Halloween Edible Eyeballs

Fall is my favorite time of year... the leaves are changing to beautiful colors, the air is crisp, and the family is spending more time inside! Which means it is a great time to try new recipes and maybe even have the family help! This one was one I just couldn't pass up, edible eyeballs.... right at Halloween time. When I received this recipe, and realized that they are peanut butter balls, It made it that much more yummy sounding! I have a feeling these may become a new family tradition!






INGREDIENTS:

Edible Eye Balls with Tootsie Roll eyebrows,
Peanut Butter Kiss nose, and wax lips!

• 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 
• 1/2 cup butter, softened 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar 
• 24 ounces white candy coating, chopped 
• 2 TBS shortening 
• 20 blue milk chocolate M&M's 
• 20 brown milk chocolate M&M's
• 20 green milk chocolate M&M's 
• Red decorating gel

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, cream peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Shape into 1-in. balls. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt half of the candy coating and half of the shortening; stir until smooth. Dip peanut butter balls into coating (I used toothpicks to help make this a little less messy!); allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. Place M&M's, plain side up, on top. Let stand until set. Use red gel to create "bloodshot" eyes.

I recommend taking the balls out of the refrigerator maybe 10 at a time, they tend to fall apart while you are trying to dip them in the candy coating if they aren't cold enough... I learned this the hard way! Also recommend melting half of the candy coating because it tends to get a little unmanageable, the original recipe only called for one bag of candy coating, but I bought 2 thankfully because I nearly used both bags! So while melting the second bag I did it in portions.

Mine made about 60 pieces

Baking Partners: Pumpkin Cupcakes

O.k, so I have joined a baking group that sends out monthly challenges. This month the challenge was to make either cupcakes or muffins using pumpkin…. Well as soon as I read that, I typed pumpkin cupcakes into Google, found this recipe and checked to see if we had the ingredients. We did… kind of! I had store-bought cream cheese frosting and no bricks of cream cheese, so I just made these even more simple and used that! My family looked at me like I was crazy, but after they were done; they all had one and really seemed to enjoy them! Looks like this baking group is going to be a hit in this house!

(great idea to get all ingredients out before you start mixing everything just in-case you are missing an ingredient!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 18.5-ounce box yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1  15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2  8 oz. bars cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 24 pieces candy corn

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350’

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; prepare the cake mix as directed but with the following change: Add the pumpkin pie spice and substitute the can of pumpkin puree for the water called for in the package directions.

Sure looks like pumpkin, & it smells soooooo delicious!

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Spread on the cupcakes and top each with a piece of candy corn. (Or you can cheat as I did and use a tub of cream cheese frosting; I just added a little orange gel food coloring to make it pumpkinier and used various sprinkles I had in the cupboard to make them festive!)

(final product along with 2 of the boys enjoying them!)

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All enthusiastic bloggers interested in baking are welcome, please email Swathi Iyer at favoriterecipes12@gmail.com, or click the little icon over on the right side of my blog!

Doughnut Glaze

Personally I am a glazed doughnut girl, don't get me wrong, I can eat cinnamon and sugar coated ones along with ones with icing on them, but I can eat glazed ones until my tummy hurts! So when I find all of these amazing recipes for homemade doughnuts and they all suggest doing the cinnamon and sugar coating, it makes me long for a good glazed doughnut! So I went on a journey to find a good recipe to make in addition with those homemade doughnuts! Here it is!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (other users suggested using only 1/2 tsp of vanilla)
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm.
Sift confectioners' sugar into milk mixture. Whisk slowly, until well combined.
Remove the glaze from the heat and set over a bowl of warm water.
Dip doughnuts into the glaze, 1 at a time, and set on a draining rack placed in a half sheet pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Try this on our homemade doughnut muffins! Click here for the recipe!


(for the link to the site I originally fund this recipe, click here.)

Doughnut Muffins

Today has been a chilly and drizzly day. So I got in the mood to bake yet again! I found this recipe recently and have been dying to find a reason to make them! Well I today was that day.... homemade doughnuts to celebrate Fall!! They didn't quite turn out how I had hoped, but I have plans on making them again and making necessary changes to make them more enjoyable for us. Maybe even add some chocolate chips or just get up On a Sunday morning and having freshly made doughnuts ready for when everyone gets out of bed! They are quick and simple enough to make often! Hope you enjoy these as much as we are!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar (separated into 2- 1/2 cup portions)
1/2 cup margarine; melted (separated into 2- 1/4 cup portions) {i used an extra 1/4 cup for the dipping because I ran out}
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg {next time I will only use 1/4 tsp. Because the nutmeg was very overpowering}
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon









DIRECTIONS:


Preheat oven to 375'.
Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.
Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup margarine, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined.
Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.




Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. (I checked mine right at 15 minutes and they were perfectly done!
While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup of melted margarine in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in the melted margarine, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve. {I have a doughnut glaze recipe that I will try next time we make these}

Final result of the cinnamon and sugar coated doughnuts!

To get the recipe for our homemade doughnut glaze to try on these, click here.



(for the link to the site I originally found this recipe, click here.)

Roasted New Red Potatoes

So we got a huge bag of red potatoes one day, and I had no idea what to do with them, because I had honestly only ever had them once before. So I turned to Google and found this recipe and decided to give it a try. They were good, we just need to tweak the recipe next time we make this because the pepper really came thru and we aren't big pepper fans, but we will make this again and add our own twists to this recipe as I encourage you to do! (like garlic, onion salt, cheese or maybe even sprinkle the tops with bacon pieces!)

(no pictures of this one yet, sorry!) 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lbs. small red new potatoes, halved (I quartered mine)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt and pepper (I will cut back on pepper next time, it overpowered the potatoes)

DIRECTIONS:

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange, cut side down, on a large lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan.

Roast until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Transfer to a serving dish.

(for the link to the site I originally found this recipe, click here.)

Traditional Morgan Christmas Ham

One of my favorite things about Christmas is obviously spending time with my family, and buying gifts for those I love and care about... But it wouldn't be Christmas without my dad's Christmas ham!!! For years we hounded him for the recipe and begged to know what was in it.... Well a year or 2 he finally gave up the recipe, I have yet to attempt making it on my own just yet, but one day when we have our own place, I will make this for Christmas for my family as well! (And don't worry about left overs, everyone usually wants to take a plateful home with them!)

(No pictures as of right now, but maybe I can get one when we celebrate Christmas with Dad this year!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 23 lb. ham
• 2 lbs. brown sugar
• 47 oz. Pineapple juice
• 1 cup sweet vermouth
• Red and Green sugar sprinkles
• 2 jars of Maraschino Cherries (1 1/2 jars need to be chopped and juice saved for ham glaze)
• Whole Cloves
• 1 can of sliced pineapples

HAM GLAZE:

• Juice from the 2 jars of cherries
• 1 1/2 jars of maraschino cherries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground clove                                         
• 1/4 tsp. all spice
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS FOR HAM GLAZE:

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan, boil and reduce to a syrup.

DIRECTIONS FOR HAM:

Score top of the ham, push clove into each intersection. Put ham in roasting pan, spread 1 lb (half a bag) brown sugar on top of the ham. Pour pineapple juice and Vermouth in the bottom of the roasting pan. Bake at 200' for 12 hours. Remove Roaster from oven and remove lid. Turn oven temperature up to 300'. Cover ham with glaze. Place pineapple slices on a plate; sprinkle half with red sugar sprinkles and remaining with green sugar sprinkles. Place sugar sprinkled pineapple rings on top of ham and put a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple hole. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar onto ham. Put back in oven with the lid off for another 2 hours. Remove from Oven and let rest for about 45 minutes before serving. Will feed approximately 30 (or more)

Mom's Corn Flake Candy

Another family food tradition has for YEARS been Corn Flake Candy. My mom has made these ever since I can remember. They are definitely a holiday treat that we all look forward to each and every year, and one I personally enjoy helping in the kitchen with. I look forward to the day when I can pass this on to our children as well!!

(I don't have pictures as of yet, but as soon as the holiday season gets closer and we get a chance to make these.... pictures will be posted!!!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups Corn Flake cereal
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white Karo
• 1 cup peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

(caution: these will get sticky and not set up correctly if it is warm and/or humid outside... sadly they are mainly a fall/winter delicacy!)

Butter a large mixing bowl. Measure Corn Flakes into the buttered mixing bowl. Mix sugar and syrup in a sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and remove from stove and add peanut butter. Mix peanut butter mixture until smooth and pour over Corn Flakes. Mix until the flakes are all coated with the peanut butter mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and allow to set up.  (I've also seen these where people have added green food coloring and when being placed on the wax paper they for them into wreaths and add a red hot candy piece to make it more festive for Christmas, we don't personally make them this way, but it is another idea to make it your own!)