Candy Apples
A Halloween/County Fair staple when I was a kid, I much prefer candy apples over caramel apples. Something about the hard, sweet coating and the tart apple underneath. These aren’t hard to make but you do need a candy thermometer. I made 6 smallish apples with this recipe (I used McIntosh).
Candy Apples
6 smallish apples
6 skewers (I used cookie pop sticks by Wilton)
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup (I used the less sugar kind)
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cinnamon candies such as Red Hots
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using clean apples, stick the skewer in the stem end.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup and hot water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and then continue to cook until the thermometer reaches 250º. Add the cinnamon candies, stir briefly, and continue to cook until the thermometer reaches 280º.
Remove from the heat and stir so that the candy is smooth. Hold an apple by the skewere and dip in the candy and swirl to coat, tilting the pan as needed. Hold apple over pan so that excess candy can drip back in the pan. Repeat until all apples are covered.
Cool at room temperature. After about 24 hours they start to get a little wimpy so try to enjoy within 24 hours or store in the refrigerator for longer storage.
Makes 6 apples.
NOTE: The candy is HOT and will burn. This is really NOT A RECIPE FOR CHILDREN to help make.
To get the candy out of your pan, boil some water in the pan and then let it soak and the candy should melt and come right out.
Happy Halloween!
1 comment October 27, 2009
Halloween Sugar Cookies
I found this recipe in Everyday Food magazine and found it to be a super easy recipe and one that doesn’t make a ton of cookies. I doubled the recipe and got 3 dozen ~ which is perfect for us. The version I am putting here is the DOUBLED version.
Halloween Sugar Cookies
8 tbsps butter, very soft
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
about 36 candy corns
Preheat oven to 350º.
In a medium bowl, mix butter and sugar until well combined. Add yolks, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add flour and mix until dough forms.
Scoop out level tbsps of dough and roll into balls in your hands. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Bake until edges are firm and just beginning to turn light brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and gently press a candy corn into the center of each cookie. Cool cookies on sheets for 1 minute and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Happy Halloween!
1 comment October 26, 2009
Happy Birthday!
Today is my DH’s birthday and once again I will be making My Mom’s Chocolate Cake ~ it’s our favorite for birthday cakes.
I’ll be taking him to dinner at The Vintage Tavern . We’ve never been but have been to their sister restaurant, River Stone Chophouse , which we loved so I think we’ll love it as well.
Happy Cooking!
2 comments October 22, 2009
Halloween Krispie Treats
This recipe is just a take-off on standard rice krispie treats. You can’t tell in the picture but I tinted the marshmallows orange. I think these would work for Thanksgiving, too, by leaving off the candy corn. I found the recipe on the Land O’Lakes website and adapted it to suit me.
Halloween Rice Krispie Treats
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 (10 oz. pkgs.) large marshmallows
3 drops orange food coloring or 2 drops read and 3 drops yellow
10 cups rice krispie cereal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening (Crisco)
Lightly grease a 15×10 jelly roll pan and set aside.
In a large pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add both pkgs. of marshmallows and continue to heat over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring. Mix until the coloring is spread out evenly throughout the melted marshmallow mixture.
Add the cereal and mix until well combined.
Pat cereal mixture into prepared pan. Use greased wax paper to even it out so it won’t stick to your hands.
Melt chocolate chips and shortening in microwave and stir to combine. Place chocolat emixture in a sandwich bag, cut a bit of the bag’s corner off, squeeze chocolate in the bag and decorate the treats. Add candy corn if desired.
Let the treats sit for about 30 minutes before cutting so the chocolate can set up.
Makes about 40 bars depending on how large you cut them.
Happy Halloween!
1 comment October 21, 2009
Mushroom Noodles
These noodles are an excellent side dish for just about any meal. They are easy to make and taste delicious. Adding chicken, ham or shrimp would make this a complete one-dish meal. I got the recipe years ago from a community cookbook.
Mushroom Noodles
3 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 cups quartered fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
3 tbsps butter, divided
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Cook noodles as directed on package. Drain and set aside.
Saute mushrooms, bell pepper and green onion in 2 tbsps of the butter in a large skillet. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Remove veggies and set aside.
Combine 1 tbsp butter and flour in the skillet and let the flour cook for a minute to get rid of the flour taste. Gradually add the milk, stirring and cooking until smooth and thick. Blend in seasoned salt, wine and 1 cup cheese. Cook until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles and veggies.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Happy Cooking!
1 comment October 20, 2009
Recipe Re-Run
At the moment, we have a sick little dog and I have been spending my time tending to him and cooking up his meals. Our meals have kind of gone by the wayside.
