ColumBucket List: pizza with Pizza

My goodbye tour of Columbus kicked off a few weeks ago, when my amaaaazing bestie threw me the most incredible surprise bash with all my friends at our favorite local watering hole, Zeno's. Since then, I've been trying to mentally wrap my head around the fact that each time I do something I love around this town, it will most likely be for the last time! (Of course I'll visit...but for now, it's time to say goodbye!) While I'll certainly miss friends and co-workers, I'm confident that we'll stay in touch. So the thing that is hitting me the hardest is leaving behind some of my favorite quintessential Columbus foods!

If you were ever lucky enough to be a South campus student at Ohio State, you know perfectly well that the best pizza in this entire town comes from Adriatico's. It claims to be New York style, so I'm praying I'll find something comparable, but who knows!? I've been an avid customer since freshman year when their friendly door was just a block or two away from my dorm. The number has been programmed into every cellphone I've had since I was 19. I have to say, it will be pretty weird to not see it located as #2 on my contact list... Cate and I have our order down to an absolute science. A Medium thick-crust pizza, always covered with green & red peppers and onions. Half with black olives for me, and the other half with pepperoni for my non-vegetarian pal. And, of course, an order of breadsticks with garlic sauce and pizza sauce and a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

Then, last halloween, we met a lovely man (pictured above, mid-chew) named Will, who, as luck would have it, happened to be dressed like pizza! I'm serious. He was dressed like a slice of pizza...if pizza happened to accessorize its look with a worn out, blue Kentucky hat. And, very unfortunately for him, we kept making him hang out with us, and the nickname "Pizza" just stuck! Now, over a year later, I can honestly say I love Pizza almost as much as I love pizza. See what I did there? The proper noun and all? So I couldn't think of a better way to spend our last evening together (before he jets off to his medical school interviews tomorrow and misses the opportunity to help me lift heavy boxes into my Uhaul truck...) than by splitting an Adriatico's pizza! A farewell to both the #1 pizzas in my life!

Note: Pizza happens to like his pizza with pepperoni and green olives, which I will just never understand...I'm willing to overlook the blatant cannibalism, but green olives? Never. 10 more days!!

L'Amour List: Eric

Hey lovelies! It's time for another L'Amour List! This week's featured lister is Eric, creative director of The Ohio Union, here in Columbus, my boss, and also the Capitol City's resident (real) ginger. Mine is fake, I'm sad to say... So without further ado, enjoy Eric's pop-culture explosion L'Amour List!

1  Eric is a very 3-dimensional thinker, and the possibilities with packaging design are virtually endless!
2  Andrew Yang's Kouklitas Couture fashion rag dolls are a huge inspiration for his interest in art toy design. The detail is exquisite!
3  Disney! It sparked Eric's ambition to become an illustrator and designer from a very young age.
4  Eric loves himself some Spice Girls music. Has since junior high.
5  Tom Ford...a true inspiration.
6  He's obsessed with all-things British.
7  Mashed Potatoes are his favorite comfort food.
8  Vintage wallpaper inspires him to create wonderful patterns and explore color within his own work.
9  Jem and the Holograms, He-Man, Ringer Tees, Cassette Tapes...What's not to love about the 80s?
10  Halloween is never complete without these delicious treats; Franken Berry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry cereals!

And there you have it folks, Eric's amazing L'Amour List! Would you like to share some of the things you love? Leave a comment below and you could be next Week's featured L'Amour Lister! (After you, Rose!)

Halloweening

I don't really let on much through this blog, but I am actually a huge goofball...as are my friends. So I figured I would take this opportunity to post a picture of our group Halloween costume this year. Are you a big Beastie Boys fan? This is our homemade/mostly borrowed (AND pretty accurate, if I do say so myself...) take on Intergalactic! Enjoy!

I apologize for this bad-quality photo. Camera phones and all...

