Recipe For Wednesday 10/3/07

I hope everyone is getting ready for Halloween!!! If not, here is a recipe to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Chocolate Spiders

12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 1/4oz mini marshmallows (about half bag)
Waxed paper
Thin licorice (black, brown, or purple)
Makes about 16 spiders

Melt chocolate in either microwave or double boiler until just melted. Stir until smooth. Add marshmallows. Place by spoonfuls on wax paper. Decorate with licorice "legs". Let dry.

Options: You can add raisins or nuts, or even both. Another idea is adding m&m's. Get creative with the legs. You don't have to use licorice (maybe pretzels).


Do the kids want to paint the pumpkins this year instead of carving them? If so, CLICK HERE.

Halloween Craft For Tuesday 10/2/07

This Halloween craft is fun for children and the whole family.


Ghost & Jack-O Lantern Wreath


Materials:

Wire coat hanger
14-16 toilet paper rolls
Halloween color paint like white, orange or black (optional)
White and orange construction paper
tape
glue
scissors

• Take each tp roll and cut a slit HALFWAY through

• OPTIONAL: Paint tp rolls a neutral color and let dry

• Bend the coat hanger to form a circle

• Using the slits cut halfway through the rolls, slide each of your tp rolls onto the hanger to form a big circle of tp rolls.

• OPTIONAL: Take a bit of masking or scotch tape and tape the tp rolls together. (tape the openings of the tp rolls on the inside of the circle together). This will keep the rolls from spinning around while you're working. If you choose not to do this, the paper leaves will keep everything from spinning on the finished craft

• Cut out many ghost and pumpkin shapes. Fold the construction paper in half and in half again and traced our shapes onto the top. Then cut out the shape from the folded paper and got 4 at a time.
  

• You can get a printable template for these. CLICK HERE for the template.

• Draw faces on the ghosts with black marker.

• Glue green construction paper leaves and stems on the pumpkins and draw faces on with marker.

• Glue all the characters onto the tp roll base, overlapping so it's nice and full.

• Tie a bow on the top if you want to.

Have fun with your family!!!

Do you want to learn the art of pumpkin painting? If you answered yes, CLICK HERE.

Recipe For Monday 10/1/07

We are now in October which means full Halloween Spirit. I hope you enjoy the Halloween recipes!

Brittle Bones

3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line cookie sheet with brown paper bag or parchment. In a medium sized bowl, beat on high speed, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add vanilla. Place in pastry bag fitted with a medium plain piping tip. Pip 3" bone shapes onto brown paper bag or parchment. Bake for 1 hour until set. Turn oven off and let dry in oven for 1 hour. Makes about 4-5 dozen bones.

If you want more great recipes, CLICK HERE.

Recipe For Sunday 9/30/07

Halloween is getting closer and closer so I hope you enjoy all of the Halloween recipes and crafts. Gross everyone out with the following cookie recipe!

Creepy Witches Fingers

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup almonds, whole blanched
1 tube red decorator gel

In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Working with on quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder in refrigerator, roll a heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into one end for nail. Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape. Using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes. Lift up almond and squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place so gel oozes out from underneath to create the look of blood. You can also make slashes in the finger and fill them with red decorator gel for more blood. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.


Did you like this recipe? Do you want more great Halloween recipes? If so, CLICK HERE.

Do you want great restaurant recipes? If you answered yes, CLICK HERE.

Plastic Spoon Witch 9/29/07

This is a really neat Halloween craft you can do with your kids. My kids love making these.

Plastic Spoon Witch

Supplies:
Plastic spoon
½ sheet of lime green felt
½ sheet of purple felt
1 sheet of black felt
½ sheet tan felt
Small scrap of white felt
1 lime green chenille stick
2 small wiggle eyes
1 miniature light green pom pom
10 miniature light purple pom poms
1 gold chenille stick
Scissors
Hot glue gun

Directions:

1.) Cut a square of lime green felt large enough to fold over and completely cover the top portion of the spoon. Set aside.

2.) Place spoon, round side facing down, on top of the green felt. Only the top section of the spoon will be wrapped, not the handle. Place a dot of hot glue onto the back of the spoon to tack it in place. Wrap the felt completely around the spoon top, gluing as you go, tucking and gluing ends of the felt into the back side of the spoon.

3.) Cut out two identical dresses from the black felt. Lay one on the work surface and place spoon on top, positioning it so the top of the handle lines up with the neck. Place the other dress directly on top and tack in place at the shoulders and neck area. DO NOT glue.

