Halloween Eats & Treats: Worm Pie & the Great Pie Bake-Off

Last month, a small group of bloggers decided to all bake pies from the movie Waitress. We had such fun with it that we decided to make it a monthly event! A new blog, The Great Pie Bake-Off, has been created for anyone who wants to join in to share the link to their pie recipes each month. A new theme will be announced and you can join in on the fun with us!

The theme for October was Spooky Halloween Pies which fit in perfectly with all the Halloween party food I was making!

With this theme, I decided that it didn't have to be what you would call a "traditional" pie. I promise to be a bit more traditional with the November pie though! This one has no crust, but definitely fits the spooky Halloween theme... it's called Worm Pie!

Who would've guessed such a simple combination of ingredients would end up being the biggest hit of the night with the kids? Not me, but I'll tell you that next year I'm making 2 of these pies!

From Family, Friends and Food

A combination of orange jello and gummy worms all put into a pie dish for the kids enjoyment! I almost forgot to put this out on the table, but thanks to a friend who saw it in the fridge the kids got a bit more sugar into their bodies before I sent them home!

This is another quick and easy treat that I found in the ghoulish goodies cookbook. I could re-type the recipe, but it's so simple that I can just describe it and you will remember it without writing it down. Put a layer of fresh gummy worms in the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Make orange Jello according to package directions, allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into a the pie dish, then chill. Check it after about an hour and push down any worms that might be floating to the top. I chilled mine overnight, and there was not a speck left once the kids discovered it had arrived on the table!

Be sure to visit The Great Pie Bake-off blog to see the other pies my pie-baking friends have made this month. If you are interested in playing along, check back soon for the November theme!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Halloween Eats & Treats: Pretzel Bones and Nutter Butter Ghosts!

This week, most food bloggers are sharing their spookiest treats and I'm taking notes for next year's Halloween Party! I've got so many fun new ideas to try out on our spooky kids! I'm adding to the list in case anyone wants to save ideas for next year... or has time to get in a few more goodies before Halloween this Saturday!

Today's treats can't get any easier! Seriously, you don't need to love to cook or even know how to cook to make them! The kids can even get in on the action if you want.

From Family, Friends and Food

Aren't those ghosts cute? Well, all you have to do is buy a package of Nutter Butter cookies... you know the one's that are shaped like peanuts, but are peanut butter sandwich cookies? Then, you need some white candy melts (I pick up the Wilton candy melts at Michael's) and some mini chocolate chips. Melt a bag of the candy melts in the microwave - I start at 1 minute and then stir and keep going until it is nice and smooth. Then, dip a cookie into the melted candy, making sure to coat it fully. I used a pastry brush to smooth them out a bit and to cover the spot where my fingers were holding on to the cookie. Place them on wax paper, then add 2 mini chips for eyes! Ta-Da! You have little ghosts! I put mine in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to help the candy set up faster.

The pretzel bones are equally simple. Again, using the Wilton white candy melts and a pretzel bone mold I picked up at Michael's. For this one, melt the candies in a ziploc bag (I used the quart size), but don't seal it up. Once they are melted and smooth, snip off a tiny bit from the corner of the bag and squeeze just enough candy into each mold. Then add the pretzels, turning to make sure they are covered. I left mine in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make sure they set up nicely before unmolding them.

There you have it! Two more fun AND easy ways to add spooky treats to your Halloween gathering or your kids school party.

Stay tuned... tomorrow the treat goes with this months Great Pie Bake-Off theme... Spooky Pies! Anyone can join in, head on over to the blog that has been set-up (HERE).

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Halloween Eats & Treats: Spider Cupcakes

I had so much fun coming up with treats to serve for our Halloween party last weekend. One treat I knew I had to make was cupcakes! I had picked up a copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes awhile ago and really wanted a good excuse to begin trying the recipes.

I settled on the Devil's Food Cupcakes because, they ARE chocolate and I can't resist a chocolate cupcake. The only drawback to this recipe is that it has several more steps to it. You have to mix the cocoa with hot water, melt butter with sugar and combine all of these ingredients at different times. I had the time to spend on the cupcakes for this party, but many times I don't and for those times I'd go with a simpler recipe. Head over to Martha's website (HERE) for the full recipe - after you read the rest of my post first, of course!

I must say, I was so happy with the way they turned out! I got the idea on how to decorate them from the ghoulish goodies cookbook. There were so many fun Halloween recipe ideas and I've got many marked to try next year. I used the cream cheese frosting from that book to decorate these spooky spiders. Then, dipped them in chocolate jimmies. The red "legs" are cut pieces of the Twizzler pull apart licorice. I ended up using a chop stick to poke holes into the cupcake to make sure that the "legs" would stay inside. Then, two red mini M&M's for eyes.

