Creamy Blueberry Dip

2 cups blueberries
1/3 cup light cream cheese (1/3 of an 8-ounce block)
1 Tablespoon apricot preserves

In processor, mix blueberries, light cream cheese and apricot
preserves; blend until smooth.

Serve with cut up fruit.

Makes 8 servings

BARBEQUED HOT DOGS

Pkg. cocktail hot dogs
1/4 c. mustard
3/4 c. grape jelly

Place mustard and grape jelly into crock pot. Place on high. Put hot dogs in
and simmer. Great sauce for sweet and sour meatballs, too.

Basic Fried Chicken Recipe

Never fried a chicken? Well here’s a nice simple recipe for you to
practice with!

2 1/2 lb cut up chicken pieces (you can buy pre-cut chicken at the
grocery store or cut up your own fryer chicken — I like to buy a pkg
of drumsticks and a pkg of wings since everyone in my family fights
over those if I fry a whole chicken).
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
1 ts Freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil - to 1 1/2-in depth in your skillet

Arrange chicken pieces in a shallow dish and pour buttermilk over
them. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Turn all the pieces and let
sit another 10 minutes.

Combine flour, salt and pepper in large plastic bag. Drop in chicken
pieces one at a time and shake well to coat.

Heat oil in large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

Add chicken pieces in a single layer (don’t crowd). You’ll have to do
a few batches.

Decrease heat to medium. Cook, uncovered until browned for about 15
minutes. Use tongs to turn. (wings take a bit less time than other
pieces do)

Cook, uncovered, until browned on underside, about 15 minutes more.

Layer a cookie sheet with two layers of paper towel and transfer
chicken to this to blot out the extra fat.

Now that you have the basic recipe, you can start adding spices you
like to the flour mixture to come up with your own secret recipe.

Barbecued Meatballs

Makes 30 small meatballs

1 1/2 cups chili sauce
1 cup grape, or apple, jelly
3 tsp. brown spicy mustard
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
3 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Combine chili sauce, jelly, and mustard in slow cooker. Mix well.

2. Cover. Cook on High while preparing meatballs.

3. Mix together remaining ingredients. Shape into 30 balls. Place in
baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Drain well. Spoon
into slow cooker. Stir gently to coat well.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 6-10 hours.

Variations:
1. To increase flavor, add 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. Italian spice, and a
dash of garlic powder to the meatball mixture.

2. Use Italian or seasoned bread crumbs in meatball mixture. Add 1 tsp.
Worcestershire sauce and 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh parsley to meatball mixture.

3. Make meatballs larger and serve with rice or noodles.

Halloween Recipes

Haunted Hayride Apples

1/4 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
dash nutmeg (optional)
4 firm, tart apples (such as Granny Smith)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix the raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together.

3. Wash and core the apples using an apple corer or a small knife.

4. In a baking dish, arrange the apples with the tops up. Fill each apple with one-fourth of the raisin mixture.

5. Pour water into the baking dish to the depth of 1/2″.

6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Baste the apples once or twice with the cooking liquid. The apples are done when they still hold their shape and yield to a knife when pierced. Serve the apples when they are cooled slightly.

7. To warm in the microwave: Place the apple in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on low for 1 minute at a time, until warm. Caution: Parts of the apple can get very hot!

Serving Size: 1 apple

Halloween Recipes

Coffin Sandwiches

2 slices whole wheat bread
3 slices OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham
1 KRAFT Singles
1 Tbsp. MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1 lettuce leaf

CUT bread slices into coffin shapes.
LAYER with sliced meat, Singles, dressing and lettuce. Spear each sandwich with plastic toothpick to hold it together, if desired.
CUT sandwich into coffin shape using coffin template and sharp knife. (Click here to print template.) For an even stronger template, trace the template onto a piece of cardboard and cut out.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coated Apples

A new, delicious twist on the traditional caramel apple! These are ideal for fall when you have an overabundance of apples, but don’t discount them for other holidays and occassions! Simply change the color of the sprinkles or other decorations to fit the season or event.

Editor’s note: For children with allergies to peanuts, replace the peanut butter chips with butterscotch or mint for a different twist!

You will need:
12 wooden ice cream sticks
12 medium apples, stems removed
1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup cocoa

Optional for decorating apples:
chopped peanut butter chips
chopped or mini chocolate chips
chopped vanilla chips
flaked coconut
colored spinkles
chopped nuts

What you do:
Insert wooden stick into each washed and dried apple. Cover a baking sheet or tray with waxed paper.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir together peanut butter chips and oil. Microwave on high 1-1/2 minutes or until chips are softened. Stir until melted.

Stir together confectioners’ sugar and cocoa; gradually add to melted chip mixture, stirring until smooth. Microwave on high 1 minute or until very warm.

Dip apples into mixture, twirling to remove excess coating. (If coating becomes too thick, return to microwave for a few seconds). Roll coated apple in chopped chips or coconut if desired, or sprinkle toppings onto apples. Allow to cool on prepared baking sheet or tray.

