So funny.

And seeing that it *is* decorative gourd season, and not only do I have a few decorative gourds around the house but also have pumpkins here to carve(!!!), we are having our friend Kathleen over for a fall-themed dinner, cider drAnks, and to carving pumpkins.

Le menu:

persimmon flowers, from Andrea’s blog, to start

goat-cheese mac and cheese in baked artichokes (i couldn’t decide if this recipe sounded ridiculously good or ridiculously hard)

and for dessert tiny pies baked in glasses I’m excited to make these tiny pies because I need to make a bunch of pie crust for Thanksgiving anyways, so I am just gonna make a bunch all at once today to have a head start.

So, dinner seems to be a tad ambitious, but… I think I can pull it off.  I’ve had some big hits and some HUGE misses in the kitchen this week.  Last night I made “eggs in the hole” for dinner, and they came out awesome.  I’d never even heard of “eggs in the hole” until I saw them on my friend Mike‘s twitter.  What a great idea.

On the other side of the spectrum, last Saturday I made this crock-potty chicken casserole thing that was a big FAIL.  Earl ate it; I couldn’t even bring myself to finish my portion.  Reminiscent of a particularly bad stew.  Almost a … gross thick gelatin.   Particularly frustrating because it took about SIX HOURS to make!  *sigh*  Can’t win em all…

Here is to a fun, fall-themed night!  Will post some pics of our chow and pumpkin creations later.  I’m thinking of going with a gato-inspired design for my gourd.