Jack O' Lantern Cheese Ball

(Or just a Cheese Ball!) I hosted a Halloween Party fit for toddlers yesterday. This little guy turned out so cute! This is a recipe from my Step Mother In Law, and it's my go to Cheese Ball Recipe. For occasions other than Halloween, I roll it in Chopped Pecans.
2 (8 oz) blocks of Cream Cheese, softened
1 (4.5 oz) jar of Dried Beef (see note)
Bunch of Green Onions, finely chopped. I used 4 large ones, white and green
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
* For this party, I rolled it in finely shredded mild cheddar cheese. The face is Black Olives and the stem is a small, whole Dill Pickle*

Mix all ingredients and form a ball. Roll in desired Cheese, or Chopped Pecans, or Walnuts. Serve with assortment of Crackers, Veggies etc.

*Note~ Dried Beef  I thought what the heck is dried beef? and it sounds so gross. Don't let it scare you! I found it in the isle with all the canned meats (think tuna). It was in a small, clear jar, and it's like dried, thinly sliced summer sausage. It's delicious in this cheese ball.

Popcorn 101

ok, i realize that popcorn doesn't sound that hard to make. and it isn't. you buy some microwave-thingys, follow directions on the box, and WAHLAH! you have a tasty snack. but for some reason, it always bothers me HOW much they charge for that microwave stuff. it's ridiculous. and even if you have a coupon, it's just that, well, it's something you have to find, cut out, find again when you're in the grocery store, and actually USE in order to save any money.

So here's a super easy way to make popcorn and to make it CHEAP! cause a bag of whole kernels in the store is around $1.50...

i've been doing this for years... literally - years. before i had kids. way back in the days of working full-time as a preschool teacher. so i had kids - 12 of them, usually.

and i used to get the Martha Stewart Living Magazine - that was before the whole scandal.

somewhere in some magazine, i read how easy it was to put some popcorn kernels in a paper bag, microwave it and you get some popped corn.

So, here's a breakdown of "my" recipe:

1/4 cup whole kernel popcorn

2 paper bags (if you don't have paper lunch bags, i've put it in a microwavable bowl WITH LID loosely on top)

microwave

optional: popcorn toppings

I split the 1/4 cup kernels between the 2 paper bags. I drizzle a bit of olive oil over the kernels and sprinkle some salt on top.

Then, put 1 bag into the microwave at a time - for about 1 minute (i usually put it in for 1 min and 10 sec, to be exact).

It gets all warm and popppy and yummy. add salt or butter or any popcorn toppings you like. try cinnamon and sugar if you want something sweet!

all for pennies.

Pumpkin Waffles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice, I used one ts. of each)

4 large eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray


Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk eggs in a large bowl with milk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter into waffle iron. Drop lid and cook until golden brown. 
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp, while making the rest of the waffles.

Menu #53

Monday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

garlic bread

Tuesday: Mashed Potato Soup (http://tastebudsnblossoms.blogspot.com/2010/01/mashed-potato-soup.html )

crusty bread

Wednesday: Mini-Meatball Sandwiches (we didn't make this last week)

garlic bread slider rolls

Thursday: Pan-Fried Chicken

Mashed Potatoes

Salsa Verde

Friday: Fajita Panini's (http://tastebudsnblossoms.blogspot.com/2010/09/fajita-panini.html )

Saturday: Fish & Chips

(a new recipe from my MIL, I've been craving this ever since she told me about it! I just have to get some fresh Tilapia...)

Menu #52

Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup (cheddar, cilantro, sour cream)

Brown Rice

Tuesday: Ranch Chicken (Smoked Cheddar, Bacon)

Roasted Potatoes

Asparagus

Wednesday: Lasagna (Spinach, Ricotta)

Garlic Bread

Thursday: Pan-Fried Chicken

Mashed Potatoes

Salsa Verde

Friday: Mini-Meatball Sandwiches (on slider rolls flavored with garlic bread seasoning)

Green Salad

Saturday: Work Party -- Burger Throwdown!

French Toast Waffles

Okay fine, I stole 2 recipe ideas from Tyler Florence's new Cookbook, Family Meal. This is brilliant to a busy mom! French Toast Waffles.
I'm going to post my french toast recipe:
4 eggs
1/4 c. milk
2 Tbs. melted butter
1 ts. vanilla extract
1/2 ts. cinnamon
Beat all ingredients until well combined.

I used Wheat Sandwich Bread, but you can use any bread! I imagine a day old French bread would be amazing.

Preheat your waffle maker. Spray with Pam, or wipe with oil to prevent sticking.
Dip the bread in the batter and place on your waffle iron. Once each "square" is filled with bread (Mine makes 4), drop the lid as if you are making waffles.
Cook until brown and crispy.

These were great! I love how crispy the bread gets! No more soggy French Toast in this house, yum!
Please excuse this picture, it's from my phone, and snapped in a not so pretty manner as ravenous children were attacking me.

Chili Relleno Rice

I have to confess that I did a very bad thing. I was browsing around Barnes and Noble this week and I came across Tyler Florence's new Cookbook, Family Meal. While I flipped through it I came across a recipe that sounded soooo good, and would match perfectly with the Ribeye Steak and Corn on the Cob Meal I was planning to cook for my family who was visiting from Colorado. I didn't want to be obvious (not sure on the rules about stealing a recipe without buying the book); which, by the way, is fabulous and is on the top of my Christmas list this year. So as I was trying to memorize the recipe, I decided to do this:

Camera phones come in handy sometimes. Is this illegal? Should I not be airing my dirty laundry on this blog? Well, either way, I will buy the book, I promise. And I feel much better now.
Amen.

Chili Relleno Rice

2 Cups Cooked Rice
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 (7 oz) Cans Chopped Green Chili's
2 1/4 Cups Cubed Monterey Jack Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup, green chili's, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
In a casserole dish, add rice. Pour cream mixture and over the rice. Drop in cubes of cheese and stir to combine. Cover and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes until warm and bubbly and slightly brown on top. Delicious!!
Recipe from Tyler Florence Cookbook, Family Meal