Tip of the Week!

Always have a couple sets of Measuring Cups and Spoons on hand.  When you are doing a lot of cooking in a day, or even just one complicated dish, it's nice to not have to stop and do the dishes to continue with the recipe.

Tip of the Day!

If your gravy has turned out a little greasy, you can add a little baking soda to it and it will get rid of it.

Tip of the Week!

When picking a melon, smell it for freshness and ripeness.  Make sure it is heavier in weight (heavier=juicer) and that the spot on the end where it was plucked from the vine is soft.

Tip of the Week!

For fluffier, whiter Rice, add one teaspoon of Lemon Juice per quart of water, while cooking.

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

Okay, so the voting for our Halloween Recipe Contest ended last night and I just came to check on the results and it appears we have a clear winner.

Our winner is Mandy with the Cookies 'N Cream Jack-o'-Lantern Popcorn Balls.


Thank all of you so much for your submissions and the time you took to come and vote on your favorites. 

Mandy will now have a chance to pick her price, she either gets a year subscription to the Taste of Home magazine, full of many great recipes and cooking ideas, or a $10 Visa Gift Card.   Congratulations Mandy.

Now for the time to announce the winner from the drawing.  There actually ended up being quite a few names in there from entering and referring people.  So... I drew the name this morning and the winner is... Jami.  She sent in the Red Cinnamon Apples, and the Chocolate Six-Legged Spiders.  Congratulations to Jami for the win, she has won a $5 Walmart Gift Card.

Thanks again to all those that entered my Halloween Recipe Contest.  I hope everyone had fun and got some great ideas for all those Halloween get togethers.

Just a reminder that I will be having a Holiday Recipe Contest coming up soon.  I would appreciate your feedback though.  Should I do a Thanksgiving, and Christmas one separate, or should I combine them and just do a Holiday Recipe Contest?  What do you think?  Leave a comment or email me and let me know.

Tip of the Week!

When using Sugar Cones for ice cream, put a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of the cone before adding the ice cream.  This will keep the cone from getting soggy and leaking through the bottom of the cone.

Chicken Lo Mein

Okay, so this is my experimental recipe for the week.  I got it from Recipe Zaar.  I really liked this recipe, it was quite simple and very good tasting.  I have go agree that you should not substitute the Sesame Oil for another oil, because you could really taste it and it tasted really good.  Plain olive oil would not work.  I do wonder though if Peanut Oil would taste good as well.  The Sesame Oil is pretty expensive, at least I couldn't find any that was cheap, so I might be tempted to use Peanut Oil to see how it tastes since is is so much cheaper.  I added Mushrooms to mine and it was great, I was going to add Brocoli, I think that would be a great addition, but I forgot to pick some up at the store while I was there so maybe next time.  There will be a next time too.  The whole family loved it and so did I.  Thank you Recipe Zaar for a great recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
3 (3 ounce) packages oriental-flavor instant ramen noodles, reserve 2 seasoning packets
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce, we use the Lite Soy sauce

2 cups coleslaw mix, packed
4 eggs, hard-boiled, sliced
Directions

1 In large, deep frying pan with lid, place chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper, into 1 Tbl. olive oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

2 Cook over medium heat, covered, for 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until chicken is done.

3 Remove chicken from pan to cool slightly. Cut into bite-sized pieces, toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cover and set aside. Do not drain frying pan. Add 1 1/2 Tbl. sesame oil to pan.

4 In pot, boil 3 pkgs. Ramen noodles for 3 minutes.

5 Drain and RINSE WELL.

6 Drain again and add to frying pan with 2 Tbl. soy sauce, cole slaw mix, reserved chicken and 2 of the seasoning packets from noodles.

7 Stir fry, stirring, over med-low heat for 3-5 minutes or til cabbage mix is tender and all is well mixed.

8 Top each individual serving with sliced or chopped egg if desired.

9 Also serve with additional soy sauce if desired.

10 Makes 4-6 servings.

11 *Do not substitute another oil for the sesame oil! That's what really makes this dish.

12 Nice additions: mushrooms, pea pods, water chestnuts, cooked broccoli and baby corn.

FREE Cooking With Stock Recipe Booklet!

There is another Free Recipe Book available.  Kitchen Basics is offering up a Free Recipe Book called "Cooking with Stock, 6th Edition."  Go over here to request yours.

I just requested mine and am excited to get it.  I always like new recipes and when they are free it is even better.

Thanks,  It's Hip to Save!

LET THE VOTING BEGIN!!!!!!!!

Okay so I have be going back and forth trying to narrow down the entries for my Halloween Recipe Contest to my five favorite recipes.  I have to admit I have had quite a hard time to do this, so....  I am changing the rules. I am going to give you my six favorite recipes to vote on instead.  So... HERE THEY ARE!!

