Fall fun - with two recipes

For the first time, as I understand anyway, Casper had a corn maze outside of town!

It's a great story...this farming family is involved in FFA (Future Farmers of America for those who may not know) and they decided to create a corn maze, not just for the community's enjoyment, but to raise funds for the local FFA Alumni chapter as well as the Natrona County ARC.

I have been dying to go!  Look how cool it is - designed with Wyoming's bucking horse and rider!

The Snyder family and I went last weekend (Todd went hunting) and we had a great time!  It wasn't fancy, just good ol' fashioned fall fun with a pumpkin patch, corn pit, farm animal petting barn and hayride.  Oh, and caramel apples which were quite tasty!

On our way in...

An idea of what we were getting ourselves into...

 The Snyder fam...

Samuel, their oldest boy, leading us through...

Hmmm...a fork in the road...

My twin in the corn maze...

The maze was not at all as scary as you would think from the picture above where it was green and HUGE looking.  It took us 36 minutes to make it through.

On our way to the petting barn...

I think some of these were baby turkeys.  Saved from Thanksgiving tables this year!

These chickens crack me up with their Tina Turner "hair"...

Hog heaven...

This little piggy was too cute.  Look at those ears! And that pink snout...

And we're pretty sure this rabbit thought it was a cat.  He was huge!  And so soft.  And he just let all the kids pet on him.  If he could purr I'm sure he would...

Green Acres corn maze is a lot of fun.  I think they've got one last weekend open - so get out there!

Ok, want a couple fall recipes?

I made these pumpkin cranberry muffins yesterday and are they good!  The candied pecans you could technically have any time of the year, but they seem especially fall-ish for salads.  Yum!

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins
(Recipe says it makes 12, but I got about 20 out of it.)

These are awesome right out of the oven with a teeny bit of butter smeared on them.

2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. allspice
1/3 c. vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
3/4 c. canned unflavored pumpkin
2 c. chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen) I used fresh and gave them a whirl in my

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Beat oil, egg and pumpkin together until well blended.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture all at once.  Stir until moistened.

Fold in chopped cranberries.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake 15-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Candied Pecans
These are SO easy to make and SO super tasty!

1 c. pecans (I prefer pecan halves, but you could use chopped)
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Bring all ingredients to a low boil in a small saucepan.

Add nuts and simmer 2 minutes.  Stirring until well coated.

Line a cookie sheet with a bit of foil and spritz with cooking spray.

Pour nuts onto sheet, drizzling with any remaining sauce from saucepan.

Bake about 10 minutes or until toasted.

Remove from oven and let cool.  The glaze will harden around the nuts.

Toss in a salad with sliced pear or apple and some blue cheese or goat cheese!

DELISH!

Best BBQ rub - ever

Who loves grilling?

If your answer is "I do, I do!" you will need to make this rub the next time you are thinking about chicken on the grill.

I found this recipe a few years ago and it is PERFECT.  Delicious.  Perfect.

Quick Barbecue Chicken                              
(Cooking Light, Sept. 2008)

I quadruple the recipe and keep the extra in a jar for later!

1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Olive oil
Chicken (I like boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you could use anything.)

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with a whisk in a medium bowl.

Cover the chicken with a light layer of olive oil.

Sprinkle the seasoning liberally over the chicken on all sides.

Grill OR cook in a smidgeon of olive oil in a skillet until chicken is done, turning chicken to cook on both sides.

Yum, yum, yum!

Man meal

I made biscuits and gravy for the first time in my life today.

Todd's friend Mike is in town for the weekend to help him teach hunter's safety.  I thought I'd make a nice, hearty man meal for them before they spent the day talking guns, shooting, and all the other things covered in a hunter's safety class.

I read over a couple recipes (mostly The Pioneer Woman's which I modified slightly) to get the general idea then went to work.

The Pioneer Woman doesn't put the sausage in her gravy, something I wanted to do.  So, I changed that.  I also used mostly skim milk and smaller biscuits to help cut back on the bad-for-you-ness of the meal.  That is the predominate reason I have never made biscuits and gravy: the amount of fat and salt in this meal makes it good for a special occasion breakfast only.

And, I know this is a weird reason, but I also never made it because it just seemed difficult in my mind.  I couldn't make the gravy part work in my head for some reason.  I remember seeing Linds H. make it at her house once and I was super impressed.  For some reason, this was a meal only my grandmas and aunts made...

