Kraft Food and Family

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Monster Mash Party Mix

This is the popular recipe for Monster Mash, but you can add  your own twist to it as I have added below.  Let your kids throw  this together with their favorite additions.

10 cups popped popcorn
1 pound Halloween M&M's
1 (14 oz.) jar dry roasted peanuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup Reese's Pieces

Combine ingredients in a large bowl.  Makes about 15 cups.

I like to also add 1 cup Candy Corn, a handful or two of Candy  Pumpkins and a handful of Gummy Worms to gross it up a bit.

Italian Cheese Bread

If you like Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread, you'll want to try this recipe. After having an order of these one night, I decided to give it a go to see how close I could come to replicating this delicious bread. I was quite surprised at how easy it was. We ate it so fast I wasn't able to get a picture, but next time I make it, I'll be sure to snap a photo to post here.

2-1/2 to 3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast (can use instant)
1 cup warm water (110*F), bottled water is best
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Topping:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Dash pepper
1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded muenster cheese (or monterey jack)

In a bowl, combine the sugar, yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast foams. Add the oil and 1 cup of the flour, stir well. Let stand 30 minutes.
Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding additional flour as needed until smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in bulk. (Optional: if in a hurry, just skip this rise.)

Stir together the butter, salt, garlic, herbs and pepper. Set aside.

Punch the dough down, divide in half, set one aside. Roll out to fit an 11 x 7 inch baking pan. Top with the mozarella and monterey jack cheeses. Cover and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 450*F. Bake for 11-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately spoon half of the seasoned butter over the top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 8 slices.
Serve hot.

Easy Cheesy Potato and Kielbasa Casserole

This is a very easy and economical recipe using frozen potatoes, kielbasa sausage and frozen broccoli. Everything is basically tossed together (no need to thaw) with a cheesy sauce made with canned cheddar cheese soup and baked. It doesn't get much easier than this!

2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 soup can of milk
1 - 28 oz. bag frozen O'Brien potatoes (hash browns)
1 - 1 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces
1 - 1 lb. bag frozen cut broccoli or other vegetable of your choice

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Whisk together the soups and milk in the baking dish. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve hot.

Rhubarb Cake

Spring has sprung and one of our first bounties from the garden will be rhubarb! Not everyone is a fan of rhubarb, that's probably why we usually include strawberries and/or lots of sugar when we use it in recipes. When we find the right balance of tart and sweet though, rhubarb is delicious! Don't forget, the leaves are toxic, so discard those away from the little ones and the pets.
This is a cake recipe from one of my old church cookbooks. When we lived in the north, rhubarb was always being passed around in the spring. Everyone was trying to give away their abundant supply of it. We got our fill of strawberry rhubarb jam, rhubarb pie and such. When I first made this cake, my daughter deemed it as her "favorite in the whole world!". She still requests it for her birthday cake every year in March. We live in Florida now and don't have access to fresh rhubarb like we used to. I haven't tried the frozen, but I'm sure it would work just as well.
I will warn you though, as I learned the hard way, rhubarb is acidic. I only mention this because I once made this cake in a 9x13 inch aluminum pan and stored it in the refrigerator. I guess after we had our fill, it got pushed to the back and forgotten. I'll be honest, I don't know how long it was back there, but when I found it and scooped the leftovers into the trash, I couldn't believe my eyes! Everywhere a piece of rhubarb came in contact with the pan there was a hole in the pan! The rhubarb had eaten right through it! So, if you're going to keep this around a while, I would suggest you use a glass pan.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 to 1" cubes

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (preferably glass).

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, beating until well blended.
Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the wet ingredients. Fold in the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared pan. Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake for 1 hour.

Bread Pudding

1/4 cup raisins (or more if you like)
orange juice or water (enough to cover raisins for soaking)
4 cups cubed bread (Challah is best)
3 eggs
2 cups half and half (or milk)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a small bowl, soak raisins in enough orange juice or water to cover until plumped (a couple hours).

Spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole or 9x9 inch glass baking dsh with cooking spray. Layer the bread pieces and the raisin in the casserole.
In a blender container or a bowl, combine the egss, half and half, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk or blend well. Pour over the bread and raisins in the casserole. Press down the bread slightly to ensure all bread is soaked.

Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar with the 1 teaspoon cinnamon and set aside.

You can now either cover with foil and refrigerate to bake later in the day or the next day, or you can bake right away. To bake, sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 – 12 oz can of beer

Spice Rub:
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. kosher salt (or 2 t. table salt)
1 T. chili powder (optional)
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Mix spice rub ingredients.
Rub chicken all over inside and out and under the skin as far as you can go without ripping the skin. Put chicken in a large zip lock bag and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to roast, preheat oven to 350.
Open the beer and drink half of it. Sit the beer can in a baking dish, an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 work well, that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place the chicken over the beer can, pushing down so the legs reach the bottom of the pan, balancing the chicken upright. You can also use a special beer can chicken rack, which makes the chicken more stable. Carefully place on the bottom rack of the oven and roast for 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Be careful when removing the can from the chicken, the can and the liquids will be very hot. You might need a helper for this.

Note: If you don’t want to use beer, you can use another liquid. Apple juice, lemon lime soda or wine would work good, but the can is essential.

I’ve also added a little Liquid Smoke to the liquid. It gives it just a hint of smoky flavor.

To cook on the barbecue grill, prepare as above. Use the indirect heat method. It should take about the same amount of time as in the oven, depending on how hot your grill is.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I'm always looking for ways to use bananas. Once they start getting too ripe, I throw them in the freezer to wait for me until I have the time to make some banana bread. This time I decided to do something just a little different. These muffins are delicious! Light and moist, with a crunchy topping. I used frozen bananas for this, so if you have any in your freezer, thaw and use just like fresh bananas. I put them in a colander to drain the excess liquid, then peel and use right away.
These muffins would make a great addition to your Sunday brunch menu!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or use liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugars, egg, oil and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and continue beating just until moistened.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins.

Snow Ice Cream!

This might be the last chance you get this season to make some Snow Ice Cream! Since the kids are out of school today, this would be a great activity for them to use up some of their spare time. I don't have the proper ingredients here in Florida for testing these recipes, so I'm leaving it up to all of you "snowbirds" to try them and let me know how they turn out.

Some of you might have seen this recipe before from Paula Deen on Food Network, but I thought it was worth mentioning again on a day like today.

8 cups snow, or shaved ice
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.


This recipe I found over at Beliefnet.com from Valerie Reiss.
It sounds delish, Valerie!

2-3 cups clean snow (I skimmed off the top of my freshly snowed fire escape)
2 TBs half-and-half
1 TB maple syrup
1 TB cocoa powder
1 dash pure vanilla

Add ingredients to medium-small bowl, smoosh with a spoon, serve and enjoy! Serves one or two depending on appetite.

Enjoy your snow day, kids!

Depression Cooking with Clara

I don't know how many of you have seen the 93 year old great-grandmother who has her own online cooking show on YouTube. She is so adorable! I can't help but think of my grandmother while watching her cook and listening to the stories of her childhood.

Clara Cannucciari grew up in Chicago during the Great Depression. She learned how to cook from her mother who, like everyone else at that time, had very little food to feed their families, often having to ration what they had and very little, if any, money for the necessities of life. Clara shows us in her videos the recipes she learned from her mother and how to make the most of what you've got. Through her stories, she makes you realize just how fortunate we really are, even in light of our economic situation today.

Along with her grandson, Christopher Cannucciari, not only does Clara make her cooking videos, she will also have a DVD out soon with all the episodes from her first series. She is also working on a cookbook which will contain all of her recipes from the series and more. Visit her website at Great Depression Cooking for details and also links to all of her cooking videos.

Clara, with all of her wisdom and energy, is truly an inspiration.

Really Rich Cream of Crab Soup

This recipe comes from crabplace.com. It really lives up to it's name.
This is a delicious soup that everyone is sure to love... It's easy, quick, and delicious!!!
Visit The Crab Place today for fresh high quality Maryland seafood and great recipes like this one!