If you are not confident in doing the fancy icing work that decorated cucpakes often call for, this is a great way to create a fun Halloween treat for the kids! I will definitely be marking this as one to repeat!

Be sure to come on back, I have a few more Halloween recipes to share this week!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: ghoulish goodies

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese - at room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature
6 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
Mix all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer until well-blended. Immediately spread on completely cooled cupcakes or cake.

Refrigerate any leftover frosting.


Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Halloween Eats & Treats: Cheesenstein

Hi! Anyone still out there? Sorry for the lack of posting last week, but we were gearing up for a Halloween Party last night! The party was an overall success and I think we are going to make it an annual tradition - especially since both of Our Boys asked if we could do it every year. How could I say now to these spooky boys?

While preparing for the party, I was searching for fun food ideas and came across so many creative ways to make food spooky. I ended up selecting a few specific things I knew I could accomplish without making myself too crazy.

I made Mummy Dogs, which are extremely simple to make and there are tons of versions of them all over the internet. I didn't remember to get a photo of them before the kids dug in, but they did turn out cute. The kids gobbled them up faster than you can imagine.

We had asked some parents to stay and enjoy some grown-up food as well. When I saw a recipe for a Cheesenstein over at Taste of Home's website (HERE), I just had to make it! Now mine is a little different because I couldn't see buying a parsnip just to pull slices for the eyes. So, my creepy cheeseball came out cool, but a bit different from their version.

The process of making the cheeseball is very simple, so I did that on Friday night. Saturday, I tinted the whipped cream cheese green using the Wilton gel color - Moss Green. Chopping the black olives took the most time. The biggest problem I had was getting the cucumber to stay on for his nose. After Cheesenstein went back in the fridge to chill it stayed on better.

The flavor of the cheeseball was good, but it took some coaxing to get anyone to dig in since they didn't realize he wasn't just a decoration! You could use your favorite cheeseball recipe for this creation.

Now, for the winner of last week's giveaway - sorry for the delay! Random.org selected entry number.... 5!!!

Henrietta, who writes A Hen's Nest, said: I love recipe sites! I think the Pepper-Herb Beef Stroganoff looks yummy!

Henrietta - be sure to email me your mailing information so that Tablespoon.com can send the prize to you! pkfamilyfriendsandfood (at) gmail (dot) com .

Thanks, for hanging in with me lately! I've got a few more Halloween treats to share with you this week!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Tablespoon.com has Arrived & a Giveaway!

Recently, I was contacted by My Blog Spark telling me about a new recipe website, Tablespoon. This website contains tons of fun recipes and I’ve already marked a few that I may be trying soon as part of a Halloween party we are having for Our Boys (check them out HERE).

When I said tons of recipes, I’m telling you there are over 25,000 recipes for you to check out and save to your own recipe box! This also makes it quick and easy to share them on Facebook and Twitter. You are invited to rate and comment on all recipes, which I know is something I find helpful when doing searches on sites like this. Often changes others have made will make the difference in how something turns out – for the better!

You aren’t limited to only what is already on the website, you can share your own creations, which may be featured in their monthly newsletter! How cool would it be to have your featured as one of the most popular recipes on the site?

My Blog Spark sent me a cool "Pass the Inspiration" Prize Pack that includes a set of measuring spoons, a measuring cup, and two terry cloth pot holders. They have given me the opportunity to share another “Pass the Insipiration” Prize Pack to one of my readers! How fun is that?

How can you win?

Leave a comment sharing what recipe from Tablespoon would you like to try first.

Tweet this contest and come back to let me know you did (include @famfriendsfood in your Tweet).

Become a fan of Family, Friends and Food on Facebook, and then leave a comment letting me know you just became a fan! If you are already a fan, please leave a comment letting me know that you want to be entered for a chance to win as well.

Comments received by Midnight (EST) on Thursday, October 22nd are eligible to win!

The winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced on Friday, October 23rd.

Stay tuned for some wonderful Fall recipes and Halloween treats during the next couple of weeks!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Sausage and Spinach Puffs

Seems that since the start of this school year, I've constantly felt like my commitments are heavier than I intended them to be. I'm working hard on some PTA projects for My Boys' school in addition to helping with daily homework and running them to after school activities. It's all good stuff, but it can be a bit exhausting. In another week or so, things should settle down - at least a little bit!

With all the crazy afternoons, I'm constantly in search of quick and easy dinner ideas that everyone will enjoy. I found a recipe in Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats for Rachael Ray's Sausage and Spinach Puffs. I've never worked with puff pastry before, but decided that it couldn't be worse than working with phyllo dough.

I ended up not really following the recipe, which means it definitely took only about 30 minutes to make these tasty puffs. I used the recipe as a starting point, and the result was a dinner that I'm planning to repeat again this weekend!

