Sonia's Hot Artichoke Dip

Here's the world famous, best you'll ever have,
Hot Artichoke Dip:

1 C. artichoke hearts (get the can of quartered artichoke hearts and then chop them up really good on your cutting board)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C. mayo
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chile peppers
1 C. parmesan cheese
1 t. garlic salt (add more if you wish but it's pretty strong stuff)
additional parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix artichoke hearts, mayo, parmesan cheese, cream cheese and green chile peppers. Definitely use a mixer and not by hand or the mixture will not be combined well enough. Scoop mixture into a deep dish pie plate. Sprinkle parmesan cheese lightly over the entire top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

That recipe is my own creation, configured it myself, don't say I never gave you anything. When you serve it, there is never any left - so no hope for some to make into a soup later. Sorry!

Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars are easy and darn tasty. Got the recipe from a friend about ten years ago. Ten blissful years of pumpkiny, cream cheesy goodness.

Without further ado...

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 C. sugar
1 C. oil
16 oz. pumpkin
1 tsp. baking soda
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and spread in a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Buy the cream cheese frosting from the store and resist the urge to eat it before you spread it on the cooled pumpkin bars.

Halloween Costume

My younger son Zach wanted to be something a little outside the norm. Link from Legend of Zelda. He actually wanted to be Link last year but I was already constructing a complex witch costume for Sammie and knew I'd never have time to sew both so I promised him this year I'd do Link for him.

So....what do you think?
The forearm pieces are old soccer shin guards he outgrew that I spray painted. The boots are women's fuzzy slippers (two pair, one for the cuff added on). I sewed the tunic, hat and pants. We threw on some leather belts for the body pieces and I managed to find a sword and shield that were fairly close matches.