Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It is that time of year again, Halloween!! Does your family like to carve pumpkins? Mine does too. It is tradition that we roast the seeds from the pumpkin. Just take out the seeds in your pumpkin and set them aside when you are done carving. Then, you just follow this easy recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil (I prefer oil because it gives it a crunchier taste!)
  

• about 1/2 teaspoon salt or brown sugar (Add more or less depending on how sugary or salty you want them.)

PREPARATION:

Wash the seeds with warm water and no soap!!! Try to get all of the pumpkin stuff off of it. Pat them dry with a paper towel, but do not let them sit there too long because they might stick!!

Heat a skillet over medium low heat. Then add pumpkin seeds and cook, turn frequently, until nicely browned and crunchy. The seeds will probably start to pop. If using butter, you might have to lower the heat a bit more. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes for them to finish. Enjoy!!!

Special thanks to about.com

Egg Recipe

Today I learned how to make a new kind of egg. You will need one egg, salt, and pepper.

1. Place egg in a small saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast bread. Butter, and then cut in half diagonally. Remove egg from saucepan. Briskly tap wider end of egg with the back of a spoon until shell cracks. Remove the cracked top with the spoon. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with the toast.

Make Butter

For this recipe you will need heavy whipping cream and salt. There are two ways you can make it. If you want it to be quick, use a hand mixer until the cream hardens and you see buttermilk. Pour the buttermilk out unit theres none left. You can also pour the cream in a jar and shake for about thirty minutes. then pour out the buttermilk. To top it or add some salt.

Sugar Crystals

What you will need:

1. powdered sugar (dissolves easier than plain sugar)
2. boiling water
3. clear glass
4. cotton yarn
5. pencil
6. paper clip

Pour 1/4 cup hot water into a small mixing bowl and add enough sugar until absolutely no more will dissolve, approximately 1 cup. To form your crystals tie one piece of yarn to your pencil and a paper clip on the other end of the yarn. Pour the solution into the glass, and place the pencil on the rim of the glass with the weighted yarn in the solution. Several day later, as the water evaporates, you will see the crystal formations on the string. When the solution has evaporated completely they are done.

Brown Suger Brownies

Ingredients
2/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 2/3 cup all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Line it with parchment paper or dust it with flour.

1. Melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the brown sugar and salt.
2. Add the vanilla and eggs to the brown sugar mixture. Stir until combined.
3. Add the flour and baking powder. Stir until combined again. Beat for two minutes.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until the brownies test done by sticking a toothpick or knife into the center of the pan. The brownies will be done when moist crumbs cling to the toothpick or knife. Let cool completely before cutting.

Fantasy Fudge

Prep: 10 min. plus cooling

cook : 15 min.

What you will need:

1. 3 cups of sugar
2. 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
3. 5 oz. can evaporated milk
4. 12 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, chopped
5. 7 oz. jar Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Cream
6. 1 cup chopped walnuts
7. 1 tsp. vanilla

Heat sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-quart heavy saucepan on medium heat,stirring constantly. Boil on medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 234 F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in chocolate and marshmallow cream until melted; stir in vanilla and walnuts.

Spread immediately in foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Cool at room temperature at least 4 hours; cut into 1 inch squares. Store in airlight container. Enjoy!

Must Have Peanut Butter Cookies

What you will need:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup refrigerated Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Beat butter, peanut butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into batter until blended. Refrigerate 1 hour . Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in preheated 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over bake.

Tip: the type of peanut butter and its temperature matters a lot

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Chocolate Clouds

What you will need:

3 egg whites, at room temperature

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp HERSHEY’S Cocoa

2 cups (12-ounce package) HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit . Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl at high speed of electric mixer until sort peaks form. Gradually add sugar vanilla, beating well after each addition until stiff peaks hold, sugar is dissolved and mixture is glossy. Sift cocoa onto egg white mixture; gently fold just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or just until dry. Cool slightly; peel paper from cookies. Store, covered, at room temperature.

Makes 30 cookies

California Orange Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup butter, melted(really, I'm not lying)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
4 tablespoons grated orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash ground cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chips
yellow die(10 drops)
red die(2 drops)


1 C. Confectioners sugar
1 1/2 T. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla


Preheat oven to 350. Stir butter with sugar(large bowl.) Add juice, grated orange, and egg. Don't worry if it has lots of white specks in it(its supposed to have that.) Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour in the powder mix into the other stuff. After its mixed in completely, add the chocolate chips. Plop cookies onto a buttered pan. They will not grow much, so you can put them pretty close together. Cook for about 10 minutes. After cooked immediately put them onto a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes. While they are cooling you can make the drizzle. Mix all of those ingredients together and then when the cookies are completely cooled, drizzle on the glaze. Enjoy!

These are first place, state fair, award winning cookies I made from scratch!