In no particular order  (I actually get annoyed when people say this, because there is usually some kind of order, but I am putting it anyway).

1.  Loaded Baked Potato Soup
2. Chocolate Six-Legged Spiders
3. Frightening Fingers
4. Cookies 'N Cream Jack-o-Lantern Popcorn Balls
   
5. Strawberry Ghosts
6. Pumpkin Pizza

So here they are.  I have set up a poll on the sidebar and everyone will have until 12:00 Midnight, Pacific Standard Time, on October 25th, 2009, to vote for their favorite Halloween recipe.

The recipe with the most votes at that time will be deemed the winner, so tell your friends and family to come on over and vote.  I think you can vote once per day, but you can vote for multiple recipes, or just one, whichever you would like.  This is my first poll I am putting up, so we will see exactly how it works.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE FINALS, AND LET'S START VOTING!!!

If you would like to see all the entries into the Halloween Recipe Contest you can go over Here.

All Day Apple Butter

Here is our last entry into our Halloween Recipe Contest.  It was sent in by Sarah.  This is what she had to say about this recipe.  "I found this recipe a long time ago when I tasted some made my my roommate and it's just the right time of year for the apple harvest.  It makes the house smell like cinnamon too. - I changed 5 1/2 lbs. apples to one dozen.  In the picture, it is only half done.  I'll find out how it is in the morning ;)"




INGREDIENTS:

* 1 dozen apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
* 4 cups white sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
2. Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
3. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
4. Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.
5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Thank you Sarah for your entry and Good Luck in the Contest.  I will be announcing the 5 recipes that are the finalists shortly, and then the voting can begin.  Good Luck to all.

Spiders

Here is another entry sent in by Sarah, this recipe has been in her family for years.  Sorry there are no pictures for this one.  It sounds really good though.

A family favorite that always impresses our friends. Very quick and easy!

1 large bag chow mien noodles

1 12oz. bag butterscotch chips

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

2 tsp. shortening

Place chow mein noodles in a large mixing bowl. In a glass bowl, carefully melt butterscotch chips in the micro-wave, stirring every 10 seconds. When completely melted and smooth, pour over chow mien noodles. Quickly stir until all noodles are coated. Spread coated noodles onto cookie sheets and allow to set.

In a plastic bag, carefully melt the chocolate chips and 1 tsp. shortening in the microwave. Moosh mixture with your fingers every few seconds until the mixture is smooth. Prick a small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Cinching the bag, squirt the chocolate mixture over the butterscotch noodles in a ripply fashion. Repeat with the white chocolate. Let set. Break into pieces.

Thanks again for your second entry Sarah and Good Luck.

Pumkin Pizza

We had a couple of last minute entries into our Halloween Recipe Contest.  Here is our first one.  This comes from the kitchen of Sarah.  This sounds really good and I think I am going to try this, my girls would love it.

Soft Sugar Cookie:
1 c. margarine
1 heaping c. sugar 
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 spoonful of sour cream

Fruit Dip:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. whipped cream
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

To make the sugar cookie crust: Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon.  Then mix in dry ingredients until it looks like cookie dough.  Then mix in the spoonful of sour cream and it should look more like frosting, but can roll in your hand.  Divide in 2 and wrap in plastic wrap (each one will make a pumpkin).   Refrigerate for one hour.  Mix together the all the ingredients for the dip as you wait, and place the dip in the refrigerator.  Roll into a pumpkin shape about 1/2" thick.  Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until the least bit of brown is seen. 

Color the dip orange for the pumpkin and green for the stem, and frost the cooled cookie.

For the pumpkin fruit pizza: For the fruit topping, I used bananas for the mouth and eyes, and melted chocolate to outline the face (the bananas taste great with the chocolate!).  I used kiwi for the stem, and strawberries, blueberries, or other berries on the outline of the pumpkin.  I put mandarin oranges everywhere else.

Thank you for your entry Sarah and Good Luck.  I will be announcing the finalists soon.

Last Day for Halloween Recipe Entries

Today is the last day for entries into my Halloween Recipe Contest.  Everyone has until midnight tonight to get me their favorite Halloween Recipe.  Remember this doesn't have to be an original, but you do need to give credit to where you got it from, even if it has just been in the family for years, let me know so I can give credit where it is due. 

We have had some great entries so far, and tomorrow morning I am going to reveal the top five recipes that you viewers get to vote on to decide the winner of either the year subscription to the Taste of Home Magazine or $10 Visa Gift Card. 

The winner will be announced on the 26th after everyone has the chance to vote from the 21st to the 25th.  The recipe with the most votes wins.  In the event of a tie, my husband will have the deciding vote. 

