I've added a list of links to Thanksgiving recipes and cooking guides in the sidebar on the right of the page.  ¶ 10:47 PM

  Free copies of The Southern Living Cooking School Guide for Cooking will being given out at Wal-Mart stores on November 1 (for as long as supplies last). The booklet has recipes and entertaining ideas. It is also available online.  ¶ 10:12 PM

  Roasted Pork Tenderloins With a Melange of Root Vegetables from The Oregonian:

8 medium shallots (1/2 pound)
3/4 pound medium carrots
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled (11/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 12- to 14-ounce pork tenderloins, trimmed of excess fat
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus a few sprigs for optional garnish

Peel shallots, then halve lengthwise. Peel carrots and cut on the diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces. Quarter potatoes.

In a large, heavy, roasting pan or a large, oven-proof saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add shallots, carrots and potatoes and saute, stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove vegetables to another dish and set aside.

Pat pork tenderloins dry. Combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary and rub on all sides of each tenderloin. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. When very hot, brown the meat on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together mustard and garlic and brush over top and sides of pork in the roasting pan. Return vegetables to pan, scattering them around the meat.

Transfer pan to center rack of 350-degree oven. Stir vegetables every 5 to 8 minutes. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees, about 25 minutes; remove to a serving platter and cover loosely with foil. Continue to roast vegetables until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a knife, 10 minutes more or longer. Remove pan from oven. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, if needed. Cut pork tenderloins into 1/2-inch slices, then arrange vegetables around pork on platter. Sprinkle vegetables with chopped rosemary and garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.
  ¶ 10:16 AM

  In the Star-Telegram (Ft. Worth, TX), tasters pick their favorite Halloween candy. Skittles won the number 1 spot.  ¶ 9:52 AM

  The Houston Chronicle has an article about potatoes. It includes information about different types of potatoes and their uses.  ¶ 9:50 AM

  The Daily Camera (Boulder, CO) has a recipe for Bleu Cheese Steak Sandwiches:

8 shallots, unpeeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwiches:

6 crusty rolls, such as Portuguese, split
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
11/2 pounds grilled medium-rare steak, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces creamy blue cheese, such as Saga, cut into 12 slices
4 cups loosely packed watercress, washed and dried

Directions: To roast the shallots: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the shallots with olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt and pepper to taste. Spread out on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the shallots are very tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Slice off the tips of the shallots and discard. Gently squeeze the shallots from their skins and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Chop roughly.

For the sandwiches: Preheat the broiler. Spread the rolls out on a pan and toast on both sides.

Slather the bottom half of each roll with some of the mustard and top with slices of the steak, overlapping the slices slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover each portion of meat with 2 slices of cheese. Broil until the cheese is lightly browned and melted, about 1 minute.

Transfer the open-faced sandwiches to the work surface. Top each sandwich with some of the roasted shallots and watercress. Slather the tops with the remaining mustard and cover the sandwiches. Slice in half and serve.

Serves 6.

  ¶ 9:46 AM

  The Denver Post has an article about olive oil. What you see on the label isn't always what you get.  ¶ 9:42 AM

  Slow cooker tips and recipes from today's Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY). Recipes include potato soup, bean soup, Greek beef stew, and roast beef and gravy.

Roast beef and gravy

1 medium onion
4 cloves fresh garlic, about 2 teaspoons minced
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck or blade roast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (freshly ground) pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Turn the slow cooker on high. Chop onion and add to pot. Add garlic and top with meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add beef broth and 1 cup of water, cover, turn heat to low and cook 8 to 10 hours.

Put ½ cup water in a jar and add flour. Close tightly and shake to disperse flour. If lumps remain, let the mixture sit 15 minutes and shake again. Thirty minutes before serving, remove meat from slow cooker and stir in flour/water mixture.

Let the meat rest a few minutes, then carve it in slices. After the gravy has thickened, add the meat to it. Serve with baked potatoes, over egg noodles or over bread.

** Find links to more newspaper food columns and recipes at Mom's Kitchen.
  ¶ 9:33 AM

  Friday Chicken from the Eastern Arizona Courier.

