Manischewitz Jello Shots, by Cheryl

Yes, I made Jello shots for my Passover seder. Someone sent me the recipe on Instagram and I just knew I had to make them! They weren't strong at all, but they were so good! Next year I'm making a bigger batch. Yum!

Ingredients:

Jello packet

1/2 cup manischewitz wine

1/2 boiling water

Directions:

1) In a bowl pour the Jello mix, wine, and boiling water together. Mix until dissolved. 

2) Pour into little shot glassed. Put in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Millie Peartree's Roasted Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole, by Diane

 

This year the family decided to try something new for green bean casserole, a much loved staple in our home that we use from the back of the French's fried onion box. The OG. I saw a video on instagram where a chef from NYT Cooking tried 13 of the best green bean casserole recipes and ranked them, and his reaction plus the comments section made me pick this one.

This was such an enormous hit we are all still talking about it!! This is one of the best things I've ever made, and for as complex as it tastes it really wasn't that much harder to cook than regular green bean casserole. It was also amazing leftover. We had a ham at our thanksgiving and it was great diced up in here too! All of us forgot mushrooms were in here or cajun seasoning, it somehow all blends together into an umami-rich dish!

The only change I would make which was in a lot of the comments is there is an abundance of sauce- so next time I would halve the sauce or double the veggies (the sauce could make a shoe taste delicious so I'd pick the latter!).

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

2.5 lbs haricots verts or French green beans, trimmed into 1 inch pieces

1 lb hen of the woods mushrooms (we got a wild mushroom mix with cremini, oyster, etc) cut into bite size pieces

2 large shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp EVOO

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp AP Flour

1 quart heavy cream or half and half (we did half heavy cream and half whole milk and were super glad with this combo)

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, chicken bouilion base

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 3/4 cups shredded or grated parmesan

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 cups fried onions

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400. Coat a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. On a baking sheet combine green beans, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, EVOO, salt, pepper, and 3 tbsp of water. Roast for 45 minutes or until beans are soft.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter then add the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden in color, whisking constantly.

4. Add heavy cream and whisk until it starts to thicken, about 6-8 minutes (ours took longer). Add seasonings and 1 1/2 cups parmesan, continuing to whisk constantly. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Add the roasted veggies to the mix and combine. Pour into the baking dish.

6. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup parmesan, bread crumbs and fried onions. Spread evenly over the top of the casserole.

7. Set the broiler to high, broil until brown and bubbly (don't walk away!), about 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.

Challah Stuffing, by Diane

I have made this stuffing for every major holiday for years, and only now thought to post it! It's famous in our family gatherings, and it couldn't be easier. 

Ingredients:

2 loaves challah

1 lb italian sausage (we have made it without sausage too, it just really amps up the savoriness!)

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 large boxes (32 oz each) chicken broth

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Slice the challah thinly and leave overnight to dry without the slices touching. If in a pinch, you can place them under the broiler to dry out just watch them carefully!

2. Rip the challah into small chunks and set aside.

3. In a large pot, cook the sausage until browned and set aside, reserving some of the liquid in the pan.

4. Add the celery and onion to the sausage drippings, along with the butter. Cook until the veggies are softened.

5. Add in poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. For the seasoning, you want it to be extra salty as it bakes out a bit in the oven so oversalt here.

6. Remove from heat and add in the sausage, challah, and one box of broth to start. Mix well and adjust for seasonings and wetness. For the moisture, you want it to be pretty wet so it cooks out in the oven, but no extra liquid in the bottom of the pot. This may require another 1/2 of the second box- we have never used both boxes entirely. This is also a good time to do a final salt check.

7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered until the stuffing is set and the liquid is cooked in. Serve warm- but it's also amazing cold or reheated the next few days if it makes it that long!

Sufganiyot, by Cheryl

These were surprisingly very easy to make! And delicious.. I mean, who doesn't love fried dough. I got this recipe from Once Upon a Chef and it was super easy to follow. I chose not to fill them with jelly since no one in my house likes that. Instead, we dipped them in Nutella! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp instant/rapid rise active dry yeast

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 large yolks

2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus about 1 quart for frying

1 tsp vanilla extract

About 1 cup jam or jelly - or custard, Nutella, pudding, etc.

Directions:

1) Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, confectioner's sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk and set aside.

3) To the yeast mixture, add the egg yolks, 2 tbsp oil, and vanilla and whisk. 

4) Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. It should be a bit sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 1-2 hours. 

