Halloween

My favorite time of year is right now. I love Fall. I love Halloween. I love trying new foods and try to come up with some scary names. This move has really disrupted my Halloween cooking. So, I wanted to give you a list of some of the dishes we have named with some spooky names. Enjoy and cook something for me. Just maybe don't mail it to me unless you want me to be scared once I opened it.

Mummy Cake Pops
Chicken Enchiladas with scared face
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Crazy Face Sloppy Joes
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies aka Mouse Cookies
Stromboli, Mummy style
Black Forest Cherry Torte with spiders
Hamburger with pumpkin face
Alien Cupcakes
PB Cookies with Honey-Roasted Peanuts aka Spike Cookies
 Pretzel Buns with Bratwurst aka Mummy Dogs
Crab Rangoon aka Witch's pouches
Fried Sausage Dumplings aka Red Goblin Noses
Chocolate Cookies aka Funny Face Cookies
Roasted Vegetable Panini (aka Scary Claw Sandwich)
Pumpkin Juice
Pirate Cookies
Zombie Brains aka Chili Mac
Doggie Cupcakes
Snail Cookies aka Sugar Cookies
Witch Dunk Brew
Two Tone Halloween Cookies
Scary Soup aka Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup
Grave Dirt aka Apple Crisp
Shark's Teeth aka Homemade Croutons
Meringue Ghosts
Asparagus Soup aka Swamp Alien Soup
Even Zombies would eat these biscuits
Cheese and Intestines aka Mac and Cheese

No Boil, One Pot Mac and Cheese

The kids have been asking for macaroni and cheese. So, I caved. I haven't been cooking lately so I thought this would make them happy. I decided to try this one pot mac and cheese so I would have less dishes. I would say the best part of this dish was the one pot but actually it was the creamy and cheese pasta. I used the large elbow noodles to make it appear to be scary for Halloween.

Cheese and Intestines aka Mac and Cheese
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup flour
6 cups milk
3/4 lb. large elbow noodles
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup Fontina cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil. 
2. In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil and butter over medium heat.
3. Once the butter has melted, add the onion. Saute for 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the flour on top and whisk. Cook for 1 minute.
5. Add 1 cup of milk and whisk to dissolve the lumps.
6. Add the remaining 5 cups of milk. Bring to a simmer.
7. Add the elbow noodles and stir. Cook for 6 minutes.
8. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the cheddar and Fontina cheeses.
9. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.
10. Place in the oven and broil for 1 minute or golden on top.
11. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Yahoo.com.

One year ago...........................I made Snail Cookies.
Two years ago.........................I made Crab Rangoon.
Three years ago.......................I made Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Did you already know...............
-The small intestines are 20 feet long.
-The small intestines absorbs the nutrients for most of the food we eat. 
-The large intestines are 5 feet long.

Move

So, we finally found a place to live. What a relief! We will be moving in this weekend. The kids approved. The husband is happy. Soon I will be able to cook again. I do not mind eating out once in awhile but every day is just crazy. My sister will be heading down to North Carolina to help with the move. Through this move, my sister has been the greatest. She has been over to our house almost everyday to help with the prep. To get a house ready for sale is a lot especially since we have kids. Kids love to leave hand prints and yes feet prints on walls. My son feels he needs to practice climbing walls for his future career as Spider-man. The walls have been painted. Our stuff has been packed. The warmer weather will be greatly appreciated.

Risk Taker

Are you a risk taker? Would you be willing to move for a promotion? Back in the day, would you have been one of the many immigrants to cross the ocean to head to a new world? I really do not believe I'm a risk taker but here I am moving to another state. I would post a recipe but I have no kitchen. When I will have a kitchen again is an unknown. There is a lot of unknowns but I still did it. Would you have done it? Do you just think I'm crazy? So, please bear with me for lack of recipes but I will keep you updated on this crazy trip.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

This weekend my children stayed up late. I mean they stayed up until midnight. They still woke up early. By the time it was dinner time, the kids could not stop laughing. I found it very funny. I'm just glad I served something easy like broccoli cheddar soup with these wonderful biscuits. These are my favorite biscuits. I love cheddar like my husband loves peanut butter. I have made these biscuits several times so I figured I should share it. Since it is October, we have to give everything spooky names.

Even Zombies would eat these biscuits
2 1/2 cups flour plus additional
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
10 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3/4 cup extra sharp Cheddar, shredded
1 Tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
4. Add the butter and mix until the butter is incorporated to the size of peas.
5. In a glass measuring cup, combine the buttermilk with an egg. Beat lightly with a fork to combine.
6. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until just moistened.
7. Combine the cheddar cheese with a little flour to coat.
8. Gently, combine the cheese with the dough. 
9. Mix only until just combined.
10. On a floured surface, scoop out the dough and knead six times.
11. Roll the dough into a rectangle.
12. With a sharp, floured knife, divide the dough into 8 rectangles.
13. Place the rectangles onto the parchment paper.
14. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the milk.
15. Bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked through.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook.

One year ago..........................I made Swamp Alien Soup.
Two years ago........................I made German Pancakes.
Three years ago......................I made Hamburger with Jack o Latern cheese.

Did you already know...............
-School age children should have between 9 to 11 hours a sleep a night.
-Teenagers should be sleeping between 8.5 to 9.5 hours a sleep a night.
-The Mayo Clinic recommends adults should sleep 7 to 8 hours a night.