Oh dear, I just can't seem to stop making stuff for Halloween. I blame the internet; too many great ideas...and of course, when I see all the clever ideas, I say to myself, "I can make that"...my problem is I don't know when enough is enough! In my defense, I had ALL the ingredients for these owl S'mores already on hand! These owls looked SO easy in the tutorial, but not so much when I actually attempted the project. The marshmallows "moved", the wings kept falling off while transporting to the wire rack, and the "pupils" kept popping out of the eyes! But, tomorrow they will be gobbled down by hungry kids who don't care about aesthetics!

 I found this project at http://www.craftbuds.com/crafty-kitchen-owl-smores/, and all you need are graham crackers, peanut butter cups, candy corn, M&Ms and large marshmallows...and a little patience!

More Halloween treats! I'm a one-woman-crafting-cooking-runaway-train (in a good way); look out! It's two days before Halloween and the goodies are just flying out of my kitchen! I made some "Halloween Bark" with leftover white chocolate from another recipe. I kind of "winged it" with stuff I had on hand. The original recipe is from www.thecurvycarrot.com, and frankly, hers looks better (see photo above). I'm thinking my white chocolate version (pictured below) is super rich, but it's still pretty darn good!

Chocolate Halloween Bark

1 pound bittersweet chocolate chips

3 2.1-ounce Butterfinger candy bars, cut into irregular 1-inch pieces

3 1.4-ounce Heath toffee candy bars, cut into irregular 3/4-inch pieces

8 .55-ounce peanut butter cups, each cut into 8 wedges

1/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts

3 ounces high-quality white chocolate

Reese's Pieces

yellow and orange peanut M&Ms

Line baking sheet with foil.  Stir chocolate chips in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and warm (not hot) to touch. Pour chocolate onto foil; spread to 1/4-inch thickness.  Sprinkle with Butterfinger candy, toffee, peanut butter cups and nuts, making sure all pieces touch melted chocolate to adhere.  Put white chocolate into heavy small saucepan.  Stir constantly over very low heat until chocolate is melted and warm (not hot) to touch.  Remove from heat.  Dip spoon into white chocolate and wave from side to side over bark, creating zig zag lines.  Scatter Reese's Pieces and M&Ms over top, making sure candy touches melted chocolate.  Chill bark until firm, about 30 minutes.  Slide foil with candy onto work surface and peel off foil.  Cut bark into irregular pieces. (I ate the small pieces that fell off during the "breaking into irregular pieces" part of the process!)

The "leftover" white chocolate was from this little endeavor called "Boo Cookies"; Nutter Butter cookies dipped in melted white chocolate (I used vanilla flavored almond bark usually used in candy making) with teeny-tiny mini chocolate chips for eyes. I made some for a party we are going to tonight, and some for our after-trick-or-treating open house on Halloween. Regan, who is 2 1/2, deemed them "nummy"! Indeed!

Well, it's officially Crock-pot weather! This past weekend was my husband's birthday, and he requested I make one of his favorites (isn't it always that way with birthdays?); Meatball Stew. It's super easy, and you can "cheat" by using pre-cleaned produce and frozen meatballs - yahoo! I make this several times throughout the fall/wintertime; it warms your tummy, and fills it too!

Meatball Stew

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup (with roasted garlic, if you can find it in your store)

1 cup beef broth (I make mine with bouillon cubes)

5-6 red-skin potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 cups baby carrots

one medium onion, chopped

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (you can used canned, too)

1 lb. bag frozen meatballs, thawed (I use turkey meatballs)

Stir soup and broth in crock-pot until blended.  Stir in potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms.  Place meatballs on top of vegetables.  Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, until meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender.

I always serve this stew with some kind of warm crusty bread and REAL butter - oh my!

Here's a quick and easy Halloween goodie to make; Rotten Pumpkin Teeth! Pour several varieties of candy corn (I used Indian Corn, Caramel Corn and "regular" Candy Corn) into a big bowl and stir to combine. My daughter, who is 2 1/2, did the stirring, which was a major feat since she only weighs 27 pounds! The mixing bowl was bigger than her! But, she wanted to "help"...

I printed some cute labels I found on this site: www.bethproudfoot.blogspot.com , and packaged the candy corn mixture in clear resealable storage bags,with the tops cut off. We won't be handing these out to just any old trick-or-treaters, we'll save them for our special friends!

Before the chaos of my day began, I made some delicious-smelling snack mix, which I snacked on immediately! As it's made with several cereals, I deemed it perfectly suitable for breakfast! I will, however, try to save some for later...