One 1 lb. chicken
2 tbs. brown sugar
4 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsps. garlic powder
1 tbs. red wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients together, then add enough water so chicken is at least half covered. Let marinate for a few hours for best results. Grill chicken. With each turn, re-apply sauce for great taste.
  ¶ 3:25 PM

  Halloween Recipes from the Rocky Mountain News.

Goo-lish Caramel Apple Slices
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 14-ounce bag vanilla caramels (about 48)
3 tablespoons water
3 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (6 ounces)
1 tablespoon shortening
1/4 cup nut topping

Put unwrapped caramels and the water in a medium saucepan. Cook until caramels are melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Arrange apple slices on a pizza plate or pan. Use a spoon to drizzle caramel mixture over apples.

Put chocolate pieces and shortening in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture is melted and smooth, stirring constantly.

Use another spoon to drizzle the chocolate mixture over the caramel-covered apples.

Sprinkle with nut topping. Let stand at room temperature for up to 10 minutes.

Spider Cake from the Visalia Times-Delta.

Cake mix
Frosting
Pudding
Candy for eyes
Licorice for legs

First, create two round cake shapes, one for the head of the spider and one for the body.

If you are making individual-size spiders, try making the body cupcake sized and the head mini-cupcake sized.

However, if you want to make one big cake, look through your ovenproof bowls and find two sizes that work together. Remember, you don't have to fill the bowls.

It's just the roundness that you are looking for.

Make sure you grease the bowl.

Use shortening instead of butter, which tends to burn easier.

The cake is done when you can stick in a fork and it comes out clean.

Allow it to cool just a bit, then turn it on a cooling rack or plate and allow to cool completely.

While the cakes are baking, mix the pudding. Instant pie filling works great and is fast.

Use vanilla or any flavor, but know that light-colored pudding works best when you're adding food coloring.

Great colors for spider guts: Red, orange, green or even black.

If you want a thicker pudding, follow directions for pie filling. If you want the texture even thicker, add a little less milk than the directions require.

Put in the fridge and allow to set.

In the meantime, mix frosting. Chocolate works well for dark-colored spiders, but don't forget that there are lots of colors of spiders out there.

You can add food coloring, even to chocolate frosting.

Now you're ready to put it all together. Use the following steps:


1. Once cakes have cooled, take the body and slice it in half horizontally.

2. With a spoon, scrape out some of the insides. Don't get too close to the edge. You don't want the pudding to show through when you put it back together.

3. Fill cavity with pudding.

4. Replace lid.

5. Begin to frost.

6. Once the entire body is frosted, start frosting the head and attach it to the body. Just lean them next to each other on the serving plate.

7. Add candy for eyes.

8. Add licorice for legs.


Food Network is having Halloween in the Kitchen. Check the site for recipes and information about shows. There are also more recipes, a party planner, and pumpkin carving tips.
  ¶ 8:59 AM

  Printable pumpkin carving patterns:
Jack-o-Lantern.com
FabulousFoods.com and some more with a rock 'n' roll theme
MeOnaPumpkin.com
PumpkinGlow.com has a wide variety of patterns rated easy to advanced
  ¶ 6:21 PM

  Reader's Digest: Classic Thanksgiving Recipes  ¶ 8:41 AM

  Huber's is a family farm in southern Indiana where you can pick your own produce or buy it in their market. They also have a winery and restaurant. We especially like to visit it in spring for fresh strawberries and in fall for apples and pumpkins. The Louisville Courier-Journal has three recipes from the restaurant: Champagne chicken, apple butter, and fruit salad.

Try the apple butter on their fried biscuits (scroll down to the bottom of the page).  ¶ 8:35 AM

  The Times and Democrat (SC) has an article about fair food. It includes recipes for candy apples, caramel apples, elephant ears (baked and fried), and fried mushrooms.  ¶ 8:22 AM

  Halloween treats and treat bags from Better Homes & Gardens. There are also costume ideas, pumpkin carving and decorating, crafts, games, and party tips.

