Halloween: fun pumpkin decorations

Total Time 1 hourAges all-ages

Dried citrus rinds give this seasonal squash -- and his companions -- their un-natural good looks.

What you'll need

• Craft knife
• Hole punch
• Glue dots
• Spaghetti squash
• Two limes
• Black craft foam
• Duct tape
• Toothpicks
• Large bolts
• Black permanent marker

How to make it

1. 
   First, decide if you want to make Frank or one of his creepy friends.
2. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Use a craft knife to cut a circle of rind from the top and bottom of an orange or lime for the eyes (a parent's job).
    Cut a slit in the remaining peel and remove it intact to use for ears, teeth, and other features. If you're making the witch, reserve the larger pieces of orange peel for the hair.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Clean the fruit from the rinds, then use scissors to snip out your character's facial features, as shown. Cut them a little larger than you want; they will shrink as they dry. To dry the pieces, bake them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then allow them to air dry for about 1K hours (or until glue dots will stick to them).
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Use a hole punch to make a pair of pupils from the craft foam, then adhere them to the white side of the rind eyes with glue dots.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Attach all the pieces with glue dots, as pictured. To make the ears stick out (for Frank and the Count), tape a toothpick to the back, leaving about 1K inches of the toothpick exposed, then insert it in place.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Finishing touches for Frank: Cut the hair from craft foam following the diagram at right and attach it with glue dots. Bore a hole on each side of the squash with a pencil, then insert the bolts. Use a permanent marker to draw the teeth
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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7. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Finishing touches for Witch: Cut a small mouth from the craft foam. To make a hat, cut the shapes shown at right from a piece of black craft foam. Roll the half-circle into a cone with a base slightly larger than the center of the ring, and secure the edge with glue dots. Tuck the cone's base into the center of the ring. For the buckle, double-fold a sheet of foil to create a square shape. Snip out the center, then adhere it to the hat with glue dots.
   
   
8. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Finishing touches for the Mummy: Wrap the pumpkin in gauze, using glue dots to attach the fabric as you go.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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    Finishing touches for the Count: Cut a collar and hair from the craft foam, following the diagram at right. Wrap each around the pumpkin and attach them with glue dots, as shown.
    
    
    
    
    

halloween: Sweet Scarecrows

These autumn treats are so adorable and easy to assemble, they won't scare anyone away. In fact, set out a batch, and kids are sure to flock to them.

What you'll need

• Cookies (ours were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)
• White frosting
• Assorted sugar wafers (ours were about 2 1/2 inches long)
• Candy corn
• Mini chocolate chips
• Bran cereal (we used Kellogg's All-Bran Extra Fiber)
• Chocolate sprinkles

How to make it

1. Frost the top of each cookie.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Cut a sugar wafer in half. Add a dollop of frosting to the top edge of the cookie and stick a wafer half to it for a hat top, as shown.
   
   
   
   

Place a whole sugar wafer just below the hat top for a brim. Use a little more frosting to decorate it with slices of candy corn or mini chocolate chips.

Press pieces of bran cereal hair into the frosting around the hat.

For the face, press on a candy corn nose, mini chocolate chip eyes, and a chocolate sprinkle stitched mouth.

Garlic & Herb chicken

You Gotta Try it!!! Sooo Tender & Juicy!!!!!
MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN

And it's Healthy...So much better than fried!!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Greek yogurt -plain
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash (Garlic & Herb Blend)
1/2 tsp pepper
Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
4-6 average sized chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Lightly season both sides of chicken with your choice of seasoning. ( I use Mrs. Dash, garlic powder, onion powder, & black pepper) & arrange chicken on a pam sprayed baking sheet. Evenly top with Yogurt/Parmesan mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20-25 minutes. Absolutely Delish!!! Enjoy!!!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars


Ingredients:
CRUST:
1 (1 pound) package Oreo cookies
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides (I spray mine with cooking spray).

2. Make the crust: Place 28 Oreos in a food processor and process until finely ground. Pour into a large bowl, add the melted butter, and stir with a flexible spatula until all crumbs are moistened. Place the cookie-crumb mixture in the lined pan and, using your fingers, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom. Bake 10 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack (leave the oven on) while you make the filling. Snap the remaining Oreos in half, put them in the food processor, and turn on and off quickly a few times, just until the cookies are roughly chopped.

3. Make the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula and beat again until uniform. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and salt. Scrape down the bowl and mix again. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. After beating in the last egg, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat one more time, to make sure the mixture is fully combined. Stir in chopped Oreos with the same spatula.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the baked cookie crust, smooth the top with the spatula, and bake for 40 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center when you gently shake the pan. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. When cool, cover it with foil and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (I chill mine overnight)

5. To cut, use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and place on a large cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the cheesecake into bars, rinsing off the knife with hot water and wiping it dry between each cut. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Tips:
*These work best served on flattened out cupcake papers w/ a fork stuck on top.

Caramel Pecan Brownies

Caramel Pecan Brownies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening plus more for greasing pan
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
12 caramels
1 tablespoon milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of square pan, 8 x 8 x 2 or 9 x 9 x 2 inches, with shortening. Mix sugar, shortening, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with pecans.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Heat caramels and milk in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Drizzle over warm brownies. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For brownies, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

Delicious Healthy Banana Bread

Banana Bread with honey and applesauce instead of sugar 

& oil. Delicious & Healthy.

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Snicker Pie

Snicker Pie 

10 small snicker bars (fun size)
1 packages cream cheese (8 oz)
4 cup whipped topping
2 tablespoon carmel topping
1 packages ready to fill graham cracker crust


1. in large glass baking dish place 8 snicker candy bars in the mixing bowl and microwave until bars are softened
2. with hand mixer beat together cream cheese and candy bars until mixed well
3. place 2 cups of whipped topping into the cream cheese and candy mixture beat until fluffy
4. pour mixture into ready to fill pie crust
5. top with remaining 2 cups of whipped topping
6. chop or grate the 2 remaining snicker bars and distribute evenly over the top of whipped topping
7. serve drizzled with carmel topping
8. chill before serving