Notes

I think the notes people include in their recipes make them more personal. If I write a note myself about a recipe, it will always be written in purple.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Quick Ghost Cookies Recipe

Quick Ghost Cookies Recipe

Field editor Denise Smith of Lusk, Wyoming spruces up store-bought cookies for the holiday. "These are a real hit with 'goblins' of all ages," she comments.
* 18 Servings
* Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients
* 1 pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped
* 1 package (1 pound) Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies
* Miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

* In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring occasionally. Dip cookies into coating, covering completely. Place on waxed paper.

* Brush ends with a pastry brush dipped in coating where fingers touched cookies. While coating is still warm, place two chips on each cookie for eyes. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 3 dozen.

Quick Ghost Cookies published in Taste of Home October/November 1996, p12
Beth Layman :)

Candy `Apple' Donuts:

Candy `Apple' Donuts:
Ingredients: (recipe covers ~ 25)

donut holes
candy sticks (as many as you have donut holes)
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red food coloring
candy toppings
parchment paper, candy thermometer, and a sauce pan.
- cold water bath ( large bowl + cool water); used to dunk your pot, too stop sugar from continuing to heat.

1. Heat and stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved. Boil until the syrup reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.

2. Remove right away from the stove, stir in cinnamon and food coloring (if using), and quickly (but carefully) dip the bottom of your pan into the cold-water bath.

This step is literally for a second; you just want to prevent the sugar from continuing to heat up. You'll hear a fizzle and might see a little bit of steam—but don't leave it longer than a second, or else your sugar will cool too much, and you'll have instant caramel and won't be able to dip your donut holes. Once you do that, place your pot down on a heatproof surface.

3. I find it easier to dip the sticks in the sugar first, and then into the center of your donut; it adheres the two together better. Once you've done this, dip the donut holes completely in the syrup and swirl it around a little with the stick to coat. Hold the donut above the saucepan to drain off excess. If you want, dip the donut in candy toppings, and place on parchment paper.

4. Repeat with remaining donuts. If syrup thickens or cools too much, simply reheat briefly before proceeding. Let cool completely before serving.

The donut holes used in this recipe were from Tim Hortons in Canada. It has the apple flavor in the batter. 1 med. apple grated and 1/4 cup apple cider can be used in a donut recipe for the same effect.

BLACK BEAST

BLACK BEAST

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c. water
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
5 extra large eggs at room temperature

CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE:
1 c. heavy cream
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in center of oven. Butter a 9 inch cake pan (not springform). Place a circle of wax paper on the bottom, covering completely.  Butter paper.

Chop chocolate into fine pieces; set aside. Combine the water with 1 cup sugar in a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Bring to rapid boil over high heat. Cook about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.  Immediately add the chocolate pieces, stirring until completely melted.

Place eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix eggs and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Add the chocolate/butter mixture to eggs and mix completely.
DO NOT OVERBEAT - causes air bubbles.

Spoon and scrape the mixture into prepared cake pan. Set pan into a larger pan. Set both in the oven and pour hot water into larger pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then run a sharp knife around sides to release cake.
Cover with plastic wrap and unmold onto a cookie sheet. Invert a serving plate over the cake and flip it over, so the plate is on the bottom and the cake on top. Serve with or without glaze.
Glaze: Scald the cream, add the chocolate off the heat, and stir very gently until smooth. Cool slightly and pour over cake.

Caramel Apples

Caramel Apples
purchased from the Moore Estate in Fort Worth -- Texas in  1986 Dated 1974. Notation on card indicates these were made by the dozens every Halloween for years. Everyone loved them. I have made them and they are awesome.

4 large tart apples cored
1/2 cup apple juice
8 tablespoons brown sugar
12 red hot candies
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
8 caramels
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whipped cream optional

Peel about 3/4 inch off the top of each apple and place in a crock pot. Pour juice over apples. Fill the center of each apple with 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 red hots, 1 tablespoon butter and 2 caramels.
Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the apples are tender. Serve immediately with whipped cream, if desired.

Source catsrecipes

Baked Eyeballs Casserole

Baked Eyeballs Casserole

Vegetable cooking spray
1 jar (24 ounces) Italian Sausage & Garlic Italian Sauce
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 cups bow tie-shaped pasta, cooked and drained
1 container (8 ounces) small fresh mozzarella cheese balls (about 1-inch)
2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives

* Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch shallow baking dish with the cooking spray.

* Mix 1 1/2 cups of the sauce, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and pasta in the prepared dish. Spread the remaining sauce over the pasta mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and cover the dish with foil.

* Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Arrange the cheese balls randomly over the pasta mixture. Place a sliced olive on each cheese ball. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

RECIPE TIPS
* Tip: Easy Substitution Tip: If fresh mozzarella cheese balls are not available, substitute 1 package (8 ounces) fresh mozzarella cheese. Cut crosswise into thirds. Cut each third in 6 wedges, for triangle-shaped eyes.

