Any Excuse Is a Good Excuse

"Soup is a lot like family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; & it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor." -Marge Kennedy

Any excuse to have dinner by candlelight is a good excuse at the Watson household. We started having a special Halloween dinner by candlelight probably a decade or so ago. You know how it goes with kids. You do one fun thing once, then it must be tradition forever and always. 

Homemade chicken noodle soup, with homemade noodles is on the menu every year. I fell in love with homemade noodles when Neil's mom introduced them to me when we were living with Neil's parents as newlyweds. She would invite us upstairs for dinner on occasion, and now this is the only way I can eat chicken noodle soup. It took me years and years and many tears to finally master this recipe. Poor Neil ate way too many noodles of rubber tire consistency before he finally got a bite of some that rivaled his mother's noodles.

As you can see, I'm not a clean-as-you-go kind of a cook. I'm more of a drop-a-bomb-in-the-kitchen-and-spend-three-days-cleaning-up-the-aftermath kind of cook. That's why we built this lovely kitchen. More countertops to clutter:)

Most of the children like this soup, but Spencer, Spencer adores it with all of his heart. He averages three bowls in one sitting. This night was no exception. 

I usually make a chocolate cream pie topped with a whipped cream ghost, but this year I felt extra ambitious. You can thank ourbestbites.com for these adorable desserts in a cup! Of course, we were all too full to eat them after dinner, so they made a great after school snack the next day.

Orange sherbet and Sprite for a beverage. The kids saw that I was taking a photo so they all jumped out of the picture. I told them that I actually wanted my cute kids in the background of this shot.

They were happy to oblige. Not quite the background shot I had in mind, but actually probably more authentic. 

Finally, time to eat! The stairs in my house not only provide nice aerial shots of disastrous kitchen counters but also of darling families gathered around the dinner table.

What happens when you wait until 8:30 on a Saturday night to buy candles for your Sunday Halloween dinner? You end up with Christmas colored candles. Oh well. Everyone knows what the secret is to the best tasting chicken noodle soup. TABASCO SAUCE! Yum! Yum! Yum! Just ask Spencer, who puts about a full tablespoon in every bowl. There's not enough Tabasco until your nose starts running.  

Lots of jello, sherbet, whipped cream, and pudding, with a small garnish of actual dinner.

That's our Halloween village in the background. 

This is my favorite Halloween tradition. Time around the table with the children and their amazing father. Conversation winding in and out of the soft glow of candlelight. Good food with my favorite people in warm light. Any excuse is a good excuse.