    

This recipe is all over the internet, and I "tweaked" it a little bit to accommodate the cereal I already had in my pantry. It's super easy, super quick, and makes your whole house smell like cinnamon and sugar!

Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbl. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups Chex cereal (I used Rice Chex, but any variety will work)

2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (my daughter LOVED this addition)

1 cup Cheerios (any variety but fruit-flavored!)

8 ounces pecans (I used halves)

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.  Melt butter in microwavable bowl and add vanilla. Also set aside.  In a LARGE microwave-safe bowl, combine the cereals and nuts.  Pour the butter mixture over the cereal and stir until evenly coated.  Sprinkle sugar mixture over the cereal, and again stir until evenly coated. Microwave mixture for five minutes, stirring after every minute.  Pour out onto waxed paper to cool.

All the recipes I found for this snack mix called for a total of 6 cups of cereal, so the amounts of each variety can be adjusted, as long as the total equals 6 cups. Of course, you only end up with six cups of snack mix, which goes quickly! I'm already contemplating making a second batch! Yum!

Today's post is about the first recipe I memorized and made my own. It also happens to be what we had for supper tonight!  I have been a fan of Nigella Lawson for more than ten years.  She has a joy of cooking, and eating, that I absolutely love! I own many of her cookbooks, watch her cooking shows and have bookmarked her website (www.nigella.com).  This recipe is from her book How to Eat (2000). Of course, I make substitutions to suit myself! I never consult the recipe any more, though, and make this dish as if I totally made it up myself!

Spaghetti Carbonara

1/2 pound spaghetti (I use linguine)
4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice or 1/4-inch strips (I use turkey bacon)
2 tsp. olive oil
4 Tbl. vermouth or white wine (I have used both, and either works well)
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
freshly milled black pepper
1 generous Tbl. butter

Put some water on  and, when it's boiling, add a decent amount of salt and then, when it's boiling again, the pasta.  Italians say the water pasta cooks in should be as salty as the Mediterranean. Put the pancetta in a frying pan with the oil on medium to high and fry for about 5 minutes, maybe more, until it is beginning to crisp.  Throw in the vermouth and let it bubble away for about 3 minutes until you have about 2 teaspoons or so of syrupy wine-infested bacon fat.  Remove from heat.  For the egg mixture, simply beat the yolk, the whole egg and cheese.  Seasons with the pepper and mix with a fork.  When the pasta is ready, quickly put the pancetta pan back on the heat, adding the butter as you do so.  Give the pasta a good shake in the colander and then turn it into the hot pan.  Turn it with a spatula or spoon, and then when it's all covered and any excess liquid  absorbed, turn off the heat, pour the egg mixture over the bacony pasta and quickly and thoroughly turn the pasta so that it's all covered in the sauce.  Be patient; whatever you do, don't turn the heat back on or you'll have scrambled eggs.  In time, the hot pasta along with the residual heat of the pan will set the eggs to form a thickly creamy sauce that binds and clings lightly to each strand of pasta.

Don't you just LOVE how she talks? She's British, you know. They are so much cooler than us...

I just want to add that there are NEVER, EVER any leftovers of my Carbonara! Yum!

It's all about pumpkins, this time of year; carving them, decorating with them, and of course, eating them! This weekend I utilized pumpkin in TWO very different ways - both very tasty! First up is a recipe for what I had for supper tonight: pumpkin penne. I found this recipe in Parents magazine about a year ago, and it was the first time I made it. What a great way to get a big dose of vitamin-filled vegetables! I was going to serve some to my 2 1/2-year-old daughter who loves pumpkin, but she conked out on my bed while I was making the pasta. I "halved" the recipe for a nice big serving for myself, but I'm posting the original recipe from Parents magazine.

Pumpkin Penne

one 12-ounce package penne
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup evaporated milk
one 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (which I omitted)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried)
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot, covering to keep warm.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat oil on medium.  Add shallots; cook and stir until tender, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in broth, evaporated milk, pumpkin, spice, salt and pepper.   Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Toss pasta with sauce.  Spoon into bowls and top with parsley and cheese.

A few days ago, I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for my daughter's play date. This recipe is from Gooseberry Patch's Homemade Christmas cookbook. The cookies are very moist and very pumpkin-ey. The batter is very gooey, but the dough puffs up while baking. I made my cookies a bit big (by accident) but they turned out fine.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil or applesauce (I used applesauce)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil or applesauce and egg.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir well.  Dissolve baking soda in milk; add to dough and mix well.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

                                                                               

Last night was our annual wine-tasting party; our thirteenth, actually. Even after having successfully pulled off so many previous parties, it's still pretty stressful in those final moments! I actually start planning in August for the October party...I just love the whole planning process;  picking a theme,  planning the menu, designing invitations, cooking, decorating, etc. You can imagine what holidays are like at my house! Don't worry, I'll be documenting it all this year!

