’ve given some thought to Halloween, I move rapidly on, and you all know where I’m going next, don’t you?
Yes, I’m going to talk about that Big Eating, Drinking, and Present-Giving Festival at the end of the year – and how to take a few easy steps to get ahead and enjoy all that this Festive season will bring us – at the time of writing, I’m not exactly sure what the Festive season is going to look like this year, but we’re still going to need mince pies, right?
Let’s face it, Halloween is only slightly scary compared to that, so I’m going to leave it until next time to tell you all about it – bet you can’t wait!
I’ll say no more.. I’ll just leave this picture for you to think about..
Ok, that’s three pictures, but hey, it’s Halloween!! 
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx