Halloween Treats

My husband and I are going to a friend's tonight for Halloween and I'm bringing dessert. I decided to tackle a cheesecake (my first one, which I'll share later) and something easy. What could be easier than Rice Krispies Treats? Follow the directions on the box and then decorate. I used some orange and black sprinkles, which my husband thinks looks like pepper, but I think it's festive. Happy Halloween.

Chicken with Prosciutto and Fontina Cheese

I wanted to make something easy the other night and while wondering thru Trader Joes I came across fontina cheese which I love. It melts perfectly and is so gooey. Yum! I sauteed the chicken until cooked thru in EVOO and then baked it in the oven topped with a slice of prosciutto and fontina cheese until the cheese is melted. I served it with a side of roasted potatoes and zucchini. Delicious and oh so easy. Also, fontina cheese goes great with a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ok, these are the best cookies I have made in really long time. They are crunchy around the edge and chewy in the middle. Perfect combo of chocolate and peanut butter plus some chopped peanuts thrown in for extra texture. I guarantee these will be gone quickly and I've packaged up a few for friends before my hubby and I eat them all. Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C All-Purpose Flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C room temperature unsalted butter, I usually cheat and soften in the microwave
3/4 granulated sugar
3/4 brown sugar
1 t vanilla, I use the bourbon vanilla extract from Trader Joes
2 eggs
2 C mini peanut butter cups, you can find these at Trader Joes
1 C chopped peanuts

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl
Combine butter, sugars and vanilla in a large bowl
Add eggs to the butter, sugars and vanilla, mix until well combined
Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Then stir in peanut butter cups and peanuts.
I use a small ice cream scoop to drop mounds of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven until golden brown.

Pumpkin Seeds

My favorite part of the pumpkin carving process...seeds! Last night I gutted a medium sized pumpkin, rinsed all the pulp from the seeds and spread them out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight. This morning I tossed them with a little canola oil, salt and Emeril's Bayou seasoning, popped them in the over for 1 hour at 250 degrees and am now snacking on them while watching football. Yum!

Frittata

Frittatas are an easy way of making a quick breakfast and using a lot of leftover ingredients you might have from the week. The one that I made for breakfast had deli ham, potatoes, havarti cheese and of course, eggs. I topped this with chopped tomatoes. I've made this with a variety of ingredients before, diced green peppers, the little bit of salsa that's left at the bottom of the jar, shredded roasted chicken, caramelized onions, pesto....the possibilites are endless. All you need are eggs, salt, pepper, and an oven proof skillet. I saute enough ingredients for 2 people in a skillet with a little bit of EVOO until tender, then pour 5 whisked eggs over everything in the skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook on the stovetop until the bottom is set, then put the skillet in the oven at 425 degrees and bake until the top is set and golden brown.

Orange Chicken

Last night was rainy, cold and after a long day I was in the mood for something easy. This meal was too easy...a package of orange chicken from Traders Joes, brown rice, and I topped it with cashews. YUM! It was hot, satisfying and I highly recommend it when you just want to make dinner in a snap and sit in front of the TV for the night. Thankfully, my DVR was fully stocked with shows I was excited to watch. Anyone else sad the the season finale of Flipping Out is coming up?

Peanut Brittle- Help

Last night I decided to make peanut brittle. This was my first time trying to make candy. I had my handy-dandy candy thermometer and a simple recipe from the Joy of Cooking. Something went very wrong. I've posted a photo. The brittle tastes like a toasted marshmallow, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but definitely isn't what I was hoping for. I followed the directions exactly and monitored the temperature carefully. Any ideas on how my brittle got so toasty? I'd like to try again, but don't want to waste any more peanuts.