So...hurry and email those last minute entries into my Halloween Recipe Contest over to me immediately so that you have a chance to win.

Check out the full details to me recipe contest Here.

Chicken Salad

4 C. Chicken, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 1/2 C. Mayonaise
1 Rib Celery, chopped small
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
1 Green Apple, diced small
1 C. Red Grapes, cut in halved or quartered
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Combine all ingredients and stir until evenly coated.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve as a side dish on it's own, or with buns, bread or croissants for yummy sandwiches.

My Note:  I took a recipe that a family member game me and changed it up a bit until I thought it tasted good.  This is the final result.  I just made it this weekend for my sister-in-laws baby shower and it was a hit.  Everyone loved it.

Tip of the Week!

When making biscuits or pie crusts and you have to roll them out, roll them as gently, as possible, but still as few times as possible too.  This will make the crusts and biscuits flakier, and not so heavy.

Red Cinnamon Apples

Here is our next entry into our Halloween Recipe Contest.  We only have 5 days left for entries and then I will narrow down the contest to my 5 favorite recipes and open up the voting for everyone to vote on their favorite recipe.  So if anyone has a recipe that they would like to enter, remember to get it to my by midnight on the 20th of October and you will have a chance to win.

1 cup water
1/2 corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon flavoring
1 tsp. red coloring
1 dozen wood craft sticks
1 dozen small, firm apples

Boil water, syrup, and sugar together until a brown caramel color is reached (at about 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat and add cinnamon and red coloring. Cool slightly. Meanwhile force a stick into the core of each apple. Dip the apples 1 at a time into the heavy red syrup, drain well, and place on a buttered baking sheet to cool.

This recipe was entered by Jami.  Thank you Jami for your second recipe, this gets you extra entries into our drawing.  Good luck once again.

**It has come to my attention that this recipe has come from another website.  To see the original recipe go over to the Food Network.  Thank you.

Best Banana Bread Ever

4 ripe bananas (smashed)
2 eggs
1 1/2 Cups sugar
2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease two 8 1/2 " X 4 1/2" loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 325 deg.  Blend bananas, eggs, sugar, oil an sour cream until smooth.  Combione four, baking soda and salt and add to banana mixture.  Add vanilla.  Combine until smooth.  Pour half of the batter into each pan and bake for one hour.  Let cool before removing from pn.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

My Note:  This Banana Bread Recipe my sister gave to me and she got it from her friend over at Tips for Life.  It is truly the best Banana Bread ever and is a lot better than even my other Banana Bread Recipe.  Good thing I have a nice sister to keep sending me good recipes to try.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

The next recipe for our Halloween recipe contest was sent in by Becky and she got it from HERE.  This is our first non treat recipe sent in, so I am really excited about it.   I don't have a picture of it, so sorry, but it sounds really good.  I think I am going to try it this week.




Recipe Created By: Robbie
 Prep. Time: 0:35
 Serves: 2-4

 2 cups chicken broth
 3 med. potatoes - peeled, cubed
 2 green onions - trimmed, sliced
 1/2 rib celery - minced
 1/4 med. carrot - grated
 2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
 1 tsp. salt
 1 1/2 cups milk mixed with 2 Tbls. all-purpose flour
 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
 2-6 strips cooked bacon - crumbled

-Bring first 7 ingredients to boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 -Whisk the milk/flour mixture into the soup, then stir in cheese and bacon.
 -Simmer, uncovered, 5-8 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly.

This is what Becky had to say about the recipe:  "This recipe is not my own, it’s off the internet so I’m not sure what your rules are, but this is a really good potato soup that I had at a Halloween party a few years ago and I just made it for my husband and he loved it.  He loves his mom’s cooking and he said this was better than any potato soup he’s ever had."

Thank you Becky for your submission and good luck in the contest.

Chocolate Six-Legged Spider

Okay, so here is the next recipe for our Halloween Contest.  It was sent in by Jami.  I loved these.  They are so easy and look great.  I left the comments that she sent me in her email at the bottom of the recipe.  This is one she came up with herself and I really liked what she had to say about the recipe.

Ingredients:  (As many as you want - for each marshmallow, you'll need three whole pretzels, and two red hots.)
Marshmallows
Pretzels (the skinny, short stick kind) - broken in halves.
Chocolate Chips (for melting)
Red Hots

Stab three pretzel halves on each side of marshmallow for a total of six.  Melt the chocolate (on low, higher heat somehow solidifies the chocolate).  Dip end of marshmallow in chocolate.  Place on wax paper, chocolate-side up.  Before chocolate cools, place two red hots on top for eyes.  Voila!

