Doggie Cupcakes

My sister makes these great cupcakes and sends them into niece's classroom. She also shares with us. Isn't she so nice? My sister even let me share them with you. My son thought these were great because he thought it gave him an excuse to play with his dessert. He didn't play with them long before gobbling them up.

Doggie Cupcakes
12 cooled cupcakes
1 can of frosting
food dye
12 large marshmallows
12 red jelly beans
miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Dye the frosting the desired color. Set aside.
2. Take a marshmallow and cut off 1/4 inch thick off.
3. Cut the 1/4 inch into half. Set aside for the muzzle.
4. Cut the other half into 4 pieces. Shape the pieces into the shape of ears.
5. Frost the cupcake or pipe the frosting onto the cupcake for a more hairy look.
6. Cover the nose section with frosting and place onto the cupcake.
7. While the nose sets, frost the ear pieces and place the ears onto the cupcakes near the edge and above the muzzle piece.
8. With some frosting or chocolate chips, create two eyes. 
9. Place a red jelly bean or a miniature chocolate chip for the nose.

Recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake! cookbook.

One year ago...........................I made Peanut Butter Cookies.
Two years ago.........................I made Onion Dip.

Did you already know................
-A dog's muzzle is also a snout.
-The most popular registered breed of dog is the Labrador.
-Dogs sweat glands are located near their foot pads.

Snail Cookies

The snails are coming. The snails are coming. Alright, these snails aren't very fast. They are pretty tasty. The kids had no problems eating these snails. The snails are made up of two types of cookies and chocolate.

Snail Cookies aka Sugar Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
a couple of drops of food coloring, optional
1 box of Pirouline cookies
10 chocolate candies wrapped in eyeball wrappers.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.
4. Add one egg at a time. Mix until incorporated.
5. Add the vanilla extract and the food coloring. Mix until incorporated.
6. Bake about 10 minutes and the cookies until the edges are golden. 
7. After a minute, transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
8. Stick one Pirouline cookie in the center of the sugar cookie and allow to cool completely. 
9. Place 1 chocolate on top of each Pirouline cookie to make a snails eye.

 Sugar Cookie adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook. 

One year ago.................................I made Pretzel Dogs.
Two years ago...............................I made Chicken Enchiladas.

Did you already know....................
-Most snails have four tentacles- 2 for sight and 2 for smell.
-Snails are nocturnal creatures.
-In the winter, snails hibernate in the soil.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

It is football season. Around this time, we always make buffalo chicken dip but I wanted something that could be a meal too. My husband would disagree and say buffalo chicken dip is a meal. What do you mean that chips and dip isn't a meal?  Throw in some carrots and celery makes it a meal, right? Whether you agree with me or my husband, this soup is really good especially since it is cold outside.

Buffalo Chicken Soup
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the celery and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the flour on top and whisk for 1 minute.
4. Slowly, whisk in the milk and chicken broth.
5. Add the chicken, buffalo wing sauce, and cheese. Stir well.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Reduce the heat to medium low.
8. Allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
9. Serve immediately with additional cheese sprinkled on top. 

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

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

Did you already know................
-American football evolved from rugby and soccer.
-Walter Camp is known as the father of football since he helped derive the rules for the game.
-In the world, the NFL is the most lucrative sports league according to Forbes. 

Witch dunk punch

How do you know someone is a witch? Do they carry wear pointy shoes? Do they wear a pointy hat? Do they chant spells? Do they keep a caldron ready for everyday use? I wouldn't pass any of those tests. I confess I'm not a witch. One year, my sisters and I dressed up as witches. We walked around a caldron with mystical fog (dry ice). We chanted Macbeth. We even remembered the majority of Double, Double Toil and Trouble. My oldest daughter believed we were witches. If we had been on trial on that night for witchcraft, we would have been found guilty since we were that good in our role. 

Witch Dunk Brew
1 (12 oz.) can frozen concentrated orange pineapple juice
1 (12 oz.) can frozen concentrated pink lemonade
2 Liter Ginger Ale
3 Tbsp lemon juice
8 cups water
1/3 cup superfine sugar
apples, plums, carrots, candy

Directions:

1. In a large punch bowl, combine the juice, lemonade, ginger ale, lemon juice, and water.
2. Stir in the sugar.
3. Chop the fruit for garnish. Add the fruit with the carrots and candy.

(The witch is assembled by the body is an apple, the head is a plum, the hat is an apple, the shoes are Swedish fish, and the broom is a carrot. The pieces are held together by toothpicks.)
Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago............................I made Fried Sausage Dumplings.
Two years ago..........................I made Pork chops with Garlic and Herbs.

Tasting the Witch's brew

Did you already know...............
-The Salem Witch Trials began with the two young girls.
-The trials began in January of 1692 and lasted until May of 1693. 
-In Salem, there is a memorial to remember the twenty condemned
colonist.

Two Tone Halloween Cookies

It was dark outside when I prepared the dough for these Halloween cookies. The kids were home so I asked them if my dough appeared orange or red. It was hard to gauge the color. They reassured me that my eyes were fine and the dough was orange. While the kids were at school, I made the cookies. I was happy for the most part with the results. When the kids arrived home, I told them they could have a cookie. My daughter ate her cookie without hesitation. She said they were a little plain tasting but good. (She has since said she really likes them since I keep catching her eating another one.) My son did not eat his cookie but was too busy trying to punch out the center part of the cookie. When I saw him, I told him it isn't going to just pop out like a puzzle. He told me that he figured that out.

Bats, pumpkins, and moon cookies

Two Tone Halloween Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
food coloring

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter until fluffy.
2. Add the milk, vanilla, and egg. Mix until incorporated.
3. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until incorporated.
4. Divide the dough in thirds. Set one-third of the dough aside.
5. Add the other two thirds of the dough into two separate bowls.
6. Add a few drops of the desired food coloring to each bowl. Mix well. (I used black food coloring to one bowl. The other bowl I added yellow and red food coloring to make orange.)
7. Wrap each section of the dough separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate over night.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Onto a well floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
11. Cut out 2 1/2 inch round circles. (I used a large plastic cup.)
12. Place the dough onto the baking sheet.
13. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out the center of the dough. 
14. Replace the center park of the dough with another color dough.
15. With the rolling pin, gently roll the dough slightly to help seal the two doughs.
16. Bake the cookies for 4 minutes. 
17. Rotate and bake the cookies for another 4 minutes or until set.
18. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury Bars & Cookies Sept 1998 #211 issue.

One year ago .........................I made Chocolate Cookies.
Two years ago........................I made Sloppy Joes.

Did you already know............
-The only mammal that can fly is the bat.
-The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat and weighs less than a typical slice of bread.
-Vampire bats prick a wound in their prey and lap up the blood with their tongue.