Really Rich Cream of Crab Soup                        

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1-oz. pkg. dry Hollandaise sauce mix
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
4 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp. celery seeds
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
1 lb. Maryland crab meat

In medium bowl, blend flour, Hollandaise sauce mix, and dry mustard with two cups of half-and-half. Melt butter over medium heat in a 4-quart saucepan. Slowly add above mixture to melted butter, stirring constantly to ensure smooth consistency. As mixture begins to thicken, add remaining half-and-half, Old Bay seasoning, celery seeds, and whipping cream. Heat to simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, add crab meat and sherry. Stir gently until heated through, and serve. Top each bowl with freshly ground pepper to taste.

Submitted by Phoebe Ferguson, Crisfield, MD.

Chocolate Lover's Delight

These cookies will satisfy any craving for chocolate you might have. There are plenty of chocolate chips and the texture of the cookie is soft. I used milk chocolate chips in this recipe, but you can use your favorite flavor or for variety, use white chocolate or peanut butter chips.


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350 F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (waxed paper will do if you don't have parchment)

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the butter mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the the chocolate chips.

Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 minutes or until the the cookies are still soft in the center but are firm around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes (very important), then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen 3 inch cookies

Hamming It Up!

This is a very easy, yet flavorful soup. Sometimes the best recipes come from a need to use up leftovers or scraps we don't want to throw away. I get the most from every part of a delicious ham. The dinner itself, sandwiches, scalloped potatoes and ham..... even after I'm done using every little bit including boiling all the flavor out of the bone, the dog has a go at it. By the time all is said and done, that ham is reduced to a few small bone fragments left in the carpet. Now that's what I call "getting your money's worth"!

Easy Ham Bone Vegetable Soup

1 ham bone
2 bay leaves
water
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/2 small head cabbage, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained,
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 can lima beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
2 cups leftover ham, diced (or less if your ham bone was very meaty)

Place the ham bone and bay leaves in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the ham on the bone is falling off, maybe 2 or 3 hours. Add the onions, garlic, celery, cabbage and thyme. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Add remaining ingredients and bring back to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving. This is even better the next day!

You can certainly use any vegetables you like in this soup and also vary the amounts according to your taste and how much broth you have. The bone I used was very flavorful, so this made a large dutch oven full of soup. You can also use frozen vegetables instead of canned, I had an abundace of canned goods on hand that I needed to use, I normally prefer frozen vegetables.

Note:
If your ham bone didn't give up enough flavor for your soup, you can give it a boost with some vegetable or chicken broth. I won't tell anybody!

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Ahhh! Comfort food at it's best! What's not to like?
Bacon...cheese...beef. No, it's not the healthiest, but we don't eat like this every day, right? (ahem) Right? At least it sits atop the bread to soak up some of the fat. Actually, when I made this, the bread stayed rather dry through the cooking process. But the meat was very juicy. This is delicious served with a side of mashed potatoes and a green salad.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
10 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
2 slices bread, toasted

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with the bacon, cheese, egg, soup mix, bread crumbs, pepper and 1/4 cup of the ketchup, mixing well.

Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the 2 pieces of toast on the bottom. Form meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of the toast. Spread remaining 1/4 cup ketchup over the top of the loaf. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove meatloaf from the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for 1 hour. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate, removing the bread from the bottom of the loaf, if desired.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Take your mashed potatoes over the top with roasted garlic! Mashed potatoes can get boring. Why not change it up once in a while? If you're a garlic lover like I am, you're going to want to keep this in your collection of go-to recipes.

2 lbs. (5 or 6) white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tsp. salt
4 T butter
2 heads roasted garlic (recipe follows)
1/2 cup milk or more if needed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, cover potatoes with cold water. Add salt. Bring to a boil over medium hight heat. Boil until tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pan. Add the butter and garlic; mash with a potato masher. Stir in milk and salt and pepper. Add more milk if needed to the consistency desired.

Serves 4


Roasted Garlic

When roasted, garlic becomes sweet and spreadable. We're using it here for mashed potatoes, but the uses for it are endless! Use it in sauces, gravies, dips and spreads, salad dressings or just spread it on a cracker all by itself!


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cut the top off of a head of garlic, place it on a piece of aluminum foil.. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in the foil and roast in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until soft.
Let it cool enough to handle, then just squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash with a fork and use in your favorite recipe.