Jello Worms Recipe great for Halloween!

Do you have a Halloween Party coming up?  Do you want to have the spookiest, creapiest, crawliest dessert of all?  Then have I got a treat for you!  I made this the other day for my work's Halloween party and I won $$ for having the spookiest dessert of all.  These Jello worms are so awesome and  worm-like that it is just a bit on the foul side.  They wiggle and squirm just like a worm would.

You will need 100 bendy straws with the bendy parts extended
You need a package of red Jello..most of the recipes call for Raspberry, but I was a rebel and got Dark Cherry.
You also need 3 packets of unflavored Gellatin to amp up the firmness..nobody wants a soggy worm.
You need about 1/3 Cup of Heavy Cream
Then add in about 14 drops of food coloring.  I used a gel coloring and sadly added too much and my worms went green and weren't too wormy.  Then I decided to do some orange ones for contrast.


Put the Jello and extra Gellatin in a large bowl and mix in 3 Cups of Boiling water.  Whisk together well until everything is melted and combined.  Then let the mixture cool for a bit.  I stuck mine in the fridge for about 15 minutes or so.

Then add in the Cream.  You can either mix well to get a good and cloudy colored worm..or mix gently for a more marbled look. 


Stick the straws with the bendy part on the bottom and place a rubber band around the top and bottom.  Then place them in a tall but narrow container.  I used a drinking glass.  Pour in a little bit of the jello...not too much.  Place the glasses in the fridge for about 20 minutes to get a good solid base started.

After the 20 pour in the rest of the Jello and let sit overnight.

The next morning you will have a gelatinous mound of goo in your glass.  Use a butter knife or something to help get it out.  Peel off the excess Jello and run the straws under slightly warm water to clean them off.

There are several ways to get them out of the straws..but the best way is to use a rolling pin.  Just pop 3 of the straws on the counter..steamroll over them with the rolling pin and watch the creepy worms just squiggle on out.

Believe me when I say that trying to get them out by hand SUCKS!  They are slippery..messy..gooey..and just plain hard to hold onto.  You can always go the pliers route..but the rolling pin is by far the best!

Make sure you wiggle them like a good worm as you eat them.  It makes it feel a bit more real...

 Enjoy as you take in the glory of your wormy dessert.  Praises and prizes galore!


Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ham Roll Appetizer Recipe

Have I mentioned that I am less than 3 weeks away from having my third child!  This is so crazy to me.  I am so not ready...is it possible to request more time?  Although, with how uncomfortable I am maybe I am ready after all.  Such a shame that things get so crowded at the end of pregnancy.  I was remembering back to when I had my first child recently.  One of the funnier memories involves a delicious appetizer and my baby shower.

My Mom and sister threw me a very sweet baby shower and you should have seen the spread of food they prepared.  It was fantastic in every way.  There was so much amazing and delectable treats that it was hard to choose what to snack on.  They made on of my favorites..Ham Rolls!  They are always so yummy and a bonus they are pretty low calorie.  I must have gobbled down a dozen ham rolls, at least.  After the party was over I peeked in the fridge and found that the ham that I had bee consuming all afternoon had expired!!!  Not just by a day or two either.  It was horrible!  Luckily nobody got sick and my sister decided to always check the expiration date when shopping at the Walmart.  You should give these babies a try when you have a party to go to.  Perfect any time of year and in any setting. 

You will need Cream Cheese (the whipped kind spreads more easily), Ham, and Green Onions.

Grab a slice of Ham.

Spread the Cream Cheese almost to the edges of the Ham.

Slice the Green Onion up. 

Evenly sprinkle a little Green Onion over the meat.

Roll the ham up.

Slice into little rolls and Enjoy!

Ham Roll Appetizer Recipe

Ham
Cream Cheese
Green Onion

Evenly spread a TBSP or so of the Cream Cheese over the top of the Ham slice.  Chop the Green Onion up into little slices and sprinkle over the top of the Cream Cheese.  Roll the ham up and slice into mini rolls. 

Enjoy!

Dumplings Recipe

I am about to share the most amazing and delicious Dumpling recipe ever.  My Mom has been making these dumplings for as long as I can remember.  These Dumplings make for an amazing Chicken & Dumplings dish.  They are light and fluffy and so much fun to eat.  I recently celebrated turning 29 again  a Birthday and my Mom asked what I wanted her to make me for dinner.  There was no question in my mind..I wanted some of her Chicken & Dumplings.  I decided to go over to her house a little early so I could blog her preparing this delicious feast so you and I can enjoy it on our own.

