Halloween Recap, aka What do I do with all this Halloween Candy?!

Hope your Halloween weekend was a good one. We did our trick or treating early on Thursday night, and despite R and G being off-the-hook excited about our candy mission for the night, this was the best picture of them smiling together:
So, now what to do with all this candy:
I was brainstorming over the weekend, trying to figure out how to curb the candy overload. Last year, we did a "one or two pieces" a day quota and the candy lasted well into the New Year. So this year I put on my thinking cap and have come up with this idea...

...and it worked like a charm...

I told R and G that I needed to make a special dessert for our dinner Sunday night (true story). I explained that I was going to make a special cake and I needed some of their chocolate candy to make the (cheese)cake. They got really excited and started handing me their candy for the cake. This is all the chocolate R willingly gave up for the effort:

I used three snack size candy bars--a Kit Kat, Reese's Cup and Snickers Bar--for the filling of this cheesecake. The rest of the candy went into the "take your candy to work day" bag for SPH.

I used two more snack size Reese's Cups for the topping, and let the boys throw a couple M&Ms on top for good measure.

All in all, it was a very easy, very yummy way to rid our house of some candy without any protesting.

Halloween Candy Cheesecake

Crust:
3 cups Cheerios
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:
3 - 8 oz light cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
gobs and gobs of candy (ok, only really 5 snack size chocolate bars, but you can tell your kids you need gobs)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, process the Cheerios and brown sugar until fine. Add the oil and vanilla, and process until fine and resembling cornmeal.

Press Cheerio mixture into the bottom and up 1/2 way on the sides of a springform pan (alternatively, you can use a pie pan). Bake for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and add one egg at a time, scraping the sides between eggs to ensure good mixing. Add the sugar, vanilla and flour, and mix until fully incorporated.

Take 3 snack size candy bars (Kit Kat, Reese's Cup, Snickers, Heath Bar, etc work well) and crumble.

Increase oven temperature to 365 degrees. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture into the pan with the crust. Sprinkle with candy. Cover with the other half of the cream cheese mixture.

Bake for 35-38 minutes or until the middle of the cheesecake is no longer jiggly. Cool and let firm in a refrigerator 8 hours or overnight before serving.

When ready to serve, crumble 2 or 3 more snack size bars on top of the cheesecake.



Serves 12.

*An idea I thought of after I already had the cake in the oven was that you could do something fun and take a certain color M&M and place it inside the cake and see who gets the slice with that special color M&M. Maybe they could even win a prize. Like having to do the dishes. :)

SPC

Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Our costumes are ready, I am about to go dig up the glow sticks I saved for tonight and the tea lights are about to go into our jack o'lanterns. Before I know it, the boys will be collecting gobs of candy and the sugar rushes will be about to begin.

For some unknown reason, our city (and most of Columbus) has opted to do trick or treating tonight instead of Saturday. God love the teachers that will have to contend with the sleep-deprived and sugar-hang over little ones tomorrow.

This past weekend we craved our pumpkins, and roasted the seeds. I haven't always had perfect luck with roasting seeds, but after many years of trying, I think we nailed it this year. And since this blog has the word "pumpkin" in its title, I just had to share...

Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds (duh) --we used about 2 cups for this recipe
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the pumpkin seeds, with most of the pumpkin flesh removed, in a large bowl filled with water for about 15 minutes or so:
This allows much of the flesh to sink to the bottom while the seeds float on top, making it much, much easier to remove the remaining flesh.

Next, let the seeds dry on a clean towel for a good bit, preferably overnight to make sure the seeds are very dry (and will roast better):
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Place the seeds on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, turning the seeds on the sheet after about 45 minutes to ensure even baking:
Remove from the oven once they are browned slightly:
Go ahead and enjoy--they are a healthy snack full of good antioxidants and other nutrients. If you can, save some because I have a recipe I am trying out this weekend using them, and I will post it if it passes muster.

Happy Halloween All!
SPC

Pizza Soup

This is soup weather. We've been enjoying at least one soup a week for the last month or so, and this week is no different. You see, our pre-trick-or-treating tradition is to fuel up on Chicken Fiesta Soup. The whole family loves it and I figure the beans, vegetables and lean protein provide the perfect foil to the candy and sugar overload that follows.

