Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Spooky Calzone Snake


 Here is a really fun recipe to make during Halloween season.  Kids of all ages will like this and not only is it cute but it is also delicious!  You can add green peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives or whatever you prefer into the filling. I left this simple and only added some chopped pepperoni into the cheesy filling.  To make the snakes tongue I used a red bell pepper or you could also use a pepperoni slice cut up to look like a snake tongue.  The eyes were made using black olives and I stuck some bell pepper pieces into the center.   Serve this up with some warmed up spaghetti or pizza sauce along side this for dipping.  This recipe is adapted from one I found at Allrecipes.com.



Thursday, October 2, 2014

Bats And Cobwebs




Here is a fun recipe just in time for Halloween...Bats and Cobwebs!  Made with bowtie pasta (bats) and lots of gooey mozzarella cheese (for the cobwebs).  Not only is this fun and easy recipe to make it also tastes great!  I have been making a version of this for years now but at other times of the year I normally use different types of pasta.  The original recipe used ground beef and is found here at Allrecipes.com but this time I substituted the ground beef with Johnsonville® mild Italian sausage and that made this so much tastier!  My family really loved this.  If you have little ones this would be a fun recipe to make for Halloween as it can be prepared ahead of time and baked before you head out to go trick or treating.  Hope you enjoy!
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Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 pound Johnsonville® Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water, bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the bow tie pasta and return to a boil. Boil pasta, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
  3. Cook and stir sausage and onion in a large skillet until sausage is cooked through.  Drain fat. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
  4. Stir cooked pasta and half of the mozzarella cheese into the sauce; toss to combine. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
 

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Slow Cooker Apples with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar


Fresh apples baked in the slow cooker really makes it seem like fall is finally here!  This recipe makes the whole house smell delicious and fall-like!  Very easy to make and healthy too!  This only needs to cook for 3 hours in the slow cooker.  I prepared this in the early afternoon and put it in the slow cooker and by dinner time it was all done and ready for dessert.    The apples are very tender and the filling really sweet.  A great combo...perfect for a fall day!

I want to thank Reynolds for sending me a sample of their slow cooker liners because I did not even know that they existed.  I am so glad I discovered these. They really made clean up a snap!


These handy dandy liners fit right into my slow cooker.  Then when your finished they can be taken out and thrown away without any mess to clean up in the slow cooker.  Very helpful!

I found this recipe here at Allrecipes.com  and I have also included a printable recipe below.  Hope you enjoy!

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 Ingredients:

4 medium tart baking apples (such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Jonathan), cored
1/4 cup regular rolled oats
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon butter, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
 2/3 cup apple juice

Directions:
  1. Place apples in prepared slow cooker. Combine oats, raisins, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spoon mixture into centers of apples, patting in with the back of a spoon or a narrow metal spatula. Mound any remaining oat mixture on top of apples. Pour apple juice around apples in cooker.
  2. Cover and cook for 3 hours on low.
  3. Transfer apples to serving bowls and drizzle with cooking liquid.