Garlic Lovers Shrimp

Too many vampires at your Halloween party?  Keep them at bay with this little morsel.  Another family Halloween favorite.

12 to 15 cloves garlic, cracked away from skins  (well, you wanted to keep the vampires away right?)
2 T olive oil
2 T butter, cute in small pieces
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds, (apprx 30 pieces) shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1 tsp coarse salt
Black pepper

Process garlic in food processor to finely chop (or I just use the minced garlic from Costco).  Heat large skillet over medium high heat.  Add oil and butter.  Add garlic and crushed pepper flakes to oil and butter.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Add shrimp to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until pink heads curl to tails.  (DO NOT cook too long or the shrimp will be rubbery and the garlic will burn!)  Add black pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Goes great with the Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce (see under "Beef").

Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce

Time to share some of our Halloween night menu favorites!  This is easy and will add a little class to your finger food favorites.  Don't be afraid!  Try it!!!!  A vampires delight (evil laugh)!

1 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 C vodka (Don't freak on me!  It all cooks out and the left over makes great paint remover!!!)
2 T worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Like Frank's or Durkee)
1 C tomato sauce
1 rounded T prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper
1 1/3 lbs. beef sirlous, cut into large bite-sized pieces, 1x2 inches
Steak seasoning blend (I like Montreal Steak Seasoning)
Bamboo skewers

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add oil and onions and saute 5 mins.  Add vodka and reduce by 1/2.  Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and horseradish.  Stir to combine the dipping sauce and return the sauce to a bubble.  Add salt and pepper and adjust seasoning if needed.  It's all a taste thing!

Heat nonstick skillet over high heat.  Coat meat bites lightly in oil.  Season with steak seasoning.  Cook the meat until caramelized all over, about 2 minutes each side.  Don't get impatient and keep turning the meat...just let it get nice and caramely! 

Transfer dipping sauce to a small dish and place at the center of serving table.  Or set each place setting with a little cup of sauce.  Serve with bamboo skewers.

Caramel Popcorn

This is one of my all time favorite recipes!  Delicious ANY time of year!!!  Makes a great movie night treat!

1 C unpopped popcorn
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter
3/4 C karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 large brown paper bag (ask for it at the grocery store)


1.  Pop corn in air popper and set aside. 

2.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add sugar and corn syrup.  Stir till boiling.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and soda.

3.  Place popcorn in paper bag and pour caramel mixture over the top.  Shake bag vigorously to coat all the popcorn.  This is a great job for the kids! Or a great way to work out a little frustration???  :)

4.  Place bag in microwave and cook for 1 minute.  YES!  I'm not kidding!!!

5.  Take bag from microwave and shake again.  (Shake Shake a Shake it!)

6.  Place bag in microwave and cook again for 1 minute.

7.  Spread caramel corn out on a cookie sheet or over wax paper to cool.  (But it's pretty good eats when it's warm!!!)

You can also add your favorite munchie to eat like M&M's, nuts, toffee bits, pieces of snickers, etc.  Go wild!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

And thanks again to "Jamie Cooks It Up" (no doubt my new favorite "friend" for the month), this is what we'll be doing this weekend!  I can't wait for Saturday!!!!

Cookies:
2 white cake mixes (I use Duncan Hines)
1 C melted butter
2 eggs
5 T sour cream
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
1/2 tsp yellow food coloring gel
1/2 tsp orange food coloring gel

Frosting:
6 T softened butter
3 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
4 - 5 T milk

1.  Mix all ingredients except food coloring until nicely combined
2.  Split the dough into thirds.  Add the yellow food coloring to one section and the orange food coloring to another section.  Split each color into two sections.
3.  Roll each section (you should have six) into approximately 9x4 rectangles.
4.  Take a pizza cutter and cut each rectangle into thirds (so you have 18 strips)
5.  Gently place a yellow, orange, and white strip together.  Press the seams down a bit with your finger so they begin to stick.  They don't need to be perfect!  If they split apart when you move them, just press them back together.
6.  Take a sharp knife (or pizza cutter works great) and cut the strips into triangles.
7.  Bake @ 350 for 8 minutes.  Better to have them be a little under done than over done!
8.  Let them cool completely before frosting. 

For frosting:  In a stand mixer, or with hand held mixer mix all frosting ingredients except food coloring.  Beat it well!  You want it to have a whipped texture to it!  Divide the frosting into thirds and add food coloring.  Place in ziplock bags tied at the top with a twist tie.  Cut small triangle from a bottom corner.  And have fun decorating away!!!!  Let me know how you like them!!!

Party Planning!

I love LOVE Halloween!  I'm actually going to a "party planning party" tonight and hopefully will come home with lots of new ideas to share.  Stay tuned.  It's going to be SPOOKtacular!!!

Orange Chicken And Vegetable Stir Fry

Thanks to one of my favorite sites....Jamie Cooks It Up! This was absolutely delicious AND easy.  I would add a little more red pepper to the sauce though.  Also try it with a little curry.  Everyone loved it!

1 onion

2 bell peppers (red, green or orange...you choose)

6 stalks celery

salt and pepper to taste (again with the "you choose")

Sauce:

3/4 C fresh orange juice

1/4 C soy sauce

1/2 t ginger

2 t rice vinegar

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 t sesame oil

pinch red pepper flakes

2 T corn starch

1 C chicken broth

1. Cut those chicken breasts up into 2 inch cubes. Combine the flour and the 1/4 t salt in a small bowl. Throw the chicken around in it until all of the pieces are covered.

2. Heat up a large skillet. When it's nice and hot add 1 T oil and throw your floured chicken into it. You understand that I don't mean throw it in like my friend Pam throws a softball. (Fast as a rocket, I tell ya.) Just toss the chicken in gently, now. We don't want you to rupture anything.

3. Cook your chicken until it is golden all over. (About 10 minutes)

4. While your chicken is cooking up, chop up your veggies. Make sure they are about the same size. Don't get out your tape measure....just roughly about the same size will do fine.

5. When your chicken is pretty and golden, take it out of the pan and place it on a nice plate.

6. Add another T of oil into the hot skillet. Add your veggies and cook over medium high heat until crisp tender...about another 10 minutes.

7. While your veggies cook add all sauce ingredients to a medium sized sauce pan. Whisk them together until they are all combined nicely. Bring to a boil. Once it boils it should thicken up nicely for you. (Don't you love it when things act nicely....like when someone brings you some Diet Coke when you are all out! That is acting nicely!)

8. When your veggies are crisp tender add your thickened sauce and chicken into the pan. Stir it all around and there you have it. Serve over a bed of rice.

Buttery Caramel Sauce

The perfect companion to apples in autumn.  Or pretty much on top of anything anytime of year!

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup whipping cream

In a medium saucepan, combine sugars, corn syrup and butter.  Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a full boil (5 - 6 minutes).

Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.  Stir in whipping cream.  Place in a jar and refrigerate to store.  It will thicken as it cools.