But a new soup contender for "favorite soup" has entered the Sweet Pea home. Again, in an attempt to use the gobs of tomatoes from our garden, I created a soup recipe I endearingly call "Pizza Soup." I could have called it Tomato Soup with Cheese Croutons, but my guess is that R and G wouldn't have been quite as excited about such a soup. Suffice it to say, if the word "pizza" is in the dinner menu title, they are excited.

Pizza Soup

4 cups roasted tomatoes (I used quite a bit from our garden, and the supplemented them with a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes)
5 cloves of garlic (if you are roasting your own tomatoes, throw the garlic in with them to roast too)
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1-2 tablespoons fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 - 15oz can chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices of french bread
sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1-2 cups)
optional: sliced pepperoni, olives, peppers

If roasting your own tomatoes, place them on a cookie sheet with a little bit of olive oil and roast at 425 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until they go from looking like this:

To this:


Pour the roasted tomatoes into a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, basil, oregano, black pepper and chicken broth and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a food processor and puree, adding the olive oil as it mixes:

Taste to see if the soup needs any extra salt and pepper and season if need be.

Return the soup back to the sauce pan over low heat to keep warm.

Preheat your oven broiler. Place the french bread on a cookie sheet and top with cheese and olive, peppers and pepperoni, if using. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.


To serve, place soup in the bottom of the bowl and top with 1-2 pieces of bread.

(this picture was taken for its beauty--when I serve up the boys' helping of pizza soup, I serve it in a smaller bowl and the two pieces of bread cover the top. Oh, and I don't do the parsley for the boys either!)

Serves 4

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm Good!
SPC

Back in the saddle

As I type R is at school and G is (not) napping. I feel loads better and am thanking the Lord that our trip down the H1N1/sick road was short.

While I was sick, these muffins were a lifesaver. Not wanting anything too big to eat, but needing to keep a little something in my tummy, they were the perfect snack. In fact, we just ran out of the last batch I made a week ago and I am thinking of whipping up some more. I have to work fast, because the secret ingredient in these muffins are a short lived garden item...

Green tomatoes.

Yes, these delicious muffins use all the unripened tomatoes I recently harvested from our garden tomato plants.

I could call them Green Tomato Muffins, but instead I call them...

Harvest Muffins

2 cups of pureed green tomatoes (do not drain)
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons molasses
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Puree the tomatoes in a food processor.


Measure out 2 cups worth of puree and add the other wet ingredients (applesauce through vanilla). Stir well.

In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour batter into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Makes 36 muffins.



Finally a way to use all those green tomatoes without frying them (although fried green tomatoes are super tasty!).

SPC

I Interrupt This Week's Regularly Scheduled Blog Post...

...because our home has been visited by the H1N1 virus. We're hanging in there, but it may be a day or two before I can post my next recipe...

'Til Then,
SPC

Harvest Time

This weekend we pulled the vegetables out of the garden. It had to be done. Our October has been below-average cold and later this week we should have some frost at night. Bummer. But I just had to share how huge our one tomato plant grew this summer. This is *one* plant:



We celebrated the harvest time with a Fall Festival at R's school Friday evening, and then just for good measure, went to our city's Fall Fest on Friday too. We are celebrating fall out the wazoo.

R and G learned how to make apple cider:

And what would fall be without a hayride?:

Hope you had a happy weekend too. Its a busy day here so I leave you with a little menu planning inspiration...our meals for the week:

Baked "Fried" Orange Roughy, "Fried" Green Tomatoes and Grits
Chili in the Slow Cooker
Baked Burritos
Stuffed Acorn Squash and Green Beans
Bacon Mac and Cheese

Have a great week All-
SPC

Moo Shu Pork

I test, tweak and develop a lot of recipes, and about roughly half make the cut to be shared either here or at familyeducation.com. Some recipes I share because I think, "I bet someone would like this!" But other recipes I share thinking, "please make this, it is too good not to make!"

This recipe is too good not to make.* The fact that you use the slow cooker to make it only sweetens the deal.

My mom is my biggest fan and is always giving me ideas and recipes to try. Huge kudos to her for sharing a recipe for making Moo Shu Pork in the slow cooker. I took the recipe and kicked/jazzed it up a bit. This recipe is so yummy, so delicious and so healthful, it is going directly into our "make again" file.

