Welcome back!  Today, we have a very special post because it's Halloween! We made lots of different spooky foods that are fun and delicious, ranging from appetizers to full meals to assorted snacks. They're also great for making with kids, since they're fun and not too hard. While there's not a formal recipe, this is great to give some ideas for your next spooky party!  Halloween Special! Intestines Pastry This is a sweet dish that can be served as a breakfast or dessert. The "intestines" are made of puff pastry with a mixture of cooked apple, raisins, and dried cherries as the filling. After baking, you can add some jam around to make it look bloodier; we only had preserves, so we just used it to fill in the spaces. Also, our intestines are pretty short because we didn't have enough filling; to make it more realistic, you should make some more. In general, when making this, you want to keep in mind how much the pastry will expand when baking so you can de...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for scones! Scones hail from the British Isles, with different regions featuring different variations of the dish. Traditional British scones are actually rather like biscuits. However, this recipe is more for an American scone, which you often see in the shape of a triangle. Like British scones, they are usually sweet, but American scones tend to be heavier and drier.  Scones Makes 8 scones Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 stick unsalted butter, frozen 1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup add-ins (we used dark chocolate chunks and dried cherries) To garnish: A little more heavy cream or half & half Fleur de sel Directions: Sift the flour into a bowl and combine it with the sugar, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl, mix the heavy cream/half & half, egg and vanilla together. Take the frozen butter and grate it.  Put the butter into t...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a trending French dessert that has attracted popularity around the world. It's called an "invisible cake", or gâteau invisible , which is pretty strange sounding, right? I mean, you can see the cake, but it's named that because the batter is spread so thinly throughout the cake that it's almost hard to see. But that doesn't mean there's not a lot of cake, because there's still plenty, plus all the apple that's in it.   Invisible Apple Cake Makes a 8"/9" round pan Ingredients: 2 pounds (about 4 large) apples, thinly sliced, preferably of a crispy variety 3 egg 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup half & half (or about 1/4 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk) 3/4 cup flour, sifted 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional) Directions: In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar and half & half and mix until thoroughly. Add the flour, vanilla, and Grand Marnier and mix. Layer the apple slices in the pan. Try to be as ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a great dessert based off of the classic Latin American sopapilla! Sopapilla is traditionally just fried dough, and there are actually lots of different variations. In Tex-Mex cuisine, it's almost always eaten as a dessert and served with cinnamon and honey, which is the one that this recipe  is based off of. However, in New Mexico and Latin America, it's often eaten alongside the main meal or even as the main meal just like any bread-related product. Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars Makes a 9" by 13" pan Ingredients: 2 cans (8 ounces each) Pillsbury crescent rolls 2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup sugar Directions: Take your pan and lay a piece of parchment paper on the bottom. Take the first can of crescent rolls and flatten it. Put it into the pan and smooth it out, making sure it fills up to the edges. In a bowl with an elect...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious fish dish! This one is nice and lemon-y, and it's not too strong, so it makes for a light meal. The Dover sole is also sometimes called the common or black sole; there is a Pacific variety of sole that is rather different and not the kind used here. This fish is said to have naturally a light, buttery taste, so that makes sense in the context of this recipe. Oven Baked Lemon Butter Dover Sole Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 2 pounds sole filet Juice from one lemon 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted, or olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Lemon slices Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Take a baking pan to put the sole in and grease it. Layer the sole in the pan. Try to get it as even as possible. If your sole is thicker, you may only need to do one layer. Add the salt and pepper, lemon juice, and butter/olive oil. Garnish with parsley and some lemon slices. Bake it in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes if you have multiple layers of sole or it...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another Italian chicken dish! Saltimbocca is another very classic Italian dish that is actually traditionally made with veal (chicken is more of an American thing) and requires two key components: sage and prosciutto. These flavors blend to make a great combination, so much so that it "jumps in the mouth" (which is what saltimbocca means - salta in bocca). Chicken Saltimbocca Makes 4 servings Ingredients: Chicken 2 chicken breasts 12 sage leaves 4 slices prosciutto 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter Salt and pepper to taste Sauce: 2 tablespoons butter 1 small shallot, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 cup dry white wine 3/4 cup chicken broth Directions: Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise to get four thin slices. Place two leaves of sage on each piece of chicken and wrap with a piece of prosciutto. Put one piece of sage on the top. Cook this on a pan for 3 minutes on the first side (sage leaf facing up), a...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a tex-mex favorite: chili! This cook-off classic has so many different variations as to cause arguments about what "chili" actually is. It really has a deep history, from the Aztecs in the 16th century, to the chili parlors of the 20th century, where many Texan restaurants had recipes for the dish. This recipe, chili con carne, or chili with meat, is a stew that contains all the fixings, with meat, beans, and tomatoes as the bulk of the solid food.  Chili Con Carne Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, chopped 1 pound ground beef 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder 4 tablespoons tomato paste 1 1/2 cup beef broth 1 can tomatoes, diced 2 cans beans, drained and rinsed (red kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, etc.) 3 roma tomatoes, diced (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Dir...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a great cornbread recipe! Cornbread is a general term for any bread made out of cornmeal, which is just ground-up dried corn. This type of bread comes from Native American cultures and was adopted by the English settlers in the south. In this recipe, we add a few kicks here and there to make it our own fun version! Spicy Cornbread Muffins Makes 6 large muffins Ingredients: 3/4 cup cornmeal 3/4 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup milk, room temperature 1 egg, room temperature 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 cup corn 2 tablespoons jalapeno, diced 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced 3/4 cup cheese (we used 1/3 cup ghost pepper cheddar cubes and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar) For the garnish: 1/4 cup cheese Jalapeno slices Directions: Mix all the dry ingredients: Start with the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix. Then add the corn, jalapeno, red bell pepper, and cheese. Mix this so that it's even througho...

Welcome back!  Today, we have an interesting dish that is a great use for stale bread, or just normal bread if you have it. However, some people actually recommend using fresh bread because the freshness from the bread permeates into the final product. Nonetheless, it's an interesting recipe; it actually has many variations, with some being savory and sweet. The version we have here is definitely a sweet one, though it's not overly sweet, so it still makes for a healthy breakfast that you can customize to your needs. Bread Pudding Makes 6 4-ounce ramekins Ingredients: 4-5 slices of bread (this really depends on the size and type of bread you're using) 4 eggs 1 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup whipping cream* 2-4 tablespoons sugar (again, this depends on your bread) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, tart cherries; you can also soak them in rum or Grand Marnier) Chocolate chips Combined, you should have 2 cups total of milk and whipping cream. If you want it t...