Halloween Sherbet Punch

During the daytime red, orange and golden colored leaves confirm that October is here. Then, cold, and dark nights hide the beautiful scenery of late October. Halloween is just around the corner. It is time for Halloween Sherbet Punch!

Halloween Sherbet Punch

Ingredients:

(3) 1 Quart containers of Orange Sherbet

(5 –6) Bottles of Diet 7-Up Soda (refrigerated)

Method:

1. In large punch bowl place 1 Quart of Sherbet.
2. Pour (2) bottles of chilled Diet 7-Up in punch bowl, pouring some over sherbet.
3. Stir a little to mix ingredients.
4. Will result in frothy top and softened sherbet.
5. Ladle into cups, adding some of the softened sherbet.
6. Replenish the Diet 7-Up and sherbet, as needed.

The goblins in your family and friends will enjoy the beverage you have brewed!

Happy Halloween!!

Add Plumped Craisins & Raisins!

Autumn in New England! What a great season! Apples and apple cider taste so good. The crisp mornings are preparing us for the chillier weather that is in our future! Usually when the mornings are a bit cool in October I think of creamy Oatmeal for breakfast. The recipe on the canister of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats is the favorite. Using Old Fashioned Oats, Cinnamon, a dash of Nutmeg, Soy Milk, Brown Sugar, and a few Plumped Craisins and/or Raisins, a hearty bowl of warm, steaming, creamy and delicious cereal hits the spot in the morning!

Craisins and Raisins always taste so good. I like to give them a tad extra flavor by soaking them in Apple Juice. A one-cup Ziploc container of each fruit soaking in apple juice is usually found in my fridge. Sometimes, I use Cranberry Juice. Quite often when baking, I will add them to a recipe.

To Prepare Plumped Craisins/Raisins –
Place about ¼ cup dried fruit in 1 Cup Ziploc container. Add Apple Juice to cover dried fruit. Cover and refrigerate for 1 – 2 days. Use within 2 weeks.

Oatmeal is one food where these plumped fruits are added for nutrition and for taste. I will share more, another time.

Do you enjoy raisins/or craisins in oatmeal?

Yes, Chicken Florentine!

Watching Football games was definitely on the agenda this past weekend! On Saturday afternoon my hubby & I bundled up for the cold evening and drove to Chestnut Hill to attend the exciting Boston College Football game. It was a crisp, cold night in the Boston area. Brrrrr! Sunday morning arrived much too soon and the Patriots game would start in the late afternoon. The cold, dark day brought rain here in Western MA.

After turning on our t.v. and looking at the screen to watch the Pats game, we could see white particles falling from the sky! Snow? Yes! Snow in mid October is just too early. Exciting, but too early!

It was around then that I realized I needed to forget the snow falling in the eastern part of our state and give some thought to our dinner. Sometimes, opening the freezer door answers a quick question regarding what is for dinner! Now, sitting in our freezer was a Ziploc Container packed with “leftover” Chicken Florentine a la Slow Cooker. Earlier in the week this meal was prepared in my Slow Cooker (like a Crock Pot). It made for a scrumptious, colorful, nutritious dinner on Tuesday. The “leftovers” were placed in a Ziploc Container along with some cooked broccoli (from another meal).

Locating this labeled and dated container in my freezer was like hitting the dinner jackpot! It did not take long to defrost and heat this yummy dinner in the microwave in a covered piece of CorningWare. This appetizing find was placed over No Yolks Noodles. While the pasta was cooking, the microwave helped to prepare our dinner. Dinner was a snap. And … it was so good!


Chicken Florentine a la Slow Cooker

Ingredients:
(1) 1 lb. bag Baby Carrots
1 & ½ lbs. Chicken Tenders
(1) 10 oz. pkg. frozen Spinach - defrosted
(1) Can Cream of Mushroom (Healthy Request) Soup
Oregano, Basil, Garlic Powder, Parsley, Chopped Onion & Bay Leaves

Method:

1. Place Baby Carrots in a large bowl and rinse with cold water.
2. Then place Carrots into Slow Cooker’s cooking pot that has been lightly sprayed with PAM.
3. Rinse about 1 & ½ lbs. Chicken Tenders in cold water and place on Carrots.
4. Sprinkle about 1 Tbs. Parsley and 1 Tbs. Chopped Onion on top.
5. Defrost (1) 10 oz. pkg. frozen Spinach and spread on top of Chicken.
6. Then, sprinkle about ¼ tsp. Oregano, ¼ tsp. Basil, and ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder on top.
7. Add (2) Bay Leaves.
8. Mix 1/3 Cup Water with (1) Can Cream of Mushroom (Healthy Request) Soup in a small bowl. Spread mixture evenly over top.
9. Place the lid on top of the cooking pot and set the temperature.
10. Cook on #5 (High) – 1 Hour. Then reduce to #3 for 2 Hours.