5) Line a baking sheet with a few paper towels. Line another with parchment paper and dust heavily with flour. Dust a clean countertop and your hands with flour. Pat the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Add more flour add necessary so it doesn't stick. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut 24 squares and transfer to the baking sheet. Sprinkle squares lightly with flour.

6) Add oil to a heavy pot to measure about 2 inches deep. Heat to medium high heat. When hot, place 6 dough balls into the pot and fry until golden brown, 1.5 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel lined pan. 

7) When they are cool enough, puncture the side with a paring knife to form a pocket. Squeeze 1-2 tsps of jam or whatever inside. Or serve it on the side to dip into. 

8) Dust the donuts generously with confectioner's sugar. Serve warm. 

White Chocolate Martini, by Cheryl

I was looking for a pretty and pretty tasty drink for my family Hanukkah party this weekend. I tried a few different recipes and this one seems to be a winner! It's a combination of a lot of different ones that I tried.. trial and error! I had some edible blue glitter from one of the kid's birthday parties and we were good to go! This was sweet and STRONG! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1.5 oz vanilla vodka

1.5 oz white creme de cacao

2 oz. white chocolate liquor

1 oz heavy cream

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

edible blue glitter

vanilla frosting

Directions:

1) Put all of the liquid ingredients into a martini shaker with ice. 

2) Line the rim of the glass lightly with vanilla frosting, then dip in the glitter.

3) Pour liquid into the glass. Sprinkle with glitter on top.

Easy Matzah Ball Soup, by Cheryl

I love making the matzah ball soup for Passover. This is a relatively quick way to make it. Instead of making the broth from scratch I just use pre-made chicken broth and water, but I cook the veggies and chicken in it to give it a lot of flavor. It's always a big hit! Yum!

Ingredients (makes about 20 servings):

Soup:

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

4 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

3 yellow onion, chopped

9 carrots, peeled and chopped

9 stalks celery, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

24 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

Few sprigs of fresh dill

pepper

Matzah balls:

Follow package directions, but will need eggs, oil, matzah meal, salt, and water

Directions:

1) Saute garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes. 

2) Add the chicken thighs, chicken broth, 2 cups water, pepper, and 2 sprigs dill to the pot. Place lid on pot and let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes. 

3) Meanwhile, make the matzah balls according to package directions. Once made the dough will need to sit for 15 minutes in the fridge before making the balls. 

4) After 30 minutes, remove the chicken thighs from the pot and shred with a fork. Return chicken to pot. Taste soup and add salt if desired. 

5) Form the matzah balls into ping pong size. Drop the balls in the simmering soup and let simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. 

6) Add a couple of sprigs of dill at the end. 

Christmas Old Fashioned, by Diane

 

I forgot to take a photo but here's a much prettier one from the recipe!

I've had this recipe from @halfbakedharvest saved for a while, and wasn't drinking alcohol around the holidays. But recently I took a weekend trip to a quiet little farm and we wanted some drinks to go with dinner, and I knew just the recipe! This cocktail was so delicious I wound up drinking 3, and if you know me you know that doesn't often happen! And, the maple cardamom syrup was great leftover the next day for sausage. Yum.

Ingredients:

For Syrup:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cinnamon stick

10 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1/4 cup water

For Drink:

2 oz bourbon

1 oz orange juice

1 oz lemon juice

1-2 dashes bitters

1-3 tbsp syrup mix

ginger beer

orange zest or sugared cranberries for garnish

ice

Directions:

1. Make the syrup by combining the ingredients in a pot bringing to a boil for 2-3 min then remove from heat and let cool. This makes enough for 6 drinks.

2. Combine drink ingredients with ice and garnish (you can do a cinnamon sugar rim if desired).

Gingerbread Cookie Pumpkin Trifle, by Diane

 

This is the first post that I won’t be able to add a “healthy” tag onto in a very long time, and well worth it!! This recipe takes our beloved Unbelievably Soft Ginger Cookies and mixes them into a layered trifle with pumpkin pie filling, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream. What’s not to love?? 

Ingredients:

1 batch ginger cookies

1 can puréed pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp each ground cloves and nutmeg 

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 box vanilla pudding mix, prepared

1 container cool whip, thawed (I would use fresh whipped cream next time as we didn’t have enough of this and also the cool whip didn’t spread well)

Directions:

1. Mix the pumpkin, spices, sugar, milk, and prepared vanilla pudding together. 

2. Keep a few cookies aside for decoration, then crumble remaining cookies.

3. Layer the trifle with cookies, pumpkin mix, whipped cream and repeat once more for 6 total layers. 

4. Top with decorative cookies.

Charcuterie Board, by Diane

I made this cheese and charcuterie board over the holidays, and while it’s not exactly a recipe we thought it would be a good thing to post as it takes some thought to select the right ingredients and arrange them. I’ll list what I got below, but you want a mix of salty/sweet/spicy/soft/hard to satisfy all your taste buds. Ideally you want meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits (fresh or dried), and pickles or olives. My board has the following:

-Meats: mild hard salami sticks, spicy salami slices, salty prosciutto slices, and peppery capicola slices.

-Cheeses: a sharp rumrunner cheese that was a bit boozy and harder in texture, and a soft cows milk cheese with garlic and herbs.

-Crackers: plainer crackers such as flatbreads, and fruit and nut crackers made with brandy

-Salty items: pickles and olives (I forgot olives but would have included a few kinds)

-Sweet items: soft things like grapes, crunchy things like spiced pecans, and a jam (I used fig jam)



To assemble, you want to start with a pretty plate or platter (I didn’t have one so I used a baking tray covered in holiday tissue paper and topped with clear plastic wrap to separate the paper from the food). Then you want to spread out things that are of the same taste (salty/sweet/crunchy/soft) as well as color to make it more visually appealing. If you don’t have enough ingredients or your plater is too big you can make multiple piles of the same items just spaced out. Finally, for things like meats that are sliced you want to display them by folding in 1/2 then 1/2 again and make a ribbon, or swirl them into flower shapes (I did both). Don’t forget a fancy knife for your cheese!

Thanksgiving Monkey Bread, by Diane

We found this recipe on Tasty via Facebook on Thanksgiving morning, and at the last minute we knew we needed to add this to the appetizer list! It was a good thing we did- this was unreal. It took significantly longer to cook through than the recipe stated, so next time I would bump up the cooking temperature and time, or lay them in a single layer in a casserole dish. I also increased the herbs for more flavor. YUM!

Ingredients:

2 packages of biscuit dough
1 large wheel of brie
2 tsp each rosemary and thyme
1 can whole cranberry sauce, mixed well so it spreads easily

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 (the recipe said 350 but I think it needed a higher temp). Spray a bundt pan and set aside.
2. Cut brie into small pieces (32 to be exact!). Rip each biscuit in half, and wrap the dough around a brie piece to form a ball.
3. Place a single layer of balls in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with herbs and cranberry sauce. Repeat for about 3 layers in all.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the dough is cooked on the inside of the ring. Place a plate under the pan to flip over and serve.

Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate, by Cheryl

The ingredients for this came together randomly as I just started adding things to the mix. It turned out really well and they blended deliciously together. It was a great way to start the day! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk (I added some water to the cup in order to fill the mug)

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 or 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips

cinnamon 

Directions:

1) Heat the milk in a saucepan. Add the cocoa and the white chocolate chips. Stir until fully mixed. 

2) Add the cinnamon and pumpkin. Mix. 

3) Enjoy! 

Elaine's Carrot Kugel, by Diane

Definitely orange!

This recipe is a family recipe made by my cousin Elaine each Thanksgiving. We all devour it!! It's good either warmed or cold, or even at room temp. The recipe is pretty basic, but I made a few changes like adding in a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and using butter instead of margarine. I also used gluten free flour (brown rice flour) since I made this for our orange-themed Halloween bookclub this week!

Ingredients:

1 lb. bag carrots
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 stick margarine


Directions:

1. Chop carrots and boil them until softened. Mash carrots by hand or with a food processor until smooth.

2. Add carrots to remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Bake in a greased 9x9 pan at 375 for 45-60 minutes (kugel should be slightly browned on the outside and done in the center).

Mulled Apple Cider Sangria, by Diane

 This recipe was the perfect drink for our fall bookclub, and made the place smell amazing as it cooked. It was a massive hit!! It would be fine as a nonalcoholic drink as well with some sparkling cider. I reduced the cider to 1/2 gallon because, what can I say, we like wine a lot. :)

Ingredients:

1 quart apple cider
3 tbsp mulling spices
1 muslin bag or cheesecloth
1 bottle white wine
Apple slices
Cinnamon sticks for garnish
Directions:

1. Pour apple cider into a slow cooker on slow or small sauce pan on low heat.
2. Wrap mulling spices in cheesecloth or muslin bag and drop into apple cider.
3. Heat on low for 3-4 hours.
4. For warm sangria, add white wine to mulled cider, serve with apple slices and a cinnamon stick for garnish.
5. For chilled sangria, let mulled cider cool then move to the refrigerator.
6. Once cider and wine are chilled, combine and serve over apple slices with a cinnamon stick for garnish.
7. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars, by Diane

Dessert number one for the bookclub was these Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars, and they turned out pretty well! They were easy enough to throw together, and look fairly impressive for company without being a lot of work. My only complaint on these was that the cake overwhelmed the bars, so next time I might cut down on the amount of cake used to just make a thin crust.