I tried to cover the whole thing in chocolate, which was my original idea, but they just didn't hold up that well.  So, we just made chocolate faces.  My kids loved them!

It's so easy, though.  My daughter helped me.
Jami :)

Thank you Jami for your recipe, and Good Luck in the competition.

Tip of the Week!

To get the skins on a Clove of Garlic to come off easier, microwave it for 10-15 seconds and the skin will slide right off.
Be careful when doing this, I have accidentally exploded my garlic a couple of times.  When it exploded, the garlic clove was still in tact and the skins were on the other side of the microwave, so technically it was easier, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Frightening Fingers

 This is the 5th submission sent into my Halloween Recipe Contest.  They look so good and freaky.

Yield: about 5 dozen cookies.
Prep:  20 min. plus 30 min. Fridge Time

Bake:20-25 min. 


Ingredients
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Almond extract
2-3/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
Red Decorating Gel
1/2 cup sliced Almonds

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Divide dough into fourths. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into 1-in. balls. Shape balls into 3-in. x 1/2-in. fingers. Using the flat tip of a table knife, make an indentation on one end of each for fingernail. With a knife, make three slashes in the middle of each finger for knuckle.

Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 3 minutes. Squeeze a small amount of red gel on nail bed; press a sliced almond over gel for nail, allowing gel to ooze around nail. Remove to wire racks to cool.

This recipe was sent in by Camille.  Thank you for your submission and good luck.

Greek Burgers

PREP: 20 minutes
BROIL: 11 minutes
MAKES: 4 servings

1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 slightly beaten egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 0.7 ounce envelope Italian salad dressing mix (5 teaspoons)
1 pound ground beef
4 pita bread rounds, toasted
1 recipe Greek Salsa
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a medium bowl combine bread crumbs, egg, milk, and half of the salad dressing mix (2.5 teaspoons). Add beef; mix well. Shape  burger mixture into four 6-inch-long x 1/2-inch-thick oval patties.

Place patties on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 11 to 13 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once halfway through broiling time.

Serve the burgers in pita bread rounds. Top with Greek Salsa and sprinkle with feta cheese.

GREEK SALSA
In a small bowl stir together 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and the remaining half of the salad dressing mix. Stir in 1 cup finely chopped tomato, 1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber, and 1/4 cup finely chopped olives. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

My Note:  My sister sent this recipe over to me and told me I had to try it.  I made it last night and I LOVED it!  The burgers were very juicy, and the seasoning was heavenly.  They were definitely worth making.  They weren't that hard either.

Halloween Recipe Contest Update!

Okay, if you haven't noticed, I haven't posted anything the last couple of days.  I haven't even had my daily Halloween contest submissions up.  There is a couple of reasons for this.

1. I have been busy planning my 8 year old daughters birthday party.
2. I have been busy planning my husbands birthday surprise party.
3. I have been busy planning my sister-in-laws Baby Shower.
4. I ran out of Halloween submissions and I haven't had time to search down some good recipes, try them and then post them.  

I do apologize for this.  I really wanted to have at least one new Halloween Recipe up each day.
So, I will be working on getting some recipes found and made the next couple of days and getting them posted.  I want to have as many Halloween Recipes as possible so that everyone has some good ideas for their Halloween Parties and activities.

You can all help out though and get the word out.  I still would love to have more submissions to the contest.  Right now I only have 4 official entries into the contest and I would love to have more.

So...Now I am giving everyone an extra little encouragement to send in submissions.  The winner of the contest will now get a choice of their prize.  They can either choose the year subscription to Taste of Home Magazine filled with lots of great recipe ideas (each issue sells on the stands for $9.99), or they can get a $10 Visa Gift Card.

Also, to help get more submissions, I am going to have a drawing for a $5.00 Walmart Gift Card.  For every Halloween recipe you send in you will get 2 entries into the drawing.  For every person that you refer to the contest and they submit an recipe, you get 1 entry into the drawing.  If you enter more than one recipe, you get two for your recipe and 1 for the referral, on each recipe after the 1st.  You will not get referral entries unless you have already entered a recipe into the contest.  I will hold the drawing for this on the 25th and announce both the winners on the 26th of October.

Make sure you or the person you referred to the contest lets me know that you referred them to the contest so that you can get your extra entry into the drawing.
Also, those of you that already entered a recipe into the contest, I will give you each an extra entry into the drawing, just for entering early.

Just email me your favorite Halloween recipe with Halloween Recipe in the subject line to enter.  Again, good luck to all and lets have some fun finding and sharing those great Halloween Recipes.

