crunchy donut eyeballs

'

All of these I found on the Crafty Crow.

no baking involved!

recipe here via here

These monsters are such a great October snack!

Via Little Nummies via TCC



this peach fruit leather using Berlin's Whimsy
recipe. it is super easy
*Edited to add: We used parchment paper
instead of plastic wrap, covered it well
with oil and it worked beautifully - make
sure it's parchment paper though, and
not wax paper!

Caramel Corn

from here

photo via Martha

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:
- 1 cube margarine
- 1 cup Karo
- 2 1/3 cups brown sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
- Put margarine, brown sugar and Karo in a saucepan and boil to soft ball stage.
- Turn off the heat but leave pan on the element while slowly adding in milk, stirring constantly.
- Mix well and add over air popped popcorn . *I never have any clue how much popcorn to pop it just really depends on how well you want the popcorn covered

How to open a pomegranate

My friend Heather gives great instructions on her blog.

Halloween treats

I got all these from www.thecoterieblog.com
Coconut Ghost treats on the Rice Krispies site.



find these cookies here



dip the rims in honey with red food coloring then fill with apple juice dyed green

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Homemade Pasta

The Pioneer Woman Cooks gives a great tutorial on this.

Rachelle's Slow Cooked Pork

I got this from her blog here. She also posted some other kid friendly dinners that her kids help her make in the same post, so you might want to check it out.

2 lb pork loin roast (I like the kind from Costco that comes individually wrapped in a 4-pack)
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. rosemary

1/2 T. minced onion
¾ t. salt
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. marjoram
1/2 t. celery seed
1/4 t. red pepper

Mix all the seasonings together. Sprinkle over meat and gently rub in. Cook meat in crock pot (with just a little broth/water to cover the bottom) on LOW for 8-9 hours, or until meat pulls apart easily. Shred and stuff in pita pocket and serve. The kids love the pita pockets, but I actually like it better wrapped in a tortilla or on the new Orowheat Sandwich Thins.

Witch Finger Cookies

from here

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole almonds
• 1 (.75 ounce) tube red decorating gel

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
3. Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

from here

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Mild Cheese Fondue

This fondue is a nice change from the classic swiss or gruyere cheese recipe.

Prep Time: :15

Cook Time: :10

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Havarti cheese
• 1 cup shredded Colby cheese
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation:

In large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and cream and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add cheeses, about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until melted and blended. Cook for a few minutes until slightly thickened. You may need to add more cheeses to reach the desired consistency. Stir in lemon juice until smooth. Pour into heated fondue pot set over a candle or sterno. Serve with breadsticks, apples and fresh vegetables for dipping.

Stephanie's Brownies

1. Layer of brownies in a 9x13 pan...you can get that size in the box

2. 1 can of cream cheese frosting on top of the brownies after they have cooled.

3. Microwave 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 bag of chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of Rice Krispies. Spread this on top of the icing.

4. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars

from Colie's roomates

1 c. butter*
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 c. dry oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)
Cream the shortening, butter and sugars with a mixer. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press onto greased cookies sheet (thinly). Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. (If desired, you can thinly spread peanut butter while it's hot for an extra kick of peanut butter.) Let cool. Glaze with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze
1/4 c. butter, softened*
6 TBS boiling water
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c. powdered sugar
Melt everything but the sugar. Take it off the heat. Add the sugar 1 c. at a time with a whisk. Pour over the peanut butter crust (on a level surface so it is even). Wait for chocolate to set before serving.
*Note: Do not use margarine.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Natalie's verdict: I really liked this but my kids didn't. I changed the recipe to reflect the way I made it. If you want the original, click on the link. This originally didn't have chicken, which is why I also labeled it vegetarian.

from here

Ingredients:

1 lb box medium shells or bow tie pasta

3/4 container of feta cheese (8oz container)

1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 bunch green onions

1 bottle Marie’s Poppy Seed dressing (or any higher quality poppy seed dressing)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (When I have to I used dried, like in these pictures)

1 cup pine nuts toasted
2 or 3 chicken breasts, marinated in Greek Vinaigrette.

Directions:
Grill chicken and then shred.

Cook pasta to desired tenderness but not too soft.

When partially cooled, pour one bottle of dressing over shells and stir in.

Most important step: Chill in refrigerator (I chill for at least 2 hours and sometimes overnight).

Drain oil from the sun dried tomatoes if they were oil packed and chop into small pieces

Put all together, chopped green onion, chopped basil, feta cheese, pine nuts.

Mix the above into the noodles.

Add more dressing for desired taste and moisture.

Yogurt Parfait

Layer in a glass:

granola
1 TBS Smucker's strawberry syrup
2 big spoonfuls lowfat vanilla yogurt
fresh berries (or frozen, thawed)
repeat once

For the granola I like the kind at costco, but today I used the sunbelt granola cereal and it was good too.

Pumpkin Lasagna

from Colie

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 pound(s) Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves washed well and chopped
• 2 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon(s) dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) grated nutmeg
• 3 cup(s) canned pumpkin puree (one 28-ounce can)
• 1 1/2 cup(s) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup(s) milk
• 9 no-boil lasagne noodles (about 6 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon(s) butter

---

Directions

1. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and add the chard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook, stirring, until the chard is wilted and no liquid remains in the pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups of the pumpkin, 3/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
3. Pour the milk into an 8-by-12-inch baking dish. Top the milk with one third of the noodles, then spread half the pumpkin mixture over the noodles. Layer half the Swiss chard over the pumpkin and top with a second layer of noodles. Repeat with another layer of pumpkin, Swiss chard, and noodles. Combine the remaining 1 cup of pumpkin and 3/4 cup of cream. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the lasagne, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan, and dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.