One More Bite Catering and Events

Category: Holiday

Pecan Pie Bars: Cookbook Review 1

This month, Zoe & Eric are reviewing The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book, a cookie/dessert cookbook. This cookbook is all about shortcuts, making cookies with pre-made mixes and other shortcuts to make the process easier and faster.

Zoe’s Take:

8/10

I love pecan pie. It’s my favorite at Thanksgiving and my favorite at Christmas too. The biggest problem I have with pie is that the crust is often too much. With these pecan pie bars, I felt like I didn’t have to deal with a large amount of crust while I was eating it, which was definitely a plus. What I didn’t like so much was that the shortcut in the recipe made it so the pecans I added last didn’t really want to stay on the top, they just sunk into the batter. I also didn’t use corn syrup, I used honey instead, which didn’t make a big difference. I would definitely recommend these bars to a pecan pie lover, or someone who has a ton of people coming over for the holiday.

Eric’s Take

8/10

This cookie bar was delicious. It’s really just a denser pecan pie that you can cut into bars. The big “short-cut” here was using cake mix for the bottom. The recipe called for a 18.25 ounce package. The problem with that is most cake mixes don’t come in that size. It’s difficult to account for measured conversions when baking with eggs, so I just ignored the fact I was missing some mix. This was used in the crust, which is baked first. The dough wasn’t the easiest to spread, but I eventually got it level. The mix was easy enough to put together, but in following the directions exactly I believe I over-mixed my “Filling” (The pecan/custard part). The directions called for mixing for a minute on low speed, then a minute on medium speed. This recipe was also very rich. A square inch of this bar is enough for me. Those last two reasons are why this recipe lost two points. Overall very good and they ended up being a crowd pleaser!

December 5, 2018
Caramel Apple Martini

It’s Halloween!!! It’s also National Caramel Apple Day! Caramel Apples are crisp, refreshing, sweet and decadent. We decided to make an equally crisp, refreshing, sweet and decadent drink! This martini is a great way to celebrate caramel apple day, after the trick-or-treaters stop of course. This drink packs a punch though, so drink responsibly.

Make one for yourself with the recipe Here!

October 31, 2018
Zoe & Eric Carve Pumpkins

It’s 5 days until Halloween, and it’s about time to start carving pumpkins. Since Eric and I already went pumpkin picking, we decided to carve them as well.

I’ve never actually carved a pumpkin myself, since I almost sliced my hand off last time I tried doing it. But using a pattern (for me) was very helpful. I chose something more traditional, but also close to my heart, a cat. In case you didn’t already know, I have 4 of them.

Eric however, didn’t use a pattern, he drew his own, going for a more nerdy feel with the Deathly Hallows, which I wholeheartedly support. He also borrowed his friend Dustin (see the end of the post for his details), to help out with the process.

Carving pumpkins can be hard work. First you cut off the top, or the bottom, and scoop out all the seeds. Then you scrape down the side that you are carving. Once that is done, you either draw the pattern on, or use a pre-made pattern. I used the little plastic knives that came with the pumpkin pattern, but any serrated knife will do really.

You should start with the smallest most delicate pieces. Wait until the end to pop out the cut pieces as well. Oh, and pop them out from the inside! But most of all, you should have fun when you carve your pumpkin! Even if you’re not planning on keeping the pumpkin, you should have SO much fun with it.

Don’t forget to get all the pumpkin goop off the seeds, wash them, and then season with a drizzle of oil and sea salt, and then roast for 15-20 minutes at 300F.

Enjoy your pumpkins this Halloween!

Credit to:

@akysora
Instagram: Dustinklc

October 26, 2018
Zoe & Eric Go Pumpkin Picking

As Halloween approaches, pumpkins begin popping up on everyone’s front porches. While some people like the itty bitty tiny ones, some have giant beautifully carved ones. In order to get into the Halloween spirit and have some fun, Eric and I went pumpkin picking!