Butternut Squash with Wilted Spinach and Blue Cheese

My third experimental Recipe, which I got from Whole Foods Market, is a side dish instead of a main dish.  This, I have to admit, wasn't nearly as daring because if it didn't turn out good, I still had dinner to eat.  Well, I didn't have to worry about this with this dish anyway.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I loved the mixture of textures between the onion, squash, and spinach.  I also liked the contrasting flavors of the lemon juice with the Blue Cheese.  It was really good.  I would highly recommend this recipe.

1/4 C. Blue Cheese Crumble

3 T. Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 1/2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Small Red Onion

1 5 oz package Baby Spinach

4 C. Cubed Butternut Squash (about 2 medium), 1 inch pieces

1 T. Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 deg.  Put Cubed Butternut Squash, 1 T. Olive Oil and salt and pepper in a rimmed backing dish and toss until all the squash is covered.  Spread out into a single layer and Roast in oven, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown, approx. 30 min.

Use a fork to mash together the Blue Cheese and Lemon juice in a large bowl to make a thick smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook, tossing often, until slightly wilted and warm, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Transfer contents of skillet to bowl with dressing, add squash, salt and pepper and toss to combine.

My Note:  I made this a couple of days ago and I quite liked it.  I messed up the recipe a little, I misread the blue cheese amount, I thought it said 4 oz, instead of 1/4 C., so I added twice as much blue cheese, so I figured I should double the lemon juice as well.  The recipe was REALLY good, except it had too much lemon juice in it, and I have to say that was my fault, not the recipes.  OOPS!!  I am definitely going to make this again though and next time use less Lemon Juice.

**If you have a recipe that you would like highlighted on my weekly experimental recipe, please email me.  I will cook it up and try it as soon as I can and post it with my review.

Baked Carmel Corn

Our 5th entry into the Halloween Contest is a great one for parties during Halloween and any other time of the year.

1 C. Butter
2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Corn Syrup
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
6 quarts Popcorn (popped)

In medium Saucepan melt butter, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly - boil without burning.  Stir in Vanilla and Baking Soda.  Gradually pour over popcorn, mixing well.  Put in 2 large roasting pans.  Bake at 250 deg. for 1 hour stirring every 15 min.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  Break apart and store in tightly covered container.

This entry to the contest was sent in by Barbra.  Thank you Barbra and good luck.

Halloween Recipe Contest Reminder!

Just a reminder to submit your recipes for the Halloween Recipe Contest!  I have gotten some great recipes so far, but would love to have even more in the contest!

I don't quite have enough to fill the whole month, so tell your friends and family to enter.  Remember, the more entries I have, the more prizes I will give away.  
You can enter as many times as you want.


Good Luck to ALL!


Check out the Details for the contest Here.

Tip of the Week!

To Keep Cauliflower white while cooking:  Add a little milk to the water it is boiling in.

Apple Bites!

Today I am highlighting one of my favorite Halloween Recipes.  This recipe is not included in the competition, but I thought it was worth noting.

All you need to make this is:
Apples
Slivered Almonds

Just cut the apples into wedges and cut off the core.  Then cut a small wedge out of each slice on the skin side.  Stick slivered almonds in so they look like teeth.

*If you aren't going to serve the Apple Bites right away,  try basting the apples with orange juice to help keep them from browning.

My Note:  This is such a wonderful Halloween treat because it one that my children can help me with, it is REALLY quick and easy and it has the bonus of being healthy.  Can't get better than that.

Strawberry Ghosts

Day three of our Halloween Recipe Contest Brings us a Ghostly Treat:

STRAWBERRY GHOSTS
30 fresh strawberries
8 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon shortening
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Wash strawberries and gently pat with paper towels until completely dry. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate and shortening at 50% power; stir until smooth. Stir in extract.

Dip strawberries in chocolate mixture; place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet, allowing excess chocolate to form the ghosts' tails. Immediately press chocolate chips into coating for eyes. Freeze for 5 minutes.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip a toothpick into melted chocolate and draw a mouth on each face. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

*Sometimes I don't have the mini chocolate chips on hand so I melt the regular and use a toothpick to make eyes and mouth.

This recipe was sent in by Heidi at Tried and True Cooking with Heidi.   Thanks for your submission and good luck.

Cookies 'N Cream Jack-o'-Lantern Popcorn Balls

It is the second day of the competition and we have another exciting Halloween Recipe for you.  Remember you too can enter this competition by emailing me your recipe.  You don't have to include a picture, but if you want to that is great.  Good Luck to all.

16 Halloween OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided

5 cups air-popped popcorn

1/2 cup raisins

2-1/2 cups Miniature Marshmallows

1/3 cup butter or margarine

cupcake liners (optional)


Chop 11 of the cookies; toss with popcorn and raisins in large bowl. Place marshmallows and butter in saucepan; cook on low heat until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn mixture; toss to coat.