     Here's a peek into last night's shin-dig; before the spilled-wine sticky floors and before my girlfriends began talking in loud, shrill voices (as you can imagine, the volume of the party increases as the party goes on...). Regan helped me tape Kraft paper to the table, as a runner, and make cute little "flags" to identify the many cheeses (ten in all). I also made wine charms out of corks, so my guests could find their wineglasses throughout the evening.

 And here  are some peeks of the "aftermath":

So, how about some recipes? I failed to take many good photos of the food I made for the party, I was kind of busy and totally spaced it. Sorry. The recipes still work, whether I post a photo of the finished product or not! Enjoy!

Rarely have I NOT made my Aunt Liza's crab dip for a wine-tasting party; it's sort of become a tradition, and it's really, really good! I serve it warm, with baguette slices. It could be a meal all by itself!

Crab Dip

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)

1 cup sour cream

4 Tbl. mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbl. dry mustard powder

1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 pound blue crab clawmeat (I used a combo of basic canned crab and lump crab)

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter casserole dish.  Combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, worcestershire and mustard.  Stir till well mixed.  In another bowl, combine cheeses.  Stir half the cheese into the cream cheese mix.  Fold crab into mix, but do not over mix.  Pour into casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Artichoke Dip (also my Aunt Liza's recipe)

2/3 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

17 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained

Combine and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

The applesauce-making has now begun! I know I already did a post on applesauce, but today I took photos along the way. Regan and I went apple picking with friends last week, and it was time to do something with them before they started to turn brown setting on my counter! This was the first time Regan (who is 2 1/2) got to help make applesauce. She was very interested in my Grandma's colander - or is it a ricer?

There is no actual "recipe"; I just core a bunch of apples (I was going to count them, but lost track early on) and cut them into chunks (no peeling necessary). We used Cortland this time, because the McIntosh apples were in the "no pick" area at the orchard when we picked apples last week. I believe I read (at the orchard) that Cortland are a combination of McIntosh and Ben Davis apples, so I'm thinking the applesauce is going to be A-Okay!

Toss the chunks into a pot, add a little water, and cook till soft. "Smoosh" the cooked apples in the colander/ricer and... IT'S APPLESAUCE!!! I added a tiny bit of granulated sugar to the applesauce, to "take the edge off"...



My "helper" thoroughly enjoyed the process, as well as the finished product!

Yet another recipe for baked goods; but these are full of fruits and veggies! Chocolate carrot cake cupcakes; oh yes! I recently ran across this recipe, but cannot remember where. I love to make muffins and cupcakes and throw a bunch in my freezer, so I always have something for breakfast, whatever my morning is like!  And, as always, I taste-test everything I make before I publish a blog post, to, you know, make sure it's really worth sharing! I will say that I'm not sure I like the cinnamon in this recipe.  I think it competes with the cocoa. Try it and see what you think!

Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Mix all dry ingredients together first:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used a bit more to make sure they were REALLY chocolaty)

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt (I used less)

2 tsp. cinnamon

Add in the wet ingredients:

1 cup natural applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 ripe mashed bananas

3 cups raw finely shredded carrots

1/2 cup milk

Pour batter into muffin tins, filling 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes.  The recipe indicated that it makes 26 cupcakes, but I used large and small muffin tins and ended up with 15 regular-sized cupcakes and 24 mini-cupcakes (and I am totally out of cupcake papers now...). I frosted mine with canned cream cheese frosting, but the recipe came with a suggestion for making cream cheese frosting, too.

Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces low fat cream cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

 Aren't the mini-cupcakes cute? I think they taste better too ,for some reason...

 

A little too pretentious perhaps? It tasted great!

This is what happens when I stay in the house all day...this morning I awoke to a frost-covered landscape, so I had no desire to go outside. What to do? Cook, of course! My step-father gave me a bunch of green peppers, so I utilized them by stuffing them with Spanish rice (from a mix) and topping them with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. I'll probably freeze most of them for later. Then, for lunch for Regan and I, I "doctored" a plain cheese frozen pizza by adding sliced tomatoes (the last one from my garden this season), pesto, kalamata olives and a three-cheese blend of shredded cheese - oh my! Of course, now I feel a nap coming on (Regan and the dog are already dozing), so I think I'll take a little break before I bake cookies! I'm leaning toward pumpkin chocolate chip...I'll let you know!