It came out pretty good for my first time, but it was WAY too salty!  I thought I had accommodated for the added salt the sausage would add to the gravy, but I miscalculated.  I had to go back and dilute it with more milk.  After that it wasn't bad...

I also made this egg and green chile casserole which came out very, very good.  It was its inaugural run as well.  We all really liked it.  This will be a keeper.

The guys ate then headed out, bellies full and ready to face the day!

Here's the egg recipe.  Give it a try...  If you like eggs you'll really like this!

Egg and Green Chile Egg Casserole
Cooking spray
2 tbsp. butter, melted
5 large eggs, beaten (You could probably use egg beaters here with no problem. I may experiment with that in the future.)
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese (I wondered how this would work in the casserole, but it turns out just dandy!)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
One 4-oz can diced green chiles
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a small casserole dish with the cooking spray. (Isn't my new casserole cute?  I got it last weekend in Boulder, Colo., at World Market!  I was very excited to make the eggs in it this morning!)

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, cheddar, chiles, flour, baking powder, salt, and butter.

Pour into the prepared casserole and bake until set in the middle - about 35 to 40 minutes.

Todd's comment: "Wow! These eggs are good! Very light and fluffy!"

Just a little testimonial on how good the casserole is.

Recipe redemption

I have a recipe book that's been fighting for its spot on my recipe shelf.  

The book is so cute and the recipes are seemingly so tasty and effortless that I want to love it.  And keep it.  

But it's been fighting for this spot because the recipes I've made from it always seem to fail or backfire in some way.  Granted, until last night I've only made two recipes from the book, but they've both bombed and two for two is a pretty high failure rate!  

How cute, right...?

The book is organized differently than most cookbooks, dividing recipes by what color they are.  A little annoying if you're say, in the mood for a chicken dish and want to see all chicken recipes, but overall it's one of the things that drew me to the book in the first place.  It was creative and cute and I didn't mind it in one recipe book...

I also liked how sweet and personal the  book was.  She begins each color with a memory of that color.  Kind of fun...

And the recipes all have a rustic, "at ease in the kitchen, wanting to make something wholesome for your family" quality about them.  She just seems like the kind of gal you'd like to sit in her kitchen with, sipping tea or wine as she breezes around tossing things into a bowl.  And the food photography is always pretty...

As you can see, I've marked several recipes for trying...

But after this first one I made, I was a touch skeptical.  It tasted pretty good, but my apartment at the time, and every single nook and cranny of it, smelled like garlic and tomatoes for literally a week.  I'd pull clothes out of my closet and they would smell.  I went to a class at the gym with a friend and she told me she could smell my heated up workout clothes!  Um...that's bad!  You can't live like that!

Then, last weekend I thought I'd try her white bread recipe for some homemade bread for leftover Christmas ham.  My loaf looked nothing like the one in the picture, and I firmly believe it was not operator error.  It's a straight forward recipe, and I'm not a yeast bread novice, so I really don't think I'm to blame.  There was just something about the recipe that didn't seem right, but I thought I'd try it anyway.  While it pretty much tasted fine, it wasn't at all the fluffy loaf I imagined we'd be making sandwiches on...

It was after that, I declared to Todd the book is teetering on the edge of the garage sale box.  I had one other recipe I had already bought ingredients for and if that one didn't work out I'd give it the final push in.  So, last night I tried the Chicken Cutlets with Tomatoes and Capers.

I modified it a little because she likes to overdo it on the olive oil.  I added more sage, garlic, and a bit more capers and tomatoes (mostly because I was doubling the chicken plus some) and instead of using water or wine as she suggests, I used caper juice (this was mostly because I was down to the last of my capers and it wasn't worth it to keep only a few in the jar. And, I figured, a little extra caper juice never hurt anyone!).

THIS recipe was a success!  Todd yelled from the living room that it was smelling good, and confirmed it after he took a bite.

The recipe book saved itself in the eleventh hour.  I will keep it for a little while longer and give a few more recipes a shot.  Now that it knows I mean business maybe the book will redeem itself, earning a permanent spot on my shelf instead of a probationary one...