Shape popcorn mixture into 10 (2-1/2-inch) balls. Cut remaining 5 cookies in half. Insert 1 cookie half into top of each ball to make a "stem." Serve in cupcake liners.


This recipe came from Mandy over at Mandy's Recipe Box.  Thank you for your submission and Good Luck!

Bloodshot Brownies

Okay the Halloween Recipe contest has started.  I do have a few entries, but I could always use more.  Remember the winner gets a year subscription to Taste of Homes Magazine and if there are a lot of submissions, then I will add more prizes so more people can win.  Send over your recipes today.  (You can send more than one and have a better chance of winning.)

Here is the first recipe being highlighted this Halloween Season:

1 Box Brownie Mix, Prepared
White Dipping Chocolate
Decorating Gel

Make favorite Brownie Recipe or buy a Brownie Mix and prepare as directed.  Remove from oven and cool.  It doesn't have to cool completely, just cool enough so that you can handle it.  Then cut out sections of the brownies, avoiding the edges (they are too hard to use) and roll into balls.  Then melt the dipping chocolate in the microwave according to directions on the package*.  Dip brownie balls into the white chocolate and then place on wax paper to cool and harden. 
After the chocolate is dry use the decorating gel to make a bloodshot eyeball.

These are always a great hip at parties, everyone thinks they are so gross to look at, but once they taste them, they can't stay away from them and they are a favorite.

*If the chocolate is too thick to dip try adding a teaspoon or two of vegetable shortening to it.  This will help thin it out.

This Recipe was sent in by Ryan, thank you Ryan for the first submission.

My Day Off!

Okay, so I have been a little busy with my children, so I didn't cook and we had a monster Hoagie instead.  Yeah!  Doesn't it look delicious?  Well, it was great!!

And the best thing was that I didn't have to do the dishes afterward either!!  YEAH!!!  What can get better than that???

Hawaiian Haystacks

Rice, cooked
1 Can Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
1/2 C. Milk, approx.
1 Can Chicken

Chinese Noodles
Maraschino Cherries
Pineapple Tidbits
Coconut
Olives
Mushrooms
Green Onions
Green Peppers
Mandarin Oranges
Slivered Almonds
Cashews

Mix together the Cream of Chicken Soup, Milk and Chicken and heat until warm.  Serve over Rice, then add any or all of the other ingredients that you would like.  You can also add anything else that you think might be good on it.  Enjoy!

My Note:  I absolutely love this recipe.  My sister -in-law  fixed it for me once and I absolutely love it.  Everyone can put whatever they want on theirs.  It sounds kinda weird, but it is really good.  My favorite parts of it are the Chinese Noodles, because it adds crunch, and the pineapple because of the flavor it adds.

HALLOWEEN RECIPE CONTEST!!

I am really excited to announce my first contest.  I am hosting a Halloween Recipe Contest. From October 1st through October 20th I am going to be highlighting at least one Halloween recipe everyday.

At that point I will narrow them down to the top 5 Halloween Recipes, and put those up for a vote.  I will let everyone Vote for their favorite Recipe until midnight (Pacific Time) on the 25th and the winner of the Best Halloween Recipe will be announced on the 26th of October.

The winner will receive a year subscription to the Taste of Home Magazine.  Each magazine is filled with many delicious recipes and recipe cards.  I have this and it is Great!  These are some great recipes and are really fun to try.  If we get a lot of recipes entered in the contest I might even give out some more prizes!  So the more recipe submissions the more winners there will be.

So... Start submitting your recipes TODAY!  The sooner I get the recipe the sooner I can highlight it.  You can Email Me the recipe.  Put Halloween Recipe in the subject line so I know the email has to do with the contest.  Also, make sure that you include your first name and blog address if you wish to get credit for the recipe.  You don't have to include your blog address if you don't want to or if you don't have one.  You can still enter and win, but if you do give me your blog address I will include a link to your blog when I post the recipe.

Good Luck to all, I am excited to see what kind of Halloween Recipes we come up with.  Remember, these can be anything from, scary treats, ideas of what to do with pumpkin seeds after carving the pumpkin, snacks to share at a Halloween Party, or anything that has to do with Halloween at all.  Be creative and see if you can win yourself a Recipe Subscription.

Clue:  I will be doing this for Thanksgiving and Christmas too, so get those recipes handy, but don't send them until I ask for them.

