As Halloween is rapidly approaching, I have had the urge to get in the kitchen to make festive treats! As I was flipping through the October issue of Food and Wine, I came across a spread on Halloween goodies. There were quite a few recipes that looked great to me, cute ghostie cake pops, little chocolate mice, but noooo, I just had to pick these creepy-ass witch fingers. I don’t know why these looked so appealing to me, but I think it was because of the word “cheddar”. Yeah, I think it was the cheese. These may not look cute, but believe me when I say they are tasty and super addicting!
These go over really well at parties and whenever I bring them, everyone always gobbles them right up and then asks for the recipe! The great thing about this recipe too is even though they are shaped into creepy witch fingers, you could easily form them into a different shape and make them any time of the year! These kind of remind me of a Cheezit, but they have a softer texture so they are like a soft biscuit-like cracker.
Yield: 2-3 dozen fingers
Spicy Cheddar Witch Fingers
A spooky and delicious savory treat that adults and kids can enjoy!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 pound extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup flour
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
sliced almonds (about 1/3 cup)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Grate the cheese in a food processor. Add the butter, salt, and cayenne pepper and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour and pulse until the flour is well-combined. Remove the dough and knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until smooth.
Divide the dough into approximately 24-36 pieces (I only got 2 dozen out of this recipe because I made my fingers a little larger I think). Roll each piece into a 4-inch finger. Arrange the fingers on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a butter knife, make small lines in each finger to resemble the knuckles. Brush each finger with the egg wash. Place an almond at the tip of each nail to look like a finger nail. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
If using separate pans, bake fingers on top and lower thirds of the oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Rotate the pans halfway through.
Yesterday was a bad day at work. I lost some of my data I had been working on and I can’t get it back so now I have to re-do some of my work! Wahhhhhhh!! Why do computers have to be so darn complicated?! After having a bad day at work, I was really looking forward to coming home to this caramel apple crisp. I’ve been so into using pumpkin in my recipes lately that I realized I forgot one of my other favorite fall ingredients, apples! I wanted to make a good dessert this week, but without all the sugar. This apple crisp was so easy to throw together and it tasted really good for a sugar-free dessert! If you don’t mind the sugar, you could just swap out the Splenda for regular sugar. There is nothing better than apples baking away in the oven!
Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Crisp
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Apple Filling:
– 6 apples (I used McIntosh), peeled and sliced into small slices or cubes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add diced apples to a bowl. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, splenda, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well. Add mixture into a small baking dish. Evenly distribute the small butter cubes around the dish. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, and splenda. Add melted butter and stir well into the mixture. If mixture still seems really dry and powdery, you may want to add some additional butter. Sprinkle the flour and oat mixture evenly over the apples. Drizzle with the caramel topping on top. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the topping has browned and apple mixture begins to slightly bubble over the topping. Serve with ice cream and additional caramel!
I’ve been on a total soup kick lately. I guess it’s the change in season, but really, I love soups year ’round. I hope you all aren’t getting sick of soup recipes because I’m gonna keep it going! I love soup because the possibilities for recipes are endless! I’ve actually never cooked with butternut squash until now (I know, for shame!!). I really didn’t know what I was doing with this soup, but it turned out really good. Since I made this on the fly and didn’t have a pumpkin handy, I used canned pumpkin, but you can roast your own pumpkin along with the squash if you wanted to. This soup is thick and filling, but without all the calories! I froze it in individual containers so I can take some to work every day this week!
Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash
– 1 can pumpkin puree
– 4 cups (2 cans) chicken broth
– 1/2 cup chopped onion
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for roasting)
– 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
– 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
– 1/2 tsp. cayenne (add more for more heat if you prefer)
– salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel squash and remove seeds. Chop into smaller pieces. Add squash onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you want, you can also sprinkle some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves on top (I did, and it was yummy!). Roast squash for approximately 20-25 minutes or until tender.