4.) Cut lime green chenille stick into four equal pieces. Fold each piece in half. Insert, open end inward so that loops are sticking out (these are the arms and legs) and glue in place. Now glue the rest of the dress together.

5.) Cut a strip of purple felt for the belt, wide enough to cover the waist area. Tack seams in the back. Cut a square from the black felt for the buckle. Cut a smaller square out of the center of the larger square and set the small piece aside to use on the hat. Glue buckle to the front of the belt.

6.) To make the hair, cut a four inch by three inch rectangle from purple felt. Use scissors to fringe one of the long sides. Tack to the back of the “head”, lining up the center of the felt hair with the top third of the spoon. Wrap hair around the head and trim where needed. Glue in place. Note: You’ll want to leave about a quarter-inch gap around the forehead area.

7.) Cut two identical hats from the black felt. Just as you did with the dress, lay one hat on the work surface, place the head on top and then arrange the second hat on top of the head. Line up hats and glue in place.

8.) Cut a skinny strip of purple felt out for the hat band and glue in place as you did with the dress belt. Glue the small black square you cut from the belt buckle to the center of the hat band.

9.) Add a necklace by piping some hot glue around the neckline of the dress and place light purple miniature pom-poms in place.

10.) Cut a small point nose from the lime green felt and glue just the large end of it to the center of the face so that the it sticks out a bit.

11.) Cut out a tiny strip of white felt and cut it into four small squares. Glue on for the mouth.

12.) Glue on a miniature green pom-pom near her chin to create a wart. Glue on two wiggle eyes.

13.) Cut an eight inch by three inch rectangle from the tan felt. Use scissors to fringe one end, about two inches inward. Roll up the felt to create the broom bristles and glue together as you roll. Insert gold chenille stems into the bottom end of the bristles and glue in place. Tie a thin strip around the base of the broom and trim the ends. Insert the bottom of the broom handle through the loop hand and down to the foot. Tack with glue to the hand and the foot.

Side Note:

• Simplify this craft by eliminating the small details.

• To make this a puppet, leave the bottom of the dress open so that your child can reach inside and hold the handle.

• If you like, switch out the purple hair and use a dark green instead.

• Hot glue adheres faster but can burn little fingers. While the burns aren’t severe, they will produce tears. A parent should handle the hot glue gun or you can use white craft glue as an alternative. White craft glue will take longer to adhere and will require longer drying times.

Did you like this craft? Do you want more craft ideas? If you answered yes, CLICK HERE.

Recipe For Friday 9/28/07

We are getting closer to Halloween, so you will be seeing alot of recipes relating to Halloween. I am even going to posting Halloween crafts.

Eerie Eyeballs

Yields approx. 9 dozen bite sized eyeballs

3 oz lemon gelatin (can use sugar free)

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup pinapple juice

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup water in double boiler, add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended. Cool slightly. Fold in mayo. If you have a truffle candy mold or round ice cube trays, pour the mixture in the molds and put it in the fridge to set. Otherwise, pour into a deep ceramic dish and chill until thickened or firm enough for scooping. Using a melonballer, scoop full balls of the mixture and set aside for decorating.

To Decorate: Use liquid food coloring and an old detail paintbrush and get creative. You will need black food coloring for the pupils.

Do you want to check out other great recipes? If you answered yes, CLICK HERE.

Recipe For Thursday 9/27/07

Today I felt like sharing a must have recipe. Serve this salad with your next meal and your family and friends will love it.

Chicken Caesar Salad

4 boneless chicken breasts

Melted butter or oil for basting

8 cups bite-size pieces of Romaine lettuce

1 1/3 cups croutons

Parmesan cheese

Caesar salad dressing

Grill chicken, turning and basting frequently with oil or butter (or your favorite marinade). Cut meat diagonally into strips. Set the chicken aside.

Croutons:

1 loaf Italian or French bread

Olive oil

Spices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice bread into 1/2-inch cubes; place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle on olive oil, turning bread to coat. Sprinkle on your favorite spices (garlic, onion, all types of peppers, oregano, etc.). Cook, tossing until golden brown, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Caesar Dressing:

1/2 c. olive oil

2 shakes Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 egg

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. lemon juice

Lots of freshly ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

In a large bowl, toss Romaine Lettuce with croutons and dressing. Put on 4 plates and crisscross chicken strips. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

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