Chicken Cutlets with Tomatoes and Capers

Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (I used 3 very large cloves because I love me some garlic!)
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a cup of cherry tomatoes and also roughly cut 2 regular tomatoes into chunks.)
Salt
4 chicken cutlets or tenders (I couldn't find "cutlets" at the store, so used a full package of about 9 tenders.)
Flour for dusting
2 sage sprigs (I used a whole plastic container of sage like you see in the herb section of grocery stores.  And I only used the leaves.)
4 tbsp. of white wine or water (This is where I just used the caper juice from the jar.  I didn't have a bottle of white wine open and wasn't about to open one for the small amount used here.)
1 1/2 tbsp. drained capers (see above)
1 1/2 tbsp. chopped parsley (I used the flat leaf kind and guesstimated the amount)

Heat a couple teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the garlic, but don't let it get brown.  Add the tomatoes and a twist or two of salt from a grinder.  Simmer until the tomatoes release their juices but not so long that the juice begin to evaporate.

Remove the tomatoes from the pan to a bowl.

Sprinkle the chicken lightly with a little salt and pepper.  Put about a 1/2 cup of flour on a plate and lightly cover the chicken.  Shake off any excess.

Heat 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil in the same skillet.  Cook the cutlets in the oil until one side is golden-y brown.  Turn them over and do the same.  Add the sage, making sure it lands in some oil to help it crunch up.  This part was tasty!  You may have to add a tiny more oil as everything cooks, but judge that as you go along.

When the chicken is done on the inside, add the capers and juice/wine/water choice, the tomatoes, and parsley.

Let heat through and serve!

Game day chow

Todd's favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys, who just so happen to be playing Green Bay tonight in Wisconsin.  Todd may be from Wisconsin, but he is not a Green Bay fan.  I repeat, not a Green Bay fan.

So, tonight's game was kind of a fun one for him.

He hardly gets to watch football because he's usually still working when it's on.  He was pretty happy about being able to watch tonight's game, so I was pretty happy to make him a tasty football snack to watch it with.

Enter The Pioneer Woman's jalapeno poppers.

I can't seem to find the right recipe on her site, so I'll post it below.  Look at her page though, because it gives you the basic idea.

Yes, that is my glass of wine...

More prep...

I have made these once before and there was just...something...missing.  I fiddled around tonight and I'm pretty sure I've nailed it.  To the cream cheese filling I've added 1/2 tsp. garlic salt and a couple tablespoons of pineapple juice.  Then, I pressed a pineapple chunk into the filling before wrapping it with the bacon.  If I do say so...these were all very good modifications...

I think it looks like I'm swaddling a little pineapple baby as I do this...

Nestled snuggly into the pan thatI lined with foil and lightly spritzed with cooking spray...

And here's the pan after baking at a toasty 300 degrees for a while...

And the plate I brought in to a very happy Todd!  He loves these things and totally agreed that my alterations were right on...

Got a sports loving guy in your home or are a sports loving gal?  These are perfect for chowing while cheering!

Jalapeno Poppers from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook


12-15 fresh jalapenos split in half with seeds removed (Depends on their size.  If they're smaller use more.)
One 8-oz. package of light cream cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (her recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but I've found it better with double that)
2 green onions thinly sliced (her recipe calls for 1 green onion, but I wanted more taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
4 tbsp. or thereabouts of pineapple juice
1 can pineapple chunks (you may have to halve the chunks so they fit better in the peppers)
1 pkg. bacon cut in half
bottled bbq sauce (I have been using Bulls Eye because it is basically the only bbq sauce I can find with ingredients I can read, for the most part, and no high fructose corn syrup.)
toothpicks
rubber gloves (You might want to use these to protect against the oils in the jalapeno.  It can be quite painful if you later rub your eye!)

Wash and cut each pepper in half length-wise.  Scoop out the seeds.

In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid), mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onion, garlic salt and about 4 tbsp. pineapple juice.

Stuff the peppers with a small scoop of the cheese filling.  Gently push 1-2 chunks of pineapple in to the middle of the filling.  Wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Lay peppers in a pan lightly spritzed with cooking spray.  Brush BBQ sauce over each pepper and cook anywhere between 300-350 degrees (depending on how much time you have before they need to be served!) until the peppers soften and some of the tips slightly "char."  

Enjoy!

Picklefritz

What the heck is Picklefritz?

Well, after dating Todd for a while now and visiting Wisconsin a few times I am convinced Wisconsinites have a diet of mostly cheese, beer, and pickled foods.

Todd's not too picky and enjoys just about everything, and in true Wisconsin form he does love a pickled something or other, to the point that his grandparents used to call him Picklefritz.  