Find other magazines with recipes and cooking tips.  ¶ 8:59 AM

  Reader's Digest has Halloween recipes, craft ideas, and costumes. The costumes have instructions with downloadable pdf patterns.  ¶ 12:42 PM

  Update to the sidebar on the right: I've added some links to menus of Louisville area restaurants.  ¶ 5:34 PM

  Free Cookbooks:

Swanson Broth's Creative Cooking - fill out the form to have one mailed to you.
Cambell's Kitchen - downloadable pdf file.
Idaho Potato Microwave Cookbook - send them a self-addressed, stamped #10 letter-size envelope including two first class stamps.
"Jiffy" Mix Recipes - fill out the form to receive a cookbook by mail.
Land O'Lakes Share the Holidays Brochure - site members (free membership) may have a brochure mailed to them. Others may download it from the site.
Pace Mexican Creations - fill out the form to receive the cookbook by mail.
Rhodes Recipe Booklet - filling out the form adds you to their mailing list to receive this booklet and others that are mailed out annually.
Andre Prost: Notta Pasta Cookbook (wheat-free), A Taste of Thai Cookbook, Almond Paste Cookbooks, and Marzipan Cookbook may be printed (without pictures) or printed from pdf (with step-by-step photos).
Hellman's "Change the Mood of Your Food" recipe booklet - print and mail in order form with $1 for shipping and handling.
Hidden Valley Family Favorites Recipes - downloadable pdf.
Hormel - Chunk Meats, Herb-Ox, Pepperoni Recipe Book, and Cure81 Ham Cookbook may be ordered with a printable form. Requires proof of purchase and a fee for shipping and handling.
Hunt's 2004 Recipe Calendar - printable order form, requires 12 proofs of purchase and $1.95 for shipping.
Ore-Ida Potato Recipes - printable pdf order form, requires $2.95 for shipping and handling.

  ¶ 12:25 PM

  The Advocate (LA) has begun a new monthly series on comfort food. The first one is "Start with...a can of soup".  ¶ 12:12 PM

  RecipeBuddie is a bot that will offer you Keebler recipes through Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN IMs. You can read more about it here.  ¶ 11:57 AM

  CHOCOLATE BOX WITH EASY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE published in The Ledger (FL)

Yields 2 servings

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 containers (3.5 ounces each) prepared chocolate pudding
3 thin chocolate bars (4.5 ounces each), milk chocolate, or bittersweet chocolate
1 container chocolate frosting
Handful of fresh raspberries for garnish

Special Equipment:

Pastry bag
Large star tip

Combine whipped topping and pudding in a large bowl. Using rubber spatula, fold just until blended. Refrigerate chocolate mousse until ready to serve. Cut chocolate bars crosswise in half. Adhere sides together with chocolate frosting to form box. Refrigerate until firm. Pipe chocolate mousse into chilled chocolate box. Top with raspberries and serve.

-- Adapted from "Semi-Homemade Desserts" by Sandra Lee

The article also includes recipes for Baby Short Stacks (small chocolate cakes), Banana Cake with Cream Cheese frosting, and Popcorn Balls.
  ¶ 11:45 AM

  Tips for bake sales and a recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread from the Star Telegram (TX).  ¶ 8:55 PM

  What type of brownie do you prefer?

Cakey Vs. Fudgy (Washington Post)

Brownies With a Secret

(Makes 24 brownies)

The secret ingredient in these brownies is corn syrup, which is a pastry chef's trick for keeping brownies moist longer. Once they're baked and cooled, if you keep them refrigerated in an airtight container, they will still taste wonderfully fudgy even four or five days later. (If they last that long.) From "The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion" (Countryman Press, 2003).

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus additional for the pan
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
21/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
11/3 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the chocolate and butter, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs, vanilla, salt, sugar and corn syrup until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the flour into the chocolate and butter mixture. Gently fold the chocolate batter into the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies for 35 minutes, until the top is crisp but a toothpick inserted in the center comes out coated with chocolate. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for several hours before cutting them into squares.

See the article for more fudgy brownie recipes and one cake brownie recipe. (Does that give a hint at which type was most popular?) The recipes include nutritional information and the article has brownie baking tips.
  ¶ 12:07 PM

  When we've gone to Walt Disney World (which isn't as often as we would like) I've planned where to stay, what rides we want to try, and what shows we want to see. I even try to plan out what route to take through the parks so we can get as much of what we want to do done before the kids wear out.