Enjoy!!!

Sometimes I use Potatoes and at other times I use Baby Carrots when making Chicken Florentine a la Slow Cooker. Any leftovers that have been placed in the freezer, reheated and served over No Yolks Noodles make for a quick, easy, tasty dinner. I was so happy to find this meal in my freezer on Sunday!
Do you use your Slow Cooker or Crock Pot? What do you prepare?

A meal made in a Slow Cooker or a Crock Pot just hits the spot! Easy and delicious!
Enjoy!Yummy!

Butternut Squash Bread – Another Tradition!

The chilly October mornings are here! Maple trees are adding beautiful colors to our neighborhoods. Our local news is filled with stories of visitors enjoying picturesque New England in the autumn. We residents need only to venture outdoors while completing errands to relish the scenery.

With this season comes pumpkins and varieties of squash and cabbages. Yesterday, after preparing the local Butternut Squash for our freezer, I saved two cups of the mashed orange cooked vegetable. Later in the day, the squash was used in making Butternut Squash Bread.

I continue my family’s tradition of using Butternut Squash as an ingredient in bread rather than steaming a pumpkin or using canned pumpkin. The delicious taste of a slice of Butternut Squash Bread is difficult to resist. Click here for recipe card. Now, I substitute Olive Oil for vegetable oil while cooking, so I now use Olive Oil as an ingredient rather than vegetable oil in this yummy bread.

This recipe yields two breads. Cut the ingredients in half if you wish to bake one bread. However, this bread freezes very well, and it is a welcome sight in my freezer when we locate a homemade, made from scratch dessert ready to be thawed and served. And … it makes a great surprise for an out of town guest!

Do you use Butternut Squash rather than pumpkin when baking? Next, I will be baking Butternut Squash Muffins!

Yummy!

Fantastic French Toast

Last Friday morning I envisioned eating French Toast topped with maple syrup for breakfast. Now, I was not planning on taking the milk and the eggs from our fridge to make this breakfast. My plan included the simple act of searching in my freezer to locate Raisin Cinnamon French Toast and heating it in our microwave. Well, that was not in the cards! An additional item was quickly added to my grocery list – Pepperidge Farm Raisin Cinnamon Bread.

On Saturday morning the milk and the eggs were located in our fridge and the griddle was heated. Golden, delicious, sweet Fantastic French Toast was on our breakfast table. Yes, there were extra pieces. After they cooled, each piece was placed in a sandwich bag. The sandwich bags were then placed in a Ziploc Freezer Bag, labelled and stored in the freezer.

***For many years I prepared this scrumptious breakfast using Cinnamon Bread. However, one day my son suggested I just try making it with Raisin Cinnamon Bread. Raisins are tops in my family, as you can guess. I used the bread containing the raisins and found it top notch French Toast. From then on Raisin Cinnamon Bread it was!

There will be another busy morning when I will search for French Toast in our freezer. On that morning the microwave will help with another very tasty breakfast. Yummy!

When making Fantastic French Toast, I use Egg Whites to cut back on the cholesterol. Click here for printable recipe card.

Fantastic French Toast

Ingredients
(1) Loaf Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Bread or Raisin Cinnamon Bread
(2) Whole Eggs
(8) Eggs Whites
(1) Cup Milk (I use Soy or 1% Milk)

Method
1. Place Whole Eggs and Egg Whites in a rectangular container and beat with a fork. (I use a 1 & ½ Qt. CorningWare container.)
2. While beating mixture add in Milk and continue beating to combine.
3. Heat non-stick griddle or skillet on medium heat.
4. Dunk each bread slice in mixture coating both sides and then place on the griddle. (Two or three browning at once)
5. The underside will be golden brown when it is time to turn the bread slice over with a spatula.
6. Turn over and brown other side.
7. Serve with Maple Syrup.

Enjoy!
Yummy!