Spider Cookies

Trix or Treat Spider Cookies

1 package Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
1 can of chocolate ready-made frosting
1 can of vanilla ready-made frosting
24-48 Trix orange and green sweetened corn puffs
Toothpicks
Re-sealable plastic bags

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
* Mix ingredients for cookies as directed on the package.
* Use a small ice cream scoop to get similar sized cookies or just use a spoon and vary the amount for different size cookies.
* Place cookie dough on a parchment covered baking sheet.
* Bake for about 7-8 minutes.
* Cool completely on a wire rack.
* Makes about two dozen cookies.

To decorate:

* Spread chocolate frosting on the top of each cookie.
* Fill a re-sealable plastic bag with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of frosting and snip a tiny hole out of the bottom of one corner.
* Pipe on three circles of white frosting for each cookie. Start in the middle with the smallest circle and work your way out.
* Take a toothpick and beginning in the center, drag it lightly through each circle. Repeat all the way around the cookie.
* Take remaining frosting and separate it into two bowls. Tint one frosting with orange icing color and the other with green.
* Fill two re-sealable bags with the orange and green frosting and snip off the corner of each.
* Pipe eight small legs with each color and place a matching orange or green Trix Cereal puff on the top of each pair of legs. Add one or several spiders on each cookie.

All-American Mini Apple Pies

I was going to post this recipe anyway but I think it fits perfectly with the Halloween Treats theme, these would be great after a chilly night of trick-or-treating!

• 2 medium tart baking apples (we just used green apples from our tree)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust (1/2 box)

Preheat oven to 425. Peel core and chop apples into 1/4 inch pieces. In medium bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon, tossing gently. Set aside.

Open and unroll pie crust flat onto work surface. Using 4 inch wide bowl or cup cut out five circles, reserving scraps. Press each circle inside 5 spaces of muffin tin.

Evenly divide apple mixture into each prepared muffin cup. Cut reserved dough scraps into 1/4 inch wide. Top each pie with strips. Fill remaining empty muffin cup 1/4 way with water.

Bake until bubbling, about 18 min. Let pies cool in muffin tin, then remove.

I doubled the recipe because I only have a 12 place muffin tin. The pre-made pie crust made these so easy to make, but there is no reason you couldn't use homemade pie crust. The recipe came from Family Favorites Made Easy (those cards you get in the mail trying to get you to sign up for things ) It says you can serve them 3 ways: hot from the oven, room temperature or cold from the fridge. They were tasty and cute (sorry no picture) and I'm glad I found something to do with all our bitter apples!

2 Cheese Stuffed Chicken

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 cup diced tomatoes, peeled
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring until onions are tender (5 min). Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Add spinach, cover and cook for about 3 minutes until spinach is soft. Remove from heat.

Let mixture cool slightly; stir in cheeses.

Make slit in each chicken breast; beginning in center of thicker end of chicken breast and down to thinner part. Or you can make a deep 1 inch pocket, if preferred. Pack 1/4 of cheese and spinach mixture into pocket.

Place the chicken in 9x13 baking dish, pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Cover with foil and bake for 40 min.

I don't know where I got this recipe but it is great! And it is an easy one to adapt the filling to your own taste, more garlic, more tomatoes, less cheese...whatever! Also I rarely peel my tomatoes for it either. And serve with rice

Bugs in a Blanket

1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated breadsticks
24 cocktail-size smoked link sausages (from 14-oz package)
3/4 cup shoestring potatoes (from 1 3/4-oz can)
Ketchup, barbecue sauce or mustard
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough; separate at perforations into 12 breadsticks. With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each breadstick in half crosswise, making 24 pieces.
2. Wrap each piece of dough around center of each sausage, pinching to seal and leaving each end of sausage showing. Place seam side down and 1/2 inch apart on ungreased large cookie sheet.
3. Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; place on serving plate or tray. Cool 2 minutes.
4. Insert shoestring potatoes into baked dough to resemble legs and antennae. Decorate "bugs" with dots or stripes of ketchup.
This recipe is straigt from the Pilsbury website, but we had this for lunch last year on Halloween and it was super fun. I didn't use the shoestring potatoes, I used Chow mein noodles instead.

French Apple Pie

Filling:
3 C sliced and peeled apples
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 C Original Bisquick mix
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C milk
1 TBL butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs

Streusel:
1/2 C Original Bisquick mix
1/4 C nuts (optional)
1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 TBL melted butter or margarine

Heat oven to 325*. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. In medium bowl, mix apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place in pie plate.

In medium bowl, stir remaining filling ingredients until well blended. Pour over apple mixture in pie plate. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Corn Bread

WOw! I don't know about you guys but I have been in a long search for the right cornbread. I have tried many that have turned out hard and crumbly. Let me tell you, my search has ended because I have found the one. I got this recipe off of Tasty Kitchens (http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/breads/cornbread-and-fluffy-honey-butter/comment-page-4/#comment-8511)
This cornbread is so moist and delicious and a perfect pair for chili or soup. I didn't have the marshmallow fluff to try the honey butter spread but I definitely want to try it, it sounds good:)
We had some homemade chili with this. I don't know if you guys have every made a chili base but it is so nice to have. I use Mrs. Wages pouches and all you have to do it puree tomatoes and mix the spices with it, cook for 20 min and then process in a water bath. I know you can get these packages at Wal-Mart. The nice thing about having this on hand is you can brown hambuger, add the sauce and some kidney beans and it tastes like you have had it stewing in a crockpot all day. Anyway, give it a try you wont be dissapointed. (http://www.mrswages.com/Page/Chili_Seasoning_Sauce.aspx?nt=435)

Corn Bread

• ½ cups Cornmeal
• 1-½ cup Flour
• ⅔ cups Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ⅓ cups Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• 2 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1-¼ cup Milk
• FOR HONEY BUTTER:
• 2 sticks Butter, Softened
• ½ cups Honey
• ½ cups Marshmallow Fluff

Mix dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny, but don’t be alarmed!). Bake in an 8″ square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9×13-inch pan.

To make honey butter, whip honey butter ingredients together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).