2. In a food processor or blender (remove the top part of the lid if using a blender), puree the roasted butternut squash with the chicken broth. Add pumpkin and mix until well combined.
2. In a large pot, heat 2 tbs. of extra virgin olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add squash and pumpkin mixture. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer soup for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes:
– I like this soup to be on the thicker side. If you don’t want it to be as thick, add additional broth, water, or even some milk.
– If you would prefer this soup to not have a sweet taste to it, omit cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
Last night was a hot cocoa kind of night. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any more Swiss Miss. What I did have though, was a huge bag of chocolate chips. Time to make our own cocoa! I’ve seen recipes in the past for red velvet hot chocolate and I personally love love LOVE red velvet anything so I decided to give it a try! This hot chocolate definitely hit the spot! It was pretty rich so a small cup was all I needed! I didn’t feel the need to add any sugar to this, but you can sweeten it however you please and can use any kind of milk.
Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
Serves 2
Ingredients:
– 2 cups milk
– 1/4 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
– 1 tsp. red food coloring (add more for deeper red color)
– Optional: sugar to taste, marshmallows, whipped cream
Directions:
1. Heat milk on medium heat in a sauce pan. Whisk in sugar. Add chocolate chips and continue whisking until chocolate is completely melted. Add food coloring. Serve hot cocoa with whipped cream or marshmallows!
As I was cleaning some things in my kitchen last week, I came to the realization that I have a bunch of cookbooks that I have only made maybe one or two recipes out of. Seems like kind of a waste, don’t you think?!! It’s time to pull those suckers out and try some new recipes! One of the things I don’t like about some cookbooks is that they don’t have pictures of the recipes. I really hate that. You know what they say, we eat with our eyes first! Unfortunately for me, a few of the books I have don’t really have any pictures, but that doesn’t mean the recipes aren’t any good! I saw this recipe in one of my Rachael Ray cookbooks and though there wasn’t a picture, it sounded like it would be pretty good so I decided to give it a try last night with a few changes. I’m glad I did because it was really tasty!
Tuscan-Style Rosemary Chicken
Adapted from Rachael Ray
Serves 4
Ingredients:
– 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
– salt and pepper to taste
– 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
– 2 garlic cloves, crushed
– 1 tbs. white wine vinegar
– 1 tbs. butter
– 1 shallot, chopped
– 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped
– 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
– 1/2 cup white wine
– 1 cup beef broth
Directions:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add extra virgin olive oil to pan and the garlic cloves. Heat for 30 seconds. Brown chicken 2-3 minutes on each side and remove from pan.
2. Add vinegar to the pan and allow for it to cook off. Add the butter, shallots, and rosemary to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Whisk in the wine and reduce for 1 minute. Whisk in the beef broth and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 7-8 minutes to allow the chicken to cook thoroughly.
If you saw my post yesterday for my Chicken Tortellini Soup, you may have been wondering what that bready goodness was in the background of the picture. Well, they were Cheddar Bay Biscuits! Aside from grilled cheese, what is better than a nice, warm biscuit to eat with your soup?! Today, I bring you another wonderful recipe from my bridal shower recipe book. This recipe comes from my friend, Meghann. It’s been many, many years since I have last been to a Red Lobster, but I think most people would agree when I say the best part of Red Lobster are their biscuits. And though it’s been a while since I last had one, I will always remember how those biscuits taste and these are very similar!!
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Makes 10-12 biscuits
Ingredients:
– 2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix
– 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
– 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
– 2/3 cup milk
– 2 tbs. butter
– 2 tsp. chopped parsley
– 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together buttermilk biscuit mix, milk, 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder, and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Drop into balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt 2 tbs. of butter and mix in parsley and garlic salt. Brush mixture onto each biscuit and bake for an additional 6 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
Welcome to Eat. Drink. Love.! My name is Stephanie. Here you will find healthy and easy recipes with a few indulgences thrown in for good measure! Why the name Eat. Drink. Love.? Well, I think this is what life is all about!