Of course, once we get there, the plans tend to change a bit. Rides are closed, kids change their minds about what they want to do, lines are too long so we skip a ride and come back to it later (the FastPass is great for this). The one problem in all my plans was that I didn't plan on where to eat. With three kids and two adults, all with different food likes and dislikes, we spent a lot of time walking to restaurants and reading the menus to see if they had something there to satisfy all our tastes.

Now I can even plan what restaurants we want to try or at least rule out some. (Emma only orders chicken tenders/nuggets or a hotdog, but we're working on getting her to try something...anything...new.) AllEars.net has Menus Around the World. The site lists lunch and dinner menus and kids menus for restaurants in the parks and WDW hotels. There are also sections listing which restaurants have buffets, sit down service, character dining, dinner shows, special events, and information about meals for those with special needs.

There's much more to the site than just dining information. Check it out if you're planning a trip to Disney World. We don't have a trip planned anytime soon but after looking at all this info, I have to admit it's very tempting to make this our next vacation destination.
  ¶ 4:30 PM

  American Italian Pasta Company, maker of Mueller's and other pasta brands has launced a new Website. It offers pasta recipes ranging from quick meals to dinner party fare.

Visit MakesaMeal.com for ideas...October is National Pasta Month.

You can find more pasta recipes and information at ILovePasta.org.  ¶ 1:36 PM

  These streusel-topped muffins are great for snacks to send to school or for after school treats.

Apple Butter Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup apple butter
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbl. butter or margarine
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix apple butter, milk, butter, and egg until well blended. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Grease or line muffin pans. Fill pans 3/4 full with batter.

Streusel:
Mix together 1/8 t. cinnamon, 4 T. flour, 2 T. brown sugar, and 1 T. butter, melted. Sprinkle on top of muffins.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes.
  ¶ 12:21 PM

  This makes two 9" chocolate-frosted-cake-cheesecake-ganach desserts. If it sounds like too much chocolate, go lie down until you regain your senses...there can never be too much chocolate. (Note: You will need to begin preparation at least one day before you plan to serve it.)

Chocolate Extravaganza from the Bristol Herald-Courier (VA).
(2 cakes)

Chocolate Sponge Layer

1/4 cup flour
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
4 oz. vegetable oil
8 egg whites
8 egg yolks
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar

Sift flour and cocoa evenly into 2 bowls. Add oil to one bowl and whisk in. Whip yolks and powdered sugar to ribbon stage. Whip whites and sugar to med-stiff. Incorporate yolks and chocolate/oil mix on low speed. Fold in the rest by hand. Divide among 6 sprayed/lined pans and bake at 325F until springy. Run knife around edge and turn out to cool. The next day, slice into 4 thin even layers. 2 per cake

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer

16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup coffee
12 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs

Melt coffee and chocolate together. Whisk until smooth. Paddle cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in eggs a few at a time. Add chocolate mixture. Divide evenly among 2 pans that have been sprayed and lined with cake. Bake at 300F until fairly firm, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Chocolate Mousse Layer

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2/3 cup coffee
4 egg yolks
1 cup powdered sugar
10.5 oz. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. Grand Mariner or 1 tsp. orange extract

Melt chocolate and coffee. Whisk until smooth. Cool. Whip cream to med-stiff peaks. Combine half chocolate mix, half yolks, half powdered sugar, and 2 cups whipped cream in robot coupe (food processor). Pulse until creamy. Repeat with other half and 2 cups cream. Fold mixture with rest of whipped cream, vanilla, and Grand Mariner. Divide evenly among prepared pans containing the cheesecake. Top with Chocolate sponge layer. Wrap and freeze at least overnight.

Chocolate Ganash (Glaze)

2 lbs. chocolate chips
1 pt. heavy cream
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

In sauce-pot bring cream just to a boil. Place chips in a bowl and pour the scalded cream over. Add butter and let sit 2-3 minutes. Then whisk briefly until smooth and ready to use.

