Just Wingin' It

We love chicken wings, and they are obviously a very simple dish. I've always wanted to make them at home, but didn't want to drag out the deep fryer for one batch of wings.

I found a recipe that had a ton of great reviews, so I thought I'd give it a try. They came out pretty good, however I'd probably reduce the time on the second side when broiling, but I might have had the pan too close.

Either way, these are great to make at home and satisfy your wing craving.

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

1 lb chicken wings 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon margarine

Fill a large pot half way with water and then add the first 4 ingredients. Bring water mixture and wings to a boil and then boil for 15 minutes. Transfer wings to an oven safe container coated with cooking spray. Bake wings on "Broil" for 15 minutes on each side.(For crispier wings, cook longer on each side, maybe 20 minutes per side). While waiting for wings, combine the Hot Sauce and Margarine in a microwave safe container and cook in microwave for 2 minutes or until melted. When wings are done, shake 'em up with the sauce and enjoy!

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ghoul's Night

Halloween is by far my most favorite holiday. I am so excited that it was my turn to host our monthly girl's night in October. I spend a lot of time coming up with decor and an eerie menu for my favorite ghouls. Without further ado - enjoy my freaky food and creepy centerpiece!

Set the mood with jars of body parts and piles of bones.



It wouldn't be Ghoul's Night without wine!



Spider Web Dip

1 (14 ounce) cans refried beans
1/2 lb lean hamburger
1/2 packet taco seasoning mix
1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chilies
4 ounces medium hot chunky salsa
1 cup four cheese Mexican blend cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

On a round dish spread out refried beans. Prepare hamburger meat as directed on taco seasoning packet. Add chilies and let liquid boil out. Mixing a few times so the burger doesn't stick. When most of the juice is evaporated put the meat mixture over the refried bean layer. Spoon on salsa and spread across meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 350 oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. In the meantime, spoon the sour cream into a small Zip-Lock bag, and cut the corner and draw a spider web design.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Adapted from Recipezaar.com

Macaroni & Sneeze

1 2/3 cups (about 7 oz.) dry small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (12 fl.oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups shredded Four Cheese Blend
1 cup shredded Montery Jack Cheese
Green food coloring

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 2-quart casserole dish.
Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1½ cups Four cheese blend until melted, liberally add green food coloring. Add macaroni; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with Montery Jack cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.

Source: Adapted from www.verybestbaking.com



Snake Sandwich

1 can crescent rolls
Flour for dusting
4 tablespoons spicy mustard
7 ounces thinly sliced ham
7 ounces thinly sliced turkey
7 ounces thinly sliced roast beef
8 ounces Monterey Jack, grated
Liquid food coloring
3 egg yolks
2 whole cloves
2 small pimiento-stuffed olive slices
1 strip jarred roasted red peppers

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Grease the foil and set aside.
Dust a flat surface lightly with flour. Spread out the crescent dough — do not separate. Pinch together the seams so that you have 1 piece of dough. Roll out to make a large rectangle. Make sure the dough is not stuck to the surface at all.
Brush the dough with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border. Layer the meats down the center of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border on either end. You can feel free to use your favorite cold cuts.
Top the meats with the cheese. Fold 1 side of the dough over the filling, lengthwise. Then, fold the other 1/2 over and press the seal the filling inside. Take egg yolks, and beat lightly with a fork, add food coloring if desired. Brush the egg yolk over the top of the dough. The yolk will act as the glue to hold. Press the outside of the dough to make sure everything is sealed tight and to make an even thickness for the body of your snake. Taper 1 end of the dough to form a tail shape. Form the other end into a head shape.
Transfer the snake to the foil lined sheet tray. Form into an "s" shape so it looks like the snake is slithering. Insert 2 cloves into the head to look like nostrils and 2 stuffed olives for eyes. Create a mouth or tongue with the roasted red peppers. Bake the snake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Source: Adapted from www.foodtv.com


Devils Food Chocolate Cheesecake

Go to your nearest Fresh Market and buy this from the bakery!!!

