Halloween festivities

We enjoyed Halloween weekend with a Friday night party (I won the costume contest and $100 cash for dressing as a 50’s housewife!) and a Saturday evening neighborhood gathering/pot luck/trick or treat. Justin went to a surprise birthday/Halloween party for his friend and decided to dress up as “emo”. Not having any daughters, I never thought I’d be putting eyeliner, lipstick and earrings on one of my children! He looks good though – and pretty convincing.

Above – Barbara as a cop and my winning costume. Honestly nothing outlandish but I was thrilled to beat out about a dozen trampy costumes. Nice to know you don’t have to be a tart to win something like that!

For the block party, the dish I brought to pass was the ever-popular Chicken Wing Dip. Also got a new recipe, someone brought an awesome fruit dip:

Caramel Apple Dip

1 tub Caramel sauce ; (used for apples – 16 oz.)
1 package Cream cheese ; softened
1/2 cup Chopped peanuts ; unsalted
4 Granny Smith apples ; sliced

In medium mixing bowl, combine caramel and cream cheese using a hand mixer. Transfer to a glass pie plate and spread with a spatula to smooth and even surface. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top and use the back of a clean spoon to push them into the sauce just lightly enough to make them stay put.

To serve, place the pie plate on a tray or larger plate, and surround with sliced apples.

NOTE: To keep apples from browning, toss them in a bit of lemon juice just after slicing.

Free Taste of Home cookbook downloads

OK so recently I had somewhat of a catastrophe – my recipe software decided to reinstall itself, essentially deleting ALL my stored cookbooks and digital recipes. No, I’m not able to recover them, no I don’t have them anywhere with the exception of the ones I’ve shared on my blog (thank you Terry for reminding me of this).

At any rate, in my search for a new program (because there’s no way I’m going to use that one anymore) I came across something pretty awesome. If any of you are fans of the Taste of Home magazines, they have 27 digital cookbooks available for a free download! Simply click the link below and you’ll see them, all available in PDF format for download.

• Link: Taste of Home Digital Cookbooks

So… can anyone recommend a reliable recipe organizer software for Vista?

my new favorite holiday cocktail

The Pointsettia

3 oz cranberry juice
Splash Cointreau
Champagne

Chill all ingredients beforehand. In champagne flute, pour in cranberry juice and splash of Cointreau. Top off with champagne.

If like me your ingredients were not thoroughly chilled, you can start with a little crushed ice in the glass. I served this at my cookie exchange this week and it was a hit!

Catch-up post

Yeah, I know – it’s been a loooong time since I wrote a “real” post. Of course I’m busier than ever, but I feel badly that I am letting down my loyal fans ;)  Here’s a brief synopsis of the events in our lives over tha past couple of weeks as well as what we have coming up:

JPW Silver Dawgs football season finally ended and we had the year-end party which was fun. I made the video which you can watch below. It came out pretty cool. Justin’s lacrosse practice starts next weekend and Terry is going to be the assistant coach. He went to a coaching clinic all day today as a matter of fact.

Justin has picked up his guitar lessons again – he was on hiatus during football, but now that that’s over he’s back at it and strong as ever. He’s really improved a lot in the past few months and has added Thunderstruck to his repertoire.

Eric was given more hours at work because one of the other hosts got fired. It’s great that he’s earning more money, though it is temporary. He still has plenty of time for homework and tutoring but his grades are still suffering and Terry and I are really struggling to figure out what we can do to help him.

Eric and I had our eyes examined today and I was a bit surprised to learn he has the need for glasses, though he has been complaining about blurry vision a bit lately. Actually the glasses aren’t 100% necessary but he can use them for reading, watching tv/movies, and eventually driving. Since our eyecare insurance pays for the whole shebang (including Transitions lenses!) we ordered him a set of glasses for occasional wear. I know the same thing happened to me when I was his age. It appears that astigmatism runs in my side of the family.

We’re psyching up for Thanksgiving which will be at our house as usual. Friends Kathy & Jim and Todd & Barb will be joining us. I found an awesome recipe for a Double Layer Pumpkin Pie. I’m also hoping to make my awesome Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Bread - scroll down for the recipe. Of course we’re also having turkey & gravey (of course!), mashed potatoes, Kathy’s famous stuffing and green bean casserole, Barb’s famous macaroni & cheese, an apple pie (made by Eric!) and a few appetizers I’m going to throw together to munch on while we watch football.

Shortly after Thanksgiving I’ll be working on some intense projects at work, so you may not hear from me for a couple weeks. I should be back in full force by Christmas though, and I’m really looking forward to it this year. Even though the kids are older, I am still excited about what we’re giving them for Christmas. If they are on your list email me and I can give you some ideas.

Here’s the recipe I promised – it’s moist, flavorful and really easy!

Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Bread

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2  eggs
1 can pumpkin — 16 oz.
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5″ loaf pan. In large bowl, combine
first 6 ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine next 5 ingredients. Stir
liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until moistened. Add raisins and
pecans, then spoon into loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes in a 350°F
oven. Cool bread on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove and
let cool completely on rack.