Deviled Eggs

Eggs

Mayonaise

Pickles (optional)

Paprika

Make hard boil eggs.  Then using a butter knife cut each egg in half lengthwise and scoop out the yoke with a spoon and put into a small bowl.  Add 1 or 2 of the egg white halves to the yolk bowl and mayonaise to desired texture.  Stir and smash all the egg yoke making sure the egg whites that were added are sufficiently smashed.  Add a few chopped pickles if desired.  Scoop a small amount of the yoke filling back into each egg white and sprinkle with paprika.

My Note:  When making these make sure you use my trick to get your egg yokes beautiful and the eggs easy to peel.  Click Here to get the trick.

In this picture I used the trick.  The little dings in the egg white are from my fingernails though, not from trying to get the egg shell off.  They come off beautifully. 

I'm a Member

I just got accepted as a member of the Foodie BlogRoll!  Yeah!  

I am excited to use all the benefits of being a member, especially the Foodie Joust.

Thanks for making me a member!!

Slow Cooker Recipe

Okay so this is my experiment recipe for this week.  It is called Slow Cooker Recipe and came from CookNChatter.  When I first saw this I thought "This sounds really interesting, I think it will turn out quite good."  Well, I don't know about that.  It was okay.  I think if maybe I adjusted the spices a little and got rid of the cranberry sauce then maybe it would be okay.  I made this yesterday for dinner and fed my family and my in-laws.  Out of my four girls only one would eat it, the other three didn't like it at all.  My Mother-In-Law thought it tasted Gourmet and quite liked it, My Father-In-Law and Husband thought it was okay, but not a do over and I have to say I agree with the last.  It was okay to try, it wasn't horrible, but I probably won't make it again.

Here is the recipe, I would love for you to try it and let me know what you think.  Maybe it's just that we don't have that much of a taste for cranberries, who knows, but I would love to see what others think about it.

1 lb. Beef Cubes
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can Cranberry Sauce (can use jellied)
1 Onion Chopped
1 pkg. Sliced Mushrooms
1/4 tsp. Marjoram
1/4 tsp. Thyme
1/4 tsp. Rosemary
1/4 tsp. Garlic
1 Cinnamon Stick
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Brown Meat and Onion in a skillet and then place in the bottom of the Slow Cooker.  Add the rest of the ingredients, smashing the cranberry sauce if you are using the jellied type, and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.
If you want the sauce a little thicker, 1 hour before serving scoop out about 1/4 cup of broth and let it cool.  Then add 2 T. Wondra Flour and pour it back into the Crock Pot and cook for the last hour.
Serve over Noodles or Rice.

My Note:  I did thicken the sauce, but I just used regular Flour, I don't know what Wondra Flour is.  I also used whole cranberry sauce instead of the jellied type.

Again, let me know what you think on this recipe, I am sure that some of you might really like it, just like my Mother-In-Law.   I am trying another new recipe later this week.  This time it is going to be a side dish and it looks really good, so stay tuned for that one.

Cottage Cheese Salad

1 Small Box Jello
1 Large Carton Cottage Cheese
12 oz Cool Whip

Mix all together and refrigerate until ready to serve.  It is best if it is refrigerated at least a couple of hours before serving, but it isn't required.

Variations:  Fresh or Frozen or Canned Fruit of your choice.

My Note:  I like to use orange jello and add a can of mandarain oranges (drained of course).  Or raspberry jello with frozen raspberries is also really good.

Tip of the Week!

When you need to cut meat, especially into small pieces or slices, partially freeze the meat first.  This will make it easier to slice and make the slices more uniform and keep them looking nice.

Monkey Bread

1 pkg. Frozen Rhodes Rolls*
1 3oz. Box. Butterscotch Pudding, not instant
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 C. Chopped Nuts
1 Cube Butter

Grease bottom and sides of a bundt pan.  Arrange 24 rolls in the bottom.  Mix dry ingredients and nuts.  Sprinkle on top of rolls.
Put dabs of Butter on top.  Put greased aluminum foil over the top and let sit all night.  Bake 30-35 min. at 350 deg.  Put extra butter* on top.  Turn over on to serving dish and let the caramel mixture in pan drizzle over rolls.

* I didn't use Rhodes Rolls, I just used the store brand and I think they turned out just fine.  Also, where it says put extra butter on top, I just brushed the top of the Rolls a little with butter.  You don't have to do this.

Printable Coupons: Foster Farms and Welch's Juice

There are a few GREAT printable coupons available right now.
First off there is a $0.75 Foster Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast. This is great because everyone always can use Chicken, and I usually don't find many for fresh poultry or meat. If you would like this coupons and you are on Internet Explorer go HERE. Of if you have Firefox go HERE.