The recipe came from this Betty Crocker Cookbook that my parents got as a wedding gift some 35 years ago.  It was published around 1969.  This book has been loved.  We checked a more recent copy of the book and the recipe is still being published (obviously because it tastes like a bit of Heaven on Earth).

You will need Parsley, Baking Powder, Flour, Milk, and Shortening (we used Butter flavor).

In a large bowl combine the Flour, Baking Soda, and Parsley.

Add in the Shortening.

You can just stir it up with a fork to cut the Shortening into the Flour mixture.  When the Shortening begins to form smallish lumps you are good to move on to the next step.

Add the milk.

Mix everything together to make a sticky dough.

Meanwhile whip up a chicken soup.  You can do this the fancy homemade way..or you can whip up something fast and easy.  Hopefully one day I will be around when she makes the soup part so I can blog that for you too.

Grab the dumpling dough by the spoonful.  These were probably a little over a Tablespoon worth.

Just push them into the soup using your finger.

Make sure to space them out a little so they have room to cook.

Bring the pan to a simmer and cook for about ten minutes.

Cover and cook another ten minutes.

Look at how fluffy and amazing these little beauties are. 

Enjoy!

Dumplings Recipe

1 1/2 C Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
1 TBSP Dried Parsley
3 TBSP Shortening
3/4 C Milk

In a medium bowl combine the Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Dried Parsley.  Cut the Shortening into the mixture.  You can do this using a fork by mixing everything together well.  Once you get what looks like coarse crumbs you have reached the correct consistency.  Add in the milk and combine everything well.

Add the Dumplings by the spoonful to a boiling vegetable, Chicken, or Beef stew.  Allow to cook for ten minutes.  Then cover the pot and cook for another ten minutes until the Dumplings are fluffy and amazing. 

Enjoy!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

Over the past few years I have been seeing more and more people eating Dinner in a Pumpkin.  Originally I decided it was craziness, totally gross, and something people just couldn't like.  Or so I thought.  Last fall I kept hearing more and more about dinner in a pumpkin.  I started to get jealous that I had never tried a dinner in a pumpkin.  I promised to give it a try in 2011!  

I looked up some recipes and they mostly involved cheese soup and bread.  They sounded good but some of the ingredients were a bit exotic for me.  My good friend Leslie (who I wish blogged more often) gave me a recipe that sounded easy and tasty.  I went to the pumpkin patch and picked out the biggest Pie Pumpkin that I could find and went home to whip up a batch.  It turned out very yummy.  My friend makes it with chicken but I wanted to try the beef.  My big suggestion would be to remove the top oven rack before you heat the oven...I found out the hard way that my pumpkin was a bit tall and had to wrestle with a hot oven rack.

You will need Mushrooms, Asparagus, Brown Sugar, Ground Beef, Pumpkin, Water Chestnuts, Oil, Onion, Cream of Chicken Soup, and Soy Sauce.

You will also need some cooked rice so plan ahead.  I used Brown Rice.

Start by warming up the oil in a large skillet.  Then add the chopped Asparagus.

Then add the sliced Mushrooms.

Chop up an Onion and add it to the pan.  Let everything saute together for a few minutes.

Now add in the Ground Beef.  Break it up while it browns.

Meanwhile grab your Pumpkin and give it a good washing. 

Cut off the top.  Make sure you make the hole large enough to get the stuffing in.

Remove the Seeds and Goo from the Pumpkin and the Pumpkin top.

When the Beef is browned and the veggies softened add in the Soy Sauce and the Brown Sugar and mix together thoroughly.

Add in the Soup and let it simmer about 10 minutes.

Line a Baking Sheet with Tin Foil

Pour about a TBSP of Oil in your hand and spread it all over the outside and the top of the Pumpkin.

Add in the Water Chestnuts and Cooked Rice.

Mix everything together really well and give it a taste.  Adjust the seasoning at this point and add in a bit of Salt & Pepper if you want. 

Add the Meat Mixture into the Pumpkin.  I ended up having quite a bit of mixture left over.

Place the top back on the Pumpkin

And place it in the Oven.  I hope you remembered to remove the top rack...otherwise woe and sadness will be in your heart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

When done the Pumpkin flesh will be tender enough that you can just poke a fork all the way through it.

Cut the Pumpkin into portions.  We got 5 really good sized portions out of this one.

Enjoy!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe
Source:  My friend Leslie

1 Onion, chopped
1 Bunch Asparagus, cut into bits
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
3 TBSP Canola Oil
2 LBS Ground Beef
3-4 TBSP Soy Sauce
4 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cups cooked Brown Rice
8 oz Water Chestnuts
Pumpkin- I used a pie Pumpkin and just looked for the largest I could find.  But from what I understand any pumpkin or large squash will work wonderfully.

