Halloween ideas

A few more Halloween ideas for you...

 Our fun pumpkins this year.  A star cruiser... from Buzz Lightyear.  And the Death Star... from Star Wars.

We made 'ghosts in the graveyard' for dessert.  (pudding/cool whip mix with crushed oreos and 'tombstones' for decorations)  Google it... you'll find several recipes to choose from.

The kids love it!

We also do this every year... but I don't have a picture. 

We buy dry ice from the grocery store (get there early... it sells out fast)

and put it in colored water (or just water).

The boys love playing with the 'fog' that comes off of it.

They call it secret potion.

We also use the dry ice to make homemade rootbeer.

Yummy!

Breakfast Casserole in a crock pot

Great for early breakfast when you have guests and want to sleep in a little...

Ingredients:
1 doz eggs
1 cup milk
1 bag (32 oz bag) frozen hash brown potatoes
1 lb bacon, cooked crisp - or Ham (other meat will work as well)
3/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 1/2 cup cheese - shredded (cheddar, jack, or both)
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Directions:
1. Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick spray.
2. Layer potato, bacon, onion, cheese 1/3 of each 3 times.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk and seasonings.
4. Pour egg mixture over the ingredients in the crockpot.
5. Cook on low 10 - 12 hours, until eggs are set and thoroughly cooked.

Suggestions:It needed a little extra kick, next time might add some green chilies or salsa)

**Made great Breakfast Burritos the next day!
(sorry no, no pictures - forgot about it until everything was all put away)

Anniversary Paprika Chicken and Anniversary Pasta

This post is from Alisa... I'm just posting it for her.  ;)

Someone else already posted an "Anniversary Chicken", but this is an "Anniversary Paprika Chicken" recipe we tried last night and really liked it!!

(Picture and recipe from here.)

Anniversary Paprika Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 cubes (3/4 cup) melted butter
Paprika (I forgot to put the paprika in, but we still really liked it!)

Combine parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs.  Dip chicken breast in melted butter.  Roll in crumb mixture until completely coated.  Place in baking dish and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.  Do NOT overcook!



And it tasted so good with Anniversary Pasta!! (recipe can be found here.)

Anniversary Pasta

1 pkg bow tie pasta
1/2 c. (1 cube) butter - the real stuff
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
10-15 spears asparagus, blanched
1/2 c. bacon, crumbled
1/4 c. toasted pinenuts (or to taste)
Parsley, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente.  Do NOT overcook.

In wok or heavy skillet, melt butter.  Ad minced garlic and saute a minute or so.

Add parmesan cheese and bouillon cube(s).  When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream, salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered.

Add blanched asparagus.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley and parmesan cheese.  Toss together.  Serve immediately.

Breakfast on the go...

Breakfast can be a crazy time.  In my house, sometimes it gets skipped all together (for the adults).  

 So, I thought I would share a trick that we've learned.

Last Saturday morning I made breakfast burritos for the family.  While I was at it, I made 5 extra.

I wrapped them in a paper towel, then in a layer of foil, placed them in a freezer bag and 

put them in the freezer.

When you want to eat one, remove from freezer, remove layer of foil (leave the paper towel) and 

microwave for about 2 minutes.  

There you go!  A ready made breakfast.  

I usually put scrambled eggs, sausage, onions and maybe a green pepper in my burritos... 

but add whatever makes you happy!

Kalua Pig

This recipe is my sister, Jodi's.
It is FABULOUS! (and super easy!) And it's my husband's favorite!
So tender and moist... you're gonna love it!

Kalua Pig

1 Boneless Pork Roast

Stab roast with large fork or knife, making holes all over the roast.

Rub:
1 1/2 t. liquid smoke
2 1/4 t. sea salt

Rub all over roast. Wrap roast in 3 layers of foil. Do NOT wrap the roasts tightly like you would a baked potato. DO wrap it more tented like you would a foil dinner. Make sure the foil is sealed tightly at the edges.

Place roast in a crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the eat is cooked all the way.

When the roast is done, empty the roast and all the drippings into the crock pot, removing the aluminum foil. Shred the meat and add 1/2 c. of water.

Leave the meat in the crock pot on a 'warm' setting until it is time to serve.

Serve over rice.

Chocolate covered caramel pretzels

These are easy and yummy to make. I made them for Christmas but they can be adjusted to any holiday.

You'll need:

pretzel rods

melting chocolate

caramel

sprinkles

I use that brick of caramel you can find at most baking supply stores. Wet your hands and take a piece and roll it into a 'snake' then wrap it around the pretzel rod like shown.

Melt your chocolate (in microwave or on the stove) and dip your pretzel. I also use a spoon to help cover the entire pretzel.
Lay on some foil or waxed paper and add your sprinkles, let dry

I actually went and bought the pretzel bags and tied them with a ribbon to give to some friends.

Enjoy!

It really is a tasty treat.

Sneaky treats!

I have a son who is a super picky eater. The only vegtable he will eat is raw carrots. I found this recipe from the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield -
knowing that he likes Chocolate - I decided to give it a try.
It was a HUGE success!!