He really wants "us," a.k.a., me, to try canning, which I'm not opposed to and have always wanted to learn anyway.  His mom even gave me all her old canning stuff so I have no excuse but to get my can on.

So, over the weekend, I decided to try my hand at it.

I chose a quick pickling recipe I've had hidden away in my recipe books for a while now.  It's called quick pickling because it doesn't require the boiling of the jars and all that jazz.  You just throw it all together in a jar and let it sit in the fridge for a week and...like magic!...pickled...whatever you chose.

In this particular instance the recipe called for green beans, which we had in Old Fashioneds at his grandma's house last year.

It is super simple, too!  

The beans as they're getting snapped and thrown in the jars...

Beans swimming in spicy pickling juice.  This recipe calls for LOTS of garlic and some dried hot red chilis...

And Todd can't keep his hands out of them!  To really "pickle" they're supposed to sit for a week, but he keeps sneaking beans.  I have no confidence they will make it to the end of the week.  But I can see why.  This recipe is truly fantastic!  And, as I mentioned, amazingly simple!  

I highly recommend it!  You won't be disappointed.

Kitchen Cravings

I have been having cravings for ethnic foods lately, something I love eating a ton of, but isn't readily available in ol' Wyo.

I will say, however, Casper does seem to have a pretty good taste for something different.  There are several Asian restaurants here and lots of sushi - what I've really been wanting - and I've heard an Indian restaurant is supposed to be opening soon.  Naan bread and lamb Vindaloo...here I come!

I've realized though, if I want something different I'll probably have to make it.  I've got several recipes for Indian, Moroccan, Thai and other fun dishes, but haven't given many of them a try - mostly because I used to be able to just walk down the block and find a restaurant that suited any taste... at any time.

A couple nights ago, however, I made Pad Thai, a traditional Thai noodle dish with a little spice and lots of flavor.

Pad Thai is something I never really ordered at a restaurant because I think it's pretty bad for you there.  I have tried it though, so I know what it should taste like and the following recipe hit the nail on the head.  I was SO excited.  And I didn't feel bad eating it because I knew what all went in it.

And it didn't really call for any crazy ingredients I couldn't find - except dried, minced shrimp, which I just had to do without.  It didn't affect the taste any.

I think I found this recipe in Shape or Cooking Light or some other healthy magazine.  Enjoy!

Shrimp pad Thai
12 oz. rice vermicelli noodles (I used the very thin, almost Angel hair looking noodles.  It didn't come out bad,  but I had to double the sauce to cover everything and it still seemed a little short.  I think the next time I will use a wider rice noodle and will still likely double the sauce.)
1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic

Start doubling here:
8 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined and not frozen
5 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups of bean sprouts, divided
1/3 cup Thai fish sauce (this stuff smells when you start cooking it, but you don't taste it later.)
2 tbsp. EACH ketchup and sugar
1 tsp. red chile flakes
2 large eggs slightly beaten

Cilantro leaves
(optional) roasted, unsalted peanuts
lime wedges

Soak the noodles in a large bowl of very hot water until soft, about 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour in oil.  Add garlic, shrimp, and green onions and cook about 2 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in 1 cup of bean sprouts, the fish sauce, ketchup, sugar, and chile flakes.

Push shrimp mixture to side of pan and carefully pour eggs onto the other side.  Let cook undisturbed for about 1 minute or until mostly solid, then quickly scramble with the other ingredients in the pan.

Drain noodles and add to shrimp mixture stirring thoroughly.

Transfer to plates.  Top with remaining sprouts, snipped cilantro and peanuts if desired.

Voila!

Just like the restaurants!

Tune(a) in

There are a handful of things I've been craving lately: pork chops, stuffed peppers, and tuna casserole.

There is no rhyme or reason for my cravings.  They're just there.  And I've put off appeasing them until I can barely take it.  So, tonight I caved to the call of the casserole.

I didn't want to make a dish that called for cream of mushroom soup, so I took to the Internet to see what I could find.  What I discovered is there are a lot of tuna casserole recipes out there!  And I didn't like just one.  So, I took an ingredient from one, an idea for thickening from another, and so forth, until I concocted what I thought might make a good combo.

Then I asked Linds H. for her recipe.  She's a good cook and I wanted to compare notes.  Her's was completely different still!

I decided to give mine a shot.

