Halloween Monster Munch

Here is a quick snack I surprised my kids with before our football game the other day. I even made some extra to send off in a care package to Minnesota to one of our players who is in his freshman year out there playing football.
All of their favorites: pretzels, M&M's, Halloween Oreos, and candy corn all wrapped in white chocolate! Yum!

Ingredients:
Package of white chocolate melting chips or lb. of white chocolate almond bark
Crumbled oreos
Crumbled pretzels
M&M's
Candy corn
Halloween Sprinkles

Directions:
1. Melt white chocolate in microwave according to package directions. While chocolate is melting, line baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper or no stick foil.
2. Pour layer of chocolate on lined cookie sheet, then quickly toss snack mixture into the chocolate. Sprinkle sprinkles over top. (You'll need to work quickly as for the chocolate to not harden.)
3. Allow to harden (or refrigerate to harden)
4. Break apart into pieces.

*(You could toss your snack mixture on the lined cookie sheet first, then pour the white chocolate over top, but I had so many pieces that were so thick with chocolate since it is difficult to spread, the above directions worked best for me!)

Inspired by: Your Home Based Mom
Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Here is another version of "Monster Munch" that includes popcorn.

Monster Munch

Yesterday was a day off from school, so my first grader hosted a "movie playdate". We rented the newly released Monsters vs. Aliens (free from Redbox, of course!!), turned on the fireplace (46° outside warranted a cozy temp indoors!!), and made Monster Munch!!

White chocolate drizzled popcorn (which I popped the old fashioned way...oil and kernels) with candy corns. ( just let the chocolate set a few minutes...) Delish!! The girls ate it right up! Since I'll be planning their classroom Halloween party, they requested this snack be served. I think I'm going to add in pretzel sticks, though.

White chocolate, popcorn, pretzels, and candy corn...Monstrously delicious!!

Thanks to Your Home Based Mom for the recipe!!

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Meatballs

I love moist meatballs, the kind that taste as if they've been simmering all day. Here's a recipe where the meatballs are that good!

Ingredients:

1lb. ground beef

old (not moldy) bread slices or crusts, white or wheat, processed into breadcrumbs

1/2C. parmesan cheese

oil

Directions:

Process bread in food processor into breadcrumbs. (My son doesn't like crusts on his bread/sandwiches, so I cut them off and place them in a bag in the fridge and save them for breadcrumbs! We also save the ends of the loaves, which no one likes to eat. And both wheat and white are great...adds great flavor!)

Add breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to the ground beef and mix well (hands are best). Make sure it is well incorporated.

Since I use lean organic, grass fed beef, there isn't too much fat. I don't want them to dry out while browning, so I brown them in a little canola oil and keep turning for all-over browning.

Once browned on all sides, transfer to your sauce and simmer about 1 hour.

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Blueberry Jam

Well...I did it. I finally did what I've been talking about for a great, long while! I made blueberry jam. Yes, a small feat, I know, but for me, a giant leap for my kind. I've had the jars for over a year...and the recipes to go along with them. I took the plunge tonight, because I couldn't see two pints of organic blueberries go to waste. We've been snacking on blueberries all summer long, and I think my six year old was growing bored of blueberries in just about everything (they're so good for you, you know!!)...fruit salad, cereal, yogurt. Heck, I'd probably sneak them on her pizza if I could...Hmmm...fruit pizza...now there's an idea. I digress...
I set my mind to it and decided to halve a recipe. Boy am I glad I did!! What was I waiting for? We have peach trees and I make an abundance of peach preserves each harvest without a second thought...but the peaches I don't have to pay for. Nothing lost if it's a flop. (I think I was afraid to waste all that sugar and pectin, and did I mention the price of organic blueberries??!! if it didn't come out just right. But, sometimes we just have to live on the edge, take a risk!!)

My favorite jam is Stonewall Kitchen's Wild Maine Blueberry Jam...actually, Stonewall Kitchen anything, for that matter...it's my all-time favorite store. And this recipe is so close, I'd have thought I was there in York, ME, sampling it myself, if I didn't know better!!

Cozy Country Kitchen Blueberry Jam

(This is a small batch recipe...Just double it if you need)

2 pints blueberries, rinsed and drained

2 1/4C. sugar

1T. lemon juice

1/2 pouch liquid pectin

Directions:

Process blueberries in a food processor.

Transfer to a pot and add in 1T. lemon juice. Stir continuously.

Add in liquid fruit pectin. Continue stirring and bring to a boil.

Add in sugar, stirring continuously so sugar dissolves.

Bring to a hard boil for one minute.

Remove from heat.

Use a funnel and ladle hot jam into sterilized jars.

I didn't immerse mine in a water bath, because I made such a small batch, and it'll probably be gone in a week or two. I just inverted the hot jars and set overnight to make a seal. But, if you're making this recipe for preserving or gifting (which I will certainly do before the summer's over for holiday gifting!!), set these in a water bath for 10-12mins.

Recipe linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Milky Way Ice Cream Pie

I've grown tired of the same 'ol, run-of-the-mill birthday cake. We've had quite a bit of it around here these past few weeks...as well as wedding cake coming out of our ears! So for my husbands birthday over the weekend I wanted to try something new. He loves chocolate ice cream and Milky Way's are his candy bar of choice. So I thought this was a good "cake compromise". (PS...no I didn't throw him a Spongebob Squarepants party... We promised our little guy a party when he was potty trained, and he collected...with Spongebob theme, so I combined the two "parties". Little guy's enamored by a show he's never even watched! The lure of the "forbidden fruit" I guess!!)

Milky Way Ice Cream Pie:

Ingredients:

1 chocolate graham cracker pie crust (or Oreo one)

1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream, softened about 25sec in microwave

3 Milky way bars, chopped (I freeze them for about 15-20mins for easier chopping)

hot fudge sauce

caramel sauce

Directions:

Layer 1/2 of ice cream in bottom of pie crust and top with caramel and hot fudge sauce (amount to your liking), then half of chopped candy.

Top with remaining ice cream, sauces (amount to your liking), and rest of chopped candy bars.

Freeze until set.

You can customize your pies to the ingredients of your choice...use Snickers, Butterfingers, Reeses PB cups, vanilla ice cream, etc.

A delicious, cool treat to change things up a bit!

Post linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday