Spider Cupcakes

Cupcakes are always a winner in my house and these are just so cute for Halloween! Plus they are pretty easy, only the legs are a little tedious. You can use any cupcake recipe, but this recipe has a tiny hint of nutrition hidden inside!

Makes 18 Cupcakes 

For the Cupcakes

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

1 Cup Pumpkin purée 

1 4oz Cup Natural Applesauce 

4 Egg Whites 

1/3 Cup Water 

Mix everything together in a bowl until combined. Don't worry it will still be a little lumpy. Distribute batter into 18 prepared (lined) cupcake holders. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until cake tester comes out clean! Let cool.

For Frosting 

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temp

4 Cups Powdered Sugar 

1/2 Tsp Almond Extract 

2-3 Tbsps Cream or Half and Half 

Using a mixer, beat the butter and a cup of the powdered sugar on medium speed until combined. Slowly add two more cups (slow or powdered sugar will go everywhere) and the almond extract. Add the final cup of powdered sugar and cream. Let it mix for a good 10 minutes. Make sure it is spreadable. If not then slowly add a tiny bit more cream.

Place a quart size Ziplock bag inside a tall drinking glass and roll top down over outside of glass (makes it less messy). Use a spatula to put icing into the bag. Seal top of the bag and snip one bottom corner. Squeeze some air out carefully so icing is ready to pipe. Pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes.

To make spiders

18 Mini Hershy Kisses

18 Chocolate Chips

Black Gel Icing 

Give your spider a head and a body by inverting kisses and chips on each cupcake. Use the gel to draw on the spider's legs.

Yum! Now share the cupcakes with your kids!  

Simple Apple Pie

First, before making apple pie or my homemade applesauce buy one of these:

Now about the pie...

With an apple peeler and corer an apple pie is incredibly simple! This is my basic go to recipe but adding some apple butter to make it creamier or some pears is also delicious. 

Confession: I seldom make my own pie crusts. I just like the Pillsbury ones. Feel free to make your own!

One Pillsbury Pie Crust

7-9 Medium Apples (I use a combination of golden delicious and gala)

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour  

1/3 to 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 

2 Tsps Cinnamon 

1 Tsp Nutmeg 

2 Tbsps Butter 

Turbinado Sugar 

In a 9" pie plate, lay out the first layer of the pie crust and prick it with a fork several times. If you like a truly crispy crust, stick it in a preheated 350 oven for 10-12 minutes to give it a head start.  You do not have to. It will taste delicious without the extra crust cooking.

Use your apple slicer/corer and peel and slice your apples. Put the apples in a mixing bowl and add flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well but gently! Let sit for a couple of minutes to meld together.

Pour apple mixture into pie crust. Break up the butter and sprinkle on top of apples and top with other pie crust. Use a knife to cut a few slits into the top to allow steam to escape. Top with a sprinkle of Turbinado sugar if you like. Bake for about an hour at 350.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, unless you are my mom and then chocolate ice cream!

Chicken Marsala Pasta

My father-in-law really likes chicken Marsala and one of my favorite dishes is chicken and spaghetti; so for his birthday I decided to try and create a delicious combination of both. I am pretty sure it worked out well! It is a dish that definetly needs some green veggies on the side to balance it out. The biggest flaw of the dish is it equals lots of dishes! 

Serves 6-8 (depending on your chicken size)

For the garlic chicken:

6-8lb Oven Stuffer Chicken 

3-5 Cloves of Garlic 

Dried Thyme

1/4 Cup Olive Oil 

Take a cooling rack and place it over a baking dish so your chicken can sit on the rack and drip all of its yummy fat can drip in the dish. Remove the gizzards from the chicken and place on the cooling rack. In a small bowl crush the garlic or use a microplane (even better) and add some dried thyme, about a teaspoon, and whisk in the olive oil. Pour the olive oil mixture all over the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for about two to two and half hours or until the popper pops up!

Let chicken rest before carving. While chicken rests, take the dish with the drippings and heat on the stove top to thicken. Add a tbsp of cornstarch if you need to. Skim some of the fat off the top. Carve the chicken and place in the gravy. Now add the pasta! Speaking of pasta...

For the Marsala pasta:

1lb Spaghetti or Thin Spaghetti 

3 Tbsps Butter

16oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced

Dried Thyme 

1 Cup Marsala Wine

Starchy Pasta Water 

Parsley (optional) 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until done to taste. Reserve about 3/4 Cup of starchy pasta water for mushrooms.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a 2qt sauce pan and add mushrooms. Let them brown for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the Marsala wine and let it bubble and simmer for a good 5 minutes. Add the starchy pasta water and stir. Add your cooked pasta to the mushroom sauce ad mix well. Add some parsley if you like. 

Now mix the pasta mixture into the chicken gravy in pan. Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you like and enjoy!

