Carmel Apple Dip

This is a recipe I got from Brandi's sister. Now that it is apple season, I thought this would be a great recipe to share. It is so yummy! I know you'll like it, too.

Carmel Apple Dip

Mix with an electric mixer:

1 package cream cheese (softened)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add by hand:

1 bag Skor bits or Heath bits with chocolate

Salty Bones

Here is one last Halloween treat for your family to enjoy--Salty Bones. This also came from the Family Fun website. Happy Haunting!

Salty Bones

1 tube of refrigerated bread stick dough

Coarse salt

Unroll a tube of refrigerated bread stick dough and separate the rectangular pieces. Working with one piece at a time, stretch the dough to lengthen it a bit and then use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut a 1 1/2 inch slit in the center of each end. Roll or shape the resulting four flaps of sough into knobs that look like the ends of a bone. Place the dough bones on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle a little coarse salt over each bone. Bake the bones until they are light golden brown, about 12 - 14 minutes.

Freaky Fingers and Monster Mouths

I found some really cute Halloween treats on the Family Fun website. They were called Cheese Finger Food and Apple Bites, but I think Freaky Fingers and Monster Mouths sound much more appetizing for Halloween!

Freaky Fingers

Mozzarella string cheese

Green bell pepper

Cream cheese

Cut each cheese stick in half (makes two fingers). Carve a shallow area for a fingernail just below the rounded end of each half. Carve out tiny horizontal wedges for joint (below the nail) and the knuckle joint. Slice green bell pepper into nail shapes and stick them in place at the ends of the fingers with dabs of cream cheese.

Monster Mouths

Apples

Slivered almonds

Quarter and core an apple. Cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter. Then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.

Tip: If you're not going to serve these right away, bast the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.

"Mummy" Dogs

I thought this was such a great idea. My daughter-in-law, Brandi, made these last Halloween for her family. It's just hot dogs all wrapped up like mummies. Cute, huh?

"Mummy Dogs"

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

2 1/2 slices of American cheese, quartered

10 hot dogs

Cooking spray

Mustard and/or Ketchup (if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough, separate at perforations, making 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters--the half slice of cheese, cut in half.

Put a slit lenghwise in hot dog and put slice of cheese on top of slit. Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog to look like bandages, stretching dough slightly to completely cover the hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog(not the cheese side), separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for a "face". On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs

(cheese side down), and spray dough slightly with cooking spray.

Bake 13 - 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard draw features on "face".

My granddaughter, Addy, helped me make them. I started them with one strand of dough (to secure the cheese) and then she finished wrapping them.I separated the bandages to make the face. We baked them, used mustard to put a face on them and ate them all up. (I put the mustard in a small baggie, snipped the corner and decorated the mummy's face. Brandi suggested doing this and it worked great!)

You can tell little McKinley loved them, too.

Witches Potion

Halloween is almost here. Here's a cool snack for the children to enjoy containing black bugs, vampire teeth, bat eyes, frog eggs, ghost teeth and witches warts. Doesn't that sound yummy?

Witches Potion

1 1/2 cups raisins (black bugs)

1 1/2 cups candy corn (vampire teeth)

1 1/2 cups M & Ms (bat eyes)

1 1/2 cups peanuts (frog eggs)

2 cups marshmallows (ghost teeth)

3 cups Corn Chex (witches warts)

Mix together and devour!

Crock Pot Country Steak

It's time for another crock pot recipe. This one is for country style steak and it's delicious. The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth. Serve it with mashed potatoes or rice. You can also serve it on top of egg noodles. No matter how you serve it, you're going to eat this one up!

Crock Pot Country Steak

6 pieces of cubed steak

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of brown gravy mix

1 cup of water

Brown the cubed steak in a pan and put in the crock pot. In a small bowl mix the soup, gravy mix, and water. Pour this mixture on top of the steak in the crock pot and cook on low 6 - 8 hours.