We decided on a farm that is close by to where I live, 4 Town Farm in Seekonk, MA. They have a really cute setup for picking your own pumpkins. A tractor takes you on a short ride through some fields, before dropping you off at the entrance to a small corn maze. After hitting a few dead ends, we emerged from the maze, to gaze upon the pumpkin field.

We had a huge selection of pumpkins to pick from; big, small, round, long, green, white and yellow. Basically, a pumpkin for everyone. A fair amount of time was spent choosing a pumpkin. For carving, the shape of the pumpkin is important to consider, as well as the color. Eric was specifically interested in a longer pumpkin with a nice stem and that perfect orange you just associate with pumpkins. I prefer the smaller sugar pumpkins, which is directly related to the fact that they can also be cooked and have a higher sugar content.

If you’re in the MA or RI area, I definitely recommend the 4 Town Farm, it’s super cute and has a lot of fresh produce and products!

**If you have jack-o-lanterns, consider composting them when they’ve started to rot, tossing them in your garden to become fertilizer, or bring them to the dump (as many have a compost section).

October 25, 2018
Zoe & Eric Go to Salem

As so many people from New England know, Salem, Massachusetts is the place to go in October. From the 1st to the 31st of the spookiest month of the year, Salem goes into full Halloween mode. Visitors even dress up and go on tours, visit stores and buy ingredients for all the potions they could ever hope to make.

View from the Hotel Salem Rooftop Bar

There are so many shops, so we had to pick and choose which we went in to.

Emporium 32- for all of your Victorian and Steampunk needs

Eric and I both got psychic readings at Crow Haven Corner, the oldest magic shop in Salem. I have never had one before, but when in Salem, get a psychic reading. It was actually really interesting, and being surrounded by people who believe so strongly and have such a connection to that world was illuminating and comforting. We recommend trying it if you haven’t ever had a reading.

Crow Haven Corner- The Oldest Magic Shop in Salem

So we recommend that you go to Salem whether you live in New England or not. It’s an amazing place to visit, even in the off season. We’re definitely going to go back, not only next year, but hopefully again this year. We do however recommend that you book your hotel a year (or more!) in advance.

Our recommendations include, but are not limited to: Hex, Emporium 32, The Salem Cheese Shop, Crow Haven Corner, Village Silversmith, and Aroma Sanctum Perfumes.

October 18, 2018
Make It Spooky: Decorating for Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and we have to talk about a very important part of it. Decorating. Every year, thousands of people go all out and create masterpieces out of their homes to celebrate the holiday. Lights, blowups, animatronics… the possibilities are endless thanks to stores like Spirit Halloween.

Growing up we always had some sort of decoration, although it was generally a purple light up spider web complete with spider, an old animatronic ghost that vibrated and made noise when you passed its infrared sensor, and gauzy spider webs all over the bushes. Oh, and my mom would answer the door in a witch’s hat. This was all before blow-ups and talking skulls and crazy light shows set to music became a thing. But then we moved, and everything changed in the décor department.

In order to really get into the mind of someone who enjoys celebrating and decorating for Halloween, I spoke to someone I know very well who takes great pride in making our house stand out for Halloween and in turn, receives 1200-1500 kids and parents as trick or treaters every year; my brother Noah.

OMB: Where are the best places to buy Halloween decorations… in your opinion?

Noah: Spirit Halloween is the best place, they have the best shit. Unless you shop online, you can’t find stuff like Spirit Halloween has. Unless you’re looking specifically for lights, then I definitely suggest target.

OMB: So, what’s the most important thing to consider when decorating for Halloween?

Noah: Lights. You really have to consider the placement, the colors you choose, and whether it looks good or natural. Lights create the ambiance and reduce the need for brighter lights, such as flashlights which negate the point of having scary decorations.

OMB: What is your favorite Halloween decoration?

Noah: A fog machine. If you put it in the right place, you don’t need anything else. You can scare people and create the right environment just by turning it on.

OMB: What advice would you give to those who want to know how to decorate their home?

Noah: Be smart about what you buy. A little goes a long way, and it’s more about trying to scare people than anything else for me at least.

October 11, 2018