Sweet & Savory Butternut Squash Soup

This soup takes a little bit of time but is worth it! It is warm and comforting on a chilly fall day. The cheese in the soup is optional but it truly adds a creamy, salty savoriness.

Serves 6-8

Approximately 2lbs of Butternut Squash, cut into pieces 

2 Tbsps Butter  

1 Medium Yellow or White Onion, diced 

14 Oz Can of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup Skim Milk

1/2 Cup Half and Half or Cream

2 Oz Asiago Cheese, shredded 

Additional Cheese as Topping (optional)

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the squash, cooking covered until fork tender. It should take about 10 minutes depending on the size of the peices. 

While squash cooks, melt butter in a nice sized soup pot. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Once squash is cooked, drain and add squash to onion and butter. Use a potato masher and smash up the squash. Add the chicken broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Finally add cream, milk and cheese to mixture. I recommend keeping the dairy out while soup is simmering so it is not super cold when you add it! Stir to combine and mix cheese so it melts. Once all mixed you are ready to serve! Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you like!

Meatball Stroganoff

I have tried to get my kids to eat beef stroganoff and usually fail.  They play with the beef and eat the mushrooms and a few noodles.  My husband loves beef stroganoff so I could not just toss the recipe.  I figured the one meat my kids always eat are turkey meatballs so why not substitute meatballs for beef?  I also added a little asiago cheese to the sauce.  What a difference small substitutions made!  Everyone had two helpings!

Serves 6-8

Turkey Meatballs (I always need more than a dozen with my crew, use what you need!)
1 Yellow or White Onion, diced
2 8oz Packages of Baby Bella Mushrooms
14oz Can of Low Sodium Beef Broth
1 Package of Egg Noodles
2 Tsps Dijon Mustard
8oz Lite Sour Cream
2oz Asiago Cheese, shredded

In a slow cooker or sauté pan place a little bit of olive oil, meatballs, onion and mushrooms.  Let onions and mushrooms soften, about five minutes on medium heat, and then add the beef broth.  If using a slow cooker, set to low and cook for 3-5 hours.  If cooking stovetop, sauté on medium low until meatballs are cooked through.

When nearly ready to serve, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions. Remove the meatballs from the slow cooker or pan and add the mustard, sour cream and cheese.  Stir to mix well, whisk is even better.  When sauce is mixed well, add meatballs back in and stir.  Drain noodles when cooked and add to meatball mix.  Toss to coat well and serve!

Vegetable Soup with Chicken Sausage

This recipe was born because I had tomatoes, peppers, and celery I needed to use.  I also had some chicken sausage in the freezer to use, but this recipe could easily be vegetarian too.  We like a thicker soup so I used two cans of tomato paste, but one can is plenty for a thinner soup.  My two year old is very picky and she ate 3 bowls!

Serves 6

1-2 Tbsps Olive Oil
4 Stalks of Celery, halved and sliced
1 Medium Onion, diced
4 Carrots, peeled and sliced
6 Tomatoes, sliced in half (cherry or grape tomatoes work too and if fresh tomatoes are not an option than a can of diced tomatoes could work too)
1 Pepper, seeded and diced
1lb Chicken Sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 Tsps Garlic Powder
1 Carton of Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock
10oz Package of Frozen Squash, thawed
2 6oz Cans of Tomato Paste
1/2 lb of Ditalini Pasta

Place olive oil, celery, onion, carrots, tomatoes and pepper into multicooker set to sauté or in a large sauté pan on the stove set to medium heat.  Let the veggies soften for a couple of minutes and add the sausage and garlic powder.  Let sausage start to brown slightly.  If using the multicooker, switch to slow cooker setting now or pour contents into a slow cooker.  Add the stock and squash.  Let soup slow cook for 3-5 hours on low. 

About a half hour before serving, turn slow cooker to high and add the tomato paste.  When bubbling nicely, add the ditalini and give the soup a quick stir.  The pasta will cook in about 10 minutes in the slow cooker.  Serve soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

I must confess that I am not huge tomato fan.  I love tomato sauce but I have never just eaten a tomato.  My husband can eat them off the vine in our garden, but not me. This recipe for slow roasting them is the closest I come to eating a tomato.  These roasted tomatoes are delicious.  They are a little juicy and very sweet.  You can eat them as is or with toast (garlic bread is even better)!

2 Pints of Cherry Tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
Olive Oil
Dried Thyme
Parmesan Cheese

Slice all the tomatoes in half and place in a bowl.  Drizzle with some olive oil, a tablespoon or two, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with some dried thyme, about a teaspoon, and some Parmesan cheese, however much or little you like.  Toss to coat all the tomatoes and then place them on a greased baking sheet with the cut side up.

Roast tomatoes in a 275 degree oven for about two hours.  Enjoy right away warm or at room temperature!