**You can add a can of mushrooms if you'd like--and you know me, I love mushrooms!

Poor Man's Hash

When my children were young, I used to make a hamburger and rice casserole that they really loved. Hamburger was inexpensive back then, so we called it "Poor Man's Hash"--mainly because we were poor and it was a cheap dinner to make. I found the recipe a few weeks ago and decided to try it again. You know, it still makes a delicious meal. Next time I'm going to double it!

Poor Man's Hash

1 pound of hamburger

1 small onion chopped

1 small bell pepper chopped

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chili powder

1 (16 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger. Salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until onion and bell pepper are clear and cooked. Add tomatoes, rice, and chili powder. Mix together and put in a covered casserole dish. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Tricia's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Last week I went to visit my son, Brandon, in Utah. His wife, Tricia, made these delicious pumpkin muffins. I couldn't stop eating them. Tricia cooks really healthy and she made the muffins using whole wheat flour, olive oil, real maple syrup and honey. Here's the recipe. I know your family is going to like these and they are healthy for you!

Tricia's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin

3/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup real maple syrup

2/3 cup honey

2/3 cup soy milk

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or you can use the paper cup liners.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Mix in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake 20 - 25 minutes for regualr size muffins. Bake 12-15 minutes for mini muffin size. Cool 5 minutes in the tin and remove to a wire rack.

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs

I'm always asked, "How do you get your scrambled eggs so fluffy?" My husband's Aunt Evelyn taught me the secret. It's so simple you won't believe it. Do you put milk in your scrambled eggs? Well, STOP! Try adding a little bit of water. Yes, water (about a half teaspoon per egg). That's it--fluffy scrambled eggs every time!

Oh, and be sure not to cook them too fast. Start out at medium high, but quickly lower temperature to medium and continue to scramble. If you cook them too fast they get dried out and hard. When the eggs are almost done, I usually remove them from the burner and let them finish cooking in the heat from the pan.

Poppy Seed Salad and Dressing

Panera has the best Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad. I went a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to order one. Well, it has been taken off the menu--they only offer it during the summer. Man, what a bummer! I really wanted a salad with poppy seed dressing. Then I remembered I had a great recipe for Poppy Seed Salad and Dressing. I hate when I have those "senior moments", duh! Don't you forget to try this recipe!

Poppy Seed Salad and Dressing

Dressing:

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried mustard

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Put sugar, salt, mustard and vinegar in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. (It does not need to come to a boil.) Put this mixture in a blender. Add the oil slowly and blend. Add poppy seeds and blend.

Salad:

Green leaf lettuce (I use Romain because it's my favorite lettuce)

Bacon bits (I cook my bacon and crumble it up)

Marinated broiled chicken (I marinate in soy sauce and broil0

Toasted sliced almonds (I coat pan with spray or butter and broil)

Shredded mozzarella cheese (I use packaged cheese not fresh)

Chopped green onion

I always set out all the salad ingredients (buffet style) and let everyone make their own salad. The dressing gets thicker as it cools. I like it warm or cold. You can store leftover dressing in the refrigerator. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the poppy seed dressing all week on my salads.

Aunt Ruth's Savory Rice

Now I know I'm no Paula Deen, but I do have a much better Savory Rice recipe than the one I posted yesterday that came from Paula's cookbook--and it takes less time to make. My Aunt Ruth use to make this dish when we'd come visit her. She shared this recipe with me when I was a young girl and that was a long, long time ago. Now don't wait too long to make this. It is great with the Chicken Poupon Dijon, Nana's Grilled Chicken, Baked Ham--the list goes on.

Aunt Ruth's Savory Rice

1/2 stick butter

1 small onion chopped

1 small can mushrooms

1 can beef consomme soup

3/4 can of water

1 cup Uncle Ben's Converted Rice

In a medium pot, melt butter and saute the onions. Add the drained mushrooms and saute a couple of minutes more. Add the soup and using the soup can to measure the water, add the water. Let this come to a boil. Add the rice and let it come to a boil again. Then cover the pot, turn to burner to low and cook for 20 minutes. Don't peek! After 20 minutes, remove from burner and mix lightly, cover and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Savory Rice

I got this recipe from a fellow teacher. I had gone to her house to give her a baby gift and I could smell something great cooking. She said it was Savory Rice, a recipe she got from her Paula Deen cookbook. Needless to say, she gave me the recipe and here it is.