Chocolate Buttercream

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup melted ganash (warm, but not hot)

In a mixer cream on low the butter and sifted powdered sugar. Whip on medium 2 minutes. Add ganash, scrape bowl and continue to paddle until light and fluffy. Ice cake with thin layer (sides and top). Chill 5 minutes. Coat with ganash.

  ¶ 11:40 AM

  Recipes from the National Peanut Board. Check out the site for nutritional information for these recipes and for more recipes using peanuts and peanut butter.

Homemade Peanut Butter (Food Proccesser)

2 cups roasted, shelled peanuts
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
(omit if salted peanuts are used)

Using the metal blade, process ingredients continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. The ground peanuts will form a ball, which will slowly disappear. Continue to process until the desired consistency is obtained. If necessary, stop machine and scrape sides of container with a rubber spatula. For crunchy peanut butter, stir in 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts after the processing is completed. Store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator. Oil may rise to the top. If this occurs, stir before using.

Yield: 1 cup creamy or 1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter.

Flag-Waving Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine first six ingredients. Beat until light and fluffy. Stir the dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture. Blend thoroughly. Shape into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Flatten with fork tines. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 4 dozen.

PB & J French "Toastwich"

1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon jelly
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon butter

In a shallow bowl or pie pan, beat egg, milk and vanilla until blended; set aside. Spread peanut butter and jelly on bread to make a sandwich. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; dip sandwich into egg mixture then grill until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

Yield: 1 serving (1 sandwich per serving)

Bishop Bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (2 medium)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped, roasted peanuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in bananas. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to banana mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the chocolate pieces and 2/3 cup of the peanuts. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle with remaining peanuts. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

VARIATION: For mini-loaves, prepare batter as above. Grease and flour 8 mini-loaf pans (4 1/2-inch x 2 1/2-inch x 1 1/2-inch). Pour 1/2 cup batter into each pan and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, about 2 teaspoons per loaf. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Yield: 8 servings (1 slice per serving)

  ¶ 8:40 PM

  I added some links and edited others on the Newspapers page of Mom's Kitchen last night. I just found another one I need to add. Quad-Cities Recipes (IL).  ¶ 9:52 AM

  Best Drive-Thrus in America

The award for the "Best Drive-Thru in America" is presented each year to the restaurant chain that finishes first in the overall composite ranking. With an impressive overall performance, this year's "Best Drive-Thru in America", and now two-time reigning champion, is Chick-fil-A.

I've only seen Chick-fil-A restaurants in malls, I didn't know they had any drive-thrus.

The fast food restaurants are rated for speed, accuracy, menuboard appearance, and speaker clarity. The gains and losses that the restaurants made in the ranking compared to previous years appears to be mainly due to accuracy (or lack of it).

I'm not surprised. I've gotten into the habit of checking the bags to make sure my order is correct before I leave the parking lot of the restaurant. There have been too many times where I've gotten home and found out that items were left out or weren't what was ordered. This ruins the meal for the person whose order was wrong and for the person (my husband or me) who has to go back and get the correct/missing item...the only thing worse than fast food is fast food that got cold waiting for us to make the trip back to the restaurant.

See the article for the complete ranking list of the top 25 drive-thrus.
  ¶ 9:24 AM

  Crockpot Caramel Apples

2 (14-oz.) bags of caramels
1/4 cup water
8 medium apples*
8 popcicle sticks
toppings (chopped nuts, sprinkles, mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut)

Combine the caramels and water in a crockpot and cook on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently.

Wash and dry apples. Insert sticks into the stem ends of the apples. Reduce the heat on the crockpot to low.

Dip each apple into the caramel, turning to coat the entire surface. Hold the apple over the crockpot and scrape off the excess caramel. Place on greased wax paper to cool.

After the caramel apples have cooled, you may roll them in one of the toppings if desired.

* Good choices for apples are McIntosh or, if you really want a flavor contrast, try tart Granny Smiths.  ¶ 12:05 AM

  The St. Petersburg Times (Florida) has four potato soup recipes.