Yield: one dozen apples.

Caramel Apple Pie Cups

3 Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, chopped
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soft caramels (about 8 pieces), unwrapped
2 boxes (11 ounces each) piecrust mix
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten

Combine apples, brown sugar, butter, apple juice, cream, pie spice,
cornstarch and caramels in a skillet. Bring to boiling over high heat,
stirring frequently, 8 to 10 mins.Lower heat to medium; cook for another
2 to 3 mins. Remove from heat.Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Stir together
2 boxes piecrust mix and cold water in medium-size bowl until dough
comes together in ball. Divide in half. Transfer half of dough to
floured work surface. Roll out to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Using
4-inch round cutter or lid of 13-ounce coffee can, cut out 6 circles.
Then with 2-3/4-inch cutter, cut 6 smaller circles, rerolling scraps as
needed. Repeat with second half of dough, cutting out six 4-inch circles
and six 2-3/4-inch circles. Reserve any leftover dough for other uses,
refrigerating for up to 3 days, or freezing up to 1 month.Press a 4-inch
circle of dough into a 2-3/4 x 2-inch cup of a muffin tin, pressing
dough up sides and overlapping rim slightly. Repeat with remaining large
circles and cups, filling a total of 12 cups.

Fill each pastry-lined cup with a scant 1/4 cup filling. Brush edges of
smaller circles with egg. Top pie bottoms with smaller circles; pinch
pastry edges together to seal. Decoratively pierce tops (Or cut smaller
circles into strips for a lattice top.) Bake in 425 degree F oven for 15
mins or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Remove pies to wire
rack to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired. Makes 12 pie cups.

Edible Crawlies for Kids

Halloween Recipes

————————————————————

Usually ants, beetles, and other creepy crawlies are not welcome in the kitchen. But that’s not the case with these fun snacks. Grab the kids and eat some bugs!

Note: Where peanut butter is used in these recipes for “gluing” edible body parts together, frostings may be used as a substitution for those children who are sensitive to or allergic to nuts.

Ants in the Sand

graham crackers, crushed
chocolate sprinkles
snack sized resealable plastic bags

To crush graham crackers, place inside a large (gallon size) resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, smash crackers through bag by rolling back and forth over them until they are all in crumb form.

Fill snack sized resealable bags halfway with graham cracker crumbs. Add a small handful of chocolate sprinkles to the bags and seal.

Bugs on a Log

celery stalks
peanut butter
raisins

Spread peanut butter onto washed and drained celery stalks. Top with raisins. For children who are allergic to peanuts, try using cream cheese or processed cheese spread in place of the peanut butter.

Cookie Spiders

black or chocolate licorice twists
fudge sandwich cookies
chocolate frosting
red cinnamon candies

Cut licorice in half. Remove the top of each sandwich cookie; press 8 licorice pieces into the fudge center to resemble spider legs. Spread a little chocolate frosting over the licorice; replace cookie tops. Frost the tops of the spider cookies with frosting. Place red cinnamon candies on top for eyes.

Muenster Beetles

crunchy chow mein noodles
muenster cheese (or other soft block cheese)

Cut cheese into 2″ x 1″ rectangular blocks. Gently insert three chow mein noodles on each side of cheese block for legs. Using two broken chow mein noodles, insert into “head” as antennae.

Note: Cheddar makes a bright and colorful beetle, but can be very frustrating for little fingers as the cheese is a bit too hard to press the noodles into without breaking. Use softer cheese such as gouda, havarti, monterey jack, or even mozerella.

Peanut Butter Caterpillars

bananas
peanut butter
grapes
chow mein noodles

Peel and slice a banana. Join the slices together by “gluing” them with peanut butter. Carefully poke two chow mein noodles (or break a pretzel stick in half to make two pieces) through the top of the grape. Use more peanut butter to attach the head (grape) to the front of the body, with antennae (chow mein noodles) pointing up.

Meringue Bones

A plateful of these crisp and tasty bones makes a wonderfully creepy addition to your Halloween table.

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp. (1 mL) cream of tartar

pinch of salt

2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar

1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla

Preheat the oven to 225° F (105° C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Gradually — one spoonful at a time — add the sugar, beating well after each addition so that the sugar is absorbed into the meringue. Continue beating until the meringue stands up in a glossy, firm peak when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla.
Spoon the meringue into a pastry decorating bag with a plain round tip approximately 3/8-inch (1 cm) wide (a bit smaller is ok, but no smaller than 1/4-inch). Pipe 3-inch (7.5 cm) bone shapes — one long line with two rounded blobs on each end. Pipe all the meringue at once because it cannot be baked in batches — it will deflate if it sits too long.
Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Without opening the oven door, turn the heat off and let the meringues remain in the oven for 1 more hour to dry and crisp.
Remove from cookie sheets carefully — you don’t want any broken bones!
Makes about 4 dozen.