recipe – Page 3

Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms have always been a favorite in my family. I love the chewy peanut butter cookie mixed with the perfect amount of chocolate on top, delicious! I’ve always whipped up a batch of these cookies during the holidays to give to family members and friends in a tasty gift bag filled with other Christmas goodies!

I decided, why not change it up a bit for Christmas? Why not decorate them and make them festive! Using the same Peanut Butter Blossom recipe, I decided to add Candy Cane Kisses, green icing to make the swirl and of course, Christmas sprinkles! I turned an old time favorite into a bright and festive upgrade!

These taste great with the candy cane kisses, you could use regular kisses, or any kisses you perfect and still make them festive as well!

This recipe is very easy and very fun to decorate, get the kids involved! My kids enjoyed helping me decorate these cookies! Follow the recipe below and whip up a batch for the holidays this year, you won’t be disappointed!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:184]

Snowball Cookies Recipe

Snowball Cookies

Holidays in my house always means extra baking, whether it’s for family and friends or for us to just indulge in. I’ve found so many fun and easy cookie recipes for the Holidays and seem to bake up something new each and every year. I’ve started a tradition for other family members and friends for Holiday gifts and that’s baking up goodie bags filled with Holiday sweets and treats. It’s turned out to be a big hit and now everyone expects that bag of treats each and every year! My kids love to partake in this as well and help out in the kitchen!

When you have that many treats to bake in a short amount of time, it can get pretty stressful, so I love to try and find easy recipes that don’t require too many ingredients, or ingredients I already have at hand in my home. I found this super easy snowball cookie recipe and luckily I had everything already and this didn’t leave me taking a trip to the grocery store to grab the ingredients! This is a really fun and tasty recipe and my kids loved to help (and help eat them)!

Check out the recipe below for a fun, festive and simple Holiday cookie recipe to add to your baking list this year!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:176]

How to Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey

It’s that time of year again, and I feel my mission in life is to spread the word about brining your turkey. Do you brine? Are you asking yourself what in the world “brining a turkey” is anyway? Brining is simply soaking the turkey – marinating if you will – in a salty solution before you cook it. It’s suggested that you soak the turkey in brine 12-24 hours, so you’ll need to plan ahead. Don’t worry, this won’t make it taste salty, and for goodness sakes, don’t TASTE the brine! It’s to soak the turkey in, not eat. 😉

Why brine? Someone on my local Freecycle cafe told me about brining a few years ago. I decided to try it, and let me say this as eloquently as possible: “Once you Brine, you’ll NEVER go back!” The salt solution breaks down the turkey’s molecular structure, acting as an extreme meat tenderizer. I’ve never had a more moist, tasty and tender turkey. It is really amazing!

While you’re in planning mode, check out Butterball’s conversion charts which include:

*** And don’t miss all our fantastic Thanksgiving (and other) recipes at GimmieRecipes.com

Gimmie’s Brine Recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey

What you’ll need:

A day. It’s suggested that you soak the turkey in brine 1 hour per pound* before cooking. You’ll want to brine a non-frozen turkey. If you can buy it that way, all the better since frozen turkeys are often treated with a salt solution.
Brining container. They sell brining bags [amazon.com] [Bed Bath & Beyond] [Williams Sonoma]. Technically, you can use any large food-grade bag (they don’t recommend trash bags, especially those that are scented or treated with chemicals). Or, use a tub, a bucket, a large pot, even a cooler – something that will house your turkey and the liquid brine, AND fit inside your refrigerator. I got mine at my local crash n dent store for $1!
Room in the fridge. Refrigerator space is prime real estate the day before Thanksgiving, so plan ahead that you’ll need to soak your bird in a cool spot for a day ahead. Some use a cooler and pack it with ice. If you’re in a cold weather state, you may be able to keep it outdoors as long as it’s contained inside something critters can’t get to it.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups kosher salt
2 cups sugar (white or brown)
2 gallons water (orange juice or apple cider can be substituted for some of the water)
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup of dried herbs and spices (whatever you like: sage, oregano, thyme, basil, cloves, cinnamon, etc.)
Orange peels or slices (and/or lemon peels or slices)
1 Tablespoon cracked black peppercorn
lemon or orange slices
crushed garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS

In large stockpot over high heat, combine half the water, salt, sugar and optional herbs/spices. Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved but don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
Put turkey in brining bag or container of choice, breast side down, cover turkey with cooled brine and add the rest of the water/juice/cider and orange or lemon slices or peels. You can add ice to cool it down more. Then seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Keep turkey at 40 degrees Farenheit with either ice or by refrigerating for one hour per pound.* Don’t over brine or your turkey will be salty.
Remove from brine, scoop out herbs, spices and peels and spread on skin. Brush turkey with oil or melted butter and cook as desired (roasted, smoked, baked, etc.) until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Farenheit. Remaining brine can be discarded.
Roast as you usually would

* Brine for one hour per pound. e.g. a 15 pound bird will soak in brine for 15 hours before cooking.

TIPS: You can store a brined turkey for up to a day before cooking it. Don’t leave it in the brine longer than 1 hour per pound.