The boys inhaled this dinner. They loved it. If I told them they were eating mushrooms, cabbage and carrots, I know they would have stopped in their tracks. But the beauty of Moo Shu is that everything becomes a yummy mess of goodness, and it is tricky to distinguish pork from mushrooms, especially for the young set.

R and I made a stop to our local Asian Market to pick up Moo Shu wrappers, but you can easily use tortillas. Traditionally you sort of half-wrap Moo Shu, but we rolled ours up all the way. "The better to hide the mushrooms with, my dear!"

Slow Cooker Moo Shu Pork

1 pound pork butt or shoulder, sliced very, very thin (I bought boneless pork "riblets" from the butcher, but chops or loin would work too)
1 - 16oz bag coleslaw mix
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 thinly sliced onion
1 pound of mushrooms, minced
1/2 cup hoison sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Assembly:
10 Moo Shu wrappers, or tortillas
1/4 cup hoison sauce for drizzling on top
several slices of green onion for topping
2 eggs, scrambled, to put into the Moo Shu wrappers

Place the pork in the freezer for about half an hour, if possible. This allows easier slicing of the pork.

Slice the pork in 1/8" slices. Set aside.

In the slow cooker, add the coleslaw mix, carrots, onion and mushrooms.

In a medium bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, the hoison sauce through the cornstarch. Add the pork and let marinate for 10-15 minutes. (The pork is so thin, it doesn't take long)



Add the pork and marinade to the slow cooker and toss to mix a bit.

Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours, LOW for 8-9 hours.

If using eggs, scramble two eggs before serving. Place about 1/3 cup of the Moo Shu mixture on one end of each wrapper, and roll like a burrito/egg roll. Use a bit of hoison to help "seal" the wrap if necessary.
Voila!

Seriously good-
SPC

*assuming you like Asian food, of course.

Big Weekend

What a weekend! SPH returned home late Friday from his week long trip to Dallas. Let me tell you, any weekend, no matter what happens, is sweet after flying solo for a week with little ones. I have such respect and awe for single parents.

Saturday we headed out to the country for a little:
and a little

We picked about G's weight in apples, and I realized that our eyes may have been bigger than my desire to peel all of the apples we now have in our kitchen.

Sunday was a big day! R and G's new baby cousin sweet baby boy I was born. Of 8 grandkids on this side of the family, we now have 7 boys! I can't wait to see this little pumpkin and give him some love...

And on the home front, R scored his first soccer goal at his game on Sunday afternoon! To celebrate, we cooked him up one of his favorites, fried okra. But instead of the traditional fried okra, we kicked it up new school style and fried them like this:

Very tasty, although I seem to recall the traditional fried okra tasting quite nice too.

A busy weekend, a busier week to come.

Our meals:
Grilled Steaks, Fried Okra, Roasted Tomatoes, Pistachio and Lemon Couscous
Tofu and Broccoli Stirfry with Brown Rice
Slow Cooker Moo Shu Pork (I can't *wait* to try this one...I'll share if it is yummy)
Indian Chicken Burgers and Roast Zucchini
Some sort of Soup...haven't decided yet!

Oh, and a couple of you emailed me for the Tandoori Chicken Slow Cooker recipe. Sadly, this recipe wasn't quite up to the SPC standard, so I will try, try again to seek out something a little tastier to share.

Have a great week all-
SPC

"I can't taste the difference!"

Coffee. The mom's lifeline. I never drank coffee before I had children, but now I have seen the light. There are certain days when a cup of Joe is the only hope for muddling through.

Have you seen the ads by a certain big coffeehouse about their new instant coffee? They are so sure you can't taste the difference, they are giving away a free cup of their traditional coffee this weekend if you come in and taste it against their new instant.

So with all the hype surrounding ready-to-brew coffee, I had the opportunity to taste some Nescafe this week. I have to tell you, before the samples arrived, I recalled my mom's favorite Sanka she used to drink when I was a child, and how my dad recoiled at the thought of drinking it.

Imagine my pleasant surprise that the Nescafe I tasted was quite good! Not only that, I loved being able to brew a single cup within 2 minutes flat, perfect for mornings when I need a quick jolt.