From Family, Friends and Food

I ended up not adding too many seasonings to the sausage since the brand I use is very flavorful on it's own. It would be so simple to vary the ingredients on this and get your kids to eat all different veggies - just cut them up so that they don't notice them!

This is a filling meal on it's own, but you could also add a light salad to go along with it. We didn't have any leftovers this time, but I hope to have some next time so I can see how this one reheats. If you have a busy night coming up, it would be simple to prep it ahead of time by cooking the sausage and then refrigerating it until time to assemble.

Sausage & Spinach Puffs

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet turkey sausage, casings removed
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 packages puff pastry (each package has 2 sheets)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up with a spatula as it cooks. It should be broken up into small bits. Once completely cooked, remove from heat and put in a large bowl.

Add drained spinach to the sausage. Then add the Paremsan Cheese and combine completely.

Cut each pastry sheet in half so that each one is now 2 rectangles. Place about 3/4 cup of the sausage mixture at one end of the pastry sheet. Roll up, making sure to enclose the mixture fully. Repeat until all pastry sheets have been used, and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet.

Cut a 2-inch vent in each puff with a sharp knife. Cook for about 18-22 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

Serves 4-6.


Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Whenever there is an opportunity to bake and share with other people, I am one of the first to say "yes". We had a bake sale at our office this week to raise money for a charity our company encourages us to donate to each year.

So, I pulled out a cookbook that I just knew would have a great recipe in it, Rosie's Bakery - All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed No-Holds-Barred Baking Book. How can you go wrong with a title like that? I like making bars for bake sales because you can cut them into any size and you can easily make enough without spending hours in the kitchen.

I had all the ingredients on hand to make the Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chip Bars. The recipe is so simple to make and turns out so moist and chewy!


I allowed My Boys to each try a piece before I packaged them up and they were a huge hit! Even for My Youngest who claims to not like ANYTHING with peanut butter in it. Not sure how he missed it because the flavor is definitely there, they taste just like peanut butter cookies with soft chocolate chips hidden inside.

Peanut-Butter Chocolate-Chip Bars
Source: Rosie's Bakery - All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed No-Holds-Barred Baking Book

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (lightly packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at rooom temperature
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 11x7-inch baking pan with butter or vegetable oil.

Sift the flour through salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter through vanilla until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl with a spatula.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until partially blended after each addition. After the last addition, beat until blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix with a spatula until the flour is absorbed. Then mix on low speed until blended.

Add chocolate chips and blend for several seconds. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake the bars on the center oven rack until the center is lightly golden and slightly puffy - between 25 and 30 minutes. The center will drop when removed from the oven, creating the chewy texture.

Allow the bars to fully cool before cutting them into squares.

Makes 12 bars.


Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.

Chocolate Surprise Cookies from Martha Stewart & Giveaway Winner

Cooking has been a challenge lately. Too many activities and meetings to be very inspired to cook. With the weather shifting to cooler days, it's really the perfect time to get back to baking again. So, today after we finished the American Heart Walk and then watching a friend's daughter's soccer game I decided it was time to bake!

I went to my trusty Martha Stewart's Cookies and decided to make a recipe I've had marked for a long time, Chocolate Surprise Cookies (full recipe can be found HERE). I was drawn to these cookies because they have the element of surprise involved... who wouldn't want to take a bit into a cookie that is chocolate with a bit of chocolate icing on it? Add to that, something inside that you may not immediately expect? So fun!

From Family, Friends and Food

These cookies were much easier to put together than I had imagined. The dough is rich and chocolatey, and bakes up perfectly cakey. I would suggest using a smaller ice cream scoop than what is called for in the recipe. I used a smaller one than called for, 1- 3/4", but think that the traditional tablespoon scoop would be sufficient. Using a smaller scoop only yielded 18 cookies for me rather than the 2 1/2 dozen stated. They are bigger cookies this way, but I think next time I'll make them smaller so that I can enjoy them without as much guilt.

From Family, Friends and Food

Both of My Boys gave these an enthusiastic thumb's up, and My Oldest would have eaten several of them in one sitting if I had allowed it. They are rich, gooey and simply irresistable! Be sure to share with friends so that you won't be tempted to eat the entire batch by yourself!

Now, for the winner of the Family Vegetarian Cookbook as selected by www.random.org is:

HoneyB who writes The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch! Here's what she shared for her favorite healthy meal: The muffins look yummy and I love the healthy ingredients! My favorite weeknight meal would be my mom's scrambled tofu recipe!

Just send me your mailing information and I'll make sure to pass that on to Nava Atlas so youc an recieve your own copy of this cookbook!

Please note that all photos and content on Family, Friends and Food belong to PatsyK unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Recently, I was chatting with a friend of mine and we were talking about the recent "makeover" that Cooking Light did with their layout. She is not a fan, while I like how easy it is to read. However, she mentioned that she was looking through her older copies of Cooking Light and noticed that the calories and fat were much lower over 8 years ago than they are now. I decided it was time to go back and revisit some of the stacks of recipes I've had bookmarked.