Today we are having Barbecue-y Beef Short Ribs that I posted back on June 13, 2008. We love these ribs and I am doing everything the same except I am using boneless short ribs.
Happy Cooking!
Add comment October 18, 2009
Minestrone Soup III
I think this is the third minestrone soup reciep I’ve posted. Minestrone is probably my favorite soup and I’m always trying new recipes for it.
You can easily make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken ~ one of thie reasons why I love this soup is because is so versatile. You can adapt it to suit your needs. This particular recipe called for 2 potatoes. I’m sure they were added to helop thicken the soup but I don’t like it thick and there are already a bunch of carbs so I just left them out. It also called for cabbage but I used spinach. I liked this version with just a smidge of tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes just for a change of pace.
Minestrone Soup III
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon basil
1/s tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup pearl barley (I used quick cooking barley and it was fine)
3 carrots, chopped
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
2/3 cup small shell pasta
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups baby spinach
Grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top, if desired
Heat the olive oil in a soup por or Dutch oven and saute the onion, celery, garlic, and spices for about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the barley, carrots and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Stir in the beans, pasta and tomato paste. Simmer until the pasta is al dente. Add the spinach and simmer for 5 minutes longer or until the spinach is tender.
Serve with grated Parmesan if desired.
Makes 6-8 servings
Happy Cooking!
Add comment October 15, 2009
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
Sometimes I feel like baking for breakfast but don’t want to do anything special or fancy. I found this recipe on the Pillsbury website and we loved it. It’s very much like my Monkey Bread but easier.
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cans Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls with icing
Heat oven to 375º and spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray.
Mix butter and brown sugar in a small bowl and then pour onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
In another small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Open the cans and separate into 10 rolls. Cut each roll into quarters. Place each piece of dough into sugar/cinnamon mixture coating all sides. Arrang ein single layer in pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and the middle is not doughy.
Drop icing by teaspoonfuls over the top of the cake. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, cut in squares and serve.
Makes about 12-15 servings (more of less depending on how big the pieces are cut)
Happy Cooking!
2 comments October 14, 2009
Barbecued Pecans
I’ve been looking at this recipe for a year or two trying to imagine what barbecued pecans would taste like. The price of pecans really had more to do with me not trying it. What if I hated them and wasted all those pecans? I made them. They are addictive!
Now, they are not spicy but they are very flavorful. If you want them spicier, just add more hot sauce or vice versa.
They would make great gifts!
Barbecued Pecans
2 tbsps butter, melted
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp hot sauce (use more or less depending on how hot you want them)
4 cups pecans halves
salt to taste
Combine butter, Worcestershire, ketchup and hot pepper sauce and pour over pecans. Stir gently until pecans are coated.
Spread on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
Bake at 300º for 30 minutes, stirring at regular intervals to prevent any burning.
After baking, immediately spread on paper towels to cool; sprinkle generously with salt while still hot so the salt will stick.
Cool and store in an airtight container.
Makes 4 cups
Happy Cooking!
1 comment October 13, 2009
French Dip Sandwiches
I love French Dip sandwiches and I’m always looking for a recipe that I really love ~ this one comes closest yet. I like the beef to be a little salty with loads of flavor. I don’t like putting all kinds of stuff on the bun except the meat and and some provolone and contrary to the name, I don’t dip them since I top the meat with some of the juice when it’s already on the bun. I toast hoagie rolls and usually use provolone but I used horseradish cheddar for the sandwich in the picture.
It’s important to trim all the fat off the roast so the juice will not be fatty. This is a very easy crockpot recipe that I think you’ll love!
French Dip Sandwiches
1 large onion, sliced
1 can beef broth
1 (4 lb) beef rump roast, trimmed of all fat
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 (1 oz) pkg of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Hoagie buns
Provolone slices
Place sliced onion in the bottom of the crockpot. Add the broth. Place beef on top of onions and pour the balsamic vinegar over the beef. Sprinkle the beef with the Italian dressing, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
When finished cooking, place beef on a cutting board and slice. Place slices back in the juice in the crockpot and mix it well.
When ready to serve, spoon pieces of beef onto bottom of buns, add the cheese and serve with the juices from the crockpot.
***I toast up my buns under the broiler, add the meat and cheese and stick back under the broiler until the cheese melts. Then I add a little more juice to the sandwich.
Makes 4-6 hoagie-sized sandwiches or more if you use smaller buns.
Happy Cooking!
4 comments October 11, 2009
