Dirt Cups, Cake or Pie

Monday, October 31, 2011
Here is the easiest Halloween dessert even that kids can make and love and it can be in cups, cake form or in pie!

All you need is instant chocolate pudding, whipped topping milk, and assorted fun garnishes that shout Halloween.


The kids love to decorate the cake with cheap barbies and toys from a dollar store on the cakes and use candies and tombstone windmill cookies for decorating for a ghoulish treat.


Check out these easy instructions and if you're planning a Halloween party, one of these may be the best centerpiece and dessert of the night.





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Shrimp Stir Fry with Broccoli and Zucchini

Saturday, October 29, 2011
A quick meal, all in one pan, except the rice!


1 pound cleaned and deveined shrimp
1 sweet green pepper; cut in 3/4-inch squares
2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
pinch or more of cayenne pepper
1 small carrot; thinly sliced 
2 cups of broccoli florets (microwave with 1 teaspoon of sugar and covered with water for 5 minutes drain)
1 zucchini cut into chunks
1 yellow squash cut into chunks
1/2 cup pineapple chunks and 1 cup liquid
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil


In a large wok style fry pan, add oil and all the vegetable, saute with garlic for 3 to 5 minutes we like the vegetables crisp, cook longer if you prefer. Add pineapple and sherry to pan. In a small bowl mix the pineapple juice, cornstarch and teriyaki sauce together. Add and cook till thickened.  Serve with jasmine rice or other white rice.

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Old Fashioned Apple Compote

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
This is my first recipe every fall called Old Fashioned Apple Compote it's a buttery cinnamon sliced or diced apple delight.

Growing up in Central Utica, N.Y., we lived close by apple orchards and many neighbors had apple trees, so we had an abundance of fruit that was generously given to us.

We would make Apple Pies, Apple Cake, Apple Handpies, and Apple Cider, and this compote was a favorite, especially at breakfast time.

Although it tastes great right from a spoonful, it's terrific on pancakes, waffles, for topping freshly baked Apple Pie Muffins, and even on vanilla ice cream!

During the winter months, mom did lots of canning apple compote in a mason jars to use for tarts and pies.

This is so easy and perfect for anything you grew up on using butter for these cinnamon-coated apples.

Mom even served them as a side dish with Baked Pork Chops.

So the skies are the limit on possibilities with this recipe just scroll down to the printable recipe card for our yummy recipe it's so easy!


apple slices made into a compote


20

Mom's Fried Veal Cutlet Recipe

Thursday, October 20, 2011

1 1/2 lbs veal cutlets around 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
5 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup dry Italian flavored bread crumbs or more
 (mom made her own breadcrumbs from stale bread click here)
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Combine bread crumbs and  cheese in a pie plate. Add 1 clove finely minced garlic and the fresh parsley together. In another dish beat one egg with a tablespoon of water.
In a large skillet, heat the oil, and butter (optional) with the remaining whole cloves of garlic. Turn the garlic cloves until pale yellow. Mash the cloves into the oil using the tines of a fork when they become toasted, then remove.
Season the veal with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Dip each piece of veal egg then into the seasoned bread crumbs coating both sides well. Dip into the egg mixture once again. Roll in the bread crumbs a second time.
Pan fry the veal cutlets in the olive oil, carefully turning once, until well browned on both sides. Turn down to low heat and fry till brown and tender around 25 to 20 minutes.
 
Note:
A mixture of 1 freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, oregano, black pepper, salt to taste and 1 tablespoon of melted butter make a great sauce over the top.
21

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
We just love the flavors fall brings with the fragrant smell of cinnamon, comforting spices baked into these Pumpkin Donuts plus it's a super easy recipe to make!


If you're a big donut and apple fan you may also love our recipe for these apple cider donuts, we love to serve these two fall favorites during this time of the year!


These baked pumpkin donuts are great any time of the day and certainly perfect at breakfast time or a treat to bring to any outings, events, or get-together, especially around Halloween and Thanksgiving.


Our easy pumpkin donuts have all the best autumn spice flavors and complement this easy-made from scratch batter.


We love them plain, rolled in cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, glazed with tinted frosting, dipped even in white chocolate.


There's no rolling, cutting, just make the batter and drop it into donut molded pans


Baking is so much healthier than fried and you won't notice the difference other than they come out a little flat on the bottom.


Since you've insisted on the healthier version, I will leave a baked or Air Fryer method as an alternative to make these Pumpkin Donuts with that method below.


Scroll down to our recipe card for this easily printable recipe on how to make baked pumpkin donuts!


cinnamon glazed pumpkin donuts


29

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup Recipe

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Rich, creamy and two flavors that compliment each other... served with garlic croutons is my favorite!
6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon finely minced celery
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
6 cloves garlic, peeled roasted  garlic see directions here
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
salt to taste 
Optional:
 grated parmesan cheese
garlic flavored croutons
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Roasted Garlic (for instructions click here)
Place potatoes in a shallow roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with peppers, stir to coat. Bake for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are browned. Reserve 1 cup of roasted potatoes.
In a 3 quart saucepan add potatoes, celery, garlic and stir in broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Spoon half of broth mixture into a blender; blend until nearly smooth. Repeat with remaining mixture; return all to pot. Stir in milk, cream and season with salt to taste add parsley. Top with reserved roasted potatoes, garnish with grating cheese and garlic croutons.
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Halloween Tombstone Brownie Recipe

Friday, October 14, 2011


1 package of Windmill Cookies ( I bought Voortman)
1 can chocolate icing or homemade recipe click here
1 package of your favorite brownie mix or click here for homemade recipe
1 container of pumpkin mellow cream candies
coconut tinted green
tube of black writing icing (found in baking section of the supermarket)
 optional  Halloween colored sprinkles or crushed oreo cookie crumbs

Gently break or cut cookies in half. Make brownies by package directions, cool, ice.
Assembly:
 Place cookies on wax paper outline the outter edges with icing and write letters on the tombstones R.I.P., HELP, whatever your ghostly pleasure is.  Apply a little icing to the bottom of the cookie and attach to the back of the brownie, flat side facing out. Cover the back with green coconut or crushed oreos for dirt and grass. Place candy pumpkin off to the side.

