Halloween Themed Fun! Guest Post!

Nancy is my (Colleen) mother in law, we are staying with her a while. We are in transition between selling our old home and buying a new one. The kids just adore her and she's makes the time go by quickly with fun stuff like this.

Nancy's take: "I made this with my grandson who is 4 and he really enjoyed making the jello monster mold the most, I enjoyed making the creepy finger food & monster mouths. To me I don't enjoy pasta all that much so I wasn't too enthused with that but we had lots of fun making it, I used green olives instead of black because to me they looked more "creepy". The Mummy Dogs were really easy and both the grandkids loved them, I let my grandson wrap the dough around the dog, he was enthused with all the responsibility he was given." 

 Frankenstein Salads

Mummy Dogs (on the outsides)

Monster Mouths  (in the middle)

 Creepy Finger Food (on the top & bottom) 

 Baked Eyeball Casserole

Corn and Tomato Pizza {Guest Post, Allison}

When Annah said she was looking for some guest bloggers, I knew I would be able to contribute a recipe or two.  This is because I am always trying out new dishes. I am pretty lucky that my husband will eat almost anything. Even when I make something that I consider gross less than edible, he is always willing to eat up the leftovers. This week, I decided to make something that was fairly foolproof, Corn and Tomato pizza.  

         The pizza turned out great. It was the first time I used pita bread as the crust. Pita bread is a great if you want to make individual pizzas. The recipe says it makes 3 mini pizzas. I went ahead and made 4; two for my husband, one for me and one for my lunch the following day.

I probably would have added a little bit more pesto sauce than what was called for. The recipe calls for shredded rotisserie chicken. I already had a chicken breast in my freezer, so I went ahead and boiled that then shredded it. The recipe also calls for fresh basil leaves as a topping. I rarely buy fresh herbs, as they seem to go to waste in my house. Instead I bought a tube of Gourmet Garden Basil, which lasts a lot longer. This is definitely a recipe I would make again.  

Corn and Tomato Pizza

 

Ingredients:

Two small plum tomatoes, sliced

 Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Pepper

1 tablespoon oil (I used canola oil) 

3 pita rounds (I used 4) 

2 Tablespoons Pesto

3/4 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (I used canned)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2- 8 oz package sliced mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced ( I used Gourmet Garden Basil, instead)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450F 

Place tomato sliced on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Spread oil over pita rounds. Bake pita rounds for 10 minutes. 

Spread pesto over pita, and top with chicken. 

Combine corn, Parmesan cheese and sugar. Sprinkle over pesto.

Top with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes** or until cheese is melted.

Top with basil leaves and cut into wedges. 

** My pita bread was already pretty crisp form the 10 minutes it was in the oven. I only baked mine for another 6 minutes or so. The cheese was melted and everything was warmed by this point. 

Original recipe from http://emeals.com/

 

Allison is my old friend from college. She currently lives with her husband in Cincinnati,OH, but her heart belongs to Michigan! She is a registered dietician who knows a thing or two about food. I am looking forward to a few more healthy recipes coming from an all around amazing friend!

 

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes; guest post

Chandra's take: "I loved this recipe! Super flavorful, ridiculously easy and my favorite.... not to mention CHEAP! This will definitely get brought into the regular rotation. Next time I might just use provolone slices instead of making a cheese sauce. I think it will taste just as good, cut down time even more, and dirty one less dish."

Ingredients

picture sourced from Chandra

• 1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 softball-sized onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup steak sauce
• 1 cup beef stock
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 4 dinner rolls
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup provolone, shredded
• For the salad:
• 1/2 pound salami, chopped
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese, chopped
• 1 small jar pepperoncini
• 1 head Bibb lettuce
• 1 bunch arugula
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Preheat broiler.
  

  In large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, brown the ground sirloin, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the onions start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.
  Split open rolls and toast under broiler, keep your eye on them so they don't burn!
  

  While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it is all incorporated.
  

  In a salad bowl, toss the salami, cheese, pepperoncini, Bibb lettuce and arugula with the EVOO and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll. Serve the salad alongside.

  Recipe source Rachael Ray Show

  
  

  Today's guest post is by my good friend Chandra who is a Northerner that's been transplanted into the deep South for 2 years now. She has two active busy little boys & a hungry husband. Favorite southern discovery: Sweet Tea! Thanks Chandra!