An alternative to making your own brine is using a prepackaged brine (which includes a brining bag!), such as Fire & Flavor, which I’m trying out for the first time this year. Check out their how-to video!

Homemade Tomato Juice ~ Tomat-o-lio Recipe

New word of the day: o•li•o [pronounced: oh-lee-oh]
1. A dish of many ingredients.

If you’re a gardener or just love the Farmer’s Market, and find yourself with a big pile of tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. that you need to use up asap – make your own homemade tomato juice! The thing that’s great about this recipe is that you can do the basic recipe, and toss in whatever other veggies you have on hand. Set it up at night before you go to bed, and by morning time, you’ll have some awesome juice!

Like it? Pin it or REPIN it!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:86]

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I don’t know about you, but when fall comes I get REALLY excited (probably a little TOO excited) about all the pumpkin spice flavored goodies they come out with! When I hit the grocery store I end up with all sorts of pumpkin spice flavored items and my husband always makes fun of me when I do it.

I really enjoy making things at home and following recipes so I decided to hunt for some “homemade” pumpkin treats I can make at home. I came across this super easy Pumpkin Spice Cookie recipe a few years ago and I gave it my own little personal twist as well.

These cookies are made with a cake mix so they turn out nice and moist and have a cake-like texture instead of a cookie texture. I pair these cookies with a whipped cream cheese frosting on top and sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice for an added pumpkin flavor and garnish! These are always a huge hit in my home, I’ve even made these on Thanksgiving as a treat last year!

If you are looking for something to satisfy your pumpkin craving and you want something super easy, just follow this easy recipe below! Let us know if you try these out and how you like them!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:166]

Scary Eye Deviled Egg Halloween Appetizers

Looking for a unique appetizer for your Halloween party? “LOOK” no further! These Scary Eye Deviled Egg Halloween Appetizers are a great alternative to candy! They’re inexpensive, easy to make and taste great too!

When determining how many you’ll want to prepare, remember that you’ll get two of these creepy “eyes” from each egg. I used 12 eggs; you can adjust the eye filling recipe if you use more or less.

Cost breakdown: This recipe calls for a dozen eggs (you can use less), which I got on sale for $1.50. I had the food coloring, and only used a few drops. I also bought an avocado for $1, but had the mayo, lemon juice and horseradish & hot sauce (which are optional anyway). I had a can of black olives, and you only use a few, so that cost is also negligible. So in total I got 24 Scary Eye Deviled Eggs for approx. $2.60! That means they cost about 10 cents each! This is literally like Martha Stewart on a dime! lol!

How to assemble your Scary Eye Deviled Egg Halloween Appetizers:

Hard boil desired amount of eggs. For easy instructions on how to make THE PERFECT hardboiled egg, click here.
Let eggs cool and peel off the shells
Cut each egg in half, being careful to not break or tear the egg white
TIP: don’t use a serrated knife because it leaves marks on the eggs…found that out the hard way!
Scoop the cooked egg yolk into a medium sized bowl and set aside
Optionally, make light scratches on the cut surface of the egg to make it look creepier.
Now it’s time to “stain” the cooked egg whites. In a large glass, add 1 cup of water (enough to cover the half egg white) and add food coloring of your choice (I used green & purple together). Start by adding a few drops at a time, experiment to get the color you like best. You can make up different colors in more glasses and add colors to existing glasses to change it up.
Use a spoon to drop each egg white half into the colored water mixture, and let soak. Check it every few seconds and use a fork to remove when it becomes a color you like. Place the egg on a plate. If your egg gets too dark, you can rinse it off with water.
GREEN EYE FILLING: Now, mix the cooked egg yolks (I used 12 eggs, if you use more or less adjust recipe accordingly) with 1 avocado, peeled and pitted. Add 2 tsp. lemon juice, 1/4 cup light mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. horseradish sauce (optional). Optionally, add green food coloring to get desired color. I used a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste.
EASIER METHOD: you can just stain the cooked yolks green with food coloring
A more precise way to get the filling into the eggs is to use a zip lock bag. Fill the bag with the green mixture, snip a small corner off, and squeeze the mixture into each egg.
EASIER METHOD: scoop smooth egg yolks into the whites with a spoon
Fill each of the eggs generously with the green mixture.
Once the eggs are filled, you can strategically place one black olive slice on top to make it look like an eye.
Last, if you like hot sauce, you can make these into bloody eyes for an even scarier effect!

Another fun (and super easy) idea: let your kids draw cute and scary faces on the extra hard boiled eggs!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:96]

Watermelon Brain Recipe + Halloween Food Recipes Cookbook

Check out how to make this awesome watermelon brain! Impress your Halloween Party guests with this creepy food favorite.

Free Book: Halloween Food (Instructables Halloween) [Kindle Edition]

In this free ebook: Trick out the treats for your next gathering of ghouls with these 20 Halloween food projects.

These desserts, snacks, and drinks will appeal to people who want something cute and seasonal. And it will also appeal to the folks who respect the culinary adventurousness of Hannibal Lecter and the Donner party, but aren’t willing to fully commit to the requisite lifestyle change to jump in whole hog (or long pig in this case.)