Cocktail Couture: Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop

I am very excited to present a fantastic blog collaboration combining a few of my favorite C's...cocktails, Columbus, and Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen. Catherine is a fantastic food photographer, and fellow Edible Columbus contributer, responsible for some of my favorite features and covers! Now, together, with Catherine's blog, Freshly Baked, we are bringing you a series of drink recipes and photos entitled Cocktail Couture!

Here's what she had to say about Cocktail Couture:
"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 

We both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

Our first recipe uses Watershed Gin, an absolutely delicious locally made gin that goes beautiful in absolutely every drink. But in honor of Halloween, Catherine has mixed up a fun punch that's great for shots or small cocktails and it would be perfect to dress up for your Halloween festivities! Check out her recipe for the Pumpkin Drop below!

Photography by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

Tricks or Treats?

The cookies featured this year on Martha Stewart's website are incredible. Take a look at some of my favorites? Would you make any of these scary sweets for your trick-or-treaters? 

 Brownie Bits Recipe       Candy-Corn Cookies Recipe

Almond Brownie Coffins      Halloween Blondies 

Halloween Frosted Brownies       Halloween Whoopie Pies

{All photos via Martha Stewart}

Halle-Boo-ia!

These kid-friendly Halloween treats featured on One Charming Party are to-DIE-for. Mwah, ha, ha...okay, don't judge. I'm finally getting into the Halloween spirit, here!

{Photos via One Charming Party}

Halloween Amnesia

Okay folks, I admit it. I was way more excited about All Hallow's Eve in 2009...But I haven't completely forgotten that it's just around the corner! Here are some things I've been bookmarking this October to get myself in the Trick or Treat spirit. Enjoy!

Country Living I Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart I Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart I Martha Stewart

Monster Cookies

This is a fantastic cookie all year round, but I love it so much that I wanted to post it for Halloween. Not only does it have a Monstrous name, but with Halloween M&M's, it looks perfect for your Halloween party, or even for a fun treat! 

Here is a recipe for a small batch, though the recipe for a large batch is available here.

1 stick butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. soda

1 3/4 c. flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. peanut butter

3 c. quick oatmeal

1/4 lb. chocolate chips

1/4 lb. M&M'S® (plain)

Mix in a bowl in the order given. Drop by large tablespoon or ice cream scoop and flatten. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. Don't over bake. 

Also, keep in mind that because of the myriad of ingredients, including the oatmeal, this batter will seem extremely dry and hard to mix. Do NOT water down.

Hello Lucky Halloween Cards!

Adorable Halloween Holiday cards from Hello Lucky!

The original art was created by Lab Partners in San Francisco. I love their retro looking work, and you should all check out their blog as well.

Halloween How-To

There are so many amazing Halloween ideas floating out there in the Blogosphere, and one of the best I've seen today comes from Bunnycakes. She decorated her October table last year with a spiderweb tablecloth that would be quite easy to make yourself!

Here are my directions for how to imitate her spooky spiderweb Tablecloth!

• Buy an inexpensive black tablecloth, and a white fabric marker
• Start at a central point and make straight lines flaring out all the way to the edges
• Finish with the web lines, arcs that curve outward and intersect with the straight lines
• If you are extra ambitious, you could use a sewing machine to stitch overtop of these markings, making your tablecloth last for years to come!
• Voila! Top your table with some pumpkins, drippy candles, and dim the lights for a Halloween Feast (in costume!) and family memories that will last for years to come.

Candy Corn!

Have you seen these adorable hanging candy corn pom pons from Martha Stewart Crafts? 

They are so great, and a quick and easy way to decorate for a Halloween event, or even last minute October guests. They can be yours here for only $14.99. Or, if you prefer to make your own, you can get a how to from Martha here!

Miss you, candy!

Do you ever wish you were a kid again, so you could go out trick-or-treating and come home with this? 

I remember being so annoyed that my mom wanted to check all of my candy to make sure it hadn't been unwrapped or tampered with or something. Did your parents do that, or were mine just a little extra paranoid? 

