Easiest, Slow-simmered Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. ground turkey
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 med onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely processed
3 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp beef bullion
3 14.5oz cans tomatoes, process them down to crushed
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 8oz can tomato sauce

In a large, oven proof pot with a lid, brown ground turkey, then remove to a plate. Saute onion, seasoning, and garlic in olive oil. Add all the rest of the ingredients to onions and garlic. Stir together, then cover with the lid. Put in the oven at 300 degrees for 3-6 hours, or whenever you are ready to eat. The longer it cooks, the better it is! This way you don't get your kitchen all splattery!!

Caramel Thumbprints

One of my favorite cookies! 

I can't hardly part with them to give them as part of the Christmas Gift Tray!

Caramel Thumbprints

from Family Fun Magazine

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg, separated

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped pecans

26 chocolate-covered caramel candies, such as Dove or Rolo

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
Using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture in two batches and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white with a fork. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the pecans; put the rest on a plate. Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough into a ball, coat it with egg white, and roll it in the nuts. Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the cookies on the sheet, leaving about 3 inches between them. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie, then reshape the outside edges, if they crack.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then take them from the oven and gently press a caramel candy into each cookie. Bake until the chocolate and caramel soften, about 4 minutes. Grease the tines of a fork with butter and press on each candy to flatten it slightly. Sprinkle on the reserved nuts, then cool the cookies on a rack.

Holiday Candy Wreaths

Holiday Candy Wreaths

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1-10 oz. pkg. marshmallows

1 tsp. green food coloring

6 cups corn flakes

Red Hots cinnamon candies, for decorating

Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Add marshmallows and melt until soupy. Remove from heat and add food coloring. Stir in corn flakes that have been slightly crushed. Spray a 1/4 c. measuring cup and press cornflake mixture in it. Turn out onto wax paper. Continue with the rest. There should be 16. Using buttered hands press a thumb in the center and begin to shape the balls into wreaths. Immediately put the red hots on them (after you wash your hands!). If they don't want to stick, try "glueing" them on with a dot of peanut butter or melted chocolate

Chris Tomlin - I Will Follow w/Lyrics

Sorry Shally!! I posted this to the wrong blog and can't figure out how to delete it....great song though :)

Chocolate Chip Bars/Cookies

1 c. margarine, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine until creamy; add sugars.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Blend flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Bake in a 15x10x1 baking sheet (I line my sheet with nonstick aluminum foil) at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
**If you choose to make them into cookies just drop by spoonfuls and bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  Let set on sheets for 5-7 minutes. They will look underbaked when coming out of the oven.  Don't be tempted to bake longer! Don't do it!! Walk away from the oven door!  They will finish up on the sheets.
Adapted from our Ward Cookbook titled A-Ward Winning Recipes contributed by Jenny B.

Cookie Dough Brownies

Prepared Brownies in 13x9 pan

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

3 Tbs. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. mini chocolate chips

Cool prepared brownies completely and leave in pan.  In stand mixer beat on medium speed the butter until light and creamy; add sugars, cream and vanilla.  Beat until nice and fluffy.  Add salt and flour; beat on medium high for about 10 minutes.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Spread the cookie dough on top of brownies.  Wrap or put a lid on the pan and place in refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. 

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 lb. Shoulder of beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28oz. Can crushed tomatoes
3 drive red chilies
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. ancho chile powder
½ bunch cilantro
1 T. red wine vinegar
corn tortillas
shredded romaine lettuce
½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves
fresh limes
1-3 lb. Cotija cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pot over medium high heat.
2. Season beef shoulder with plenty of salt and pepper; then sear all over until you have a nice brown crust.
3. Add onion and garlic to the bottom of the pot and stir so they caramelize a little.
4. Add tomatoes, chilies, spices and cilantro. Then add about 2 inches of water, cover the pot, and simmer for about 2 hours until the meat is tender and comes apart with little resistance. Add more water as it cooks down, if necessary.
5. Once cooked, break the meat apart with a wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper, and add red wine vinegar.
6. Serve with warm tortillas.

Autumn Pancakes

Autumn Pancakes

This is a great alternative to regular ol' pancakes! Double the recipe and put half of the batter in the freezer for another time!

1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 1/2 c. flour (can use whole wheat also)
2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
1 apple, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. butter, melted

Place oats in small bowl. Pour boiling water over oats and let stand 5 minutes; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add oat mixture, egg, milk, apple, nuts and butter; mix well. Cook on a lightly greased skillet like regular pancakes. Enjoy with whatever yummy topping you like.

Witches' Brew

One of our favorite Halloween activities for classroom parties is making a brew from all sorts of snacks and candies with gruesome names. You can either ask the children to provide a baggie of one or two ingredients, or gather them yourselves and hand them out the day of the party. It's especially fun if you or the teacher dresses up as a witch and has a big cauldron to mix it up in. We usually do this at the beginning of the party so that while the kids are at their other stations you can bag it for them to take home. Little ones love hearing the names of things and adding it to the brew. You just need about a cup of the number of items that you have people to give it to... so if there are 25 kids in the class, pick 25 items.

• Ghost Guts (Mini Marshmellows)
• Witches' Warts (Chocolate Chips)
• Withered Animal Carcasses (Animal crackers)
• Earthworm Knots (Pretzel Twists)
• Hollowed Out Fish (Goldfish Crackers)
• Bloated Ants (Raisins)
• Bugs and Beetles (Bugs Fruit Snacks)
• Shrunken Teddy Bears (Teddy Graham Crackers)
• Candied Spider Eggs (Gum Drops)
• Owl Eyes (Kix or Cheese Puff Balls)
• Chocolate-Dipped Houseflies (Chocolate-Covered Raisins)
• Compressed Cobwebs (Honeycomb or Chex Cereal)
• Crumbled Bat Wings (Blue Tortilla Chips)
• Dehydrated Dragon Wings (Doritos)
• Flatted Slugs (Fritos)
• Goblin Belly Button Lint Balls (Skittles or M&Ms)
• Plops of Pigeon Poop (Yogurt Covered Raisins)
• Rat Claws (Shelled Sunflower Seeds)
• Shredded Lizard Gizzards (Shredded Coconut)
• Vulture Toenails (Candy Corns)
• Warts from the White Witch (White Chocolate Chips)
• Dried Scabs (Craisins)
• Caramelized Mothballs (Caramels)
• Vampire Veins (Twizzlers)
• Goblin Fingers (Cheetos)
• Baked Skeleton Bones (Pretzel Sticks)
• Bat Brains (Popcorn)
• Splintered Turkey Bones (Shoestring Potato Chips)
• Tasted Cat's Eyes (Blanched Almonds)
• Dirty Shoelaces (Black Shoestring Licorice)
• Dried Seaweed (Chow Mein Noodles)
• Freeze Dried Drops of Blood (Red Hot Candies)
• Roasted Eyes (Peanuts)
• Boiled Lady Bugs (Red Jelly Beans)
• Braised Beetles (Milk Duds)

Of course you can come up with your own spooky ideas if the foods listed above aren't found in your pantry... If you have kids in the class with allergies to peanuts or other nuts you'll want to avoid those things too. The kids love it!