To busy to post.

Sorry for not having posted any blogs lately. It's been a crazy month. I'll just post for you all next year! 

Quinoa Casserole: From the kitchen of Sarah Marchlewski

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1 zucchini, cubed

2 cups chopped mushrooms

3 cups cubbed chicken

1 ½ cups Gluten free cream of mushroom soup (recipe fallows)

10 oz cheese

Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup (makes 3 cups)

3 cups finely chopped mushrooms

1 tbsp. Butter

2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Worstershire sauce

¼ tsp. Dried Italian seasoning

¼ cup water

7 tsp rice flower

2 cups half and half

Heat butter on medium heat in a sauce pan. Add the mushrooms, and saute until cooked through. . I like to add garlic to the mushroom saute. Add salt,pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir one minute more. Add half-and-half. Allow mixture to just come to a boil. Stir rice flour and water in a small bowl. Add to sauce pan. Add worstershire,stir. Cook until thickened. Makes about 3 cups of soup. The consistency is kind of glutinous but this works and tastes very well for all those recipes that call for cream of mushroom soup.

This can also be frozen to keep on hand.

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa in 2 cups of water for 25 minutes or until water is absorbed. Meanwhile saute mushrooms and onions in a little bit of butter about 5 minutes. Mix ALL the ingredients together then transfer into a casserole dish.

Place into the pre- heated oven for 40-45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes then serve.

Great Depression Cooking - The Poorman's Meal

Crab Salad

This crab salad is delicious with pita pockets, mixed greens, crackers, or just by it's self.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30+ minutes


Ingredients:


- 2 cups "fake" crabmeat 
- 1 cup diced celery 
- 1/4 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
- 1/2 Avocado 
- Salt and Pepper to taste 
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice 
- 4 Tbsp mayonnaise 


Preparation: 


1. Shred crabmeat and measure out 2 cups

This is my cat Buster. He is waiting for something yummy to fall

Buster is a pig.

      


2. Dice up celery and add to crab

3. Dice up bell pepper add to the crab, and celery.

4. Cube avocado and add to the mix. 

This is one pretty avocado 

5. Salt and Pepper to taste 

6. Add lemon juice, and mayo

7. Stir all the ingredients together, cover, and place in the fridge for 30 or more.

It's going to be tough waiting 30 minutes because this crab salad is so dang good, but it's worth the wait.

Cauldron Dip Recipe

What’s a Halloween party without a green dip? Made from good-for-you edamame and lowfat ricotta cheese, serve this crowd pleaser in a large acorn squash atop a “fire” of crudité and breadsticks.

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• Active Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

1 large acorn squash (about 11⁄4 lb)
1 (16-oz) bag frozen shelled edamame beans (3 cups)
1⁄2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1⁄2 cup prepared basil pesto
2 Tbsp olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (1 tsp zest; 3 Tbsp juice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Serve with: breadsticks, vegetable dippers (carrot, bell pepper, zucchini, jicama and celery sticks)

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Cut off top third of squash (reserve top for a decorative lid). Scrape out and discard seeds and fibers with a spoon. Place squash cut side down on prepared baking sheet. Bake until flesh is firm-tender (a skewer poked into squash will meet a little resistance) and squash still retains its shape, about 30 minutes. Cool completely. Trim pointed end of squash to level it when inverted upright.
2. Cook edamame according to package directions; drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer to food processor with ricotta, pesto, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until dip is smooth, adding a little water to thin if necessary, until medium-thick consistency.
3. Place squash cauldron on a serving platter; fill with dip. Lean squash lid against side of squash. Arrange breadsticks and vegetable dippers emanating from squash outward to resemble the fire that a cauldron sits over.

Jack-o-Lantern Sandwich Bits

These golden ham and cheese nibbles are way easier than carving a gourd. Just use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter for store-bought pie crust, ham and cheese slices, layer and bake!