Also there are a few Welch's Juice Coupons available as well Go HERE for Internet Explorer, and HERE for Firefox to get a $1.00 off of 1 46 oz or 64 oz Welch's Juice Product. Remember to press the back button after you print it to print a second one. Limit is 2 printed per computer.
There are also More Welch's Coupons from Coupons.com, and you can print 2 more there.  So a total of 4 coupons for the Welch's Juice.  Sounds pretty Great to me.

 Thanks, It's Hip to Save!:

Ribbles

Prep: 10 Min. Cook. 10 Min.
Yields: 12+ Servings

6 Eggs
2 Cups Water
6 C. Flour, approx.
Chicken Broth
2-3 tsp. Sage
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste
3 C. Chicken

Dough: Put Eggs and Water in a bowl and mix. Then add Flour until Right Consistency. You want it Very Sticky, but not runny.

Broth: In a large Pot combine Chicken Broth, Sage, Salt, Pepper and Chicken and bring to a boil. Drop or Cut dough off a knife into the Broth and cook for 10 min.

My Note: This is similar to Chicken and dumplings. The recipe came from the Mom of one of my Best Friend's from when I was growing up. It is really good and everyone always loves it. Thanks Sherry.

I like to add a lot of pepper to mine, but my family doesn't like it that much, so I now just add a little to the pot, and then spice my own bowl up with extra pepper.

Omelet

"WOW BABE!! You really out did yourself with the Omelet this morning." 
This is what my husband said after eating this omelet I made for him.  For those of you that know my husband you are probably laughing and thinking "he really said that?" So I have to say, no he didn't say the BABE part, I just threw that in because I thought it was funny.  But he really did rant and rave about this omelet.

2 Eggs
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste
Cheese
Desired Filling

In a small bowl beat eggs with salt and pepper. Pour into a small skillet, sprinkle with some shredded cheese, and cook on Medium-High heat until the top in bubbly and starting to dry.  Once it starts to get dry, add whatever you would like as a filling to one half of the omelet and then fold the other half on top of it and slide it off the skillet onto a plate.

Filling That I used:  I just went through the fridge and found things from left over dinners.  I used some potatoes and onions from the night that we had Stuffed Potatoes.  Then I got some sausage left over from Sausage and Eggs the morning before, I then found some Steak and threw that in as well.  I put them all in a large frying pan together will a little bit of garlic powder and quite a bit of Basil.  I think the Basil was the magic ingredient this time.  Then I just cooked long enough to get them warm.

Milk Sandwiches

1Slice of Bread
Peanut Butter
Jam
Milk

Make an open face peanut butter sandwich and then pour a little milk over the top.  Eat with a fork and enjoy.

Okay, I know that from the title you are probably thinking, "EWE, GROSS" but this was one of my favorite lunchtime meals growing up and I still enjoy one every once in a while with my kids.  I had my first one when I was about 5 or 6 years old and I was at my friend Amanda's house and her mom made them for us.  I was hooked ever since.

Just give it a try, or have your kids try it and see what they think.  Let me know how you and your kids enjoy this new lunch special.

Corn Dogs (or as my mom says Pronto Pups)

Yields: 8-10 Servings

Prep: 5 Min. Cook Time: approx. 10-15 Min.

1 pkg. Hot Dogs

1 C. Flour

1/2 C. Corn Meal

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Sugar

1 Egg

3/4 C. Milk, approx.

1/4 tsp. Salt

Oil to Fry in

Heat Oil in Fryer to 375 deg.*  Combine together Flour, Corn Meal, Baking Powder, Sugar, Egg, Salt, and Milk.  You don't need a mixer, I just use a fork to mix it.  Dry off the Hot Dogs with a Paper Towel and insert a wooden stick in one end.


Then using a spoon apply batter to all of the Hog Dog making sure it is all covered. Then Drop the Corn Dog in the hot oil and let it cook until golden brown.  Remove from the oil and place on a plate with some paper towels.  This will help attract the extra oil from the outside of the Corn Dogs.  Repeat with the rest and serve warm.


*If you don't have a fryer just use a large Saucepan that has a big enough diameter that will fit the hot dog plus the stick in it.  That is all I did until I bought my fryer.  To make sure the oil is hot enough in the pan, drop a small amount of batter in the oil.  If the batter sticks to the bottom of the pan, it isn't hot enough.   If it rises instantly to the top and is bubbling up around it, then it is hot enough to cook the corn dogs.

Make sure that you wipe the hot dog off with a paper towel.  It needs to be dry or the batter will not stick to the hot dog.

My Note:  These corn dogs are even better than store bought ones.   I made them for my In-Laws last night and they were surprised how much better they  tasted than store bought ones.  Also, when making the batter the Milk is about 3/4 C.  Just make sure the batter isn't so that thick that it is hard to spread on the Hot Dogs, but you don't want it so thin that it just falls off the Hot Dog either.