I pulled a recipe for Stir-Fried Pork with Broccoli and Cashews (recipe can be found HERE), and ended up adapting it to what I had on hand for dinner. I kept the broccoli and all of the seasonings, but used chicken and omitted the cashews (since I didn't have any in the cabinet).

From Family, Friends and Food

This was so easy to throw together on a weeknight. One thing I would have liked was if the sauce was thicker, as it had no body to it at all. My Youngest who is the hardest to please in my house loved the chicken and the broccoli! Score! I also liked the overall flavor, but would add a bit of cornstarch next time to thicken it up a bit. My Husband didn't care for the ginger, he felt it was too much. I also think that this recipe lends itself well to using whatever you have on hand, mushrooms would be a perfect addition.

Don't forget to head over to my recent post on The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, just leave a comment (HERE) sharing your favorite healthy meal for a chance to win your own copy of the book!

Here are some family friendly recipes I found this week:

Dinners for a Year and Beyond - Roast Pork Tenderloin

Sea Salt with Food - Chicken Tacos

For the Love of Cooking - Campanelle with Roasted Vegetables and Marinara

The Vegetarian Family Cookbook - GIVEAWAY!

When I was contacted by Nava Atlas, the author of The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, asking if I would like to receive a copy of her book and help her celebrate the 5th anniversary of this cookbook, I was happy to say yes. I was curious to see if the recipes would be something my family would enjoy. When the book arrived, it took me a little while to settle on what to make. This cookbook is filled not only vegetarian fare, but also vegan recipes for anyone who has chosen that lifestyle. My family tends to be carnivores, so finding some vegetarian options that we would all enjoy sounded good to me.

The recipes are straightforward and easy to follow. Each recipe states if it is considered dairy or vegan so it is easy to determine if it would be suitable to serve guests who may be vegetarian or vegan. If you are trying to incorporate more vegetarain style meals into your week, this would be a great cookbook to use. Nava shares tips throughout on additional changes to recipes that you can make depending on how adventurous your family may be.

I chose to make the Cranberry-Orange Muffins. I wasn't able to find whole-wheat pastry flour at my grocery store, so I'm sure that would change the texture of the muffins. Even with using whole wheat flour, we found them to be quite tasty. I loved that the orange flavor was very pronounced and it compliments the cranberries perfectly. I ended up with 18 muffins since I made them a bit smaller. My Oldest loved them and expects I'll be sending them in with his snack for the next few days.

From Family, Friends and Food

Would you like a chance to win your very own copy of The Vegetarian Family Cookbook? Well, Nava Atlas has been kind enough to sponser a giveaway to one of my readers!

Here are the rules:

• Leave a comment sharing your favorite healthy weeknight meal.
• Make sure I have a way to contact you! If you don't have a blog, please leave your email address so I can let you know you won!
• Open to U.S. residents only.
• If you tweet this giveaway, you can get an extra entry. Make sure to copy @famfriendsfood on the tweet and leave an additional comment here for it to count.
• You can enter through Thursday, October 8th at Midnight EST.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Courtesy of: Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseeds or half of each
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup orange, lemon or vanilla low-fat yogurt or soy yogurt
1/4 cup undiluted thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1/4 cup reconsituted or freshly squeezed orange juice, or as needed
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds (I left these out)

Directions
Preheat ove ton 350 degrees. Place foil liners in 12 muffin cups.

Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a mixing bowl and stir together.

In another bowl, combine the yogurt, jucie concentrate, oil and reconstituted juice and whisk together until smooth. Make a well iin the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. If the batter is too stiff, add a very small amount of additional orange juice. Stir together until completely mixed, then stir the cranberries into the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Scatter a few almonds over the top of each muffin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a small knife inserted into the center of one tests clean. Cool on a plate or rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Waiting for Winner to Claim Giveaway Prize!

I promise to share a new post tonight, but in the meantime...

I still haven't heard from Tiff who won last week's giveaway. Since she didn't leave a contact email and hasn't responded to my previous blog post announcing the winner, I will choose an alternate winner tomorrow if I don't hear from her by midnight EST tonight (10/5/09).

"Now for the Beef. It's What's for Dinner. Gift Bag....Comment #4: Tiff! Who said "I love to make Beef Stroganoff! The cooler weather makes it a perfect time to bring this recipe out!" I haven't had Beef Stroganoff in ages... such perfect comfort food for these cool evenings! Congratulations! Be sure to send me your mailing information so you can receive your fabulous gift bag at pkfamilyfriendsandfood (at) gmail (dot) com".

Stay tuned for a cookbook giveaway this week!