Chocolate Fondue

1 T. trans-fat-free margarine spread (I just used butter)

1/2 c. Avacado Puree

1/4 c. Carrot Puree

1 c. confectioners' sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Sliced fruits, whole berries, or cherries for dipping

Melt the margarine over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the avacado and carrot purees, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla, and whisk well until smooth. Serve warm, with fruit.

**A trick I learned while experimenting with sneaky nutrition is that for things like "carrot puree" I just use a jar of carrot baby food - it saves a lot of time.

a yummy fall dinner

Tonight we had a really yummy fall dinner....soup and muffins! I would highly recommend both!

Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder:
(This is what I order every time I go to Mimi's)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter(1/2 a stick)
• 6 tablespoons chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 cups cubed potatoes (1/2 inch pieces)
• 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 dash white pepper, or black
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in large saucepan. Once melted add celery and onion and saute for 5 minutes (not til brown, just til soft).
2. Add water, potatoes, corn, sugar, salt and pepper, making sure water covers everything, adding more if not covered completely. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, usually about 30 minutes.
3. Whisk flour into 1 cup of the half and half and then stir into soup.
4. Add remaining half and half and simmer until soup is thickened to a creamy consistency (usually about 15 minutes).
5. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if wanted. If the chowder is too thick, add some milk, if it is too thin, simmer for 5-10 minutes more.

Pumpkin Crumb Muffins:
(by my sister in law, Camie)

• 1 2/3 C. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 C. Libby's solid pack pumpkin
• 1/4 C. undiluted evaporated milk
• 1/3 C. shortening
• 1 C. packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in large bowl. In small bowl combine pumpkin and evaporated milk. Cream shortening and sugar in large mixer bowl. Add egg, beat until fluffy. Alternately add flour and pumpkin mixtures to shortening mixture; beat well after each addition. Fill muffin tins (greased) or paper lined cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle Streusel topping over muffins.

Streusel Topping:
Combine 2 Tbs. flour, 2 Tbs. granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 1 Tbs. butter until mixture is crumbly.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 35-40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. You can find it HERE.
It's yummy, easy and very Autumn.
I substituted the White Wine with Chicken Broth and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Next time I think I will use noodles with more texture... maybe Fusilli, Radiatore or Rotini.

Zucchini Turkey wraps

1 lb ground turkey (optional ground turkey)
salt and pepper
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 cups grated zucchini
salt and pepper
2/3 cup salsa
1 t. prepared yellow mustard
1/2 t. dried basil
1 c. cooked brown rice
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
tortilla chips, tortillas, lettuce leaves, etc.

Brown the meat and season it with some salt and pepper. Put the cooked meat aside and let any fat drain off.
Add oil into frying pan and let heat up on medium high heat. Add onions & garlic let cook for 1 minute. Add celery, & carrots and let these cook for a few minutes until they start to get tender. Add grated zucchini and season vegetables with some salt and pepper. Continue cooking the vegetables until they are soft and tender.
Add the salsa, mustard, and dried basil into the saucepan and mix together. Add the browned meat and brown rice and heat through. Top with cheese.

Can be made into tacos, nachos, or wrapped in lettuce leaves. Yummy and healthy too!

* The first time I made this I chopped the veggies really small with a hand chopper and put the salsa in the food processor so there was no chunks of food that the picky eaters in the family would see. It worked and everyone ate it!



** Another great idea for Fall is to put your dish inside a hollowed out pumpkin... Find a pumpkin with a flat side so it wont wobble around the table. Cut the pumpkin in half long ways above the stem and then I lined the inside of the pumpkin with waxed paper. I was trying to look for a tall oblong shaped pumpkin but this one had the perfect flat side to it.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans (15 ounces *each*) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
- 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons chili powder - 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through.

* Yield: *10 servings
Submitted by Wendy

Chew on your pencil!

When I saw this in a magazine I knew I had to try it our for my Back to School Dinner. Here's the link to how you make it.

(FYI- We are not bologna eaters in my house so I used a hotdog we had left over from the night before, I just cut off the skin so it was about the right size to fit on top of the cheese stick)

Banana Cake

Yum! Is all I can say about this, Oh and it's an easy recipe!

Banana Cake

1 box yellow cake (follow directions on back)

2-3 RIPE mashed bananas

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cap full banana extract

Can be baked in any pan, I used a bunt pan for a pretty presentation. Then the top decided to stay in the pan so it didn't come up pretty but we glued it back together with a yummy cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp.vanilla

A dash of banana extract

(I didn't want a thick layer of frosting on this so I added some milk to thin it to the consistency I needed)

S'mores

We had a family birthday party over the weekend and this is what I made:

You can find the original recipe here. I used a brownie mix - it turned out great. These are really rich - so 1 square is about all you can eat. But they are yummy!