I know what's coming next is not modest at all:  It was freaking awesome!  AWESOME!  Todd and I were both very happy with it.  And I was very proud.

Kim's Kicka$$ Concocted Tuna Casserole
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c. milk (we use skim around here, which I figure makes up for the use of cream)
1/2 - 1 c. frozen peas
1 13.25 oz. can of mushroom stems and pieces + the juice
3 5-oz. cans tuna packed in water, undrained
16 oz. pasta of choice
pepper to taste
about 5 twists of a salt grinder
5 oz. pkg. of shredded parm
Plain bread crumbs

Throw your pasta in some water and get it going.

While the pasta is cooking, brown onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil over medium-high.  Turn heat to just a little hotter than low, and sprinkle flour over onions.  Whisk in cream and milk, season with pepper, and bring to a simmer, stirring periodically to keep smooth.

Keep checking the pasta - you want it cooked to only slightly more than al dente.  

Add the peas, mushrooms, tuna, and salt to the cream mixture.  Simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up tuna.

Drain pasta and dump into large mixing bowl.  Pour sauce over the noodles and mix.  Add package of parm.  Mix thoroughly.

Pour casserole into a medium-sized baking dish and sprinkle with plain bread crumbs.

Pop in the oven and bake until bread crumbs are crisp and casserole is bubbling through.

Recipe resoultion

One of my new year's resolutions was to finally find a...resolution...to my recipe mess.

This is a mess that's been going on for, let's just say, some time now.  They used to be organized, but after I started accumulating more and more recipes I decided the system could be better, and that's, ironically, when it all went downhill.

For the last several years my ever-growing collection has been stored in a one gallon Ziplock bag.  It is a HUGE pain in the butt to go through any time I want to cook something.  I've tried to find recipe books to organize it all, but it's like they don't exist anymore, and the ones I have seen I didn't like, so I've been left...holding the bag.

No longer!

My mom found me a recipe book for Christmas that works nearly perfectly.  I had to put in several more of my own categories, and had to buy many more inserts for the recipes (and I still don't have enough), but it's a start.  And a good one.

Here is the before.  There were five more piles on the buffet...

And here is the after!  The project isn't completely done.  They don't all fit in the book, so there will need to be another, but at least it's not a Ziplock...

Now, a sampling of some of those recipes: 


Todd has had a terrible cold for the past week, so I made some homemade chicken noodle soup last night.  I love this recipe...

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 parsnip, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices (I didn't have one of these last night and it still came out great.)
2-3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2-3 stalks celery ribs and leaves, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6 1/2 - 8 cups chicken broth (use 8 cups if you throw noodles in)
egg noodles
Chicken (You can brown 3 boneless, skinless breasts then bake them to use in the soup, or just get a rotisserie chicken and chop up the meat from that.  This is a really good option.)

Heat oil in a large pot.  Add the parsnip and next 6 ingredients and saute about 5 minutes.  Add broth and chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer with the lid on until veggies are tender.

Cold be gone!

The next recipe is a brand new one for me, and oh man, is it good!

 Italian Burgers (Cooking Light)

1 red bell pepper cut into strips
1 green bell pepper cut into strips
1 onion, cut in half then cut into slices
1 1/2 cups store-brand marinara
16 oz. hot Italian sausage
16 oz. lean turkey burger
whole wheat hamburger buns
Sliced provolone cheese

Prepare a grill or broiler.

Heat on medium-high a little bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.  Add the peppers and onions, saute 10 minutes.  When tender, add the marinara and cook until heated.

While the veggies are sauteing, mix the burger and sausage (removed from the casings) together thoroughly in a bowl.  Divide into 6-8 patties and place on grill or broiler until done. 

Assemble patty on the bun with one slice of provolone and top with pepper mixture.

YUMMILICIOUS!

Marshmallow maddness

I have done a lot of baking over the past few weeks, but the crowning glory is something I've never tried before: marshmallows.

I have never in my life considered making marshmallows. In fact, I have never in my life considered how marshmallows are made. I have just always assumed they were delivered to stores by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

But a recent edition of Cooking Light magazine that had a marshmallow recipe in it got me to thinkin'. It looked surprisingly easy - not as easy as a giant marshmallow delivery boy, but a notch below. I'm totally gonna do this, I thought.

Then, much to my amazement, my coworker's fiance Marge brought homemade marshmallows to our winter garage sale. She and her mom make them every year!

