Vampire Teeth

Growing up my mom always made these adorable teeth cookies. She always made them around valentines day I think because they were pink and like little smiling kisses. But I got thinking I could make these for Halloween with a small change. They are super easy.

Teeth cookies

Sugar Cookie dough

vanilla frosting colored pink

Mini marshmellows

large marshmellows cut into fangs

Roll out the cookie dough and cut into round, use you fingers to indent the lips and then score the cookie in half don't cut completely. Bake

Once cooled break in half at the score mark and frost the bottom of each half. place the marshmellows and top with the other half.

Chili

Our ward had a wonderful Halloween carnival and Chili feed last night and I can't believe how many people came! It was amazing! Now before I'm off to get the kids ready for trick or treating tonight... (one of the few perks of living in a small town.. when Halloween falls on a Sunday we just move it!) I thought I would post my chili recipe. Now I never use a recipe and each time I've made chili it has turned out differently, this I think in my opinion was the best batch ever! So I think that is why I'm writing down what I did for next time!!

Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg chorizo sausage
2 cans black beans
2 cans white beans
1 can kidney beans
3 cans fire roasted tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno
1 anahiem pepper
1 pasilla pepper
1 onion, diced
2 T garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
water as needed

Start by throwing the red, anahiem, and pasilla peppers on a baking sheet with some olive oil in the oven at 350`. Roast the peppers for about 20 minutes till bubbly and soft. Brown the ground beef and draining it. Set aside. Cut the chorizo, my pkg came with 2 large links and I got the pre cooked stuff, I quarted it and fried it up in a bit of olive oil to give it some more flavor. When the peppers are done place them in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Chop the onion and garlic and saute in remaining oil from the ground beef and chorizo. After the peppers have cooled a bit, remove the skin, and seeds and place the cleaned peppers in a blender, add a can of the tomatoes and blend well. Return the beef and chorizo to the pan with the onions and garlic, add the beans and the mixture from the blender. Add the remaining cans of tomatoes in the blender and mix. Add this also to the pan. Add the chili powder and cayenne and adjust the seasonings. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Serve hot with sour cream cheese and tortilla chips and my favorite with corn bread! enjoy!

Mmmmmm... Baked Apples

I have found my new favorite thing! we finally decorated for Halloween, a week before but better late than never right? We went to the pumpkin patch and I was feeling all festive and fall like, so I decided to make something with Apples and what was created was nothing short of heavenly. I told Darwin this might have to be a new tradition for thanksgiving and he said how about every Sunday... I guess that means he liked them!

6 Braeburn apples
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 T flour
2 T white sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 recipe caramel fondue

Prep the apples, cut of a small slice off the bottom so they stand evenly. Slice off the top and core out the center. Combine all of the other ingredients except for the juice and caramel, in a ziploc bag and mix till well combined. Place apples in Baking dish. Spoon about a tsp of the caramel into the hole then fill with the oatmeal mixture. Top with a bit of the caramel. Place apple juice in the pan surrounding the apples and bake apples at 350` for 35-40 minutes, till apples are cooked through. Serve warm with more of the caramel on the side as well as vanilla ice cream.

So yummy!

yet another cake

Darwin's cousin got married this past weekend, and as if I wasn't busy enough recovering from a trip and having a house full of stomach flu children...I made the cake as a gift to them. Considering I did it super fast and pretty much in one day I think it turned out pretty good.

Baking....

Aghh... anyone who knows me knows that unless it is rolls or a cake I don't bake. Never really have. Hated, no utterly despised it in school...perhaps it was partly because of the hour inwhich the classes met, no college student should be getting up at 5:30am. Mainly though I don't like to measure, I simply don't have the patience for baking...
However I decided to make a southern meal tonight for dinner, and wanted some biscuits to go with it. So I found this ooober easy recipe and surprisingly they didn't turn out half bad!

2 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening*
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 400`. In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and add shortening till small pea like size. Add milk and mix just till milk is absorbed. Lightly dust the surface and gently form into a ball and roll to about an ince thick. cut out and coat tops with an egg was. Bake for 12-15 minutes till golden brown.
* I didn't have shortening (strange I know) I really didn't feel like hauling all four kids to the grocery store so I used Butter, they will taste better anyways :) I used 1/4 cup plus 2 T because the butter has water in it where as the shortening does not. Happy Baking!

Mexican Pork Soup

Here's what's for dinner tonight. After a week of the stomach flu, head colds we can't seem to shake and the impending winter weather, I feel like soup tonight! I'm going to use the left over pork from my slow roaster I did last week.

1 T olive oil
1 lb of left over roast pork
1 onion small diced
1 small can green chiles, diced
2 T garlic, minced
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, diced
1 can black beans
2 tsp ground cumin
1 box chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup frozen corn
season to taste

Start by sauting the garlic and onion then add the pork and beans. Cook till onions are translucent, then add tomatoes and green chiles and cumin. Add stock and allow to simmer for at least one hour. Add corn about 10 minutes before service. Season to taste and serve with cilantro, sour cream and cheese and tortilla chips.

I'm excited it should be yummy!

I'm Back!!

Alright after being gone for so long and all the traveling and to add sick kids on top of it... I never thought I would be so happy to be back in Burns but I am!!! Now we are just trying to get back to the swing of things and back on schedule! We will get there I'm sure... This is a recipe I made yesterday but am eating it today... My dear friend Michelle, surprised me and made me dinner last night since I haven't been feeling well, little did she know I had dinner in the crockpot. So we will be enjoying that tonight.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast

2-3 lb Pork Loin Roast fat trimmed
2 Tbsp Dijion Mustard
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp tarragon
1 meduim onion sliced
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp garlic minced
1 apple sliced

Place Apple and Onions on the bottom of the slow cooker. Coat the pork in the mustard and coat with an even coating of all the seasonings. place in slow cooker, add broth and cook on low for 3-4 hours till completly cooked and tender.