Golden Cream of Potato Soup

6 cups cubed peeled potatoes (or red potatoes)
4 cups water
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 pound processed cheese (Velveeta) or a 12-ounce bag of shredded cheese

Combine first nine ingredients in a Dutch oven or large kettle and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 7 to 8 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Gradually stir 1/4 cup of milk into flour, making a smooth paste. Stir into soup and add remaining milk and the cheese. Cook over medium heat until soup thickens and cheese melts.

Serves 6 to 8.

Leftover soup can be frozen.
  ¶ 9:12 AM

  Vanilla Coke vs. Vanilla Pepsi

The Long Beach Press-Telegram (California) conducted their own version of the Pepsi Challenge. They did a blind taste test comparing Vanilla Coke and Vanilla Pepsi. Eight out of twelve tasters picked Coke.
  ¶ 7:55 PM

  VeryBestKids.com has some great recipe and craft ideas including this Black Cat Candy Caddy for Halloween.

You can find ideas for holidays sorted by season here.  ¶ 5:28 PM

  The Denver Post has a simplified recipe by Wolfgang Puck for Tarte Tatin (a two crust caramel-apple pie).

Serves 8

1/4 lb unsalted butter
12 medium Golden Delicious apples or other good baking apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 lb store-bought frozen puff pastry or shortcrust pastry, defrosted following manufacturer's directions
Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Using half the butter, heavily grease the bottom and sides of a 10-by-3-inch round cake pan. Arrange the apple quarters in the pan in a continuous sunburst pattern, with the ends of the quarters pointing toward the center and the rim, placing the first layer of quarters with their rounded sides down; place the remaining pieces rounded sides up, fitting them neatly among the other quarters. Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of the sugar over the apples, dot them evenly with the remaining butter, and cover the pan securely with aluminum foil.

Bake the apples in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until the apples are soft and a deep caramel brown, about 1 hour longer, taking care to keep clear of the steam when you lift up the edge of the foil.

While the apples are baking, prepare the crust. Roll out the pastry to form a 12-inch square about 1/8-inch thick. Place the pastry on a lightly greased baking sheet. With the tines of a fork, poke the pastry all over; this will help it rise evenly during baking. Let the pastry rest at room temperature for half an hour; this will keep it from shrinking when it bakes.

Bake the pastry on another shelf of the 350-degree oven until it is golden brown, 25-35 minutes. When both the apples and the pastry are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature. Place the bottom of the pan on top of the pastry and, with the pan as a guide, use a serrated knife to trim the pastry to a circle slightly larger than the pan.

Transfer the pastry to a serving platter and, carefully holding the platter and pastry together, invert them over the pan of apples, aligning them neatly. Securely hold together the pan and platter with both hands and invert them again. Carefully lift off the inverted cake pan to unmold the apples onto the pastry, neatly replacing any apples that come dislodged or stick to the pan.

Sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over the apples. With a handheld kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar, moving the flame slowly back and forth across the surface.

Let the caramel cool and set for several minutes. Then, with a sharp knife, cut the tart into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.
  ¶ 11:21 PM

  Apple Cider Brisket (via the News-Journal of Daytona Beach, Florida.)

Makes 8 to 10 servings. From Adventures in Jewish Cooking.

3 onions
5- to 6-pound brisket
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup molasses
6 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place thinly sliced onions in bottom of roasting pan. Place brisket on top of onions. Add molasses, thinly sliced garlic, rosemary and thyme on and around brisket. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, covered, until fork tender, about 3 hours. Cool, place in refrigerator overnight. Remove brisket from liquid, skim fat and discard. Slice thin against grain. To serve: Return brisket slices to liquid and heat.

  ¶ 11:08 PM

  According to an article by Sarah Fritschner in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Sara Moulton (of the TV show Cooking Live) says this is the recipe for which she gets the most requests.

Jean Anderson's oven-fried chicken

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups freshly made bread crumbs
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 3½-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces (or all thighs, wings or breasts, if desired)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and garlic in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Pour into a large bowl. Cool to room temperature.

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dip each chicken piece, one at a time, into the melted garlic butter. Transfer to the bread crumb mixture. Turn until coated on all sides.

Arrange the chicken in one flat layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle on any of the remaining melted butter. Bake until lightly browned and just cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6.

  ¶ 11:02 PM