Recipe: Crock pot chili

Ahh, autumn. The kids are settled in school, the weather is cooling down, and all is as it should be. What could be more perfect than the addition of professional football season? When you’re having the gang over to watch the game, what’s the natural choice for food? Chili, of course! It feeds a crowd, warms your insides and leaves you with leftovers if you’re lucky. You may have already tried my favorite recipe, Bunkhouse chili (made with Budweiser) but before that one came along I had another favorite.

Many years ago I received a Rival Crock Pot as a wedding present. As with most kitchen appliances, a recipe book was included. I wansn’t all that thrilled about any of them with the exception of this beauty – Crock Pot Chili. It became a staple for us in football season and I still revert to when the mood strikes me.

Crock Pot Chili

2 cans kidney beans — drained
2 cans diced tomatoes — (28 oz each)
2 chopped green bell pepper
2 medium onions — chopped
2 cloves garlic — minced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

Add to crock pot beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and parsley. In
large skillet, brown ground beef until cooked; drain fat. Add to crock pot.
Season with chili powder and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on low setting
8-14 hours, or high setting 4-5 1/2 hours.

One hour before serving, taste for seasoning and add additional chili
powder if desired.

Recipe: Cranberry Lime Tossed Salad

I’ve never been much of a salad eater, but it seems to me that the available salad choices have improved considerably over the past few years. One of the newer trends is salad with a sweeter taste. Being the ultimate sweet tooth, naturally I gravitate towards this trend. The salad below is my own creation, and I must say, it turned out very well…

Cranberry Lime Tossed Salad
Serves 6-8

5 oz. container organic salad greens
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup candied walnuts
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup Newman’s Own Lime Vinaigrette; or more to taste

Toss all ingredients together and serve. Use more or less dressing to taste. NOTE: I just basically threw this salad together, so the above is just an estimate of the measurements. Use more or less of any to your liking.

Recipe: Chocolatetown Special Cake

Nothing brings happiness like chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. And sprinkles.

In our family, on your birthday you get to request your favorite cake and the family baker (aka, yours truly) makes it magically appear. This year, Justin asked for his favorite – chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

Now if you’ve never made a cake from scratch before, I recommend you try. It’s really very easy and the results are so much better than what you get when you buy a mix. Plus, there are no wierd additives like hydrogenated soybean oil - just honest, old-fashioned, sugary, moist deliciousness.

One of the best chocolate cakes I’ve made is the Hershey’s Original, however I was looking to try something a little different and ended up with this gem. It’s got buttermilk, which immediately validated it in my mind. The result was a cake even richer and chocolateir (?) than the original famous Hershey recipe. For the frosting, I substituted buttermilk for the milk and the result was a creamy, very spreadable icing that tasted wonderful. Due to the 110+ degree Arizona heat I kept it in the fridge til candle time, but it held up very well on our kitchen counter thereafter.

CHOCOLATOWN SPECIAL CAKE

1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup shortening
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2  eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk*
  one-bowl buttercream frosting (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together cocoa and water in small bowl until smooth. Beat
shortening, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs; beat
well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to shortening mixture
alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended. Add cocoa mixture;
beat well. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out
clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. 8 to 10 servings.

* To Sour Milk: Use 4 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal 1-1/3
cups.

ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa or HERSHEY’S Dutch Processed Cocoa
1/3 cup milk (NOTE: I substituted buttermilk since I had it on hand)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in small bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with
milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir
in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Banana Bread Recipes for my friend Debs…

…and anyone else who wants them. I ended up making a chocolate chip banana bread for the church bake sale and it looked so good we were tempted to buy it back from them (but someone beat us to it – darn!). Here, I’ve adapted a recipe from Calumet Baking Powder (Kraft Foods), eliminating the nuts and substituting milk chocolate chips for chocolate chunks (click the link for the original recipe – my adaptation follows).

However, the best ‘regular’ banana bread recipe I’ve found is from Philadelphia Cream Cheese (also Kraft Foods)

Favorite Banana Bread

1 Package  Softened Cream Cheese — 8 oz.
1 Cup  Sugar
1/4 Cup  Butter
1 Cup  Mashed Ripe Banana — about 3 medium
2 Eggs
2 1/4 Cups  Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons  Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon  Baking Soda

Combine cream cheese, sugar and margarine, mixing until well blended. Blend in banana and eggs. Add combined remaining ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Pour into greased and floured 9×6″ loaf pan. Bake at 350F 1 hour 10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. IMPORTANT: Check for doneness early (at 45-50 minutes) to avoid burning. When done, cool 5 minutes in pan; remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Serve with additional cream cheese if desired.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2 Eggs — lightly beaten
1 Cup  Mashed Banana — about 3 medium
1/3 Cup  Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup  Milk
2 Cups  All-purpose Flour
1 Cup  Sugar
2 Teaspoons  Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon  Salt
2 Cups  Milk Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 350F. Stir eggs, bananas, oil and milk until well-blended. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir until just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9×5″ loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or unitl toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool on wire rack.