This is a cute idea and an easy way to give the kids a Halloween breakfast before heading out for the day!

Tink

*When I dream, I cook and bake like an artist!*

Spider Web Cereal

HALLOWEEN MEMORY

Halloween wasn’t a big thing in my family, so as a young adult I had to play catch-up when I began teaching preschool.  One thing I learned quickly is that you can get kids to eat almost anything if it’s presented in a way that captures their curiosity or imagination.  Since I love chocolate, it’s easy for me to try it with almost anything.  For kids who don’t like chocolate (hard to believe, but they do exist!), try substituting ice cream syrup in another flavor for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

for each serving you will need:
a bowl of Cream of Wheat or oatmeal, prepared to package directions
chocolate syrup
a small cookie
a jelly bean
a 2″ piece of licorice cut into 8 skinny strips

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 - Squirt a small dollop of chocolate syrup on top of the cereal near the center, then draw 3-4 concentric circles of syrup around the dollop.
STEP 2 - Gently drag a butter knife or a toothpick from the center dollop to the outermost circle.  Repeat this step until you have 6-8 lines to make the web.
STEP 3 - For the spider, place the cookie on the cereal.  Add the jelly bean for the head and the 8 strips of licorice for the legs.
STEP 4 - Add milk if desired, then grab a spoon and eat!

COMPANY INFORMATION - Sundrop Designs

Sundrop Designs specializes in original applique and pieced block patterns for quilters, from realistic nature blocks to the whimsical Sundrop Wee Folk and Adventures in Atlantis (seashell houses).  Every month, a new Sundrop Critter block is featured.  Check them out - they’re really cute and many are very easy to do.  The theme for 2008 is Australian animals.

Web site: http://www.sundropdesigns.com
blog: http://bluecatcrafts.blogspot.com/

Try this unusual fruit salad this year. I bet it will become a seasonal favorite!

Tink

*When I dream, I cook and bake like an artist!*

Taffy Apple Salad

HALLOWEEN MEMORY

Fall is here and the apple tree branches are loaded with ripe red fruit ready to be
picked. We live on an old apple orchard that once shipped apples and pears all over
the country. When we moved here the apple trees were in the state of decline but
still producing fruit and organic of nature as they hadn’t been sprayed for 20
years. We would pick a weekend in the middle of October, borrow the neighbors
hand cider press and invite friends and neighbors for a day of apple picking and
cider making. The day would end with a bonfire, hot dog roast and a bean soup
competition. It was a yearly event for many years until all the muscle power left
for college. The kids that once cranked the cider press return now with their kids
to see if the old apple trees are still there and producing….they aren’t. We have
the best time tho recalling those days and revisiting both their youth and ours.
Here is a recipe that Susan and I enjoy making at this time of the year and you
don’t even have to wipe the juice off of you chin to enjoy this Taffy Apple Salad.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp. flour
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 small can crushed pineapple, drain and save juice
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 cups chopped apples (with skins)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 – 8 ounce whipped topping

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 - Stir flour and 1/2 of pineapple juice until smooth. Mix with sugar, remaining juice,
vinegar and egg.
STEP 2 - Heat on low until thickened.
STEP 3 - Refrigerate 1 hour.
STEP 4 - Mix pineapple, apples and 1/2 of peanuts.
STEP 5 - Then mix with cooled mixture.
STEP 6 - Fold in whipped topping.
STEP 7 - Top with remaining peanuts.
STEP 8 - Cover and refrigerate.
Best if eaten the same day!

COMPANY INFORMATION - Quilt Branch

Now getting back to those “loaded branches”. The Quilt Branch is loaded
new book “Six Halves Make a Whole” and is ready for you to pick up.
features 6 projects including a tree skirt, Christmas stockings, pillow
quilts and small gift ideas. Stop by our web site www.quiltbranch.com
many other books and patterns or give us a call at 815-869-7041.

www.quiltbranch.com

I will admit that I LOVE Black-eyed peas. I am not quite sure how this happened since Mom (bless her heart) doesn’t like them and rarely fixed them. I can only surmise that someone else fed them to me in my pre-school days when we were living in the Deep South.

Since I also love breakfast sausage and cornbread, rest assured, I’ll be making this sometime in the near future… just not serving it to Mom! LOL

Tink

*When I dream, I cook and bake like an artist!*

Black-eyed Pea and Sausage Cornbread

HALLOWEEN MEMORY

Fall is my favorite time of the year-not too hot and not too cold.-just right! I love the changing of color and crisp mornings. We get to decorate with pumpkins, gourds and squash and good old comfort food is on the table. This dish is great on a cool fall night. Serve with a green salad for a complete meal.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound breakfast sausage
1 medium onion
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 (4oz. can) chopped green chilies
3/4 cup cream corn
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (15 oz. can) drained black-eyed peas

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 -  Brown and drain:
1 pound breakfast sausage
1 medium onion chopped