Apple and Black Walnuts Plenty Cake

Apple and Black Walnuts Plenty Cake


3 eggs
1-1/2 cups salad oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups chopped, peeled apples, 4 to 5
1 cup Recipe Ready Hammons Black Walnuts
2 tsps. vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine

Directions
Mix eggs, oil and sugar; blend well. Sift flour,salt and baking soda together; add to egg mixture. Add apples, Black Walnuts and vanilla. Pour batter into greased tube or bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Glaze:
In saucepan, combine brown sugar, milk and margarine. Cook 2 1/2 minutes after mixture comes to a boil. While cake is still hot, pour glaze over cake in pan. Cool cake completely before removing from pan. Makes 18 servings.

Pumpkin Maple Pie Supreme

Pumpkin Maple Pie Supreme

1 small sugar pumpkin
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup real maple syrup
1 1/4 cups half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut up pumpkin, and remove seeds. Place in large baking pan, and cover with foil or lid. Bake for 1 hour, or until very tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Scrape pumpkin into a food processor; puree until smooth. Measure 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt. Stir in maple syrup, half-and-half, and flour. Mix in eggs one at a time. Pour filling into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, or until center is set.

Makes 8 servings.

Cinnamon-Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I remember when my mom made pumpkin seeds for the first time; we thought she had gone mad.


Cinnamon-Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedures-  Preheat oven to 350F.

Scoop out the inside of your pumpkin, and separate seeds from pulp. Don't worry if there's a little pulp left on the seeds when you roast themâ€"it only adds flavor. Just remove the biggest pieces so that the seeds are easy to toss.

In a bowl, toss the seeds with the melted butter, coating thoroughly. Add salt and seasonings.

Spread seeds in one even layer across a greased baking sheet (or you can use a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil).

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the seeds are golden brown. Stir the seeds every so often while they're baking, so that they toast evenly.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

ALLIGATOR CHILI

ALLIGATOR CHILI

1 pound Alligator meat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 large bell pepper (chopped)
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-tel tomatoes and chilies (blended)
1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 Jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1 cup red wine (Merlot preferred)
6 bottles cold beer
Salt & Pepper to taste

Set aside 1 cup of red wine. Cut meat into small pieces. Remove all tallow. Start drinking the rest of the red wine(cold beer may be substituted) . In Dutch oven boil diced meat in water seasoned with salt and pepper for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. In same pot add oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until onions are tender. Add pinto beans, tomatoes, tomato paste salt, pepper, cumin, and jalapenos. Cook on medium low heat for 40 minutes. Add alligator meat. Cook on low heat 3 hours. Add wine last 30 minutes. Serve with Hot French bread.

Licorice-Eared Mice Mini-Cakes

Licorice-Eared Mice Mini-Cakes

16 cakes
Oven Temp: 350

1 box Super Moist German Chocolate cake mix, prepared
1/3 cup(s) grade-A dark maple syrup
1/2 cup(s) pumpkin pie filling
Black food coloring
1 tub(s) Duncan Hines Classic Vanilla frosting
Black licorice

Directions
1. Coat a mini-egg cake pan ($12.99; Wine & Cake Hobbies) with cooking spray and fill each compartment to the top with prepared cake mix. Bake at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes, then cool cakes on a wire rack. Repeat until you've baked 16 cakes.

2. Slowly add black food coloring to 3/4 tub of frosting, while stirring, until frosting turns pale gray. Microwave for 10 seconds, and stir; repeat until frosting is thin enough to pour, then coat cakes.

3. Apply pieces of licorice to form tails (cut to 4 inches) and shaped ears (cut to 2 1/2 inches), as shown.

4. Slowly add black food coloring to remaining frosting, while stirring, until frosting turns dark black. Pour inside a freezer bag with one tip snipped off to create a piping sleeve. Use piping sleeve to draw eyes, nose, and whiskers.

Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a try them you will like them kind of thing.


Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
2 teaspoon kosher salt

Procedures-  Preheat oven to 350F.

Scoop out the inside of your pumpkin, and separate seeds from pulp. Don't worry if there's a little pulp left on the seeds when you roast themâ€"it only adds flavor. Just remove the biggest pieces so that the seeds are easy to toss.

In a bowl, toss the seeds with the melted butter, coating thoroughly. Add salt and seasonings.

Spread seeds in one even layer across a greased baking sheet (or you can use a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil).

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the seeds are golden brown. Stir the seeds every so often while they're baking, so that they toast evenly.

Pumpkin Cobbler

Pumpkin Cobbler

3 large eggs, beaten slightly
1 can pumpkin
12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 box of yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup pecans, lightly toasted
1 pint whipping cream
Sugar to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, salt, ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Pour pumpkin mixture into it.

Sprinkle with cake mix. Melt butter and pour over the cake mix. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and top with toasted pecans. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes more. Cool.

Whip cream and add sugar to taste and the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Smooth whipped cream over cobbler to serve. Makes 15 large squares or 24 small ones.