This recipe is a Diane original, but was inspired from here.


Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 1/2 sticks butter
Yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 cups oats
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick of melted butter. Combine well, then press into the bottom of the baking dish.
3. In the same large bowl combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and 2 eggs. Whisk briskly until evenly mixed, then pour over the cake mixture.
4. In a smaller bowl, melt 1/2 stick of butter, then add in oats, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over top of the pumpkin mixture.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the oats are golden brown and the pumpkin mixture is solid (the consistency of pumpkin pie).
6. When cooled, cut into bars and store in an airtight container.

Maple Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix, by Diane

This is one of the appetizers I made for the fall-themed bookclub I hosted this week (many more to follow!). This recipe was really easy to throw together (everything went into a crock pot!), but you had to babysit it quite a bit while it was cooking to make sure it didn't burn. It is easily customized to your preferences, and made the whole house smell great! I'm posting the original recipe below, but you can use any combo of salty and crunchy snacks (I used salted nuts so I didn't have to use salt at the end). The end result was crunchy and subtly pumpkin flavored, but was so addicting and delicious!


Ingredients:

6 cups Chex cereal (I used 3 cups each Rice Chex and a storebrand honey-nut Chex; try Cheerios, Golden Grahams, etc.)
2 cups dried fruit (I used 1 cup each dried cranberries and dried cherries; try (golden) raisins, etc.)
1 1/2 to 2 cups nuts (I used 3/4 cup each honey-roasted cashews and honey-roasted peanuts)
1 1/2 to 2 cups pretzels
1 1/2 chopped graham crackers, diced in large 1-inch pieces (about 5 full-size graham crackers)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used sugar-free pancake syrup)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 to 2+ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
salt, optional and to taste

Directions:

1. In a 5 to 6-quart Crock-Pot, add cereal, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, and graham crackers. Recipe is very flexible. If you don't have something, don't like something, etc. use something you do have on hand or omit.
2. In a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 tablespoon but recommend at least 2 tablespoons if you want a more pronounced pumpkin flavor), vanilla, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
4. Slowly and evenly drizzle wet mixture over the dry ingredients in Crock-Pot and stir very well to combine. I use a silicon-tipped spatula so I don't break the cereal.
5. Cook covered on high power for about 2 hours, stirring well every 15 to 20 minutes. Start keeping a more careful eye on mix at about 1 1/2 hours to make sure pieces on bottom don't start burning. All slow-cookers and ingredients vary, and cooking times will vary. Cook until there's no visible liquid pooling and pieces have dried out. They will not be 'dry' and will be more on the sticky and tacky side even when done, but do dry out more as they cool. Note - Although I haven't tested it, you could probably bake in a 250F oven, with the mixture divided between two baking trays. Keep a very watchful eye on it and toss every 15 minutes until it's done.
6. Turn mixture out onto baking tray and allow to dry for at least 2 hours, overnight is better. Mix will keep airtight for up to 5 days.

Apple Cake, by Diane

We made this cake for Rosh Hashanah this year, and it was really good! Unlike other apple cakes, it wasn't too sweet or heavy. We chose a vegan recipe due to some allergies in the family, and so this cake does not contain eggs or butter. Very easy to throw together, and would be fantastic as muffins in the morning!


Ingredients:

1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
¾ cup powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
¼ cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp of vanilla extract or powder




Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Sieve together flour, soda, powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
3. Add the chopped apples and sugar.
4. Stir in the oil, water, lemon juice, and vanilla one by one until mixture is uniform.
5. Pour into a greased cake tin and bake for 45-50 min until a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Blintzes Souffle, by Diane

This is a recipe I've made more than 20 times since we've started this blog, and I've never thought to post it! Blintzes Souffle is a family tradition in our house during most of the Jewish holidays, but we especially love to eat for breaking the fast on Yom Kippur. It was created by my great grandmother, Fannie, and it is the best way to eat blintzes EVER. It's easy to make, and a definite crowd favorite. We like to use a combo of blueberry, cherry, and cheese blintzes, and we always buy the frozen kind in the grocery store to make it even easier. YUM.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
12 blintzes, any kind
6 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300, and while the oven is preheating place a stick of butter in a 9x13 casserole dish and place in the oven to melt.