So I offer the opportunity to do the same: Leave me a comment by Sunday at 5pm and I will randomly choose one reader to send a free tasting pack. Think of it this way: you can do your own free taste test, without even having to leave the comfort of your own home!

Have a great weekend all-
SPC

Chilly Morning Antecdote

We've gone from capris and sandals to long pants and sleeves in the past week. Need a warm breakfast to take off the morning chill? These individual french toast "cupcakes"(R's description) could be the perfect thing.

Full of whole grains, fruit and lean protein, these mini-french toasts are "oh-my-goodness" yummy. R, G, and I made these a recent weekend morning. I am still dreaming about them. They are a perfect way to use up old bread, and the most beautiful thing is they can be prepared the night before and baked the next morning.

I used peaches, but I am guessing pears, berries, thinly sliced apple or dried fruit would work too. We made a quick blueberry compote (compote--a word that makes it sound hard to make, when in fact, it couldn't be easier), but simple maple syrup would work too.

Individual Peach French Toasts with Blueberry Compote

4 egg whites
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 slices whole wheat bread, cut into very small cubes
2 medium peaches, diced (no need to peel)

Blueberry compote:
1 pint blueberries, rinsed
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Prepare the french toast mixture:

Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl, whisking very well to ensure complete incorporation of the eggs to the other ingredients.

Add the bread and peach, and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 5-7 minutes, to allow the bread to fully soak up the egg mixture. Stir again and set aside.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If using immediately, line a muffin tin pan with 12 liners. (Side note: I love using these). Spoon the french toast mixture amongst all 12 holes evenly.



Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the top begins to brown a bit.



Serve with maple syrup or blueberry compote (to make the blueberry compote, combine the blueberries, water and maple syrup in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then let simmer about 10 minutes).

Note: If you want to make the mixture ahead, simply leave it a bowl covered with plastic wrap overnight. Fill the muffin tins in the morning, and add 5-10 minutes to your baking time.

Serves 4-6.


These "cupcakes" make me all warm inside on a cool fall morning.

SPC

Slow Cooker Maple Cinnamon Applesauce

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever been apple-picking or have wanted to go? Yeah, me too.

I remember one year before we had children, SPH and I, along with a big group of friends drove out to the country to go apple picking. It was the quintessential autumn day, and we left with lots of tasty apples, way more than we needed.

Enter this year my friend Camille. Camille is an amazing cook and gardener. Her recipes and kitchen creations are amazing, and each time I see her it seems she has finished some sort of neat kitchen project like canning homemade blackberry jam, creating homemade apple butter or the like.

Camille is not only a kitchen whiz, she is extraordinarily giving. When G was in the hospital a year ago February, she called to say, "I am bringing you dinner." Imagine how good the homemade chicken noodle soup tasted (with whole wheat noodles--you go, Camille!) when we came home from the hospital on that cold snowy night.

Well, Camille's latest act of generosity was to share a load of McIntosh Apples she picked from her very own tree:(I just had to share this picture...I love that there were still leaves on many of the apple stems!)

This week was busy, so instead of making something more elaborate, I made applesauce...in the slow cooker. It turned out A-MAZ-ING. I am not sure my jar of store-bought applesauce will be eaten any time soon since the taste pales in comparison.

I read that using the slow cooker for applesauce is perfect because it cooks apples low and slow. I did a twist on traditional applesauce and used maple syrup instead of regular sugar. This recipe turned out great, the boys helped me pour all the ingredients in the slow cooker and they cooked overnight. What a great warm addition to our breakfast this morning!

Maple Cinnamon Applesauce

12 McIntosh Apples (you can use any variety you like, but if you use a more tart variety, you may need to add a bit more sugar at the end)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Peel and core the apples, and then cut into quarters. As you prepare each apple, place it in the slow cooker with the lemon juice and stir to coat each apple in the juice.

Add the remaining ingredients: water, maple syrup, and cinnamon.



Cook on low for 6-8 hours, high 4-5 hours.

While the apples are still warm, use a potato masher or pastry blender to mash:


If you prefer a smoother applesauce, you can use a food processor or food mill instead. But we opted for the chunkier version which was divine.

The best part? Well, the way it tastes. Second best? Our whole house smells of autumn, apples and cinnamon.

