Spooky Halloween Punch

I made this drink for our Halloween party and it was a huge hit with the kids. They loved the hand floating in the drink. One of the fingers broke but I think it just added to the effect to have a finger floating around. It was so much fun!

Printable Recipe

Spooky Halloween Punch
20 oz. frozen strawberries, thawed
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 qt. ginger ale
water
frozen hand

To make frozen hand, wash out a plastic glove with soap and water. Fill with water and place red food coloring inside the glove. Secure with a twist tie. Place in freezer until frozen.

Combine strawberries and lemonade concentrate in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a punch bowl. Add ginger ale and desired amount of water.

Carefully remove glove from the frozen hand and place hand in the center of the punch bowl.

Serves 12

Recipe adapted from Family Fun

Monster Pizzas

This recipe has been moved to The Traveling Circus.

Click here for recipe

Monster Pizzas

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

I love the caramel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I always buy one when we go on vacation or if it's a special occasion. They're about $6 an apple so they're pretty pricey but they're so worth it. I found a recipe to make them myself and I was so excited! It was actually pretty easy too. The recipe calls for a bag of caramels but I decided to make it with homemade caramel. Either way, they're delicious!

Printable Recipe

Apple Pie Caramel Apples
6 apples

Caramel:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 bags white chocolate chips
cinnamon sugar

Wash and dry apples and insert sticks. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together ingredients for caramel except for vanilla. Stir constantly until it reaches a soft ball stage, about 235-240 degrees. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool for a few minutes. Dip apples into caramel and twirl around to coat completely. Place on parchment paper to set. Repeat with another coat of caramel.  Cool in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Dip apples in chocolate to coat completely, then place on parchment paper to set. After it sets for a few minutes, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*This recipe makes a lot of caramel. You can let the remaining caramel cool and cut into individual candies or use it for a caramel dipping sauce.

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything and Tasty Kitchen

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Printable Recipe

Southwestern Chicken Soup
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2-3 Tbsp diced jalapeno pepper, seeded
3 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil until tender. Stir in chicken broth, water, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne. Add chicken, black beans, tomatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Easy Caramel Popcorn

This caramel popcorn was super easy to make and it turned out so great. It was so addicting. I couldn't stop eating it :)

Printable Recipe

Easy Caramel Popcorn
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
11 large marshmallows, cut in half
2 bags microwave popcorn, popped

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and let it come to a boil. Stir in marshmallows until melted and smooth. Pour over popped popcorn and mix well.

Recipe adapted from The Sisters Cafe

Zuppa Toscana Soup

I love this soup! It's one of my favorite things to eat at Olive Garden. I'm so excited to be able to make it at home!

Printable Recipe

Zuppa Toscana Soup
1 lb Italian sausage
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1 qt water
4 cups chicken broth
2 lg potatoes, cubed (about 4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups chopped kale
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat, breaking up as it cooks. Drain and set aside. Place bacon in the skillet and brown until cooked through without letting it get too crispy. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, combine water, chicken broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and bacon. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale, half and half, and salt and pepper. Heat through.

Serves 6-8

Recipe adapted from Chef Pablo's Restaurant Recipes

Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. He loves peanut butter, especially Reese's peanut butter cups. This was a perfect dessert for his birthday.

Printable Recipe

Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie
24 Oreo cookies, crushed
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups cool whip
1/2 cup chopped Reese's peanut butter cups

topping:
hot fudge
12-13 mini Reese's peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350. Combine crushed Oreos and melted butter. Press into a greased 9" springform pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes.

Combine peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until melted and creamy. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Fold cool whip into peanut butter mixture. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups. Pour into crust. Freeze for 3 hours. Top with Reese's peanut butter cups and drizzle with hot fudge.

Serves 12-13


Recipe adapted from Baker's Royale

Layered Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing

Printable Recipe

Layered Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing
3/4 head romaine lettuce
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Place romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Layer peas, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, 4 slices of the crumbled bacon, eggs, and cheese over the lettuce. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for the dressing. Mix well. Pour over salad and spread across. Garnish with remaining slice of crumbled bacon. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Toss before serving.

Recipe adapted from The On Call Cook

Swedish Meatballs

Printable Recipe

Swedish Meatballs

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

2 Tbsp butter

Dill cream sauce:

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup half and half

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dill seed

In a large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Crumble beef and pork over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet. Place half of the meatballs in the skillet and cook until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels; place in a medium bowl and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining meatballs. 

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for sauce. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour sauce over meatballs. Serve meatballs over rice.

Serves 6-8

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

This recipe has been moved to The Traveling Circus.

Click the link below for the recipe

Loaded Baked Potato Salad