Old Fashioned Dots

Picture by Living

I love Halloween!  I love having the little kids come knock at my door and trick o treat.  I love to see their costumes, and their faces as they dig through my bowl for candy.  It is one of my most favorite nights of the year.  I like to have something extra special for my treater's that I know personally.  This is one of my go-to recipes for the special little kids that I love and adore. This treat was one of my favorite's growing up, and it never seems to fail to be my little kids favorite too!

Ingredients
1lb. Powdered Sugar
5 Tbs. Meringue Powder
1/2 cup Water
Yellow and Red Food Coloring, for Halloween colors. You can use any that you like though.

Directions
Line a baking sheet with 10x13 inch freezer paper strips.  I like to tape mine onto the baking sheet so they don't slip.

Beat together sugar, meringue powder, and water, with a mixer.  (Test a little bit with a toothpick on the freezer paper to make sure that the icing forms a domed dot, and doesn't spread.  If it forms a peak it's too thick and you need to add a tiny bit more water 1/2 tsp. at a time.  If it's too runny you need to ass more sugar 1 tsp. at a time.)

Divide icing into 3 bowls.  Mix your red and yellow to get orange, then do one yellow, and one white. (Like I said in the ingredients though, you can do any colors you like.)
Put the icing into piping bags and squeeze into the corner (I just use Ziploc baggies and cut off the corner of one side).

Pipe dots 3 to a line onto your freezer paper.  (I normally draw straight lines horizontally all the way down the freezer paper so I know how to line up the dots.  Then I just erase after the dots have dried. You can also find templates for this online.)  Alternate the colors all the way down so you have equal Yellow, Orange, and White.  (I like to make mine look like the candy corn).

Let stand uncovered until the dots are firm and hard.  It normally will take anywhere from 24-48 hours, so do this in advance before Halloween.  Then pop off and enjoy!!

Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce

 I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I just can't. This recipe is very dear to me because every time I make it, it reminds me of the most special man in my life. This is my Dad's, famous, Cranberry Dessert Cake with the finger licking good, Butter sauce. Oh my goodness it is to die for. My Dad makes this cake on 3 occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Other than that, I'm on my own. Now I follow the recipe and can have it anytime, but mine doesn't even compare to the deliciousness of my Father's. So, I thought all of you should be able to enjoy what I have enjoyed for all of these years. The most delectable, delicious, an delightful dessert you will ever find!  

Ingredients 

2 3/4 C. Flour 

2 1/4 C. Sugar 

2 tsp. Baking Powder 

1 tsp. Baking Soda 

1/4 tsp. Salt 

2 C. Sour Cream 

1/2 C. Milk 

1/4 C. Oil 

1/2 tsp. Almond extract 

2 Eggs 

3 1/2 C. Fresh Cranberries 

1/2 C. Butter 

1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream 

1 tsp. Vanilla  

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. 

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. In a mixer combine sour cream, milk, oil, almond extract, and eggs. Beat well. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until creamy and smooth. 

Fold in cranberries until just mixed through. 

Pour into the baking dish and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. 

While the cake is baking make the buttery glaze. 

In a small saucepan combine the butter, and cream. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat for 5 minutes and stir in the vanilla. 

To prepare, cut a square of warm cake from the baking dish, place on a plate, and drizzle with the warm butter sauce. I am not kidding, this cake is the most delicious and decadent cake you will ever eat!! Enjoy!

Apple Pie Dump Cake

 I saw a recipe like this on pinterest, and decided to step it up a little bit.  I love a good apple cobbler/cake so when I saw this recipe, I just saw a few things that I thought were missing and decided to come up with my own recipe.  So here is your Stepped Up Apple Dump Cake.

Ingredients

2 cans Apple Pie Filling

2 Tbs. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1 Yellow Cake mix

1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats

1/2 Cup Pecans, Chopped

2 cubes Butter, sliced into Tbs. portions

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Dump in Apple Pie Filling.  Sprinkle your cinnamon and nutmeg on top.  Mix your cake, oats, and pecans, together and sprinkle over the Apple pie filling.  Evenly place your slices of butter all over the top of your mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Yum!

Sweet Potato Crock-pot Chili

With Chicken

This is the perfect winter time soup.  It's hearty, and meaty, hot, and delicious.  Yesterday it snowed at my house, and so I took a chili recipe that I got from my amazing sister in law and added a little smoke to it.  I love creating with basic recipes because you can do so much with them.  So here is an example of a recipe that I just added a little style to.  :)  Enjoy!

Ingredients

With Hamburger

(all of the cans are 14oz cans.)

1 lb. Hamburger, cooked and browned or

4 boneless, skinless, Chicken breasts cooked and shredded

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 can Chili beans with chili juices (s&w makes them)

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes, with juices

1 can diced Tomatoes, with juices

1 can Corn, drained

2 packages of Taco seasoning*

15oz. Salsa

1 tsp. Parsley

1 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp. minced Garlic

1/4 cup dried Onion

*if you want a smokey flavor to the Chili add 1 pkg. of Taco seasoning and 1 pkg. of Fajita seasoning.  If you don't like smokey flavor just use the 2 pkgs. of Taco.

Directions

Mix everything together into your crock-pot.  Set on low for 8 hours and let cook.  Stir occasionally.  Serve with grated sharp cheddar cheese on top, a little dollup of sour cream if you like, and a slice of french bread.

Big and Soft Brown Sugar Cookies with Maple Icing

 I have been on a cookie kick this evening.  My hubby and I had a date night baking cookie which was a blast.  This particular cookie reminded that fall is right around the corner and I suddenly got excited.  This is going to make the perfect fall cookie, that will go like hot cakes as soon as they get out of the oven.  Just make sure to get that nummy drizzle on if you can! Enjoy!!

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark Karo syrup
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cup flour
FOR THE ICING:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 tablespoons dark karo syrup
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

FOR THE COOKIES:
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, Karo, sugar and egg until very light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat together until well mixed. Roll into golf-ball sized balls. Place 3 cookies on each cookie sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes, or just until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.

FOR THE ICING:
Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Spoon into a ziploc baggies. Snip off the corner of the bag and pipe onto slightly warm cookies. Allow to set for 20-30 minutes before packaging up cookies.