Happy Weekend All-
SPC

Adieu Summer

Every kid knows that summer really ends when the school bell rings and it is time to go back to school, but on this last day of official summer, I am already thinking autumn. Did you check out the recipe for Braised Red Cabbage last week on familyeducation.com? Hint, it would make a fabulous side to your Oktoberfest dinner next month:


We've been busy at chez Sweet Pea, but settling into our busy autumn, er laaaaate summer nicely. Poor G though, almost every day I have to wake him up from his afternoon nap to pick R up from kindergarten. I mean, could he look more sleepy without actually being asleep?

Ah, the hardships of being a second child.

With autumn and the cooler weather arriving soon, I am ready to crack out my slow cooker more often. I am on the hunt for some good slow cooker recipes, so if you have a winner, be sure to leave it in the comments.

Oh, and our meals for the week:

Fish tacos, avocado, homemade salsa and mango
Pasta Carbonara and broccoli
Chicken Tandoori, roasted Indian eggplant and chickpeas
Slow Cooker Italian Bean and Artichoke Soup
Indian Calzones

Happy Fall All-
SPC

"I had fun at school today Mommy!"

Phew. G loves school. Not that he didn't enjoy his "Mom's Morning Out" last year, but this year is more grown-up and yes, while it is still preschool, it feels like a big jump.

But he came out of class this AM with a huge smile on his face and uttered the words of this blog post's title. Then, as I was leaving, Miss Jill told me, "G gave me and Miss Jennie a big hug today!" Go G! Way to get in with the ladies...

With our new schedule in full swing, this has been my morning thus far:

Wake up
Get fed, dressed, cleaned, etc.
Drive G to school
Go to music class with R
Go home, eat lunch with R, make lunch for G so he can eat in the car
Drive R to school
Pick up G from school
Give G his lunch in car so he can eat and be ready for nap by the time we get home
Put G down for nap
Do a little blogging, etc.

And soon our day will continue:

Wake up G
Pick up R from school
Go to Jeni's to get ceremonial "First Day of School" ice cream
Go to the grocery
Come home, play
Make dinner
Eat dinner
Etc...

And sometimes I think about having a third child? How on earth would that work? :)

Regardless, I am learning to love (even more) the idea of planning ahead. Without thinking ahead, I am sure I would be bald from pulling out all of my hair by week's end, since we haven't even thrown in MOPS, soccer practice, tumbling, and more...

So to plan ahead, here are our meals for the week:

Shrimp and Parmesan Grits*, Antipasto, Watermelon
Corn Chowder*, Spinach Salad, Pumpkin Bread
Taco Night
Grilled Chicken Sausages, Braised Red Cabbage, German Potato Salad

*Recipe in the virtual cookbook (yes, I used to direct link the recipes, but did you see how busy my day is today?)

And for all of you out there with 3+ kids, how in the world do you juggle it all?

SPC

Zucchini Alfredo

I saw an idea similiar to this on another blog, so forgive me if you are reading this and thinking, "hey, that's my idea!" Please comment, and I will give credit where credit is due.

With zucchini crops peaking, here's another outside-the-box way to use up some of your zucchini. While I try not to do too many recipes that require a specific gadget or doo-dad, this recipe is infinitely easier if you happen to have a mandolin in your kitchen.

Zucchini Alfredo

2 medium zucchini, julienned finely
1 jar alfredo sauce (or make your own)
3 slices of ham, diced
salt and pepper to taste.

Take your zucchini and julienne:


In a large skillet or wok, cook the zucchini over medium high heat, for about 6-8 minutes, or until the zucchini is al dente. Salt and pepper the zucchini and cook another minute.

Take your alfredo sauce:

Pour over the zucchini (depending on the size of your zucchini, you may not use the whole jar). Cook for another couple of minutes or until the sauce is heated through.

In a separate pan, quickly saute the diced ham so it gets a bit brown. Sprinkle on top of the zucchini alfredo:


**Here's a hint: If your sweet peas are adverse to anything green, simply peel the zucchini before you julienne it.

I wasn't sure what R and G would make of this dish, but they both ate it with vigor. I was quite suprised since zucchini is not on either of their "favorites" list.

Have a great rest of the weekend all and I would be remiss if I didn't say:

GO BUCKS!!!!
SPC