Read on to find the perfect treat for your Halloween gathering.

Like it? PIN IT on Pinterest!

There are hundreds of free books on Amazon!! Check out the Kindle Store Bestsellers.

Find the Top 100 FREE Kindle eBooks (click here)

You can read Free Kindle eBooks on any device! Click link above to get your free book. And, you can read it anywhere.You don’t even need a Kindle! You can get the FREE Kindle e-reader software (click here) for every major device and computer available.

Guilt-Free Baked Apple Recipe in Microwave #diet

As a kid growing up on a farm with some of the best apple trees known to man, every fall we got creative with things to make with apples. After the first hard freeze, the apples are ready. They don’t last forever, so typically October through December were big apple treat months for my family. Now that we’ve moved back “home” to the Midwest, we live just a few miles from the apple trees… er, I mean my parents’ farm. (The truth about why I moved home finally comes out!) I’m home for apple season!

One of my all-time favorite apple recipes is baked apples. Mom used to core them, pack them with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon and bake them for a few minutes in the microwave. It is a quick and easy treat, that’s sure to please any sweet tooth.

“But, I’m on a diet!” she cried. Yes, the sad reality is, those baked apples mom used to make do not fit on any diet. Sure, you could enjoy an occasional indulgence. But there are THREE trees worth of apples here. You know when you see a full display of every kind of apple at a big grocery store? We have probably twice that many. So, stuffing them full of sugar, butter and whatnot is just not working out long-term.

I’m happy to report I’ve found the best of BOTH worlds. Guilt-Free Baked Apples ~ they’re as yummy as I remember mom’s apples (really!) but there’s virtually nothing BAD in there! So, enjoy and share with family. You don’t even have to tell them it’s super healthy!

Like This? Pin it or REPIN IT!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:119]

Easy Broken Glass Cupcakes for Halloween

Nothing says Halloween like blood, spiders, and sweets! If you’re looking to make something easy (and inexpensive) but creepy this Halloween, make these broken glass cupcakes. I promise the “hardest” part of all of this is making the edible broken glass, but if you follow the instructions closely, you should have no problems.

Here’s what you’ll need… your favorite red velvet cake mix, ingredients to prepare the cake mix, your favorite white frosting (I used cream cheese), corn syrup, sugar, water, red food coloring, non-stick cooking/baking spray, and foil paper. A couple of optional things you’ll need are cupcake liners and a candy thermometer.

The first thing you want to do is line a baking sheet with foil paper and then spray it with non-stick cooking/baking spray. This will be for your glass. At this time you can also preheat your oven to 350 or whatever the instructions on your cake mix says.

Now gather your ingredients for the glass. You’ll need 1 cup of corn syrup, 2 cups of water, and 3 1/2 cups of white sugar. If you want clear glass instead of glass with a yellow-ish tint, make sure to use the lightest corn syrup you can find. OPTIONAL: If you want your glass candy to have a little flavor, you can use some sort of clear flavoring extract and add it in once your candy reaches 300 degrees.

Now combine all of the ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once the candy reaches a boil, lower the heat a little and continue to cook it until it reaches 300 degrees.

If you do not have a candy thermometer, here’s an illustrated guide on using the cold water method to test the temperature of candy. It will take up to 30 minutes to reach 300 degrees. Once it does, immediately pour it on the cookie sheet your lined with foil paper and make sure it spreads evenly. Let it cool until it hardens.

While the candy cools, start on your cupcakes. My cake mix calls for vegetable oil, water, and eggs but I used butter, milk, and eggs 🙂

Now just prepare the cake mix according to the instructions that it came with.

When they’re done, let them cool. At this point, your glass candy should be done. Take a hammer (or use the handle of a spatula like I did) and break the glass into shards).

Everything is now ready and you can begin decorating your cupcakes. Get your favorite white frosting (I used cream cheese frosting. It’s not totally white but it did the trick) and frost your cupcakes. It definitely doesn’t have to be neat and pretty.

Now get your red food coloring and pour a couple of drops on your cupcakes.

Grab some of your edible glass and shove them into the top of your cupcakes.

And that’s it! You can now enjoy your broken glass cupcakes.

Happy Halloween!!!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:160]

Halloween FeetLoaf ~ Best Meatloaf Recipe with a Gory Twist

My mom makes the BEST meatloaf I’ve ever had. Turns out, she uses the Heinz Ketchup recipe, and it’s pretty easy to make! I was so glad when she shared her secret, because that meant I could make it too!

And now YOU can make it yourself at home. Try this meatloaf for everyday meals or make it for Halloween with this gory twist in presentation: the Halloween FeetLoaf! Your trick-or-treat party will be complete with this scary main dish!

Like it? RePIN it on Pinterest!

Again, the recipe below is tried and true but if you have a different recipe for meatloaf, that’ll work too!

To create Halloween FeetLoaf, prepare your meatloaf and shape into two “feet” on a baking pan. Cut onions for toenails and ankles and then drizzle the piquant sauce (the extra red sauce for top) on top of ankles to make them look severed. It’s delightfully disgusting!! And, so yummy!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:159]

Original Heinz Meatloaf recipe

Photo credit: Pinterest