2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sour cream, and sugar together with a blender or whisk until smooth. Bubbles are ok, they make this souffle airy! Set aside.

3. Once the oven is preheated the butter should be melted, if not leave it in until it is. You don't want it to burn!

4. Place the blintzes, 6 on each side, into the casserole dish. Pour the egg mixture over top.

5. Bake for 45 minutes and remove from oven. If butter remains on the top of the casserole, you can pour it off.

Surprise "Eggnog" Smoothie, by Diane

I have stumbled upon something tonight in my kitchen that is unreal. I was originally intending to make a gingerbread smoothie, and just guessed at what ingredients might go into that. When I tried the end result, it tasted nothing like gingerbread. But I was okay with that, because to my surprise it tasted EXACTLY like a glass of one of my favorite holiday drinks- eggnog!!

I'm honestly not sure how this is possible, given there is no eggs or dairy in this smoothie and that there are flavors like molasses and banana in here! But this version is insanely healthier than the real version because there is no cream or sugar and instead there is a healthy banana plus the protein of almond milk and the anti-inflammatory spices.

Either way, this is delicious and a fantastic kitchen surprise that I'm already heading back to make a second glass of!!!

*Note: Had I not just run out of pumpkin for another recipe, I would have included it into this recipe. Having tasted this smoothie, I am even more sure that the end product would have been amazing!!

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, chilled or frozen
1 cup vanilla sweetened almond milk
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1/8 tsp each cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg
Sprinkle nutmeg

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients except the last until creamy and frothy, spinkle some extra nutmeg on top and sip!

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, by Diane

Every year my family and I strive to find a new and amazing pumpkin seed flavor on Halloween. This year, I created one that was so amazing it was worth posting on the blog. Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pumpkin Seeds. I have spent so many years trying to make these seeds taste spicy, salty, sweet, or garlicy, but never did I think to make them taste like the actual delicious thing they came from- PUMPKIN! Brilliant!! The seeds are coated in the same spices you would use if you were making a pie or a latte that is pumpkin flavored, and they didn't last long after I took this photo because they were AMAZING. And GREAT for the immune system and inflammation. Halloween success!!!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds, raw
Cooking spray
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cloves
Ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 1-2 baking trays with cooking spray (you want the seeds to be spread out in an even layer or they will not cook properly, so depending on the amount of seeds you have you can use multiple trays).

2. If you are using the seeds directly from the pumpkin, rinse them well and strain in a colander to get all the pumpkin gook off them. Then pour them onto a double layer of paper towels, sprinkle with a teeny bit of salt, and cover with another double layer of paper towels to let dry (soggy seeds don't roast as well).

3. Take the dried seeds and place them into a bowl. Coat with a bit of cooking spray (or butter), then sprinkle seasonings on and mix well (hands work best, and in this delicious recipe, liking your fingers is half the fun!). Remember that pumpkin seeds tend to taste very flavorless, so you will need to over-season them to make them taste how you want. I usually use triple of what I would use if they were say, popcorn, and I was seasoning them to eat at the moment.

4. Spread the seeds onto the greased baking tray(s) in an even layer, make sure none are on top of the other. Lightly sprinkle with a final layer of spices (most will actually be uncoated once you spread them out and you want to ensure that the flavor gets baked in!). Bake for 20 minutes, or until seeds are completely crunchy on the inside and the sugar has caramelized. If a taste test shows that the seeds are not ready to eat, flip them over as best you can and cook on the other side until they are done.

Unbelievably Soft Gingerbread Cookies, by Diane

The weekend before Halloween my friend Tara and I always get together and eat her infamous whipped pumpkin dip. We are always experimenting with new types of fun cookies to dip in it, and this year I thought of gingerbread cookies. My problem with classic gingerbread cookies are that they are hard and dry and sometimes very spicy. I came across this recipe online and it had such amazing reviews that I decided to try it out- I am SO glad I did!! These cookies came out so amazingly soft, even the next day.

I brought them to a halloween party and they were SUCH a hit- I came with 27 cookies for 5 people and left with an empty box! I'll make these over and over again with this pumpkin dip. 

The cookie recipe is from here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/big-soft-ginger-cookies/ The only adaptation is that you need to leave the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes before you roll them because the dough is really gooey!

Ingredients:


2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp white sugar





Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. 
3. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.