Spooky Stuff

I'm having fun decorating for Hallowe'en this year. We have grandchildren in town, and that tends to add *spirit* to the holiday, so to speak. I bought some truly spooky lichen-covered spiders for the table, added black and orange candles now that it's dark around dinner time, and used my midnight blue placemats with black and orange napkins. I get a little smile every time I see the table.

And, following on with the Hallowe'en theme, when I found half a small head of purple cabbage, a great big carrot, and a mild onion in the fridge, I thought it would be fun to make a vegetable melange that would speak to the season.

I sliced the cabbage thinly, cut the carrots into matchsticks, and sliced the onion into rings then into quarters. Softening the onions in a couple of teaspoons of bacon fat didn't take long, then I piled on the other veggies and tossed them briefly to coat them with the bacony flavor as they quickly sautéed.  

We had been to Oakland for My Beloved's semi-annual checkup, so we treated ourselves to huge hamburgers from Marin Sun Farms in Market Hall. The burgers were flavored with their own house-made bacon, too, so it was a rich meal. We have been watching our portions lately, but any day that starts with something as hair-raising as trip to the urologist is a day when we throw the diet out the window.

This would make a great dinner for Hallowe'en night, when you have to eat fast and be ready for the ghoulies and ghosties who are bound to show up looking for treats.