HalloWonderful Week (Link Party and Giveaway!)

Time to get your Jack-o-lantern on!  Carrie at Frugal Foodie Mama is hosting a fabulous party this week - head over to join the link party.  You'll find tons of great Halloween inspiration.  And you'll get to see some ghost...  I mean guest bloggers with some spooktakular ideas for you.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

*This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  All entries for the winner will be checked and verified, so please make sure you are doing what you are claiming in the Rafflecopter or all your entries will be voided.  No funny business, folks. ;). By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. Number of entries received determines the odds of winning. One winner will be selected. The winner will be notified via the email they provide, and will have 48 hours to reply to the email.  If the winner does not reply back within the 48 hours, they forfeit the prize and a new winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter.  This is a giveaway sponsored as a group buy, which means the bloggers pooled their money together to purchase this product for you.  Target & Walmart is not sponsors of this giveaway.  The gift card prize will be sent via email directly from Carrie of Frugal Foodie Mama.  Entries must come from your MAIN social media accounts, not accounts that have been set up separately just for entering giveaways.  Entries from these types of accounts will be disqualified.  Protected tweets do not count as an entry method for tweeting. Tweets must come from a public account. Bloggers in this group giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Please see the Rafflecopter widget below for additional Terms & Conditions.  Good luck, all! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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9 Fabulous Apple Desserts

With apple-picking in full swing right now, I wanted to share some of my favorite apple recipes with you.  From top to bottom, here they are:


Candy Apple Thumbprint Cookies - Buttery shortbread cookies, with moist apples and candy cinnamon topping.  One of these a day might be just what the doctor ordered!

Caramel Apple Compote -  Delicious fall flavor!  Beautiful enough to serve to company, but quick enough to make on a weeknight after work.  You can eat this plain or over vanilla ice cream. {Or see the Apple Cinnamon Shortcake below for a WOW! dessert!}

Cranberry Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake - Are you looking for an alternative to ho-hum pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving dinner this year?  Or perhaps a delicious dessert to bring to a holiday party?  You've just got to try this recipe for Cranberry-Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake!

Caramel Applesauce Ravioli - These have a wonderful flavor from the applesauce, crispy texture from the fried wonton topped with the decadence of caramel sauce.  Perfect!

Apple Cinnamon Jelly - Looking for something different to do with the apple juice you have left from your apple picking expedition?  Try making some Apple Cinnamon Jelly for your breakfast toast!

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings -  Mountain Dew?  On top of pastries?  Wow - really, really good!  And the recipe was really easy.


All American Pub Apple Pie - This pie has a wonderful complex flavor.  The apples are a great match for the bright citrus-y flavors in the Wheat Beer.  The crust has just the right amount of bitterness from the Stout with just a hint of cheddar cheese {which every piece of apple pie needs}.  And caramel sauce.  Holy cow - so good.  It tastes like beer, but not.  And all of it, together, is an amazing blend of flavors!

Caramel Apple Tartlettes - This dessert is elegant and delicious.  And so easy.  That can be our secret.  Well, ours and the internet.

Apple Cinnamon Shortcake - Are you craving the flavors of autumn, but not entirely ready to give up summer?  Why not try this combination of apple pie and strawberry shortcake?!

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Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

Pumpkin makes a great ingredient for both sweet and savory dishes.  I love using it for this pasta sauce - the pumpkin puree is smooth and creamy, and each bite has a hint of a savory pumpkin pie.  Delicious!

Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried sage or 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound mostaciolli (or other pasta of your choice)

Directions:

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and brown the ground turkey.  Add the onion and bell pepper. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Add oregano, sage, and chicken stock.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add white wine vinegar and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble.

Stir in the evaporated milk. Season the sauce with the pumpkin pie spice, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute.

Garnish the pasta with a sprig of oregano and serve with whole grain bread.

This is a beautiful and quick dinner - with lots of vegetables too!  {I made a vegetarian version - I eliminated the meat from the sauce and added squash that I had sauteed in butter at the end.  Also very good!}

Have you ever used pumpkin for a savory dish?

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Tuesday's Table for October 15, 2013 - And a *Giveaway*!!