In a Large skillet add 2 TBSP Canola Oil and allow it to warm over medium heat.  Add in the Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Onions.  Cook for a couple minutes.  Add the Ground Beef and cook until browned.

Stir in the Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar, And Cream of Chicken Soup.  Simmer for ten minutes.  Add in the Cooked Rice and Water Chestnuts and mix everything together really well.  Test for proper seasoning and add a bit of Salt & Pepper as needed.

Meanwhile cut the top off your pumpkin and clean out the seeds and goo.  Clean both the pumpkin and the top as the top will be used in cooking.  Cover a baking sheet with Tin Foil.  Place the Pumpkin on the baking sheet and pour the last TBSP of oil into your hand and rub it all over the outside and top of the Pumpkin.

Add the Beef mixture into the Pumpkin and place the Pumpkin top in it's spot.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the Pumpkin is tender enough to poke a fork all the way through.

Cut into servings and Enjoy!

Approximately 4 servings (assuming you are able to fit all the meat mixture in the pumpkin)

651 Calories
56 Carbs
30 Fat
41 Protein

Pillsbury Biscuit Donuts Recipe

I've always really loved Halloween.  What's not to love about a holiday where you get to dress up and get loads of candy?  When I was younger there was one house that was so much fun to go to.  They would serve hot cider and homemade Donuts.  I don't know if it was the hot cider on a cold Halloween evening or the Donuts but my friends and I always loved going to that home.  For the past 3 years I've been trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to make delicious homemade Donuts on Halloween.  This year I found this recipe by Paula Deen and was very excited to give it a try.  Donuts in a flash just using Pillsbury Biscuit dough.  My sister was very skeptical and thought they would be terrible.  But they ended up being the best Donut I've ever made.  They were a bit more dense than store bought Donuts but they tasted great and were so easy to cook.

You'll need Pillsbury Biscuits, Sprinkles (I ended up not using them but they would have been a nice touch), Powdered sugar, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Cocoa Power.

Oh, and don't forget the Canola Oil.  Plenty of Canola Oil.  I think I used about half a bottle.  Start by warming up the oil in a Large pan.  You will need a thermometer and you want the oil to be about 350 degrees.

Separate the Biscuits and set them out on the counter.

I used the lid to my oil and cut the Biscuits into Donuts.

Lovely Donuts and Donut holes!

In a bowl add the Cinnamon and Sugar.

Mix it together well.

In another bowl add together the Powdered Sugar, Cocoa Powder, and Milk.

Mix it together well.

Once the Oil is good and hot add the Donuts, a few at a time. 

Try to regulate the heat to avoid super oily Donuts.

The donuts only need to cook for a few minutes.  Watch them and you'll be able to see as they get brown and ready to turn.

Perfect!  Lovely browned Donuts.  You also want to make sure they are fully cooked..nobody likes a doughy Donut.  When they are done cooking set them on a paper towel lined baking sheet to cool off a bit. 

When they are cool enough to touch you can dip the Donuts in the Cinnamon/Sugar

or the Glaze. 

I personally decided to do a little of each.

The Cinnamon/Sugar ones were my favorite

But the Chocolate were amazing too.

Don't forget to cook up the Donut holes.  They are just so much fun to eat.

Oh boy these were yummy.

Don't forget to glaze

and Cinnamon/Sugar the Donut holes too.

Yum!  Enjoy!

Pillsbury Biscuit Donuts Recipe
Source:  Food Network - Paula Deen

Canola Oil
2 Cans Large Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 C Sugar
1 C Powdered Sugar
3 TBSP Milk
1/4 C Cocoa Powder

 In a heavy bottomed pan heat 2 inches of Canola oil to 350 degrees.  While the oil is heating stir together the Cinnamon and Sugar in one bowl.  In another bowl whisk together the Powdered Sugar, Cocoa Powder, and Milk really well to avoid lumps. 

Lay the Pillsbury Biscuit dough out and cut a hole in the middle.  I just used the lid to my oil bottle so pretty much anything will work.  Add the Dough to the oil and cook until it is golden brown.  Flip the Donut and cook the other side until it is golden brown.  Repeat the cooking with the Donut holes.  Keep an eye on the temperature and try to maintain as close to 350 as you can.  This is where I get into trouble because if the oil temperature varies too much you will end up with oily Donuts.  When they are done cooking let them cool on a paper towel lined baking sheet.  Once they are cool enough to touch dip them in the Cinnamon/Sugar or the Chocolate Glaze.

Enjoy!