Bread+Cheese=Yum!

Ask any Indiana University grad what the best night time study food is, and I bet 75% would answer cheese stix from either Mad Mushroom or Pizza Express. I'm torn, they were both delicious!

I thought I'd make my own and see how they came out. Oh, and of course dip them in Ranch! :)

Crista's Cheezy Stix

Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust
Olive Oil (I used Zesty Italian Flavored)
Shredded Cheese (I used Colby Jack)

Roll out dough on a cookie sheet. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake as directed on the pizza crust tube.

Speedy Beer Cheese Dip

This is a great dip to snack on while watching the Indy 500, which happend to be today. It is very quick to make, and is a crowd pleaser. My friend Denise made this last weekend at a cookout and even the non-beer drinkers enjoyed it a lot.




Beer Cheese Dip

2 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 packet ranch dip mix
1/2 cup of beer

Mix all ingredients together and garnish with green onion if desired. Serve with pretzels.

Source: Hidden Valley

Happy Valentines's Day Dinner

We both enjoy going out to dinner, and celebrating love...but we don't really care to partake in the craziness of Valentines Day Dinner out, so as part of my gift to Scott, I made him a nice 4- course dinner at home. (But totally cheated on dessert!)

First Course, The Appetizer:

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 Portobello mushrooms (stemmed)
2 oz. dry stuffing mix for chicken
½ Cup water
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers
½ stick of butter
½ tsp. minced garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 350.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and mix in water and stuffing mix. Alow stuffing to absorb the liquid for about 5 min. Add in cheese, peppers, and garlic and stir until well blended.
Place mushrooms on greased baking sheet and fill evenly with the stuffing mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Source: Me!

Second Course, The Salad:

Spinach, Strawberry, & Hearts of Palm Salad

Recipe for 12 servings - cut down for servings needed

1/3 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and torn into pieces
1 can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1 cup chopped walnuts

For the dressing, combine the vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a small non-reactive saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature. When cooled, whisk in the oil, onion, poppy seeds, dry mustard and paprika until thoroughly combined. Set dressing aside. In a salad bowl, combine the spinach, hearts of palm, strawberries, and walnuts. When ready to serve, add some of the dressing, and toss gently. Serve the remaining dressing alongside the salad so diners may add more, if desired.

Source: Paula Deen


Third Course, The Pasta:

Chicken-In-Love Pasta

Makes 2 very large portions

4 oz. linguine, uncooked
1 large chicken breast, cut into thin slices
1 14.5 oz can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup reduced fat cream cheese
1-1/2 cups baby spinach
½ of a medium onion
½ tsp minced garlic clove

Cook pasta as directed. Meahwhile, saute chicken, onions and garlic in a large skillet. After the chicken is cooked, add the canned tomatoes, cream cheese, and spinach. Simmer until sauces is thouroughly combined. Toss with pasta.

Source: Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Fourth course, The Dessert:

Carrot Cake for Two

Go to your local grocery store bakery. Buy two pieces of carrot cake. Now wasn't that easy?

And if you are lucky, it will all pay off in the end:

Fun blogs = Fun Recipes

My sister-in-law, Liz, got me hooked on reading the Confessions of a Pioneer Woman.
(www.thepioneerwoman.com) The writer has a great sense of humor, which I love.
Along with her entertaining blog on life, she also has a recipe page. I was very inspired by a recipe for Olive Cheese Bread, and it is great! (www.thepioneerwomancooks.com)



Olive Cheese Bread

1 regular can whole black (ripe) olives
1 6-oz jar pimiento-stuffed olives
2 green onions
¾ pound Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup real mayonnaise
1 stick butter, softened
1 loaf French bread

Roughly chop black and green olives. Slice green onions and give them a rough chop. Combine
green onions and olives with the softened butter, ½ cup mayonnaise, and grated Monterey jack
cheese. Mix thoroughly. Slice French bread in half lengthwise, then spread mixture evenly over
the halves.
Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until thoroughly melted and starting to turn light brown
and bubbly.