I felt like I was about to belong to an elite society.

On Sunday I whipped up my batch of marshmallows. The cream was perfect! It tasted like the marshmallows we all know and love - only better! It was like I opened a giant jar of marshmallow cream. I considered making a fluffer-nutter.

I finally got the pan of cream out of the fridge last night to finish them up.

It's amazing! They are perfect!! I feel a little like a mad scientist.

The pan of marshmallow cream. I don't see why you couldn't stop here and just jar it and make fluffer-nutters every day for lunch...


After the pan of cream has chilled for at least 8 hours you flip it out onto a counter covered with a powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. This keeps the marshmallows from sticking to each other. Then you start cutting them up!


More cutting. It's important to keep your knife covered in the powder mixture so it doesn't stick to the cream. Also, I didn't dump the entire bowl of powder onto the counter because it initially looked like a lot more than I would need. Then I had an idea: I should toss the marshmallows in a ziplock bag with the left over powder and give them a shake. Do this step. It made covering all the sides of the marshmallows really easy...


Move over Marshmallow Man! Check these babies out!


The recipe is actually called Toasted Coconut Marshmallows, but I did nothing with the coconut part, so I've removed anything relating to that from the recipe. It's from Cooking Light.

• Cooking spray
• 2 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3/4 cup cold water, divided
• 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup light-colored corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Line a 13 x 9-inch cake pan with wax paper, allowing the wax paper to extend over sides of pan. Lightly coat the wax paper with cooking spray.

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl; set aside. (NOTE: The gelatin will start reacting and by the time you're ready for it it's like a giant Jell-O Jiggler.)

Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 cup of water, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring periodically, over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer registers 260° or for about 15 minutes. (NOTE: I do not have a candy thermometer which is partially why I'm so amazed these came out! I just let it boil for a little bit then took a good guess.)

While sugar mixture cooks, beat the vanilla, salt, and egg whites at high speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer with whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.

Remove sugar mixture from heat; gradually stir in softened gelatin. Mixture will appear foamy. (NOTE: This is where it starts looking like a science experiment!)

Gradually pour the gelatin/sugar mixture into the beaten vanilla/egg white mixture, beating until very thick (about 5 minutes). Gently spread marshmallow mixture in prepared pan. Coat 1 side of another sheet of wax paper with cooking spray. Place wax paper, coated side down, over marshmallow mixture. Chill 8 hours or until firm.

Combine powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl with a whisk. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the powder over a cutting board or counter. Remove top sheet of wax paper. Invert marshmallow mixture over powdered sugar mixture. Flip marshmallow mixture to cover both sides with powder. Using a sharp knife, cut mixture into about 1-inch squares.

Place the rest of the powder mixture and all cut marshmallows into a large ziplock bag. Shake gently to cover all sides of marshmallows.

Pop in a mug of hot chocolate or coffee! (Yes, coffee. It's delish!)

Perfect fall day

We had today what I thought we'd skipped right over: A fall day. And it was perfect!

It was so nice out, I spent essentially all day outside - starting with the raking of all our leaves in the back yard. I love the fact I have a yard. I know it means yard work, but that's one of the reasons I love it! I've always wanted a place to hang out, grill, have flowers, veggies - a dog. And now I do!


Last night and today we had three dogs. We dogsat a couple labs of some friends of ours. I'm hoping to get Rigby socialized with these dogs because we're going to leave him at their house when we go to Nashville in November. I think it's working. They were playing and lounging in the sun, having a good ol' dog time.

Here they are in the back of my car for the ride back home. Rigby's on the left...


I also took Rigby on a walk, got a second fridge picked up for the workshop, and went over to a friends house for a deer tenderloin dinner. How fall-ish is that?

I finally got my pumpkins carved today too! We went to a different patch this year in Ft. Collins: The Bartels Farm. They had tons, TONS of pumpkins. Literally, the fields stretched to the horizon!


Here's a new recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds that I tried last night. It is freaking good. This recipe has the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Don't let your Halloween go by without making these!

From Real Simple magazine:

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds
Place 2 cups pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet with sides in a 300 degree oven until somewhat dried out.

Remove seeds from oven, place in a bowl. Increase oven temp. to 350.

Stir together 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Pour 2 tbsp. melted butter over seeds. Sprinkle sugar mixture over seeds and toss to coat.

Place back on the cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook until crisp!