STEP 2 - Combine and set aside:
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

STEP 3 - Beat together and add dry ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil

STEP 4 - Add to cornbread mixture along with sausage and onion:
1 (4oz. can) chopped green chilies
3/4 cup cream corn
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (15 oz. can) drained black-eyed peas

Pour into hot greased skillet and bake one hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

COMPANY INFORMATION - Calico Carriage Quilt Designs

At Calico Carriage Quilt Designs we specialize in traditional-style quilt designs that are made with our easy, accurate No Diamonds/No “Y” Seams technique! This deceptively simple technique results in surprisingly complicated looking quilt designs. All of the diamond designs are based on a square and its companion half-square triangle, so there are no fussy bias edges and all of the quilt assembly is done with straight-line sewing. Debbie travels the country teaching this method to quilters with all skill levels and they LOVE it. We also have books and patterns based on component sewing for those big bold graphic prints. 38 patterns and books for your sewing pleasure.

http://www.calicocarriage.com/

http://www.calicocarriage.com/blog/

Trust Janet to come up with a decadent treat like this! LOL

Tink

*When I dream, I cook and bake like an artist!*

Chewy Cocoa Brownies

HALLOWEEN MEMORY

My kids, even though they are all in their 20’s, seriously get into costumes for Halloween. The best is usually my son. Since he works in a grocery store, the public gets to see him all day. One year he went as a superhero with blue skin. That was the best because the kids coming into the store loved it.  For him, it was bad because he had to wear gloves all day or he would make all the food packages blue.

INGREDIENTS

1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 butter, melted (1 1/2 sticks)
2 T water
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 chopped pecans
3/4 c white chocolate chips
1/3 c toffee chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
STEP 1 - Grease 9×13 pan.
STEP 2 - Combine sugar, butter, and water in large bowl.
STEP 3 - Stir in eggs and vanilla.
STEP 4 - Combine dry ingredients into another bowl, stir to mix.
STEP 5 - Add to sugar mixture and stir.
STEP 6 - Stir in nuts and chips. Mixture is very thick.
STEP 7 - Spread into prepared pan.
STEP 8 - Bake 18-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely on wire rack.

COMPANY INFORMATION

About Janet Perry & All About Needlepoint: Janet M. Perry, the Internet’s leading expert on needlepoint. has just premiered her reference and information site about needlepoint, All About Needlepoint at www.aboutneedlepoint.com. The site is designed as a Mecca for stitchers at all levels with information, stitch diagrams and effects, free email courses, projects, and (soon) a comprehensive directory of free needlepoint designs on the Internet.  Acting as a portal for a world of needlepoint information, the site will offer innovative needlepoint projects including eProjects and eBooks, cybercourses, and other products.

Janet M. Perry is a needlepoint author, designer, and teacher. Her books, Needlepoint Trade Secrets and Bargello Revisited, are available at Amazon.com and through needlework stores. She writes stitch guides for hand painted canvas needlepoint for many designers, including Melissa Shirley, Raymond Crawford, and Kelly Clark. She also teaches needlepoint in a wide variety of venues and develops needlepoint projects. Her approach to needlepoint is to make it “fast, fun, and affordable.”

www.aboutneedlepoint.com

I LOVE homemade — better than you can get ANYWHERE — soup and this one looks like a winner!

Tink

*When I dream, I cook and bake like an artist!*

 Wild Rice Soup

HALLOWEEN MEMORY

There is a chill in the air and that means that it is time for a hearty soup to keep you warm. I have been making this soup for many years and it has evolved over time to what you see here. Wild rice is a staple for the Ojibwa people of this region and I was introduced to it about 30 years ago when I traveled to the family cabin located near the Lac Du Flambeau reservation. Wild rice in many forms has become a favorite in my family. Halloween can be chilly here and we always have to design children’s costumes so that a winter jacket will fit under it. This soup is great for warming up before or after trick or treating.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 large onion, finely chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup wild rice
1 1/2 cup white or brown rice
5 cups water
1/4 cup sherry
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
4 tbs. low salt chicken base
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 - In a large kettle sauté carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil.
STEP 2 - Add wild rice and white rice and sauté 5 minutes.
STEP 3 - Add water, sherry, mushroom soup, mushrooms and garlic powder.
STEP 4 - Simmer covered for about one hour stirring every 10-15 minutes.
STEP 5 - Add additional water as needed.
STEP 6 - About 15 minutes before serving add the chicken base and continue to simmer.
STEP 7 - Crumbled bacon may be added to the top of each bowl if desired.

COMPANY INFORMATION - Chippewa Creek Quilts

Chippewa Creek Quilts was founded in 2005 and offers patterns for quilts inspired by nature and the great outdoors. All of the quilts use an easy fusible appliqué technique and most can be completed by a beginning quilter. Bring a bit of nature inside with Chippewa Creek Quilts.

www.chippewacreekquilts.com