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• Active Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 box (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts
• 8 oz thinly sliced Black Forest or Virginia ham
• 8 oz thinly sliced Cheddar or Swiss cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil. 
2. Unroll pie crusts. Cut each crust into 24 pumpkin shapes with a 3-in. pumpkin cookie cutter. Using a 1⁄2-in. triangular cookie (aspic) cutter or a sharp knife, cut out eyes and a nose from 12 of the cutouts. 
3. Using a 2-in. round cutter, cut 24 rounds from the sliced ham and 24 rounds from the sliced Cheddar. 
4. Place 2 slices Cheddar in the center of each of the 12 solid pumpkins; top each with 2 slices of ham. With a small brush, brush beaten egg around edges. Top with remaining pumpkins with cut-out faces, carefully pressing on edges to seal. 
5.Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until light golden. Let cool on rack 5 minutes before serving.

Spiderwebs

Decorate your ceiling corners with spiderwebs made of black puff paint sprayed onto nonstick baking sheets and allowed to dry.

Materials: Black puff paint for fabric; nonstickbaking sheet.
Directions:

1. Using paint, draw an L shape, with both sides the same length, on baking sheet.
2. Starting at corner, draw a series of lines, same length as first lines, radiating outward.
3. Draw scalloped lines across these lines to make spiderweb. Make sure all rows are touching.
4. Let dry for 24 hours before carefully peeling webs off sheet.

Broom Candy Bags (Courtesy WomanDay)

Recycled paper bags already have a distressed look which is perfect for mimicking the disheveled head of a witch’s broom. Stuff them with candy for a sweet surprise!

Materials:
Brown paper lunch bags (2 for each favor)
Scissors
Wrapped candies
Small branches
Twine

Directions:

1. Starting at upper edge of one bag and stopping just above base, cut bag into narrow strips.

2. Starting at upper edge of second bag, cut 1- to 2-inch long narrow strips.

3. Place second bag into first bag; fill inner bag with candy.

4. Gather upper edges of bags; insert branches into bags, then wrap with twine about 1 to 2 inches from top. Knot twine.

Spiders Web Cake (Courtesy Dot Com Women)

Ingredients:

cake mix
orange frosting
white frosting
plastic spider
Method:

-Prepare Cake according to the directions on the packet of the cake mix in a round pan.

-Cover cake with orange frosting. Use white or chocolate frosting to make the spider's web. -The cake shown in the picture has a white frosting web.

-Choose a center point for the web. It may not necessarily be the center of the cake.

Starting from this center point, draw lines to the edge of the cake all the way to the sides. Join these lines with scalloped lines and complete concentric circles all over the surface of the cake as shown in the picture.

-Decorate the cake with a plastic spider. You can even add plastic bugs to the web.

Ghost Sugar Cookies

Whenever you make these cookies for someone, be sure to bring along several copies of the recipe. I promise you’ll be asked for it. 

Makes 60 cookies
Preparation time: 20 minutes 
Cooking time: 8 minutes

What you'll Need:

11⁄2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). 

2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out dough on floured surface 1 to 2 cm thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 2.5 cm apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely. 

DIY Halloween Arrangement

Create an eye-catching Halloween arrangement from fallen branches or manzanita branches; insert them into a foam base in an old urn draped with Spanish moss. Spray-paint old Christmas ornaments and beaded trims; hang them up when dry.


Materials:
- Urn in desired size
-bag of marbles 
-floral foam 
-serrated knife 
-natural manzanita branches 
-garden snips 
-old Christmas ornaments and beaded garland
-Krylon spray paints: orange, green, black 
-scissors
- seasonal ornaments as desired 
- Spanish moss.

Directions:

1. Place a layer of marbles several inches thick in urn to weight down the base.

2. Cut foam to fit tightly inside urn, stopping about 2 inches from top.

3. Insert one or more branches into foam to create desired effect, trimming branches as needed to create desired shape.

4. Spray ornaments and garland with orange and green paints as desired; let dry. Lightly spray black paint on some ornaments for spooky look.

5. Hang ornaments as desired. Cut garland into assorted lengths and drape as desired. Hang acorns randomly on tree.

6. Cover any visible foam with Spanish moss; hang other bits of moss on branches

Sexy Pumpkins

Who says pumpkins always have to be ghoulish monsters, and ghosts? Here's a little dark sexy pumpkin, that will vamp up your Halloween. 

Here's how to make these sexy little decorations: 
1. Snip off the foot of a stocking and slip your pumpkin into something a little more sultry. 2. Gather the opening at the stem and tie off the top with a rubber band or ribbon. Group several of these sexy pumpkins in a bowl or on a table, light the candles and voila! Maybe they'll inspire a sexy costume of your own.