Neighborhood Boo

Today I spent a bit of time browsing the Blonde Designs Blog, which is an adorable blog run by two former art directions of Martha Stewart Living, and Martha Stewart Weddings. Yeah, I know, I'm insanely jealous too....They now have their own invitation/paper goods company, Blonde Designs! Check them out here! 

Anyway, they posted an entry about a neighborhood traditional called "Booing your neighbors" which sounds like so much fun in a "Ding-Dong Ditch" kind of way. You basically drop these gift bags or baskets off for your neighbors, ring the doorbell and RUN before you're discovered. Quite a Halloween thrill for children and adults alike. 

Inside the bag, you include treats, candy, Halloween related items and also this ghost decal which the recipients are to put on their front doors. This is how you signify that your house has already been "Boo-ed" so to speak. And you also include this poem, which lets your neighbors know what to do next! It sounds like a lot of fun, and a nice way to get the community involved this Halloween. 

Even Goodbyn is ready!

I love that this was what I saw on the Goodbyn Website today when I went there. They are ready for Halloween, and I love the eyeball stickers on the drink container. It really gives this lunch a Bride of Frankenstein personality! 

If you haven't been to the website before, you should definitely check it out. I totally want one of these eco-friendly lunch boxes for myself!

Martha's Halloween Recipes

Here is a marathon post of some of my favorite Halloween recipes from Martha Stewart's Halloween Central. There are just so many cute ideas for devilishly delicious foods for Halloween! 

These cupcakes are representing some of the scariest and most ghoulish Halloween creatures in delicious icing and confections. Mummies, Frankensteins, Sea Monsters, or Spiders. Get the How-To Here. 

These Bat & Cobweb cookies are probably the most gorgeous thing I've seen. With these swirly frosting techniques, you will be sure to impress your guests! Get the How-To Here. 

Speaking of cobwebs, you can use a similar technique to create a webbed pattern on this easy no-bake cheesecake. The outcome is just beautiful, and it looks like it doesn't taste too bad either. Get the How-To Here.

Finally, these ghoulish Petits Fours are anything but stuffy and civilized. Witches hats and little ghosts are bite-sized delights. Get the How-To Here. 

How do you feel, Mr. Bones?

Here are two fantastic DIY Halloween party ideas from Martha Stewart's Halloween Central. For the complete how-to, visit the website...but make sure you have time to spare because I can get lost on there for quite a while! 

The first is the skeleton party invitation. When you pull this guy out of the thin black (coffin) envelope, you will know for sure that you're headed for a scarily good time. Just add the event details with a white pen! The clip art is located here. 

Second, make the bar at your Halloween party even more spooky with these labels, meant to be printed on white paper and displayed under a black-light. It gives "Pick your poison" a whole new meaning! Here are the labels for Cyanide Soda, Gin (Elixir of Doom), Toxic Tonic, and Black Death Vodka! 

 

{All photos are from marthastewart.com}

Spooky Advent

 I am in love with this idea from the Roberts Arts and Crafts blog. I am very into advent calendars during the Christmas season, and I love the idea of extending that to other holidays as well. Plus this frame is gorgeous! To learn how to make one, go here. Also, take a look at some of their other ideas. They are fantastic!

Pumpkin Carving Skills, 2007

For a fun assignment in my design department at Ohio State, we had to carve a pumpkin with an object that we were studying (i.e. logo design) and I chose the ever iconic Starbucks logo. What do you think? Pretty good, huh? It's fun to look at it now, but this took hours...

Halloween Cards!

How cute are these Halloween cards from littletoad on Etsy? Answer: so cute. You get five cards and envelopes for around $10-13.00

This one even says "word to your mummy" 

It's October 1st!

So that means I am planning at least one Halloween themed post every day this month! I have already started decorating my apartment, but I have decided to post a few spooky DIY Halloween decoration ideas here for you, all of which I found on Martha Stewart's Halloween Central!

They are all super easy to do, with minimal supplies, but have a big effect on a space!

Try them if you dare!