Welcome to my Blog!


I am so glad you stopped by. A couple of months ago I saw the movie Julie & Julia, where a young woman decides to take a year and make every recipe in Julia Child's French Cookbook. I enjoyed the movie very much and became intrigued. Maybe I could do something like that, so, I got out my barely used, 13 year old, Better Homes Cookbook and started flipping through. Thus began my cooking experiment.

Cooking is something I have always hated to do, it was a chore for me, not a pleasure. I am not a professional cook, and never will be, but the movie ignited a spark in me and revealed a new discovery, cooking can be fun!

I am learning that with patience, motivation, and good recipes anyone can be a good cook. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you! I hope you will experiment along with me and let me know what you think of the recipes I share.

I will post each new recipe I try along with a picture (I can't stand cookbooks that don't include pictures!) so you can see the final product. I will also share tips that I have learned along the way. For you seasoned chefs, the tips may seem like common sense, but for those of us who are dummies in the kitchen, they are epiphanies.

Happy Cooking!

Nancy

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Spooky Treats

I realize Halloween has come and gone, but here are some great treats to help you plan next year's party.


Purple People Eater Punch


Ingredients

  • 2 quarts red grape juice, chilled
  • 4 drops neon purple food coloring
  • 2 liters club soda, chilled
  • 2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions

  • Pour grape juice into a 6-qt. punch bowl; add food coloring. Slowly pour in club soda. Gently spoon ice cream into the punch and whisk to swirl. Serve immediately. Yield: 26 servings (5 quarts).



Bones and Blood


This is very simple to make.  Use ready made bread stick dough.  Cut the ends of each piece of dough and shape into bone ends before cooking.  Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Monster Eyes


Slice carrots into one inch chunks, top each chunk with cream cheese and 1/2 of a pitted black olive.

A little BRAIN, anyone?


This was, by far, the hit of the party.  It is time consuming, but easy to make.  

Use a small seedless watermelon.  
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the green rind off exposing the white.  
Slice off the bottom of the watermelon to create a flat base.  
Using a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of the brain.  
Carve narrow channels along the tracings with a paring knife to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.

Creepy Mouths


Super easy and they look great!

Quarter and core an apple.  Coat with orange juice to keep from browning.
Cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter.  
Press slivered almonds in place for teeth.

Cookie Fingers


I used pre-made sugar cookie dough to form these fingers.
Roll the dough into thin, finger shaped cookies.
Squeeze the cookie at the tip and in the center to give the impression of knuckles.
Use a knife to cut creases in the knuckles.
Add an almond to the end to resemble a fingernail.

Cheese Pumpkin


Shape Velveeta Cheese into a Pumpkin shape.
Use olives to create eyes and a mouth.
Use a red pepper for the nose and pupils and place the pepper stem on top.

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Disclaimer:


None of the recipes posted on this site are mine, they are all taken from other sources, or given to me to try. I am not nearly creative enough or good enough in the kitchen to have come up with any of them.

I also cannot promise that any of these recipes are going to turn out good, or taste good for that matter, so you try them at your own risk.

Enjoy!!! Nancy
SmileyCentral.com