S'more Bars

Crust:
14 whole graham cracker boards, crushed (2-1/4 cups crumbs)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

Brownie:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
3 eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
1 jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow cream (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup mini chocolate kisses
3 whole graham cracker boards, broken up

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter in a small bowl until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; press crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, pressing the crumbs evenly into the corners and along the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the crust until chilled and set.
3. Brownie: Combine the bittersweet chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe glass bowl or glass measuring cup. Heat chocolate mixture in a microwave oven on high until the chocolate and butter are melted, about 1 minute. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. With a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Reduce the speed to medium. While continuing to beat, gradually add the melted chocolate-butter mixture to the egg mixture; beat until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally.
5. Stir the flour and salt into the egg mixture. Then stir in the vanilla until smooth. Scrape the brownie mixture into the crust-lined baking pan; smooth the top level with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake in 350° F oven for 30 minutes or until the top is smooth and the center is set when gently pressed with fingertip.
7. Topping: While the brownie layer is baking, whisk together the marshmallow cream and the milk in a small bowl until the mixture is well blended and smooth.
8. Pour the marshmallow topping mixture over the brownie layer in the pan. Spread or tilt the pan to level the topping and cover the brownie layer completely.
9. Sprinkle the mini chocolate kisses evenly over the marshmallow topping. Then scatter the crumbled graham crackers all over the top.
10. Bake in 350° F oven for 3 minutes or until the chocolate kisses are glossy and the marshmallow topping is set. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Kit Kats

My son is turning 3 tomorrow. He is not a big fan of cakes.
So what to make him for the special day?
He LOVES candy... especially Kit Kats.
I saw this creation online, on several sites, it is PERFECT for my son...

2 - 8 inch round cakes, frosted.
Press the Kit Kats into the side,
fill the 'bucket' with your favorite candy,
tie a ribbon... and you're done!!
My son will be on such a sugar high from the candy -
he'll ignore the cake completely.

He saw the cake today and said, 'Oh, a bucket for my candy!' :)

Hamburgers or Hot Dogs anyone?

When I saw these on Bakerella's site I knew I had to try and make them, and what better time to do that then for the 4th of July. Then I found the idea for the hot dogs on {this} site. They were both so fun to make, I only wish I had the brains to come up with the idea!
*One thing I found that just by cutting the cupcake in half made for a really tall burger so I cut the middle out of the cupcake so it wouldn't be so giant and an easier way to transport. And I bought a tube of red frosting then split up the can and colored half green and half yellow... red is just such a hard color to make in frosting.

The hot dogs were so fun to make! My sister loves the circus peanuts and I hate them but they were the perfect thing for the bun.
I cut up some green gummy bears for the relish. And I had a tub of caramel from a baking supply store that I put in the microwave for a few seconds and it was very easy to roll it into hotdog shapes

Then just for fun I made red white and blue cupcakes that the hotdogs were then placed on top.

Again I wish my brain would allow me to be this creative, but I did have a great time re-creating these cupcakes!!

Anniversary Chicken

This is a popular dish that we serve at the church office building, very yummy!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce
1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped (scallions)
1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits, or fresh crisp bacon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 º In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.
(I let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes before I add the cheese on)

Pulled pork and Broiled Broccoli

Easy dinner idea:
I take the boneless pork ribs and put them in the crock pot for about 1-2 hours on high with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Then drain the fat and add in Lawry's Garlic and Herb marinade and let sit on low for about 4 hours. Then take 2 forks and pull apart- serve over rice.
Broiled Broccoli
Clean and cut broccoli into spears, put on a cookie sheet pan and toss in olive oil and salt and pepper. Put under broiler for 7-10 minutes or until broccoli starts to get toasty. (this last time I made it and added lemon pepper, it was so tasty)

Spring Cupcakes

Megan was asked to learn how to make these adorable cupcakes and teach them to our YWs last night. They are just too cute to eat!

Ingredients:

Cake Mix & ingredients on the box

Frosting

Large Marshmellows

Mint Leaf candies (find at Longs Drug)

Spring colored Sugars (regular consistency not large)

Gumdrops (find at Longs Drug)

Nonpareils (small little balls sold in cake decorating areas)

White sugar

Easter grass & small candies for decorations

1. Bake, cool and frost your cupcakes.

2. Take a large marshmellow and cut into 5 slices with sissors squishing it slightly as you cut so it looks like a petal.

3. Dip the cut sticky side of the marshmellow into the sugar leaving a white rim around each petal.

4. Take a mint leaf and slice it with a knife into 4 leafs. Dip the leafs that have been cut and do not have any sugars on it into regular white sugar.

5. Take a gum drop and slice off the very top to make it flat. Dip the sticky top just cut into the nonpareils.

6. Assembly your flower starting with the marshmellow leafs arranging 5 petals overlapping into a flower. Add two mint leaves carefully under the petals as you go or after. Add the gumdrop to the center and you are done!

Note: The marshmellows do harden so you might want to keep wrapped with cellophane and plan to deliver to a friend soon thereafter if they are a gift. Doiley's are a nice touch to hide the plate you are using.

Beef Stew

This really isn't an exact recipe but a while ago I made a roast for dinner and knew we weren't going to eat the leftovers before we left on vacation, so I froze the meat and gravy. When we got home I threw it into the crockpot with some potatoes, carrots, celery, corn and peas and it turned out delicious!! The meat was even better the 2nd time around. Now I know not to waste any leftovers.