Savory Rice

1 cup chopped onion

1 stick of butter (I used 1/2, one stick is too much! Paula, what are you thinking?)

1 can of beef broth soup

1 can of French onion soup

1 can mushrooms (4 1/2 oz)

1 cup uncooked rice

Preheat oven to 350. Saute onion in butter. Add mushrooms. Stir in beef broth, onion soup and uncooked rice. Mix together and put in a casserole dish. Bake 1 hour until done. Stir rice before serving.

Nancee's Decorator White Icing

I actually did make my husband a cake for his birthday, too. I really made it for the grandkids who came over the next night to celebrate his birthday. I always use Duncan Hines cake mixes because they are so moist. Now I'm not a professional cake decorator, but I do love to piddle around and pretend to know how to decorate a cake. But you have to have a good icing and I have the perfect recipe for you to use for your next decorated cake. My daughter-in-law informed me that this is a buttercream icing recipe. I didn't know--it doesn't have any butter in it! :-)
Well, either way, it is a great icing for your next special cake.

Nancee's Decorator White Icing

1 box powdered sugar (1 lb)

1/3 cup Crisco shortening

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

dash of salt

Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at low speed 8 - 10 minutes. I beat it 4 - 5 minutes at high speed. You may also need to add a little bit more water if the icing is too thick. Add food coloring for desired colors.

Strawberry Banana Diet Delight

Last week was my husband Larry's birthday. Since he's a diabetic, I made him a special birthday treat. Strawberry Banana Diet Delight--it's his favorite. It's like a banana pudding with strawberries and of course made with nutra-sweet and low fat ingredients. We put a candle in the middle, sang "Happy Birthday", and he made a wish--although I thought he was praying, it took him so long. As a matter of fact McKinley blew out his candle and I had to go get the matches and relight it and Larry never knew it happened. That must have been some wish!

Strawberry Banana Diet Delight

1 small package of nutra-sweet strawberry jello

2 - 3 cups frozen strawberries (you can use fresh strawberries if they're in season)

3 -4 Tablespoons of water

2 packages nutra-sweet instant vanilla pudding

3 cups low fat or skim milk

1 cup light sour cream

1 small cool whip (8 0z)

1 box low fat vanilla wafers

2 large bananas, sliced

Put strawberries in a small bowl. If the strawberries are whole, slice them. Add the jello and water. Gently mix together and set aside. (If your strawberries are packed in juice or syrup, do not add the water.)

In a large bowl mix the pudding and the 3 cups of milk (I used a whisk) and beat for about 2 minutes until thickened.

Add the light sour cream and the Cool Whip and mix well.

Using half the ingredients (except the banana, you use all), layer vanilla wafers, pudding, strawberries and bananas. Do another layer of vanilla wafers, pudding and strawberries. I also crumble vanilla wafers on top.

**This is delicious and you really can't tell this is a diet dessert.

Chicken Pasta Salad

Yesterday, I needed something quick and easy--I just didn't feel like doing a lot of cooking. I had a craving for something with pasta, so I decided to try this chicken pasta salad since I had all the ingredients on hand. I had been wanting to make it for several months and I'm glad I did. I really liked it! It satisfied my pasta cravings although next time ( and I will make this again) I plan to double the chicken. By the way, my sweet granddaughter, McKinley (the one who loves my grits), she loved it. As a matter of fact, she ate 3 helpings!

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 (16oz) package of Rainbow Rotini Pasta (multi-colored,veggie pasta)

2 boneless chicken breasts

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 small tomato (diced)

1/4 cup bell pepper (chopped)

1 package Ranch dressing (mix as directed)

Cook pasta as directed, drain, and rinse with cold water. Dice chicken breasts and cook in olive oil and soy sauce until well done.

In a large bowl put drained kidney beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, pasta, and chicken. Toss together. Add ranch dressing to desired consistency. Mix together and chill in refrigerator.