<center> <a href="http://zentmrs.blogspot.com/p/tuesdays-table.html" target="new"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_v75srsCQV_KCkh-PdU51jywq62t3RKYSLT3k1hatjAsRKSJF5FMG0yQ5aGanF6fOFzmPxEIaC-yr6W_WmNE88UaA-CsiixlvHwSf8vbR45UgapWXbQN9TgpK15hqc3xmEb0Hw/s1600/TuesdaysTable150x150-horiz+peppers.gif" /></a></center>


Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week.  For this week, I chose Gluten Free A-Z's Butternut Rosemary Soup as my feature.  This looks tasty and soul-satisfying.  You won't believe that is is also good for you!  You need to head over and see this recipe.!

Please grab a button  - and thanks so much for sharing!

We also had a giveaway last week.  Picked randomly, the winner is <drumroll>

#5-Lamberts Lately!</drumroll>  Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.

Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

Halloween Tombstone & Witch Cauldron Salt & Pepper Shaker Set

To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:

• Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before
• Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun
• Follow me via Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, RSS or Bloglovin (see my sidebar!)

No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to sign up for my email reminder here!

And now, for this week's link party!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Pumpkin Pie Scotchies

I have always loved butterscotch chips.  Even more than chocolate chips I think.  And cookies have been a part of my life forever, and I am pretty sure they always will be.  This weekend caught me in a pumpkin kind of a mood, so I decided to mix all of those together and this is what happened:

Pumpkin Pie Scotchies

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix {I used a Halloween Funfettti mix!}
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 bag butterscotch chips

Directions:

Using a stand mixer, mix the butter, cake mix pumpkin pie spice together.

Add the egg and pumpkin puree and mix until blended.  Add the butterscotch chips and mix until blended.

Drop by spoonful onto silpat-lined cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 F for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown.

Cake mix cookies are so easy and delicious.  The pumpkin puree makes these so tender (take care when removing these from the cookie sheet - they are very delicate when hot!) and the flavor of pumpkin pie shines right through.  The butterscotch chips make these cookies just heavenly.

Add these to your fall baking list.  You might want to bake a double-batch - they won't last long!

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Peppers Stuffed with Chicken, Couscous and Corn

Now that it has cooled down enough to use the oven, I'm ready to make one of my favorite quick dinners - stuffed peppers.

I like to use chicken in mine, and with the filling pre-cooked, you can have this ready in about 30 minutes.  You can even stuff the peppers up to a day before and just pop them in the oven.  Add 10 minutes to the cooking time if you pull the from the refrigerator.



Peppers Stuffed with Chicken, Couscous and Corn


Ingredients:
4 large bell peppers, yellow or orange
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 pound cooked chicken chicken, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup cooked couscous
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 ounces light cream cheese
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cut thin slice from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes; rinse peppers. If necessary, cut thin slice from bottom of each pepper so they stand up straight. Set the peppers upright in an 8 inch square baking dish, and microwave for 2 minutes, until just softened.

Mix the red bell pepper, chicken, onion, couscous, salt, garlic, cream cheese and corn in a bowl.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Stuff peppers with chicken mixture. Stand peppers upright in ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake 10 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake about 10 minutes longer or until peppers are tender and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings

I love the sweet yellow pepper and lightness of the couscous in the creamy filling.  It tastes a bit decadent but is in fact quite healthy.
 

This is a lovely twist on an old classic!

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Great Recipes for Your Tailgate

Since we are in the heart of tailgate season, I thought I would share some of my favorite tailgating recipes.

From top to bottom, here are the recipes:

Grilled Monte Zuma Sandwiches - Breakfast on the grill?  I thought of French toast.  Brunch on the grill?  Grilled cheese sandwiches.  What do you get when you combine French Toast and grilled cheese sandwiches?  Monte Cristo sandwiches on the grill of course.

Turkey and Sage Sausage - Nothing better than a good sausage on the grill for a tailgate.

Tailgate Pepper Fajitas -  The Mr came up with this idea of having fajitas with grilled peppers in place of tortillas.  It turns out, it is delicious!

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas - Crispy crust, melty cheese, pepperoni bites and tasty sauce make this perfect for a quick pizza fix. Make these on the grill (using aluminum foil instead of a skillet) for a fantastic tailgate treat!

Tailgate Beef and Bacon Kebabs - I like these kebabs for tailgating.  They are already portioned, so no cutting, and more or less silverware free.  And the flavors of the marinated beef with the sweet balsamic vinegar combined with the smoky bacon?  Delicious!