Have fun, spiders, skulls, hands..you can really get creative... !

Best Halloween Roundup   <Click link

For more Halloween Fun Recipes Click here for some party idea's  !

Grave Yard Ghost Pie


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Easy Pumpkin Fluff Pie

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Pumpkin and Fall go hand in hand but sometimes the weather isn't so chilly when pumpkin season starts so I always kick off the season with this No-bake Pumpkin Fluff Pie.

I save the baking for later in the month of November for my Homemade Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Roll, and of course everyone's favorite our Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spiced Latte.

Fall has such wonderful seasonal flavors and you can adapt the pie with more or less of what you prefer like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, just to name a few.

It's such a busy time of the year with back to school and there is no time for lengthy desserts.

This pie is perfect if you're a busy cook especially on the weekends when you just want to relax, the recipe for this pumpkin fluff pie is super fast and easy.

Creamy cheese whipped topping, and pure pumpkin just brings fall to life with all the best flavors of the season.

This pie won't stop that busy schedule and takes around 6 minutes to prepare with a premade store-bought crust.

This pumpkin fluff is also known as a pumpkin lush pie, pumpkin delight pie, no-bake cheesecake pumpkin pie, you may have heard of those names before for this recipe.

If you're looking for a fall dessert, don't miss trying this super easy pumpkin pie recipe.

Scroll down to our easy recipe card to print this off, and HAPPY FALL!!


this is a slice of pumpkin fluff pie


41

Crockpot Pork Mushroom Marsala with Linguine

Tuesday, October 11, 2011



14

No Bake Fudge Ball Cookies

Monday, October 10, 2011
The history of these "No Bake Fudge Ball Cookies is simple just like the cookie itself they were the first cookie I ever made in home economics class back in the 1970s.

These have just a few ingredients and really are fudge-like in consistency and probably after all these years considered candy although the teacher said they were cookies.

They are a chocolate lovers' delight and with the addition of fruits and nuts a whole other level of yumminess.

We have so many picky eaters in our home, so I roll them in sprinkles, nuts, and coconut and let them choose what they like.

It is sort of a candy cookie, and perfect for a potluck, a Christmas cookies tray, and just a nice little pick-me-up treat for a sweet tooth fudge cookie lover.

If you're not fond of baking cookies you're going to love this recipe ( this one doesn't have peanut butter) for no-bake cookies.

Do you have a little baker in your home just learning? This is the place to start, it's super easy, delicious and they are fun to make.

We have many suggestions below to make them festive looking for any holiday, or birthday party, and just match the theme of whatever you're making them for by rolling them into colorful sugars.

For gift giving, place them in candy wrappers and in a pretty tin.

Well now let's get started on the oldest recipe I have ever made in my lifetime, and make some memories with your first-time cooks out there!

There are step-by-step instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.




29

Grandma's Green Beans In Tomato Sauce

Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Grandma's Green Beans in Tomato Sauce is a rich tomato sauce similiar to just a stew with any kind of green beans and usually pole beans when we had them.

We had this summer meal growing up as my dad always grew pole beans in our yard but any green beans can be used frozen canned or fresh.

Although money was tight back in the 1960s when Grandma made this meal occassionally we would be lucky to have some cubed pork or chicken added to the pot.

W,e made the basic recipe with just pole beans and fresh tomatoes with herbs today, however there are also many additions you can add to feed a large family.

The best part about this easy recipe, is dunking fresh Homemade Bread into the sauce, it's a bowl of pure delicious Italian comfort food.

During the holiday sprinkling, the top with dried cranberries gives this a green and red festive look and also adds a little sweetness!

For me using pole beans is a treat when I can find them and I am always appreciative when someone that still grows them sends me some this is the first recipe that I will make with them.

Scroll down and check out our easy printable recipe and remember you can use any beans your prefer in Grandma's recipe.


beans in tomato sauce pole beans and green bean recipe


16

Angel Food Key Lime Cream Cake

Monday, October 3, 2011
I can't begin to tell you how refreshing this cake is. Everyone said, wow usually the pie is so sweet the angel food cake calms that down, I will definitely be making this one again. My boys all loved it! The cake is so light, the lime flavor just brings you to the tropics for a few moments if you don't live there, I will bet coconut will top the cake next time.





29

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins or Bars

Sunday, October 2, 2011
These zucchini muffins with pecans and chocolate chips are just about the best muffin I ever baked. The smell alone drives you nuts while they are baking and you can't wait to eat them. A perfect end of summer muffins for anytime of day that goes great with coffee, tea or your favorite hot beverage.
During the summer months as much as I love it, I can't wait until zucchini is in season. It's truly a versatile vegetable that taste great sweet of savory.



these are muffins made with shredded zucchini with chocolate chips and pecans. They are a dessert muffins or snack with a great crown on top and makes a large of amount to zucchini muffins. These muffins are sweet and the chocolate and cinnamon flavors compliment the zucchini. The instructions on how to make zucchini Chocolate chip muffins is very simple



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