Happy Halloween!

 

Halloween 'Boo' Bags

These little Halloween ‘Boo’ Bags are not only cute, but they are completely edible right down to the handle. The chocolate covered bars stand up to look like bags filled with Halloween treats.

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Halloween ‘Boo’ Bags
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Ingredients for the bars
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10 oz bag of large marshmallows
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
3 cups Trix cereal
1 cup Cheerios
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
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Butter an 8x8 pan and set aside. Combine Trix, Cheerios, pecans and cranberries in bowl and set aside. In a heavy sauce pan, over low heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and blended with butter. Add cinnamon and vanilla. Stir well. Add cereal mixture. Pour into 8x8 pan. Smooth down top with the back of a buttered spoon on spatula. Allow to cool at room temperature.

When mixture is cooled, cut into 9 equal size bars. The bars will still be a little soft, so you can mold them, if needed, so they will stand up right. Place bars in the freezer for ten minutes.
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Ingredients for decorating the bars
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16 oz almond bark
Writing icing
Candy corn for decorating
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While bars are chilling, melt almond bark according to package directions. Remove bars from freezer. Dip each bar in the chocolate, leaving about half an inch uncovered, and stand upright on wax paper. Once chocolate is hardened, apply the handles. Coat the inside first inch of each licorice stick with the melted chocolate. Apply each end to the side of a bag and hold in place until the chocolate hardens, about 20 to 30 seconds. You can reinforce the handle by adding a little melted chocolate around the seams.
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To make signs for your bags, put wax paper on a cutting board. Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on wax paper. Make the area large enough to write all of the words you want on your bag. With writing icing, spell out the words you want, like RIP or Boo. You can even use names if you want. Leave enough room between each word to cut out signs. With a sharp knife, cut around your words. Lift the wax paper and remove each sign. Put a little melted chocolate on the back of the sign and place it on the front of the treat bag. The chocolate will harden and hold the sign in place.
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Store in air tight container overnight. If you are not serving the bags the next day, refrigerate them until ready to serve.

Simple Broccoli Salad

This simple salad has a tangy sweet dressing that makes it a perfect summer side dish.  It's not an original recipe of mine as I found it at www.sugarspunrun.com.  The link to the recipe below.

I only made a couple changes - I used red-wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.  And, instead of shredded cheddar cheese, I chopped a block of sharp cheddar cheese into small cubes. 

https://sugarspunrun.com/broccoli-salad/ 

Simple Cookery Brats & Cabbage

 

This is a remake of a Bangers & Mash recipe.  I wanted to re-make this recipe without using mashed potatoes.  I love turnips and thought they would add some distinct flavor.  As an added benefit, I took made the leftovers into a hearty soup the next night!

Simple Cookery Brats & Cabbage

1 pkg brats – 5 links

1 large red onion, sliced in rings

1 head cabbage, chopped

6-8 turnips, peeled and diced

2 cups chicken broth or stock plus water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup water

In large pot, combine cabbage, turnips, chicken broth and enough water to cover all.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cover.  Continue to simmer for 45 minutes or until cabbage reaches desired texture and turnips are fork tender.  If you like your veggies a little firmer, reduce cooking time. 

Meanwhile, cook brats according to package directions and remove from skillet.  Cover with foil to keep warm.  In same skillet, add olive oil.  Add onions, and cook over medium low heat until slightly browned.  Add water and mustard, scraping the bottom of the pan to make your ‘gravy’.  Remove cabbage mixture with slotted spoon to reserve cooking liquid.  Layer in a casserole or serving dish.  Top with onion mixture and brats. 

Bonus recipe for leftovers:

By reserving the cooking liquid, you have a delicious start to a hearty soup.  Dice any leftover brats and store overnight in cooking liquid.

Brat & Cabbage Soup

4 cups leftover cabbage, turnip, onion, brat mixture

1 small onion, chopped

1 tomato chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

to taste – red pepper flakes, salt, pepper

1-2 cups chicken broth

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and tomato.  Cook until tender.  Combine all ingredients in medium sauce pan – adding the desired amount of chicken broth depending on how thick you like your soup.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook another 15 minutes. 

Happy New Year! Hoppin' John