Chicken Spiedies - This is a great recipe for tailgating as you can prepare almost everything ahead of time - a few minutes on the grill is all you need to have dinner ready!

Chicken Kebabs with Fresh Peach Salsa - This was a great tasting dinner.  The sweet and spicy mixture of the salsa was wonderful - I could eat that alone!

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Mini Soft Pretzels for Oktoberfest

I love soft pretzels.  And since it is October.... and Oktoberfests everywhere are serving pretzels, I figured it was time to get some onto our table.  I made them small {miniature} for easier portion control.  Which doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't have a second {or third} mini soft pretzel....



Mini Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1 package dry active yeast 
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus a pinch or two more 
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted and divided 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups very hot water 
• 2 tablespoons baking soda 
• Nonstick spray 
• Coarse sea salt

Directions:

In a large, non-reactive bowl, heat the milk in the microwave until lukewarm, about 110 degrees.  Add the yeast, stir, and let it activate, about 3 minutes.




Next add the confectioners’ sugar and 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir to combine.

Sift together the salt, bread flour, and all-purpose flour. Add to the yeast mixture and knead for about 8-10 minutes, using either the hook attachment of a stand mixer or your hands.  Add the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, moist environment until double in size, about 1 hour.



After the dough has risen, divide it into 24 equal portions.  {If you want larger pretzels, divide into 12 equal portions.}

Roll each portion out into a long, thin rope, and twist into pretzel shapes.  {This is easier if you roll your ropes such that the ends have a thinner diameter than the middle of the ropes.}

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.

Dissolve the baking soda into the very hot water and lightly oil 2 silpat covered baking sheets.  Take each pretzel and dip it into the baking soda-water bath and then place, seam side down, onto the oiled baking sheets, about 12 to each sheet.

Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt and bake in the oven until golden brown and puffy, about 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking.

While the pretzels are baking ,melt the last 4 tablespoons of butter. Add a pinch or 2 of the confectioners' sugar to the butter and stir. Dip the salted side of each pretzel into the butter when they're done baking and serve.

These are soft, chewy, buttery and salty.  Serve them warm or cold {though in our house they never last long enough to get very cool!}.  You'll get rave reviews!

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Tuesday's Table for October 8, 2013 - And a *Giveaway*!!

<center> <a href="http://zentmrs.blogspot.com/p/tuesdays-table.html" target="new"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_v75srsCQV_KCkh-PdU51jywq62t3RKYSLT3k1hatjAsRKSJF5FMG0yQ5aGanF6fOFzmPxEIaC-yr6W_WmNE88UaA-CsiixlvHwSf8vbR45UgapWXbQN9TgpK15hqc3xmEb0Hw/s1600/TuesdaysTable150x150-horiz+peppers.gif" /></a></center>


Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week.  For this week, I chose Laberts Lately's Baked Brie Pillows as my feature.  This is a perfect recipe for guests - I need to have these ingredients on hand!  You need to head over and see this recipe.!

Please grab a button  - and thanks so much for sharing!



We also had a giveaway last week.  Picked randomly, the winner is <drumroll>

#17-Scarlett at Scarlett's Excellent Adventures!</drumroll>  Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.

Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

Gingerdead Cookie Cutter and Stamp

To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:

• Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
• Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
• Follow me via Google+ or Bloglovin.

No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to sign up for my email reminder here!

And now, for this week's link party!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Baked Chocolate Donuts

I've always been a sucker for cake donuts.  Soft, with a bit of a crispy crust and tender cake-like inside.  Irresistible!

But I hardly ever fry anything.  And I don't eat fried food that often either.  So when I saw pans for baked donuts I figured my donut craving could be satisfied, guilt-free!

Baked Chocolate Donuts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a medium mixing bowl.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.

Spoon into a greased donut pan.

Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops spring back when you touch them.

If you want to frost the donuts, let them cool in the pan before frosting.  I mixed some leftover chocolate cake frosting with a bit of milk to thin.  Then I glazed and added some sprinkles!  {Sometimes you just need sprinkles.}

I brought these to work, and in the time I went to get my camera..... this was all that was left.

And I had to nearly pry that last donut from someone's hand to get this shot.

That seems like a pretty strong recommendation for these tasty treats!

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